By Robert Goldrich
Amanda Marsalis and DeMane Davis—directors who made their mark in indie features and are active in commercials and branded content via, respectively, production companies Backyard and Sweet Rickey—recently extended their reach into primetime TV, helming season two episodes of Queen Sugar, the critically acclaimed series on OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s network.
SHOOT covered Marsalis’ entree into TV series (SHOOTonline, 7/11) and did a Chat Room interview with Davis (SHOOTonline, 8/8). Each director expressed their gratitude to Queen Sugar creator Ava DuVernay for giving them the chance to diversify into TV.
Marsalis and Davis follow a number of women directors who have broken into the television ranks via Queen Sugar as DuVernay has committed to female filmmakers for the entire run of the show, thus far spanning seasons one and two. Most of these helmers had little or no prior TV experience, having come largely from the indie film world. At the recent Producers Guild of America Produced By Conference in L.A., DuVernay noted that all the season one directors on Queen Sugar have gone on to be heavily booked in TV. In fact, said DuVernay, none of the season one directors were available for season two due to commitments on a wide range of projects.
Initiatives akin to that on Queen Sugar are starting to emerge. Earlier this month, NBC unveiled its Female Forward program which begins with the 2018-’19 season. It will afford 10 women directors the opportunity to shadow up to three episodes of a scripted NBC series, in advance of an in-season commitment for each female participant to direct at least one episode of the series she has shadowed.
Spearheading the initiative are NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke and director Lesli Linka Glatter. Salke was reportedly inspired in part by producer Ryan Murphy when she was an exec at 20th Century Fox Television. Last year at FX, Murphy founded the Half Foundation which aims to have 50 percent of all director slots on his shows filled by women, people of color and LGBT members.
The need for such initiatives is clear. According to DGA stats in 2016, only 17 percent of all episodes on broadcast, cable and streaming services were female-directed, with minority women accounting for just 3 percent.
A TV as big as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores stock more supersize sets
For some television viewers, size apparently does matter.
Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That's wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.
Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts.
The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores.
"It's really taken off this year," Blake Hampton, Best Buy's senior vice president of merchandising, said.
Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.
Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in... Read More