aTVfest shows what things are like from the director’s chair

On Feb. 3 at aTVfest, SCAD had the honor of welcoming three acclaimed television directors to talk about the business and what to expect for upcoming directors in the industry. The prestigious panel included Anya Adams (“Black-ish,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Speechless”),  Carol Banker (“The X-Files,” “The Magicians”), and Tamar Halpern (“My Daughter Is Missing,” “Llyn Foulkes One Man Band”).

While directing is the ultimate goal for almost all film, television and even animation majors, knowing how to reach that spot is an intimidating venture to say the least. However, listening to the personal stories of these professionals allowed our student community to get a detailed look into how to overcome these hectic hurdles.

Halpern recommended getting as much experience as possible in a variety of roles. “To be a director one of the best gifts you can give yourself is to PA and be a production coordinator or an AD or a script supervisor, anything you can get your hands on,” said Halpern. “I did anything I could get my hands on back in the day.”

When asked about how to balance out the creative and business sides of the industry, Adams replied, “I feel like in television you have to have a close balance of the two, especially being able to manage time, because you’re not given enough time to accomplish what you need. So you really need to understand how to navigate production so that you can get the creative elements that you want.”

Another challenge of the industry is balancing out family and production life. “Because it’s freelance you have the feast or famine,” Halpern said. “You could be home for two months with your kids, wondering if you’re ever going to work again, and then you could be gone for two months — but men do it so why shouldn’t women do it.”

Being female directors, plenty was brought up from our student body about what direction the industry might be taking as a result of more female and minority directors. “As an AD, I rarely worked with female directors,” said Adams. “When I got to ‘Black-ish,’ it was the first time I had worked with a black female director. It’s been slow going, but it’s coming and we are part of the wave.”

The final question asked the panelists what they would have told themselves as undergrads knowing what they know now. Banker said, “The one thing I would’ve done more is seek out mentors. My experience would have gone a lot smoother if I had fostered more relationships.”

Adams said, “Personally, I would’ve been further along had I believed in myself … I think I held myself back a lot, but if you want to do this, just believe in yourself and take chances based on that. Don’t decide not to do something because you tapped yourself out of it. Go for it.”

To check out more coverage of aTVfest 2018, click here.