With the Oscars fast approaching, it might seem premature to delve into the Emmy season. But nominations in the TV categories of Guild and related awards–such as the Directors Guild Awards, American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Awards, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards, and the Art Directors Guild (ADG) Excellence in Production Design Awards–lend a clue as to what could be in store come Emmy time.
The field of DGA, Eddie, ASC and ADG nominees spans shows with Emmy-track records such as Succession (HBO) and newcomers including Squid Game (Netflix), Dopesick (Hulu) and Foundation (Apple TV+). SHOOT connected with guild nominees from these shows to gain insights into their work–which may be recognized down the road by Television Academy voters who at present may just be starting to mull over this year’s prospective nominations.
Succession
It’s likely that Succession will figure prominently in the Emmy derby, reflected particularly in the show’s DGA Awards performance. Succession just swept the DGA’s dramatic series category nominations–Kevin Bray for the “Retired Janitors of Idaho” episode; Mark Mylod for “All the Bells Say”; Andrij Parekh for “What It Takes”; Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman for “Lion in the Meadow”; and Lorene Scafaria for “Too Much Birthday.”
Parekh already won a directorial Emmy for Succession in 2020 (for the “Hunting” episode). And that same year Mylod was nominated (for the “This Is Not for Tears” episode).
Mylod, who’s also executive producer on the series, said that the DGA accolades mean everything on a couple of fronts–the obvious one being the gratification of being recognized by your directorial peers. On the awards show circuit, Mylod recalled that his first career nomination in 2020 gave him the most pride and fulfillment of any industry honor he had ever received since it came from Guild members who intimately understand and value what a director does.
For Mylod the new batch of five DGA nominations for Succession also represented “a huge relief.” He acknowledged feeling the major challenge of keeping up the intensity and high quality of Succession in season three after a stellar season two. That pressure was felt especially in the initial episodes of the third season when everyone was “deep in the weeds with COVID protocols” as the nature of collaborative relationships was being redefined and different ways were needed to capture or deal with the scope and scale normally expected. Mylod said he was proud of the directors who more than met the high bar set by the series, underscored by their DGA nominations. Mylod added that from the outset Succession has sought “bold directors” who can “lead with nuance, tone and performance.” That boldness also extends to visuals. Mylod said his fellow DGA nominees met those criteria. His only regret is that Cathy Yan wasn’t also nominated for “The Disruption,” the third episode in season three. That installment contained scenes that required considerable scale–when that was hard to achieve during the pandemic. Mylod assessed that Yan and cinematographer Christopher Norr did “a fantastic job” of realizing that scale in an episode with a high degree of difficulty. Mylod described Yan as “a true artist” whose work was “at least as good as anybody else’s on the show.”
Paradoxically, noted Mylod, the pandemic–while posing myriad challenges–might also have played a part in helping to maintain the high standard of Succession. In preparing for season three, Mylod was concerned as to whether the show would be able to keep its “edge and hunger.” But he observed, “If there ever was any danger of unconscious complacency, the pandemic tightened us all up, galvanized us with something to overcome. The way we pulled together as a company to do that is something I’m really proud of.”
Still, it’s an ongoing battle. At press time, Mylod noted that the writers’ room had just convened for season four. “Any kind of satisfaction and pride (over season three) is tempered by the prospect of how do we do that again.”
Mylod came aboard Succession early on. At the time he was looking to be close to home with his wife and kids in New York–after spending much time overseas for multiple seasons of Game of Thrones. He wound up finding a destination not only close to home but close to his heart. Attracting him to Succession from the outset were the chance to work with series creator Jesse Armstrong and the pilot episode brilliantly directed by Adam McKay. On the former score, Mylod had long wanted to collaborate with Armstrong, an Oscar-nominated writer for In The Loop. Mylod and Armstrong are fellow Brits, with some roots in U.K. comedy. Mylod had long admired Armstrong’s work, particulary on UK Channel 4’s series, Peep Show, which demonstrated an acerbic wit along with insights into human behavior.
Then Mylod saw the pilot. “I was knocked out by it,” recalled Mylod, “It was so incredibly prescient and didn’t give a shit whether you liked or hated the characters. I was dazzled by that.”
Thankfully there was what Mylod described as “a lovely phone call” with Armstrong during which the two just clicked. They had a meeting of simpactico minds, which ultimately upped an offer to direct a couple of episodes to instead take on a producing/directing role which Mylod had done before (with Entourage and Shameless for Showtime). Add the bonus of being able to work with a brilliantly fresh cast and Mylod had landed the ideal gig.
Stephen Carter
Also finding Succession a fulfilling gig is production designer Stephen Carter who too was impressed with the pilot episode–for which Kevin Thompson did the production design. Carter took over from episode two on as production designer, picking up a season two Emmy nomination along the way in the Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) category. (This was his second career Emmy nod, the first coming as an art director for an episode of Sex and the City.)
Now Carter again figures in the Emmy conversation as he recently picked up an ADG Excellence in Production Design Award nomination on the strength of his work on two Succession episodes–”The Dirsuption” and “Too Much Birthday.” It’s his second career ADG Award nod, the first coming in 2015 for the feature Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), for which he was an art director, working with production designer Thompson. Birdman won four Academy Awards, including for Best Picture.
While he had done some TV in the past prior to Succession, Carter was primarily known for his feature film credits, including as production designer on Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight. But with streaming services gaining momentum, translating to more series work in New York, Carter recalled that “the handwriting was on the wall” so he began more actively exploring episodic assignments, interviewing with HBO for example on some projects that didn’t get greenlit–and then Succession emerged. Having worked with Thompson, the opportunity to build on what he had done with the Succession pilot–and the high caliber of the show–drew Carter into the fold.
He loves the challenging dynamics of Succession, noting that it is not one of those shows that has scripts for all 10 episodes ready from day one. Instead there’s constant rethinking of possibilities within the scripts as the braintrust sees what actors do with their parts from one episode to the next. If an unexpected character interaction or scenario emerges, the writers explore what they can do with that. “The writing has the quality of good improv theater or improv comedy,” observed Carter. “The writers react really quickly, which translates into my having to pivot really quickly.”
Sometimes that yields an abundance of riches with the rough cut of an episode coming in at well over an hour. “Directors have to figure out who their victims are in terms of killing their darlings,” said Carter who noted that as much fun as the “Too Much Birthday” episode was, some of his production design wound up on the cutting room floor. Yet Carter sees the value at times of doing more by showing less. He explained for example that while the characters in Succession are often in opulent surroundings, the series doesn’t linger in that environment. While the settings can be huge and amazing, the characters don’t see them as such because to them it’s part of their daily lives. On one hand it’s amazing how these people live. But on the other hand, there’s the sense that they take it for granted when lingering is minimized. It all gets back to an inherent strength in Succession–that it’s a show, affirmed Carter, that trusts the intelligence of its viewers.
Dopesick
Among the new shows up for Emmy consideration is Dopesick, Hulu’s limited series which delves into opioid addiction in America, drawing us into a distressed Virginia mining community, a rural doctor’s office, the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, and the inner workings of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Dopesick too has fared well on the guild awards circuit, securing two of the DGA nominations in the Movies for Television and Limited Series category–one for series creator/showrunner Danny Strong for his helming of “The People vs. Purdue Pharma” episode; the other for Barry Levinson for the “First Bottle” episode.
Both Strong and Levinson have strong Emmy pedigrees. The former has three career Emmy nominations, winning twice for Game Change (for writing and best telefilm). His other nod came for writing Recount.
Meanwhile Levinson is an 11-time Emmy nominee, winning four–directing for an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street; two for writing on The Carol Burnett Show, and one for best children’s program for Displaced Person. Levinson’s other nominations include best telefilm nods as a producer for Paterno, The Wizard of Lies, Phil Spector and You Don’t Know Jack, as well as directorial noms for Paterno and You Don’t Know Jack.
Continuing the guild tally, Dopesick earned an ACE Eddie nod for Douglas Crise, ACE on the basis of the “First Bottle” episode that Levinson directed.
Levinson (who’s the Chat Room interview in this March/April 2022 issue of SHOOT) and Crise also could figure in the Emmy mix for a project they teamed on just prior to Dopesick–the telefilm The Survivor which debuts on HBO in April. Based on the book “Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano” by Alan Haft, The Survivor stars Ben Foster as Harry Haft who survives both the unspeakable horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the gladiatorial life-or-death boxing spectacle he is forced to fight in with his fellow prisoners for the amusement of his Nazi captors. Haft, though, remains driven to survive by his quest to reunite with the woman he loves–from whom he was separated during the Holocaust. After a daring escape, he makes his way to NYC where he makes a name for himself as a boxer, even landing a bout with Rocky Marciano. Haft hopes that the press coverage he gets as an athlete may help him find his lost true love–she will realize that he is still alive as he continues to believe that she too has survived.
Squid Game
The newcomer that made perhaps the biggest splash in terms of buzz and viewership this past year has been the dystopian Korean thriller Squid Game which centers on people who are so desperate for money that they consent to compete in a series of schoolyard games with deadly consequences.
The series could make history as the first non-English project to be nominated in a major TV category at the Emmys. Among the Squid Game artisans in Emmy contention is editor Nam Na-young who’s nominated for an ACE Eddie Award in the Best Edited Drama Series category for the episode titled “Gganbu.”
The editor said of the Eddie nomination, “I’m delighted beyond belief. It is an honor just to be considered a nominee. My colleagues and I jokingly said that we had brought great honor to our families. I watched all of the other nominated works, and since they were masterpieces, the nomination was even more honorable. I still have regrets about some aspects I could have done better. Nonetheless, I’m proud of the fact that I worked on a series that resonated with so many viewers around the world. This nomination has served as an opportunity to make myself more known.”
Na-young was drawn to Squid Game by its creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk with whom she has a longstanding collaborative relationship. The editor shared, “We work well together, especially in our understanding and interpretation of the work, so I cleared my schedule when I heard that he was preparing for a new piece. Squid Game is of a genre that I already love, but I was worried that it might not stand out if it didn’t have a strong impact since there are already so many other great global works of the same genre. But after I read the scenario, I knew that the series would be refreshing and special. I took on the series because I thought, ‘This one is different!’ seeing the intriguing games and storyline of the characters present in each episode.”
Squid Game marks Na-young’s first TV series and she said it posed some challenges compared to her feature work. “Movies are only about two hours but a series tells a much longer story divided into several episodes. Since I had only edited movies in my career, there were so many things I had to learn and get used to. I had to put in a lot more time, and the editing work was different. Throughout the editing process, I kept thinking, ‘Is this too loose? Am I thinking only in terms of movies? Should I be editing the series in a way that can resonate more with a larger audience?’”
As for a prime lesson learned from the experience, Na-young shared that “focusing on one series for a long time requires stamina and concentration. Once you focus on one thing for a while, your mind breaks down.” Na-young added that she found it helpful to “work calmly.”
Foundation
Cinematographer Steve Annis recently earned his first ASC Award nomination for “The Emperor’s Peace,” the pilot for the series Foundation based on author Isaac Asimov’s short stories which are regarded as seminal works in the sci-fi universe. The series is ambitious in its scope spanning assorted generations and worlds.
Annis was drawn not only to the sci-fi galaxy saga itself, which begins 12,000 years in the future, but also the opportunity to work with director Rupert Sanders on the pilot. Annis is a long-time admirer of Sanders’ short and long-form endeavors. For one Annis was familiar with Sanders’ commercialmaking exploits, having lensed spots for several of his directorial colleagues at production house MJZ including Nick Ball, Henry Hobson and Michael Spiccia. Annis is also a fan of such Sanders-directed features as Snow White and the Huntsman and Ghost in the Shell.
Annis said that working with a director the caliber of Sanders and a Foundation showrunner as astute as series co-creator David S. Goyer marked a career highlight. The DP was especially gratified that after the Foundation pilot, he wound up shooting some commercials for Sanders, testament to the collaborative creative rapport they had built.
Annis felt Sanders in particular took a leap of faith in bringing him into the Foundation fold. The DP hadn’t done any major TV work yet was chosen for this high-profile pilot based largely on his feature accomplishments–most notably his lensing of director Grant Sputore’s I Am Mother, which debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival–as well as top-drawer commercials and music videos. Annis said that he felt simpatico with Sanders from the outset, being on the same page in terms of visual approach and storytelling, which included their opting to go anamorphic on Foundation to support a dark, moody style in kinship with Asimov’s work. Annis went with the Panavision DXL2 camera in tandem with customized Panavision lenses.
Annis’ ASC nomination for Foundation came in the Motion Picture, Limited Series or Pilot Made for Television category. Among his other accolades over the years have been four Camerimage nominations for Best Cinematography in a Music Video spanning clips for such artists as Leon Bridges, Florence + the Machine, James Vincent McMorrow and Unkie.
The ASC recognition–which puts him in the Emmy conversation–is especially meaningful for Annis who recalled being an avid reader of the ASC’s magazine, American Cinematographer, since he was in film school back in 2000. “Back then it was almost a fantasy magazine. I would read it in awe of these artists doing titanic things. It’s the go-to DPs’ craft magazine. So for little old me to be recognized by the ASC is just insane. I’m deeply honored.”
