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mugenhunt t1_j1khxhj wrote

The basic idea with a long-running television series is that you will have one episode in pre-production, while another episode is filming, and a third episode is in post-production. Having a different director on each episode means you can have progress being made on three episodes at a time, as opposed to just one.

The basic idea with this is that you want directors who are going to be relatively safe and keeping to the same general style, but that it allows for a more streamlined production.

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JimboFett87 t1_j1kqk2t wrote

Yep it's a logistics play. The director is the manager of the episode and they need to be involved in all stages, so on a weekly drama they have a particular schedule to keep. Everyone has their jobs but the manager has to rotate out.

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sm04d t1_j1lywlg wrote

Not really. The showrunner (usually the creator of the series, but not always) manages the series, from the writing stage through post. TV is not like film, where directors have all the power and control. In TV, writers have control, while director involvement typically is confined to their particular episode(s).

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hipster3000 t1_j1m02s4 wrote

I think that's what they were saying, that the director has to be involved in all stages of their episode so if they are starting on other episodes while the previous episode is in production, they will need other directors

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JimboFett87 t1_j1m7at2 wrote

Yep, showrunners are usually EPs and keep the continuity across a series where a director is focused on a specific ep.

Sometimes those overlap but not often. Or we see limited series with one director across all the episodes.

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stop_drop_roll t1_j1mge64 wrote

If you listen back on some of Kevin Smith's podcasts, he talks about directing some WB shows like Supergirl. There is a lot that is taken from his hands to the show runners and EPs. They do a basic directing job, but the nitty gritty of directing a whole film isn't there. What you also realize, is these guest directors also bring some cache and fans of the director.

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pizzapit t1_j1mckig wrote

That and you'll often find the pivotal episodes in a season are directed by the showrunner themselves to further keep a handle on the tone of the series

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NockerJoe t1_j1l5ph5 wrote

I work in film and I've seen productions that will shoot multiple episodes concurrently. Meaning that they'll be shooting episodes 3 and 4 and then the crew on episode 3 will move on to 5 and then 4 goes to 6 and so on. Not to mention that if you have a stunt heavy seqjence or an extended sequence with a whole seoerate group of actors you may want to bring in an additional unit with even more people. It can be very easy for a film crew to balloon in size and need a bunch of directors concurrently if the producers and accountants agree this makes more financial sense.

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spudmarsupial t1_j1mf046 wrote

Must be hard juggling the actors.

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Korrocks t1_j1mt3li wrote

Depends on the actor. If it’s someone like Anna Kendrick you can easily juggle them since they probably weigh very little but if we’re talking Dwayne Johnson or Vin Diesel good luck even getting them into the air unless you are also a body builder.

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BattleHall t1_j1ogsvr wrote

And depending on the nature of the story, if there are location shoots that occur at multiple points in various episodes over a season, it may make more sense to shoot them all at once, even if the rest of the episodes are shot at different times.

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RunningToStayStill t1_j1kua7x wrote

Fascinating, but I imagine this is less efficient when one of the cast member gets to direct an episode: Jason Bateman on Ozark.

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mugenhunt t1_j1kuf26 wrote

Slightly so. The big trick is that an actor directing an episode is generally assigned one that they aren't going to be playing a large role in, and where an assistant director can handle the scenes where the actor also needs to be performing.

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exsanguinator1 t1_j1lsc26 wrote

I noticed that with Atlanta—the episodes Donald Glover directs are ones where he isn’t in it or isn’t in much of it.

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thisgrantstomb t1_j1kxxio wrote

In the latter seasons of Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston would direct one episode a season it would always be the premier episode because it's the only one he would be available to do the pre production on. After that he was busy acting.

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emptythecache t1_j1mj08o wrote

I watched the Farewell to Ozark thing on Netflix, he only agreed to be in the show if he could direct it. He was meant to direct every episode of the first season, but couldn't due to time constraints.

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Professional_Mobile5 t1_j1muqqg wrote

Also Noah Emmerich on The Americans, Donald Glover on Atlanta, Rhea Seahorn on Better Call Saul, Giancarlo Esposito on Better Call Saul... Many great examples

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beautbird t1_j1kozns wrote

This. But not just a long-running show, this is basically any show.

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lpat93 t1_j1l5onn wrote

This totally makes sense. Any insight in how then a show like How I Met Your Mother managed to have the same director for all but 12 episodes? Would imagine she was maybe more hands off for the pre and post aspects of the show?

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mugenhunt t1_j1la4gk wrote

In general, sitcoms require a lot less effort in the pre-production and post-production stages due to reusing the same sets, angles and lighting most of the time.

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chicagoredditer1 t1_j1mn0g4 wrote

3 camera sitcoms, unlike dramas, only film 1 episode a week, so it's easier for the director to be involved in the whole process from beginning to end. They also are less logistically challenging since the action is largely confined to the 3-4 sets all on the same stage.

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TootsNYC t1_j1m74kp wrote

Also note that series have a showrunner overseeing it, so that can help to keep things cohesive even with different directors.

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fightingwalrii t1_j1m9p0l wrote

Added benefit is sometimes you get a really good fit of a particular script and a particular director and it both fits the show stylistically and makes for a fantastic episode that might not have otherwise happened

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Jota769 t1_j1mf2hh wrote

Yup this is basically it

It also increases the show’s clout to have multiple award-winning directors on the show

It also allows newer directors to gain experience

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apaksl t1_j1mwez6 wrote

the thing I've always wondered, is, it seems like it would be weird if there was a guest star who only has a few scenes scattered throughout the season and if they're only there for a few days to film their scenes and they have to hop from one director to the next over the course of shooting for the day.

(I probably have a fundamental misunderstanding of tv production, so there's that)

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beautbird t1_j1sa3nb wrote

They would have multiple directors but probably not in the same day due to location.

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MattyBeatz t1_j1kzh1s wrote

Whelp I do t need to leave a comment. You pretty much said what I came here to say.

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