Three siblings navigate challenges to their respective love lives in Director Edward Burns’ drama, Millers in Marriage.
Burns’ film tells the story of Eve Miller, a former indie rock singer struggling with her toxic marriage, her sister Maggie, a bestselling author also facing marital discord with her less successful husband, and their freshly divorced brother Andy, who is embarking on his own new but complicated relationship.
On December 8, after the DGA membership screening in New York, Burns discussed the making of Millers in Marriage during a Q&A moderated by Director Sarah Pirozek (#Like). He also spoke about the film with Director Doug Atchison (Akeelah and the Bee) following the Los Angeles screening on December 14.
During the Los Angeles conversation, Burns revealed what he learned about filmmaking from a master of the art.
“The first film that I acted in that wasn’t one of my films was Saving Private Ryan. So, I asked Steven, ‘Can I take this opportunity to kind of shadow you and watch how you make films?’ It was the ultimate graduate film program. For 66 days that’s what I did. What was amazing was the first week we worked together, we were running and gunning and shooting sometimes four cameras at once and Steven would do two takes. Third take, ‘okay we got it, let’s go, moving on.’ And after a week of this all of us young guys were thinking, ‘He must really hate us because he’s not giving us any notes and we’re definitely going to get fired on Friday.’ That was our fear. Then, the following Monday he asked for a fourth take, and a fifth take, and finally gave us notes. At lunch we said ‘Hey Steven we gotta’ know why today?’ He said, ‘Well today you didn’t know what the hell you were doing so, I had to step in. I hire actors for a reason. I assume you’re going to show up prepared, you’re going to have thought about the choices you made. You guys are an ensemble. You know I’m rolling four cameras at once, so I need to give you guys the time to figure it out. If I were to step in after the first take and give you a note, and you a note, and you a note — as young actors especially — that’s going to get in your head and undermine your confidence.’ So, from that experience I was like, ‘Three or four takes, you do what you have to do, you figure it out.’”
Burns’ other directorial credits include the feature films the features The Brothers McMullen, She’s the One, No Looking Back, Sidewalks of New York, Ash Wednesday, Looking for Kitty, The Groomsmen, Purple Violets, Newlyweds, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies and Summer Days, Summer Nights; and episodes of Public Morals and Bridge and Tunnel. He has been a DGA member since 1997.