Advisor Studio: Sydney Freeland (RESERVATION DOGS) on Directing Features vs. Television
About this Advisor Studio
In Advisor Studio sessions, Sundance Collab Advisors share field experiences and insights into their specific areas of craft, including writing, directing and producing for TV and film.
The role of the director requires vision, leadership, effective communication and quick thinking—all while keeping the “big picture” in mind. But what are the similarities and differences when directing a feature film versus a television series? In this intimate conversation, writer/director Syndey Freeland takes us behind the scenes of her Sundance debut feature film, DRUNKTOWN'S FINEST, then into the episodic world of television’s GREY'S ANATOMY. We’ll dissect the creative and production process of directing a scene in each format, comparing and contrasting the challenges, choices made and lessons learned. Freeland also discusses the current reality of directing a television series, giving a rare insight into how her role as the director has adapted to meet the demands of production in the midst of a pandemic.
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Sydney Freeland
Advisor
Sydney Freeland is an Emmy-nominated film and TV writer and director. Her TV directing work spans a wide range of shows including Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Grey’s Anatomy, Fear The Walking Dead, The Wilds, and Rutherford Falls among others. Freeland also wrote and directed for the FX show Reservation Dogs, Executive Produced by Taika Waititi & Sterlin Harjo. Her debut feature, Drunktown’s Finest, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was Executive Produced by Robert Redford. The film was influenced by her experience growing up on the Navajo reservation. Freeland’s second feature was the Netflix Original film Deidra and Laney Rob A Train, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Freeland is currently in post-production on the upcoming Marvel Studios project Echo, where she worked as both Co-Executive Producer and series Director.