Why so many different directors on a TV show?

mikemac1

Watching Homicide Life on the Street, a cop drama, it's pretty old but very good

21 espisodes in Season 4 and not once did the same director do two weeks in a row

The difference is glaring, sometimes you get a shaking camera, some episodes are very dark, some are quite bright. Everyone has a style

It was the same on ER, you'd see different styles and editing for certain episodes and might never see it again that season

A long time since I watched the Sopranos so I didn't remember much detail but wiki tells me Season 1, 13 episodes and a different director every episode. Never the same director two weeks in a row

Directors for hire so

Why do producers do this?

I think if I was in charge of a show I'd find a good director, build up a relationship and keep them for the season

Anyone know the reason for the constant changing?

al28283

Directing an episode takes a long time. Its not just the time it takes to shoot it. if one director did all the episodes it would take much much longer to get the whole series out.

Having different directors for each ep means work can be carried out on many episdoes at the same time, instead of just one

don ramo

post production would be a bitch if only one director done all the episodes, he's the one who decides what scene to use, and AFAIK the producers also have input on the final product, which is why you normally have more than 1 producer also, and executive producers, co producers, execuitive co producers, consultant producers, supervising producers,

lost had 38 producers of one kind or the other, but only 7 have over 100 episodes credited to them, so they were chopped and changed to help keep the story fresh,

Alexander had 18, which i always thought was ridiculous for a movie, imagine how varied each person interpretation of Alexander would be,

id say sometimes it a job for the lads kind of thing, Spielberg has his name attached to a lot of things that he probably had zero involvement in, but having his name attached elevates the film (real steel, cowboys and aliens, MIB3, and the lovely bones) or TV show (hes down as producer on terra nova, smash, the river and falling skies) so its always a good idea to give the guy 100k, and sell it as from executive producer steven spielberg

HidePork

Television is not a director's medium.

Syferus

Pay him 100k? I don't think you're getting why he's credited on those projects - it's because the studio he owns produce or co-produce all of those properties.

don ramo

Syferus wrote: »

Pay him 100k? I don't think you're getting why he's credited on those projects - it's because the studio he owns produce or co-produce all of those properties.

like you said the studio, not him, its false advertising when the man has no involvement, hes running 2 studios, is off on films sets, and has time to produce a massive array of films:rolleyes:, and why dont they mention bela bajaria at universal for smash,