It took an extra year (due to the pandemic), but the first members of the Netflix series director development program are finally celebrating its completion.
Nine directors looking to expand their opportunities in series work — nominated by the streamer’s creative executives and ultimately chosen by Netflix executive producers — over the past two years participated in a part-time program that included weekly classes and a dozen training sessions as well as hands-on experience and assignments directing Netflix shows. Three participants didn’t direct an episode through the program due to the pandemic and other “unforeseen circumstances” described by Netflix, but all were paid DGA-scale and also received stipends, travel, and shadow quests. stay.
“The Netflix Original Series Director Development Program is designed to be the industry’s gold standard,” Paris Barclay, the workshop’s director and lead instructor, said in a statement. “Our main goal is to educate, nurture and nurture a diverse and emerging group of directors to prepare them for a career as a TV series director. They have learned from top directors, writers, producers and other key personnel in their role in film Schools won’t tell you a secret. What really sets us apart – we have the opportunity to help our participants launch their careers by offering them the opportunity to direct a Netflix show.”
These shows include Ozark , Family Reunion , in My Block and The Upshaws , as well as upcoming projects yet to be announced. “The Netflix show not only taught us the ‘hard skills’ of directing episodes, like learning different types of pre-production sessions, how to prepare episodes, and how to run a safety set, but also ‘soft skills’. With Aryyn Richardson, Attila Szalay , Dennis Liu, Juanesta “Winnie” Holmes, Jabbar Raisani, Melissa Hickey, Paula Garces and Pavlina Hatoupis, Anne Hu, who participated in the project..
The second batch will start its project in the coming year Experience. Participants may or may not be part of the DGA, but all must have some film or video experience and no more than three episode credits.
