Drama wrapped in complexity
Nominated directors unpack the making of their episodes, explaining techniques and strategies, as well as multilayered storytelling goals.
In directing the debut episode of steamy period drama “Bridgerton,” Robinson wanted the piece to feel relevant and contemporary — including the music — yet remain true to its 1813 setting. “Everything we attempted in the pilot could have been achieved in the period in which the show was set,” Robinson notes.
“For example, Chris Van Dusen [the show’s creator] and I wanted to create a truly magical experience when the hundreds of lights came on in Vauxhall Gardens. This is the first time that these people would have seen lighting on this scale, and it’s based on a true event. [Production designer] Will Hughes-Jones took great pains to create an experience that in many ways would have been accessible to the 1813 audience but still remains magical to our audience today.”
While lighting schemes were designed to feel organic, Robinson, who was a theater director before working in film and television, leaned into telling the emotional stories of the characters first and let the spectacle of each scene be second to that. “I like to rehearse as much as possible with the actors and, together with Chris, we built the shape of the scenes, having in-depth conversations about the characters and scenes before the cameras even start to roll.”
WITH AUDIENCES MORE ATTUNED to smart storytelling and deeper meaning, directing episodic television takes more thought and vision than ever. Directors now must be in tune with recurring thematic elements, character POVs and a story’s emotional texture. ¶ This year’s crop of Emmy-nominated directors in the drama category — Julie Anne Robinson (“Bridgerton”), Liz Garbus (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Benjamin Caron (“The Crown”), Jessica Hobbs (“The Crown”), Steven Canals (“Pose”) and Jon Favreau (“The Mandalorian”) — bring together a mix of showrunners and series regulars who know the intricacies of each show, giving them a leg up in melding subtext to story arcs. ¶ We talk to several of them about how they approached their nominated episodes.