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Above from left: Tanya Lemke, Adam Garnet Jones, Gail Harvey, Tricia Lee, Elise Swerhone, Tarique Qayumi and Amy Jo Johnson

See also: program advisor Gail Harvey’s blog post | program manager Elise Swerhone’s blog post.

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The 2016 Corus Diverse TV Director training course in association with the National Screen Institute kicked off its boot camp earlier this month. We asked students to tell us about their training experiences.

The program is designed for participants with directing experience who are interested in making the leap to directing scripted television series.

Tricia Lee (Toronto, ON)

The Corus Diverse TV Directors boot camp was one of the best courses I’ve taken. The program was less about learning the steps of how to direct but rather the realities of directing television.

My peers in the class were all directors of successful films already, and being in their company was also a great and inspiring learning experience.

Together, we listened to the great panel of people that Gail Harvey [program advisor] brought in. The variety of backgrounds was the best part.

We heard from directors that direct Canadian TV, directors that direct American shows, an editor, an agent, a publicist, a showrunner, a producer, a network executive, VFX, stunts … Every person and aspect of TV that a director would encounter.

Hearing their honest perspectives really gave a full picture to inform us about what we can do to navigate the world of television.

I can definitely say that I am heading into the TV world with my eyes wide open after this course. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in directing TV.

Elise Swerhone [program manager] organized a seamless flow that generated such a great environment for us to take in all the info being given to us. We are so lucky to have mentors like the people who taught us in this course who support new and upcoming directors [to help us] take the next step in our careers.

Tarique Qayumi (Whistler, BC)

The Corus Diverse TV Director program is exactly what I need at this point in my career. In the week-long boot camp in Toronto, I learned how to better myself technically, personally and publicly.

Technical

After graduating from film school six years ago, I made sure to put myself in an environment where I was behind the camera as much as possible.

Technically, you improve as you gain experience but everyone grows into their own system of doing things. The main question I had was if I had gained the right skills to work in a highly demanding environment such as TV directing.

And, furthermore, how could I refine my skills to prepare for TV production?

What I learned – from who I consider to be some of the best Canadian directors who came to talk to us – blew my mind. It is rare that you get to really look into the mind of a director and see how they formulate their decisions.

The directors who talked to us where very open and giving. The program managed to demystify the process of TV directing and I walked out feeling as though I am a better director.

Personal

Having the technical aspects of directing is important but I learned that our relationships and character are also a strong component for being a successful working director.

During boot camp we spent a great portion talking about how other directors broke into the industry and how to navigate the politics of working as part of a large team.

All too often in one’s life most people take a back seat and let life happen. The successful directors we met in this program didn’t do that. They fought every step of their way to meet the right people.

We were encouraged to really get out there and network with those who would get us to the next step. The program gave us a great start by helping us connect with agents, writers, editors, actors, directors and producers.

Once one gets the job then there’s a whole new paradigm to one’s relationships during production and a fine balancing act when navigating on-set politics.

When successful directors get a gig they come prepared to do their best, listen to their collaborators and get the project done on time with the best quality.

However, if things don’t go smoothly then this can lead to conflict. We got first-hand tips on how to navigate these issues in a positive manner and put the success of the show first.

Public

If you have chosen to be a director, there is a public aspect to what you do but, all too often, us creative types don’t put emphasis on this. We spend many hours on our craft because this is what we want, enjoy and believe we should be noticed for.

However, the world doesn’t necessarily work in that order. There are many examples of artists who get work because of their public profile. We learned that if we were a little more savvy and worked just as hard to build our profile as we do for our creative work, then it would help us achieve our goals in the future.

You may be talented and committed to filmmaking but if you have trouble letting people know these wonderful things about you then it may be best to work with a publicist to do the talking for you.

In conclusion, the Corus Diverse TV Director program is one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

It came at a perfect point in my career where I had just moved back home to Canada after many years of being away and finding that I needed more gas in the tank to get to where I want to be.

Educationally, the brilliance, camaraderie and openness that each speaker offered to us was profound. I am still pondering what they said and how to relate it to my professional life.

And equally important, for a person like me without many relationships, it was a great starting point for meeting many key people in the industry. I am now looking forward to the shadowing portion of the program to gain even more experience.

Adam Garnet Jones (Toronto, ON)

The Corus Diverse TV Director program was a gift, a challenge and a kick in the butt.

Having finished one feature film, and closing in on finishing a second, I didn’t expect the basics of directing television to be much different from directing my own films. Sure, I would be working for someone else, but the principles are pretty much the same, right?

No. No. No.

Over the course of the workshops we tried to wrap our minds around the idea that we need to be decisive and command respect while also respecting our place as guests on the show. It’s a far cry from the world of indie features where I’ve been the writer, director and often one of the producers. It’s a complicated dance and I’m still figuring out the steps.

Our levels of optimism rose and fell throughout the week. One day we were told it was impossible to break into the business and the next day we were told there is more opportunity than ever. One day we were told TV is a medium that kills creativity and the next day we were told TV can be an incredible, freeing, fast-paced and rewarding medium for directors.

I’m sure you can guess which version I chose to take with me.

I won’t lie – the Corus Diverse TV Director program was tough for me. It challenged who I am as an artist. It exposed my strengths and weaknesses, and made me realize just how much muscle I’ll need to push down that door and make my own way in television.

But the most powerful take-away for me (and I bet it was the same for the other participants) was the certainty that I can do this. I do have something to contribute.

As the TV industry undergoes radical changes with audiences accessing content on different platforms and niche content breaking through into the mainstream, the television industry needs diverse voices to stay relevant.

As soon as the Corus Diverse TV Director program ended, all I wanted to do was sleep. It had been six days of desperately trying to absorb a non-stop stream of information from some of the best directors working in television today: Gail Harvey, Tim Southam, Larysa Kondracki, Sudz Sutherland and many more. But instead of sleeping, I hopped on a plane to New York City where I presented my feature film, Fire Song, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

It was an incredible way to finish off the week but, the whole time I was there, I heard Gail Harvey’s voice whispering in my ear telling me to get home, there’s more work to be done.

Thank you to NSI, Corus, Gail Harvey and Elise Swerhone for giving all of us this opportunity to learn. I can’t wait to get on set for phase two!

Tanya Lemke (Toronto, ON)

I was struck, right out of the gate, by how generous, honest and almost alarmingly candid all of the director mentors were in their sharing of information and experiences navigating the industry.

They told us everything that came to mind, and pulled no punches. THIS is what you’re in for, THIS is how tough it’s going to be. And still, overwhelmingly, they came at it from a positive viewpoint (with very few exceptions) and all seemed to genuinely wish for us to succeed in the future.

I felt welcomed into the brother/sisterhood of TV directing and, even after all the tough-love warnings, there was only the sense that we’re all in this together. Refreshing and encouraging!

It was also often a layered lesson for me, having worked with some of these people before in the trenches, in that I could take what they were saying and view it through the lens of what I remember of their individual directing style.

I’m very much looking forward to our shadowing opportunities with this program. I’ll be watching everything very closely and with a mind to learning everything I can from every point and nuance.

The producers and broadcasters who joined us were also very honest and encouraging. They genuinely care about the work they do and, further, the work that YOU do. Everyone just wants to collaborate on quality work and, if you can bring that, the sense is you’re welcome to play in the sandbox with the big kids.

This is an incredible challenge of course. We’ve all seen the kind of quality work we’re putting out here in Canada and abroad, and the bar is VERY high. But it’s also wildly inspiring.

Every mentor who discussed the work with us – people of the highest calibre working at the top of their game (until they top that), both here and in the US – shared the best of what they do and how they do it. They gave us solid, practical ideas and insight into how we go about it in our own burgeoning careers.

I took copious detailed notes which I know I’ll be poring over again and again because it’s all pure gold.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in this program. I must specifically thank Elise Swerhone and Gail Harvey for the detail and care they put into the program and for shepherding us through it with grace and unfailing honesty.

My one wish coming out of this boot camp (aside from the obvious of course – a fulfilling and lucrative career!) is that I will reach a point where I can give back to the TV/film community in as rich a way as all of these people have. Many thanks.

Amy Jo Johnson (Toronto, ON)

What an intense and inspiring six days of invaluable information on episodic directing.

Each day was filled to the brim with incredible people and their war stories within the industry.

Gail Harvey and Elise Swerhone were the captains of our boot camp ship and brilliantly facilitated panels and speakers including noteworthy Canadian directors, producers and other professionals.

It was six days of some hardcore honest truths about the intense world of TV directing. We dove into the realities of on-set life and the political dynamics that can make this world difficult to navigate.

The highlight for me was spending the afternoon with Larysa Kondracki. Her notable and fast-tracked TV directing career, with credits on The Americans, Better Call Saul and more, inspired me to see that one can maintain their creative integrity within the sometimes formulaic world of TV directing.

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Corus Diverse TV Director is supported by Presenting Sponsor Corus Entertainment; Industry Partner DGC Ontario; and Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Breakthrough Entertainment and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

Above left to right: Tricia Lee, Tarique Qayumi, Amy Jo Johnson, Jill Carter, Adam Garnet Jones, Jerry Cicoritti, Gail Harvey, Clément Virgo, Tanya Lemke; front row: Dawn Wilkinson, Stacey Curtis

See also: program advisor Gail Harvey’s blog post | the student’s blog posts.

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I love directing and one of my most favourite things is to listen to directors talk about how they direct.

I just had a whole week of that with the Corus Diverse TV Director boot camp.

Gail Harvey and I put together a star-studded agenda for our five talented directors in this year’s program. I know they all learned a lot and enjoyed their time but I [also] enjoyed the week and learned as much as they did.

We started the six-day boot camp – generously hosted by the Directors Guild of Canada – with a panel of some of the best directors working in Canadian TV: Dawn Wilkinson, Stacey Curtis, Jerry Cicoritti, Jill Carter and Clement Virgo.

This lively and highly informative panel was followed by veteran director Don Shebib who spoke from the vantage point of a long career.

Then we got into the somewhat daunting task of finding an agent with Brent Sherman, one of the best agents in Canada today. A jam-packed first day.

Sudz Sutherland jetted in from LA to spend the first hour of day two regaling us with his stories of getting into the industry as a director.

Above left to right: Susan Alexander, Paula J. Smith, Helen Asimakis, Sudz Sutherland

Later, he donned his producing hat and was joined by broadcasters Susan Alexander from Corus and Helen Asimakis from the CBC and producer Paula J. Smith to talk about what a series needs from a director and how a director gets onto a series for the first time. They were generous and optimistic. There is hope.

The fabulous and funny Larysa Kondracki was our guest for the afternoon. She has directed for two of my favourite series: The Americans and Better Call Saul.

I was fascinated by her breakdown of the final scene in the season finale of The Americans and the border crossing scene in Better Call Saul – scenes I remember because they stood out as cinematic.

Tim Southam was with us for the whole day on day three. It was time to really dig into the meat of directing for TV.

Last season Tim was the producer/director on another series I love, Bates Motel. I was fascinated by his stories of working on the series. He talked about how he gets to work on the shows he loves, shared his method for breaking down a scene, working with crew, planning his shots and his days on set.

It was an opportunity to see how a master works. We all gobbled up the information. A very talented and generous man.

On day four it was time to look outside directing and get up and move around.

Above: Tarique Qayumi, Adam Garnet Jones and Gail Harvey with Darren Cranford

The morning was spent with special FX master Darren Cranford and editor Paul Day.

That afternoon we met at Black Belt World – Grand Master Tommy Chang’s studio – to work with him on two fight scenes he choreographed with four of his stunt actor students.

The actors Melanie Phan, Ridge Menezes, John Koo and Rykell Cerezo were amazingly disciplined and versatile. It was fun to watch what they could do and to work with Tommy to design a fight that looked dynamic and real without hurting anyone on set.

Above: Tommy Chang, Amy Jo Johnson and Ridge Menezes

Above: Tarique Qayumi, Tanya Lemke, Adam Garnet Jones, Gail Harvey, Ridge Menezes, Tommy Chang, John Koo; front row: Tricia Lee, Amy Jo Johnson, Melanie Phan and Rykel Cerezo

Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski started day five with a tutorial on marketing yourself and your films. An eye opener for everyone.

She checked out everyone on social media and emphasized the need to pay for someone to help you sell yourself as well as your film. Not something us Canadians think about a lot.

She was followed by the lovely, funny and talented Ellen Vanstone – a writer and co-creator of Rookie Blue as well as other series.

Mark Pancer and Gail Harvey took over the afternoon to tell war stories about a series they just finished working on together. The assistant director can be your friend.

On our final day we moved to Hang Loose Studios to work with Michael Kennedy who talked about his career, how he approached directing, his work in comedy and his method for directing actors.

Above: Michael Kennedy talking to the group

Sugith Varughese, Chloe Rose, Stephen Yaffee and Rachel Wilson came in to work scenes with the directors. A fun way to finish the boot camp. I had fun. I hope everyone else did.

Above: Tricia Lee with the actors

Thank you to Gail Harvey for being so open, energetic and wise and bringing it all to boot camp. Thank you to Susan Alexander, Barb Williams and everyone else at Corus for supporting this program. Thank you to the DGC for their support and for allowing us to invade their boardroom (and especially Marjorie Chu for all her assistance). Thank you to the wonderful presenters and, of course, to the students who are all great directors in their own right. What an accomplished group.

Now on to the shadowing which sadly I get to arrange but I don’t get to do. I wish this course had existed when I was getting started … and I guess that’s the point.

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The program is designed for participants with directing experience who are interested in making the leap to directing scripted television series.

Corus Diverse TV Director is supported by Presenting Sponsor Corus Entertainment; Industry Partner DGC Ontario; and Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Breakthrough Entertainment and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

Above from left: (top row) Jill Carter, Tarique Qayumi, Elise Swerhone, Stacey Curtis, Dawn Wilkinson, Jerry Cicoritti, Clement Virgo and Don Shebib; (bottom row) Adam Garnet Jones, Tanya Lemke, Tricia Lee, Gail Harvey and Amy Jo Johnson

See also: program manager Elise Swerhone’s blog post | the student’s blog posts

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The Corus Media Diverse TV Director boot camp in association with the National Screen Institute began in Toronto on Thursday June 9 at the Director’s Guild of Canada.

Elise Swerhone, the program manager and me (Gail Harvey, program advisor) designed the program following the success of last year’s boot camp (with a few tweaks). We picked five very skilled director participants from a large number of applicants: Tarique Qayumi, Amy Jo Johnson, Tricia Lee, Tanya Lemke and Adam Garnet Jones.

They were immersed right away on day one with a panel of very successful television directors. Stacey Curtis, Dawn Wilkinson, Jerry Cicoritti, Clement Virgo and Jill Carter shared their experiences. I moderated the panel.

Day one

Above from left: Dawn Wilkinson, Jill Carter, Jerry Cicoritti, Gail Harvey, Stacey Curtis and Clement Virgo

Our first panel.

Above from left: Jill Carter, Dawn Wilkinson (hidden), Jerry Cicoritti and Stacey Curtis

Renowned Canadian director Don Shebib, the director of one of the most famous Canadian films, Goin’ Down The Road, was next up.

Above: Don Shebib

Goin’ Down the Road is a key 1970 Canadian film directed by Don, and co-written by William Fruet and Don.

It follows the lives of two young men from the Maritimes to Toronto, chronicling their hopes of finding a better life. It stars Doug McGrath, Paul Bradley, Jayne Eastwood and Cayle Chernin.

Despite the lack of a large production budget, the movie is generally regarded as one of the best and most influential Canadian films of all time and has received considerable critical acclaim for its writing, directing and acting. Don shared the ins and outs of his career.

Next up was one of the best agents in the country, Brent Sherman from The Characters Talent Agency.

Above: Brent Sherman

Brent was very honest about the difficulties of getting work in television in Canada in 2016. Some of the information was tough to swallow but it’s necessary to know the realities of the world you’re entering.

Day two

First up on day two, director/producer (and NSI Totally Television grad) Sudz Sutherland arrived with his suitcase – just off the red eye from Los Angeles, where he had been meeting agents. ☺

Hot off editing his CBC show Shoot the Messenger – airing October 10 2016 – Sudz gave us insights into how he started and how he has made it as a director/producer. He shared how he got his start and the obstacles he faced.

Later that morning he was joined by producers Susan Alexander, Paula J. Smith and Helen Asimakis. They spoke about what they look for in a director when they’re hiring for television series. Paula even had a top ten list of what makes a good director. ☺

Above from left: Susan Alexander, Paula J. Smith, Helen Asimakis and Sudz Sutherland

Below, our team with day two’s morning panel.

In the afternoon we had the art of directing series with Larysa Kondracki.

Larysa has had huge success directing television in Canada and the US. She was very pragmatic about explaining how you have to behave but also spoke about the art of filmmaking even in a television series situation. An amazing afternoon.

Above: Larysa Kondracki

Day three

Tim Southam day – Tim spent the morning talking about how he got where he is in his career … the director/producer on Bates Motel!

He was very candid about the challenges he overcame and how he maintains his success as a director.

In the afternoon he went through his prep on a show and was very generous sharing all his shot lists, script breakdowns and style of working.

Tim shared all his workbooks and scripts for everything he has directed, showing the participants how he organizes and how he approaches the POV in a scene, screening lots of scenes from Bates Motel and other shows he has directed. Amazing!

Above: Elise Swerhone and Tim Southam

Above: Watching Tim

Day four

Darren Cranford told us everything about viz-effects including pre-viz.

Paul Day joined us – drove in from London after his high school reunion.

Paul is one of the best editors in Toronto. He recently directed his first episode of network television: Dark Matter. A very interesting perspective about what he found when he moved from the editor’s chair to the director’s chair.

He also invited all our directors to visit him in the editing room on the show Expanse.

Above: Paul Day, editor extraordinaire

This year we went back to Tommy Chang’s studio. Last year was a huge success with our directors learning the intricacies of stunt directing with stunt man Tommy Chang and myself.

Above: At Tommy Chang’s studio

The director participants took turns shooting scenes in various ways on their cell phones. It was an incredible afternoon filled with ideas, creative discussion and war stories from Tommy.

Day five

Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski shared her immense knowledge of social media and how to market yourself to our directors.

Above: Top Toronto publicist Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski

Ellen Van Stone shared her experience being a TV series writer and working with directors.

Above: Ellen Van Stone

In the afternoon the formidable first AD Mark Pancer came in.

Above: Mark Pancer

I worked with Mark on my last show and felt he was the best first AD I had ever worked with.

He and I went through what was the most difficult show either of us had worked on, The Other Kingdom, now airing on Nickelodeon and Family Channel, and shared all our experiences and showed clips of the most difficult scenes.

Mark spent all afternoon letting our participants know what makes a good director and what makes things difficult.

Day six

Michael Kennedy day – Michael is a top Canadian director who travels the country working on endless TV shows.

Above: Michael Kennedy

He shared his work, broke down scenes and included the participants in wonderful discussions about how to make the best TV show possible.

Michael also talked about the breakdown of scripts and shared war stories about his life.

He gave our directors tools they’ll need when they hit the floor. Then the actors came in.

Above from left: Chloe Rose, Sugith Varughese, Steven Yaffee and Rachel Wilson

Each of our directors directed a scene with our professional actors. A learning experience with input from Michael, myself and the actors.

Above from left: Chloe Rose, Adam Garnet Jones and Sugith Varughese

The amazing Michael Kennedy (below).

Above from left: Michael Kennedy, Sugith Varughese, Chloe Rose and Adam Garnet Jones

Throughout the six days I shared everything I could with the five amazing participants. Shot lists, websites, demo reels, tips for working with actors, producers, writers, editors, the politics of directing – how I did it and how I do it now.

The five participants were all very strong, with successful film careers (having all made films that had been launched at many film festivals).

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Corus Diverse TV Director is supported by Presenting Sponsor Corus Entertainment; Industry Partner DGC Ontario; and Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Breakthrough Entertainment and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.