Directing Great Television: Inside TV's New Golden Age

by Dan Attias

Overview

Sharing his own process honed over a decades-long career, Emmy-nominated director Dan Attias brings you into the actual experience of directing series television. Whether it’s the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute problem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your teeth, Attias brings you right into the director’s chair, sharing his knowledge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time. Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, how to “speak” through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small. Directing Great Television is a fascinating window into television’s best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike. Attias’s book transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615933297
Publisher:	Wiese, Michael Productions
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dan Attias has worked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a director of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire, and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing. He continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including Homeland, The Americans, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Previously he has directed The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, True Blood, Entourage, The Killing, True Detective, The Walking Dead, Bloodline, Friday Night Lights, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Lost, and The Boys, among many others.
Dan started his career studying acting, then worked as an assistant director for Steven Spielberg on E.T. The Extraterrestrial, for Francis Coppola on One From the Heart, for Wim Wenders on Hammett, for Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker on Airplane!, and on several other feature films. He has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States, and has conducted master classes in Italy, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada. He has also mentored many young directors, several of whom have gone on to have successful television careers.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Alex Gansa, showrunner for Homeland Chapter One: What’s Unique About Directing Series Television? Chapter Two: The School of Hard Knocks Chapter Three: Creating the World of Your Story Chapter Four: Making Meaning: Homeland Chapter Five: What Story Are You Telling? Chapter Six: Getting the Performance Chapter Seven: Staging the Scene Chapter Eight: Rewriting the Subtext: The Americans Chapter Nine: The Language of Camera Chapter Ten: Making It Makeable: Snowfall Chapter Eleven: Taking Risks: Manhattan Chapter Twelve: Finding the Bigger Picture: Good Girls Revolt Chapter Thirteen: Inner States Chapter Fourteen: Working with the Showrunner Chapter Fifteen: Wrapping Up Afterword by Steph Green, Emmy-nominated director of Watchmen

Editorial Reviews

Claire Danes, star of Homeland and winner of multiple Emmy awards: “Dan's writing is reflective of his directing style: sensitive, thoughtful, insightful, and searching. His account of the culture and process of episodic television is honest and edifying.” John Landgraf, Chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions: “I’ve watched thousands of hours of television, but I can always recognize Dan’s work because it is a cut above. If you want to understand what a director does, or would like to be a director, or already are a director and would like to get better at it — then READ THIS BOOK.” David Chase, creator and showrunner of The Sopranos: “Dan Attias has written a book I believe would make any director a better director. I wish I had had his book before I ever started.” Amy Sherman Paladino, creator, co-showrunner, and frequent director of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: “If you are interested in the process, in how it works, or should work, if you want to hear from someone who still finds the fun and the challenge in bringing the story to life, and who has skills up the wazoo, then this man is the one to pay attention to. I did. And it made me better.” Nathan Lane, icon of the American stage and multiple Tony and Emmy award-winning actor: “Dan Attias has not only written an incredibly comprehensive guide to directing television, he's written a humanistic and personal memoir of the journey to find the truth through the best storytelling possible and capturing that on film. Speaking from personal experience, Dan is not just a great television director, he’s a great director, period. You will love this book.” Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields, co-showrunners of The Americans: “Dan Attias is one of the most talented directors working today, the guy you want directing your most important episode. He has written an essential manual for anyone who wants to understand the craft of television production and directing.

From the Publisher