Conversations from the Sundance Institute Labs | Miguel Arteta (BEATRIZ AT DINNER) and Randa Haines (CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD) on Directing
About this Event Recording
Go behind the scenes to learn from Sundance Institute Advisors in our Conversations from the Labs series. This collection of 90-minute videos will deepen your understanding of all the creative disciplines that are supported through our Labs including Feature Film Directing and Writing, TV Writing, Emerging Media, Documentary, Producing, Film Music, and Theater.
In this video, two filmmakers, Randa Haines and Miguel Arteta, share their approach to directing. Reflecting on her experience directing THE DOCTOR, Randa recounts how charting her character's journey informs all production choices from lighting through costumes and set design. Using a scene from his feature, THE GOOD GIRL, Miguel illustrates the importance of knowing the heart of a sequence and reviews the 12 ways filmmakers can communicate with an audience. He stresses the need to "beware the tyranny of dialogue" and to "write with the camera" using images instead of words to move the story forward. They close with their tips for working with actors.
Other conversations in the series include those with editor Dylan Tichenor, actor/director Ed Harris, writer/director Karyn Kusama, writer/director/producer Kasi Lemmons, and others.
Event RecordingTeam
Randa Haines
Director / Producer
Randa Haines began her career as an actress, studying with Lee Strasberg. Her first feature, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD, was nominated for three Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and five Academy Awards. The film received a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, a Directors Guild nomination for Haines, and launched Marlee Matlin's career with an Academy Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Other feature credits include THE DOCTOR, WRESTLING ERNEST HEMINGWAY, and DANCE WITH ME. Haines' television credits include the innovative series HILL STREET BLUES and the critically acclaimed movie SOMETHING ABOUT AMELIA, which is one of the highest-rated television films ever, garnering 70 million viewers on one night. Haines was nominated for both an Emmy and a Directors Guild of America Award for the frank and sensitive handling of the subject of incest. For Showtime, Haines directed THE OUTSIDER, a Western starring Naomi Watts, and for TNT, THE RON CLARK STORY, starring Matthew Perry. The film was nominated for three Emmy awards, and earned Haines her third DGA nomination. Haines lives in Paris, where a long-time passion for opera led to connecting with singers. Creatively adapting her skills with actors, she is immersed in working with opera artists on presentation and performance.
Miguel Arteta
Director
Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican filmmaker living in Los Angeles. He studied film at the Wesleyan Film Program with Jeanine Basinger. His first three features, STAR MAPS (1997), CHUCK & BUCK (2000), and THE GOOD GIRL (2002), all premiered and found distribution at the Sundance Film Festival. He then made YOUTH IN REVOLT (2009) with Michael Cera, CEDAR RAPIDS (2011) with Ed Helms and John C. Reilly, and BEATRIZ AT DINNER (2017) written by Mike White and starring Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, and Connie Britton. DUCK BUTTER, with Alia Shawkat, Laia Costa, Mark and Jay Duplass, won the Best Actress award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is available on Netflix. His TV work includes FREAKS AND GEEKS, SIX FEET UNDER, ENLIGHTENED, AMERICAN HORROR STORY, and SUCCESSION for HBO. He was awarded an Independent Spirit Award for his work on CHUCK & BUCK.