A detailed recap of the Directors Guild conversation that brought five leading directors together, the backstage stories they shared and why Paul Thomas Anderson’s DGA victory matters for awards season
The Directors Guild of America convened five nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for a nearly two-and-a-half-hour conversation at the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater. Moderated by Jeremy Kagan, the session examined the practical and creative decisions behind several of this season’s most discussed films.
The discussion featured Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Guillermo del Toro, Josh Safdie and Chloé Zhao. Panelists described their approaches to preparation, casting and managing unpredictable shoots, offering a rare view of how established auteurs and newer voices navigate production challenges.
After the event, Paul Thomas Anderson won the DGA award for One Battle After Another. The victory further consolidated his momentum this awards season and was widely framed as an important step toward awards culmination.
The panel discussion moved from specific on-set tactics to wider artistic philosophies. Directors outlined distinct approaches to shaping performance and image. Ryan Coogler described technical lessons from filming an actor in dual roles. Josh Safdie said he often approaches scripted scenes with a documentary-like mindset, prioritizing spontaneity and textured realism. Chloé Zhao outlined methods she uses to surface subconscious connections among performers, stressing trust and minimal intervention. Guillermo del Toro said he reduces casting decisions to a single recurring criterion: close attention to the actors’ eyes.
Speakers framed preparation and improvisation as complementary rather than opposed. Several directors described rigorous rehearsal and planning that create a secure framework for unplanned moments. Others argued that strict choreography can inhibit discoveries that arise in the moment. The conversation highlighted practical trade-offs: tighter control can protect narrative clarity, while greater openness can yield unexpected emotional truth.
Panelists offered concrete techniques to balance those trade-offs. Strategies included extended rehearsals with limited camera setups to encourage risk-taking, rehearsing scenes in different environments to prompt fresh responses, and using compact crews to reduce performer self-consciousness. One director noted that small technical adjustments—lighting changes or lens choices—can shift an actor’s behaviour and invite new interpretations.
The discussion also examined collaboration across departments. Directors emphasized early conversations with cinematographers, editors and actors to establish a shared language. Several speakers described iterative tests on set and in editing suites to refine tone and rhythm. These practices, they said, help translate spontaneous moments into coherent scenes without erasing their immediacy.
These practices, they said, help translate spontaneous moments into coherent scenes without erasing their immediacy. Panelists described a persistent tension at the heart of directing: the need for meticulous preparation alongside an openness to chance during shooting.
Several anecdotes illustrated how that balance plays out in practice. One speaker described exhaustive blocking and rehearsal schedules that create a secure framework for actors. Within that framework, they said, unplanned gestures and improvised lines can be kept, rather than discarded.
Another account emphasized an opposite but complementary method. The director outlined staging choices that deliberately allow passerby movement, machine noise, or incidental light to enter the frame. Those elements, they argued, can lend scenes a texture that scripted action rarely achieves.
Panelists also discussed technical strategies that preserve spontaneity. Rehearsal methods were adapted to simulate disruptions, so performers remain reactive on camera. Meanwhile, choices about music and sound were made on set rather than only in postproduction, enabling soundscapes to follow — not override — live performance.
The examples underlined a shared conclusion: whether through rigorous prep or permissive staging, directors aim to keep the lived moment visible within a crafted scene.
Continuing the panel’s observation that directors seek to preserve the lived moment within a crafted scene, Paul Thomas Anderson offered a telling example from the set of One Battle After Another. He described repeated attempts to shoot an opening sequence at a border location near San Diego, where staged extras and people crossing the border during takes created an unpredictable mix. Anderson said fireworks from the production landed across the border and that he noticed background movements he could not readily explain. He deliberately avoided probing those movements and kept production security tight. The account illustrated how logistical complexity and incidental events can combine to yield powerful cinematic moments.
The panelists said on-location shoots require constant adjustment to preserve a director’s vision. They described securing permits for temporary encampments beneath freeways and adapting to live environments as routine challenges. Each filmmaker outlined specific measures to protect creative intent while accommodating events beyond their control. The discussion underscored that operational flexibility often matches the importance of a focused creative plan.
Speakers placed the craft discussion against the backdrop of a congested awards calendar. Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent DGA win was cited repeatedly as a significant indicator of momentum. Panelists noted that his prior Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe victories, combined with the DGA trophy, strengthened expectations of his performance at BAFTA on February 22 and kept him among front-runners for the Academy Awards. They emphasized the historical track record of the DGA aligning with the Oscars in the directing category as a reason guild recognition carries predictive weight.
Other industry awards held around the same time provided complementary context for the directing guild’s session. The Costume Designers Guild awarded period work to Frankenstein and contemporary work to One Battle After Another. Those results, together with forthcoming ceremonies for makeup, hairstyling and independent film awards, outline a broader honors landscape in which the DGA outcome represents one element of a larger recognition cycle.
The DGA session built on that context by combining practical insight with awards-era calculation. Five directors described how they prioritize casting, visual shorthand, actor preparation and on-set adaptation. The discussion operated as a masterclass in craft while also underscoring the season’s stakes: guild victories acknowledge artistic achievement and can influence momentum toward final industry accolades.
The session served as a practical lesson for students of filmmaking and a reference point for observers tracking awards season dynamics. It illustrated how creative decision-making, logistical contingencies and institutional recognition intersect during a film’s journey from concept to release.
The full conversation remains available for viewing, preserving the moment those elements converged on the DGA stage. That recording offers a primary source for those studying craft and for commentators assessing how guild recognition shapes industry momentum.