With a slew of primetime Emmy nominations over the past three years, including 17 this time around, American Horror Story (FX Networks) didn’t score its first nomination for a director until now—the honoree being Alfonso Gomez-Rejon for the “Bitchcraft” episode of American Horror Story: Coven.
This also marks the first career primetime Emmy nomination for Gomez-Rejon, coming in the Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special category. For Gomez-Rejon, the nomination “is representative of the work of the entire cast and crew. This is especially humbling in that there have been so many directors who have done beautiful work on American Horror Story—to be the first to get an Emmy nomination is an enormous honor.”
Gomez-Rejon also credits Ryan Murphy, American Horror Story writer/executive producer/showrunner/co-creator whom he described as “an incredible mentor and nurturer. Ryan gives you total freedom to do your best and to create something that is unique to the show. This is a baroque show, one that pushes the boundaries. There’s nothing safe in it in terms of composition. Ryan encourages us to be bold and expressive.
Murphy and Gomez-Rejon have a collaborative track record. Their working relationship began with the Murphy-directed theatrical feature Eat Pray Love, for which Gomez-Rejon directed second unit. “He hired me, saw the footage and then offered me an episode of Glee to direct,” recalled Gomez-Rejon who went on to helm seven more episodes of the series which Murphy co-created.
“I remember that I storyboarded my first episode of Glee from beginning to end,” said Gomez-Rejon. “I was very much a formalist. But Ryan told me, ‘Do whatever you want, don’t be afraid to shake things up.
If they say you can’t shoot it a certain way, tell them that’s how I wanted it.’ From that day on, Ryan never looked over my shoulder. He only supported and pushed me. He expects the best from his team. It’s the kind of mentorship one dreams of. And I felt that freedom and trust when he brought me on to American Horror Story, including for this [Emmy-nominated] episode.”
Gomez-Rejon has thus far directed 11 episodes of American Horror Story. Of “Bitchcraft,” he said, “The challenge was how do I realize those beautiful words from the script into a cinematic experience that had its own style representative of this show—and only this show. Even though time is compressed, you have to accomplish this. We also have an enormous cast this season spanning two different centuries. Still you have to make sure that every actor has the opportunity to question and develop their parts—despite the time crunch we face in television.”
At press time, Gomez-Rejon was further extending his creative reach from TV into features. He was in production on the theatrical movie Me & Earl and the Dying Girl, which centers on the story of a teenage filmmaker who befriends a classmate with cancer. The cast includes Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal and Olivia Cooke.
Carl Franklin
Also enjoying his first career Emmy nomination is Carl Franklin whose work on the “Chapter 14” episode of House of Cards (Netflix) scored in the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series category. His is one of 13 nominations House of Cards has garnered this year.
Franklin’s directorial roots are in feature filmmaking as reflected in such credits as One False Move and Devil in a Blue Dress. The former earned Franklin an Independent Spirit Award for Best Director in 1993.
Franklin diversified over the years into television, helming episodes of, among other notable shows, Rome (HBO), The Pacific miniseries (HBO), Falling Skies (TNT), The Newsroom (HBO), Homeland (Showtime) and most recently The Leftovers (HBO). At press time he was in New York City to direct two episodes of The Affair (Showtime).
Over 2013-’14, Franklin directed four installments of House of Cards, including “Chapter 14” which garnered him not only the Emmy nomination but also created a stir with the killing off of character Zoe Barnes (portrayed by Kate Mara)
The murder of Zoe was one of the creative challenges of “Chapter 14” (the season two opener) for Franklin. “The mandate was to make sure the audience was stunned by this development, that we didn’t telegraph it,” he related. “We had to shoot it in such a way that it had suspense and tension while not creating the expectation that she was going to die.”
Additionally there’s the inherent creative challenge posed by House of Cards. “The expectations are high on Netflix and cable,” said Franklin. “They want a feature film feel—and we do that for House of Cards, but not on a feature film schedule. Instead we have to work on a tight television schedule.”
Franklin, though, is hardly complaining about time constraints. “Television is in a better place than it’s ever been. It’s an exciting place and a lot of feature people are turning to it because of the content and creative opportunities.”
The opportunity to direct House of Cards was sparked by John Melfi who was an executive producer on season one. Melfi was production coordinator on the aforementioned Franklin-directed feature One False Move. They later collaborated on HBO’s first miniseries, Laurel Avenue (Franklin as director; Melfi as associate producer). Executive producer Melfi then brought Franklin onto the HBO series Rome. “John and I became friends over the years and as an executive producer on House of Cards, he opened the door by introducing me to David Fincher,” recalled Franklin. “It’s led to a very cool kind of marriage where David has been nothing but supportive.”
That supportive collaboration for Franklin is extending to an upcoming Fincher project for HBO exploring the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party.
Tim Van Patten
Nominated in the same category as Franklin is director Tim Van Patten for the “Farewell Daddy Blues” episode of Boardwalk Empire (HBO). But unlike Franklin, Van Patten is an Emmy veteran, having been nominated 11 times and winning twice—in 2012 for directing the “To The Lost” episode of Boardwalk Empire, and in 2010 as supervising producer on The Pacific (HBO) which earned Outstanding Miniseries distinction.
What struck Van Patten regarding his latest nomination is the fact that “Farewell Daddy Blues” was a season finale. “They are always the most challenging episodes to direct—especially for an ensemble show with such a huge scope and intricate plotlines. At the end of the season, time becomes more compressed.
There’s more pressure and stress. And to get nominated for a finale really hits home for me. When I heard about the nomination, I just felt thankful to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew. You never do any of this on your own. That’s a given. It’s a collaborative effort. For some reason, the last episode was incredibly demanding, more so than any other. It took every ounce of my spirit and energy. I couldn’t have done it unless I was lifted up by the people around me—everyone, production, design, electric, wardrobe, grip, craft service, producers, writers. To me, the Emmy nominations [Boardwalk Empire received seven this year] are representative of the team.”
Van Patten’s collaborators over the years have also contributed to eight career DGA Award nominations, including a pair of wins for Sex and the City in 2004 (“Boy Interrupted” episode) and in 2005 (“An American Girl in Paris: Part Deux”). Van Patten’s other DGA noms span such shows as Game of Thrones, The Pacific and The Sopranos.
As not only a director but also an executive producer on Boardwalk Empire, Van Patten said for him it’s “all about servicing the characters, allowing actors to grow and develop them while executing the show with style and grace, adhering to the overall themes of the series and the season. And you have to be mindful of executing things we do all the time in a different manner—such as violence, which each time we try to approach in a unique way that we hopefully haven’t done before. On a personal level, saying goodbye to characters is difficult.”
Van Patten has some 50 episodes under his belt as an exec producer and 16 as a director on Boardwalk Empire. He noted that there were many people involved in the show prior to his involvement. Exec producers Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson brought Boardwalk Empire to HBO which in turn brought it to Martin Scorsese [also an EP on the show]. The series then progressed over to exec producer/producer/writer Terence Winter who’s a friend of and long-time collaborator with Van Patten.
The two had come together famously on The Sopranos with Van Patten directing and Winter writing some 20 episodes apiece. Winter, who also served as an exec producer on The Sopranos, won three Emmys in the process. Earlier this year Winter received his first Oscar nomination—for Best Adapted Screenplay on the strength of The Wolf of Wall Street.
Fargo
FX Networks accounted for three of the six nominees for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: the aforementioned Gomez-Rejon for American Horror Story: Coven; Adam Bernstein for “The Crocodile’s Dilemma” episode of Fargo; and Colin Bucksey for another episode of Fargo, “Buridan’s Ass.”
While Fargo scored 18 nominations this year, this is the first time that Bucksey has been an Emmy nominee. Meanwhile, Bernstein earned his second career nom, the first coming in 2007 when as supervising producer he was part of the contingent that won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for 30 Rock.
Bucksey quipped that his nomination is part of “a late career flourish.” But there’s some truth in his self-deprecating jest as in recent years he has directed four episodes of the lauded Breaking Bad (AMC) and two for Fargo, also a critically acclaimed show. And at press time Bucksey was in Albuquerque to direct two episodes of the eagerly anticipated Better Call Saul (AMC), the prequel to Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul takes place in 2002, some five years prior to the starting point of Breaking Bad. The prequel elevates supporting player, lawyer Saul Goodman (portrayed by Bob Odenkirk), to star billing. In Breaking Bad, Goodman served as legal counsel for meth dealers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (played by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul). In Better Call Saul, lawyer Goodman goes by another name as a small-time hustler looking to make ends meet.
“Terrific writing, a terrific cast—that’s what Fargo, Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad have in common. For a director to have those two components is a blessing,” affirmed Bucksey.
That blessing was evident in the “Buridan’s Ass” episode of Fargo. With a great script and cast, Bucksey was able to turn some measure of attention to the inclement surroundings called for in the story. “The biggest challenge in some respects was creating that snow state. Everything was somehow framed in snow—advancing from snowfall to a blizzard to a whiteout.”
As for how he got the opportunity to direct Fargo, Bucksey conjectured, “My feeling is that my work on Breaking Bad opened the door for Fargo. There are certain similarities of style between the two shows, although I hope I have brought to Fargo a style it can call its own by adding some ‘Colin-esque’ stylistic touches.”
Examples of those “Colin-esque” touches, said Bucksey, entailed “an overall shooting style of wider angle lenses, of dolly shots, of framing, of not using the Steadicam unless you really have to. I’m a Coen brothers’ fan. I know their movies well, including Fargo on which the TV series is based. I tried to preserve some of that feel for the show.”
Helping him in that regard was John Cameron, a co-executive producer on the TV show Fargo, who earlier produced several Coen brothers’ films, including Fargo, Intolerable Cruelty, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou, and The Man Who Wasn’t There. “John was a great resource to ask, is it ‘Coen-y’ enough?” shared Bucksey.
Coming over from the U.K. where he established himself in TV and features, Bucksey made his first stateside mark years back with Miami Vice, which was a hit NBC series and cultural phenomenon.
Among his many other notable credits are Wiseguy, Numb3rs, NCIS, House M.D., and Damages.
Meanwhile Fargo director Bernstein parallels Bucksey not only in terms of being nominated in the same primetime Emmy category for the same series but also in that he too has multiple episodes of Breaking Bad under his directorial belt. Bernstein worked for several years on Breaking Bad, a show, he observed, that has a similar tonal mix and feel to Fargo. “There’s a mesh of comedy and drama that’s in my wheelhouse.”
Still, though, Fargo presented creative challenges that aren’t in anyone’s proverbial wheelhouse. “One challenge was to evoke the feeling of this Coen brothers universe but also make the show its own thing, I spent a lot of time looking at the original movie Fargo—the color palette, the shots. I looked at all the Coen brothers movies and started to zero in most on No Country For Old Men. That film is Coen brothers 2.0 with them operating with more experience, time and money. The script for the Fargo series pilot had a lot of No Country For Old Men in it. We took the color palettes from both movies—they both depended on a lot of neutrals, reds, blues. No Country For Old Men added yellows…But once we got into the story of the TV show, once we armed ourselves with the lens choice, depth-of-field choices, color choices, shooting Fargo the miniseries evolved into its own thing. The scripts were their own thing as was the visual style.”
Another challenge cited by Bernstein was the dependency on locations. The City of Calgary was selected because of the snow and access via direct flights. The downside, though, related Bernstein, was that Calgary “has become such a prosperous city. All those charmingly banal locations we wanted to represent small town Minnesota were vanishing rapidly.”
And of course weather was always a concern. “We needed snow for everything and we were very lucky with the snow for the most part,” said Bernstein. “But towards the end of the schedule, our luck ran out.
Snow melted because a warm front moved over the mountains. Then we cheered when informed that a blizzard was coming—the problem was that it was minus 38-degree weather. Everything froze—propane tanks, toilets wouldn’t work so we had to wait.”
Bernstein’s directorial career began some 18 years ago with music videos, then reenacting crimes on America’s Most Wanted. Then came a couple of independent movies and a bunch of commercials. He fortuitously connected with series creator Tom Fontana and drew dramatic fare such as Homicide: Life on the Street and Oz. Bernstein then linked with Amy Sedaris and directed her cult comedy Strangers with Candy. This set into motion a TV career that has seen Bernstein direct drama, comedy and shows that combined both. His episodic directing credits include Scrubs, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, Parenthood, United States of Tara, The Big C, House of Lies, Alpha House, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Californication and Masters of Sex.
Danny Moder
Earning his first career primetime Emmy nomination is Danny Moder for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie on the basis of the telefilm The Normal Heart (HBO). Based on the largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer (which he adapted for HBO), the drama focuses on the rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in NYC in the early 1980s as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the epidemic to a nation in denial.
Directed by Ryan Murphy, The Normal Heart earned 16 Emmy nominations. This TV awards season has been an embarrassment of riches for Murphy—with the 17 earned by American Horror Story: Coven, and one more for Glee. Murphy’s creative touch thus garnered a collective 34 Emmy nominations in 2014.
Cinematographer Moder said that the decision was made to shoot The Normal Heart on film in order to best depict the 1980s. “It’s a period piece and we wanted to go as authentic as we could to make people feel it was made during that time,” explained Moder, noting that the initial impetus for lensing on film came from Murphy. Moder deployed ARRICAMs, a choice that in part was made due to the camera’s option of high definition video taps, enabling folks to keep tabs on the project. Still, though, the taps don’t do full justice to the footage being captured. “You have to realize that what the cinematographer sees can be different from what others find on the video tap. It’s not like it is with a digital camera. So you’re back to convincing people that the highlights will be fine and so on. It’s a throwback where the cinematographer is in the wizard role, ensuring people that the magic is there. You may know you got what’s needed but you have to let others know that you got it. That’s the film and the photochemical process. It has its benefits and drawbacks. You give up some convenience. At the same time, the way that film renders light can be such a beautiful thing.”
There was also a scheduled hiatus for the production. “We shot in June and July of last year, doing the majority of the movie before taking off four to five months so actor Matt Bomer could lose 40 pounds,” related Moder. This was to dramatically show how Bomer’s character, closeted New York Times reporter Felix Turner, was being ravaged by AIDS. Turner is in love with vocal gay activist Ned Weeks (portrayed by Mark Ruffalo)
“On one hand, it’s a luxury to take a break,” observed Moder. “We see the weight loss, the changing of the seasons, the leaves off the trees. But at the same time that kind of layoff can be difficult, getting back into the rhythm of the project after you’ve taken off to do other jobs. You have to make sure you have the proper continuity. We were checking each other’s notes to make sure that what we were doing all made sense. You have to get the flow and momentum going again.”
As for how he got the opportunity to work on The Normal Heart, it came during the production of Eat Pray Love, directed by Murphy. The film starred Julia Roberts, Moder’s wife. “I was just there as a husband hanging out and being supportive. Ryan was on the tail-end of making this big movie which shot all over the world. He got to talking to me and said he saw some of my work, including [the feature] Fireflies in the Garden. He said he had a little project upcoming—a gritty New York period piece and that he thought my handheld style would be great for the film.”
Sure enough Murphy wound up sending the script to Moder who was drawn to the story. “This kind of project comes along maybe once in a lifetime. Everything kind of lined up. While making the movie, we felt such a unified effort. There was a sense of purpose to telling this story, to being involved in something of such historical significance, to touch people, promote understanding and help to bring about change for the better.”
Moder noted that production designer Shane Valentino was a key collaborator. “He created this bible for us, capturing the looks, colors, textures. His look books gave us a map towards navigating through the movie. I regret that he was not nominated for an Emmy. His work was so good and so subtle.”
Orange category
Three of the five nominees for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series are from Orange is the New Black (Netflix): Michael S. Stern for the episode titled “Can’t Fix Crazy”; William Turro for the “Tit Punch” episode; and Shannon Mitchell, ACE, for “Tall Men With Feelings.”
SHOOT caught up with Mitchell and Turro and each cited the esprit de corps among the three nominees. The Orange editors compare notes and discuss the show, all part of a helpful, forthcoming orientation.
Mitchell and Turro in particular have a longstanding rapport as the two worked on the Showtime series United States of Tara years earlier. “We had to park behind each other so one would have to move their car when the other had to get out,” recalled Mitchell. “We’re all happy over the fact that Orange is the New Black got three editing nominations this year” [and 12 nominations, overall].
For Mitchell, a highlight of her nominated “Tall Men With Feelings” episode was “the ‘montage-y’ part at the end where Larry [Jason Biggs] goes on the radio and kind of gets even with Piper [Taylor Schilling]. It didn’t start out as a montage. It was supposed to be two separate scenes. It wasn’t supposed to be intercut with women in prison listening on the radio. But the director let us roll with this and it was incorporated into a montage. We had the creative freedom to develop it into something different.”
Mitchell also derives a degree of creative freedom from people being able to binge watch or merely see episodes of Orange is the New Black whenever they want. “As an editor, I don’t have to do recaps of the prior episode,” noted Mitchell. “You generally don’t need to spell everything out nearly as much as you would with a traditional weekly TV show.”
The opportunity to balance comedy and drama in Orange is the New Black carries particular appeal for Mitchell. “That’s what makes it so interesting. You have to play comedy just right, not too broad. We have such great actors who can bring out comedy and drama at the same time, in the same scene. You never get tired of going from one scene to another.”
Among Mitchell’s other notable credits are the TV series Shameless, Emily Owens M.D. and Californication. For the latter show’s episode titled “Hell-A Woman,” Mitchell in 2008 earned a Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television ACE Eddie Award nomination. “It’s a validation of your work,” said Mitchell of her Emmy and Eddie nominations.
Meanwhile Turro now has three Editing For a Comedy Series Emmy nominations, the first two coming in 2007 and 2008 for episodes of Weeds. He regards the nominations as “an accolade to the series you’re working on—all the writers, actors, directors, cinematographers and so on. This is a collaborative medium. And in the case of Orange is the New Black, the recognition extends this year to three separate editors for three different episodes. I remember when the nominations were announced, Mark Burley, one of our producers, emailed, ‘It’s an editing trifecta.’ The writers room for Orange is the New Black is right next to my office. It’s exciting to see what they come up with. We are as excited as the audience is when we get the scripts.
“For me, continued Turro, “it has meant so much to be associated with shows like Weeds and Orange is the New Black. Turro noted that writer/producer Jenji Kohan is a common bond linking Weeds and Orange is the New Black. “All the Emmy nominations I’ve received have been for shows she’s created.
These have been the best jobs I’ve ever had.”
A relatively obscure TV series, Hidden Hills, that didn’t get picked up, was cited by Turro as pivotal in his career. “Until Hidden Hills in 2002, a fun series, I hadn’t cut comedy. I remember being interviewed for the show and being told, ‘You haven’t done comedy and that’s what this is.’ My response was I’ve done drama and I don’t think you have comedy without drama—or drama without comedy. I somehow got the job. And ever since I’ve had the chance to cut both comedy and drama—in the same and in different shows. Not everyone gets that chance. The two co-exist beautifully in Orange is the New Black.”
This is the seventh installment in a 12-part series that explores the field of Emmy nominees and winners spanning such disciplines as directing, cinematography, editing, animation and visual effects. The series will run right through the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony and the following week’s primetime Emmy Awards live telecast on Aug. 25.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 12, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 11, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 10, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 9, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 8, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 6, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 5, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 4, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 3, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 2, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 1, click here.
To read Primetime Talent, Pre-Road To Emmy feature 2, click here.
To read Primetime Talent, Pre-Road To Emmy feature 1, click here.
