Frank Schaeffer In Conversation with Dan Attias, director of film and television, exploring his new book, Directing Great Television.
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Dan Attias has worked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a director of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire and has been nominated for episodes of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Homeland, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He has received Emmy award nominations for his comedy directing on Entourage and continues to work on some of the most celebrated American television shows. His other credits include The Americans, Deadwood, True Blood, Lost, Big Love, The Killing, True Detective, The Walking Dead, Bloodline, Friday Night Lights, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seven Seconds, Billions, and The Boys.
Dan started his career by studying acting, then worked as an assistant director on E.T. the Extra-terrestrial, Airplane!, One From the Heart, and several other feature films. He has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States and has conducted master classes in Italy, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada. He has also mentored many young directors, several of whom have gone on to successful careers in television.
For more information, visit www.DanAttias.com.
Sharing his own process honed over a decades-long career, Emmy-nominated director Dan Attias brings you into the actual experience of directing series television. Whether it’s the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute problem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your teeth, Attias brings you right into the director’s chair, sharing his knowledge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time. Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, how to “speak” through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small. Directing Great Television is a fascinating window into television’s best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike. Attias’s book transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.
ADVANCE REVIEWS OF DAN ATTIAS’S “DIRECTING GREAT TELEVISION”
“These pages are filled with hugely important details, fantastic anecdotes, and practical advice that will be priceless to anyone looking to direct great television.”
— J. J. Abrams, director of Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Mission: Impossible III, and creator of Alias and Lost
“Dan Attias has written a book I believe would make any TV director a better director. I wish I had had his book before I ever started.”
— David Chase, creator and showrunner of The Sopranos
“Dan’s writing is reflective of his directing style: sensitive, thoughtful, insightful, and searching. Reading his book, I felt as considered and supported by him as I did when he would direct me within a scene. His account of the culture and process of episodic television is honest and edifying.”
— Clare Danes, star of Homeland and winner of multiple Emmy awards
“I’ve watched thousands of hours of television, but I can always recognize Dan’s work because it is a cut above. If you want to understand what a director does, or would like to be a director, or already are a director and would like to get better at it, or just love television and would enjoy a great series of stories about how it is actually made, stories that will entertain you and make you love television even more — then READ THIS BOOK.”
— John Landgraf, Chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions
“I recommend Dan’s generous and much-needed book without reservation. It should be read and studied, certainly by all television directors, but really by all directors.”
—Judith Weston, author of Directing Actors: 25th Anniversary Edition and The Film Director’s Intuition
“If you are interested in the process, in how it works, or should work, if you want to hear from someone who still finds the fun and the challenge in bringing the story to life, and who has skills up the wazoo, then this man is the one to pay attention to. I did. And it made me better.”
— Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator, co-showrunner, and frequent director of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
“Dan Attias has not only written an incredibly comprehensive guide to directing tele- vision, he’s written a humanistic and personal memoir of the journey to find the truth through the best storytelling possible and capturing that on film. Speaking from personal experience, Dan is not just a great television director, he’s a great director, period. You will love this book.”
— Nathan Lane, icon of the American stage and multiple Tony and Emmy award-winning actor
“It isn’t exaggeration to say that Dan Attias helped build our current golden age of television, one exceptionally crafted hour at a time. I’ve been directing television for twenty years, and yet every page of this book taught me something I didn’t know. No one has Dan’s depth of directing experience in such a wide range of genre and tone. He has been one of my most valuable mentors, and I’m thrilled that he is sharing his unique wisdom with the world.”
— Matt Shakman, Emmy-nominated director whose credits include Game of Thrones, Fargo, and Succession
“Dan Attias is one of the most talented directors working today, the guy you want directing your most important episode. He has written an essential manual for anyone who wants to understand the craft of television production and directing.”
— Joe Weisberg, creator and co-showrunner of FX’s The Americans, and Joel Fields, co-showrunner of The Americans
“Dan Attias has written a brutally honest survival guide for any director of episodic television. Leading us on an engrossingly deep dive into the trenches of the director’s world, he writes with great truth and insight about the director’s process.”
— John Badham, director of Saturday Night Fever, WarGames, Heroes, Nikita, Psych, and Supernatural
“A deeply reflective and ingenious award-winning director has given us the gift of this brilliant, in-depth look at the shaping of our human dramas from the inside out, revealing the fundamentals of what ‘being present’ in life entails.”
— Daniel J. Siegel, m.D., New York Times bestselling author of Aware, Mind, Brainstorm, and Mindsight, Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute
“The chapter on The Americans epitomizes who Dan Attias is and magnifies his decades of experience. His gift, mantra, ethos is to continually push, probe, encourage, dive deeper, and ultimately elevate every moment to further the story.”
— Matthew Rhys, star of The Americans and Perry Mason
“After thirty-five years of thinking I know all there is to know about directing television, Dan swoops in to prove me wrong. I can think of no better book to communicate precisely what this job entails.”
— Thomas Schlamme, President of the Directors Guild of America and nine- time Emmy Award–winning director
“This is a testament to the joy of storytelling and the infinite power of stories.”
— Lesli Linka Glatter, executive producer/director Homeland, nominated for eight Emmy awards for directing and winner of three DGA directing awards
“Dan approached directing The Boys like it was his first job — passionate, dedicated, collaborative, sleeves rolled up, down in the trenches. He is an exceptional artist who never stops working on his craft. With this book, Dan graciously details what he’s learned so far.”
— Eric Kripke, creator and showrunner of The Boys, Supernatural, Timeless, and Revolution
“Dan’s clear mastery of the art of directing is something every student of the craft should be so lucky to learn from. His years of experience wrestling with challenges inform and elevate the art form — and make for one hell of a great story, not to mention a brilliant career.”
— Veena Sud, creator and showrunner of The Killing and Seven Seconds and executive producer of Cold Case
“The shows that Dan Attias has directed for HBO include The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Big Love, Treme, Entourage, Hung, True Blood, True Detective — and these are just his HBO credits. Bringing each of these pieces to the screen was no easy task. He is a master at weaving visually exquisite narratives while also presenting humanity in all its complexity. Dan’s love and knowledge for his art are evident in every chapter of this book, which provides a nuanced and expert account of his skills and experiences. It is just as brilliant, insightful, and distinct as Dan’s directing.”
— Francesca Orsi, Senior Vice President of Drama Series for HBO
“If you want to direct television, then this book is a must for you. Using his wealth of experience, Attias gives you behind-the-scenes access to how many of the best television series are directed.”
— Marx Pyle, MFA, author of Television on the Wild Wild Web, adjunct professor at Kentucky Wesleyan University, and co-host of GenreTainment
“Dan Attias is a consummate creative force who, in this book, touches on all the aspects of directing and storytelling, inspiring the creative forces within us. His book is authentic, exciting, and boundlessly empowering.”
— Dave Watson, author of Walkabout Undone and editor of Movies Matter
“Being a visiting director on a television series must be one of the oddest leadership positions ever devised, like being asked to run a major corporation just for a few weeks, or temporarily taking over as the lead performer of an established rock band. As a cinematographer who has crossed paths with Dan several times in the past fifteen years, one lesson he has taught me is that one of the director’s primary jobs is to quickly spot the difference between phoniness and believability in all aspects of narrative filmmaking. Any filmmaker — novice or experienced — will learn a lot from reading this book.”
— David Mullen, ASC, cinematographer on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Good Wife, and Westworld
“On the set of ‘It’s Always Sunny,’ Dan was tenacious, driven, and able to push us towards making more interesting camera choices that helped build the visual style we still use on the show fifteen years later. A mentor and a friend — I’m forever grateful to his contributions to the show and my life.”
— Charlie Day, co-star and co-showrunner of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, co-star of Horrible Bosses
“Anything that’s good about my work I’ve learned from Dan Attias. In this book, he imparts priceless lessons they won’t teach you in film school (like how to handle a difficult actor, producer, or deadline). This is one of those books you will read and reread a hundred times, always finding some new flash of insight.”
— Max Joseph, feature and documentary director, and co-star of MTV’s Catfish
“If you are a fan of television, you’ll find in Dan’s book a fascinating behind-the- scenes peek into the making of your favorite shows from the perspective of a top industry insider. For those of you looking to pursue a career in television directing, the principles, strategies, and stories shared by Dan Attias in these pages will provide guidance and inspiration on your directing journey.”
— Steph Green, Emmy-nominated director whose credits include The Mandalorian, Watchmen, The Americans, The Deuce
“In series television, directors usually can’t get everything they want. But Dan is able to prioritize telling the story while staying aware of budget concerns and the needs of production. This book offers valuable insights into how he does it and is a “must- read” for aspiring directors, as well as anyone else interested in television production.”
— Mark Tobey, co-executive producer of Westworld and assistant director of True Detective and Deadwood
“A treasure trove of practical and creative suggestions, this book is a master class in episodic television directing and understanding the complexity of the many roles that a director needs to know to accomplish their best work.”
— Dr. Selise E. Eiseman, consultant for colleges on entertainment industry internship programs and former education coordinator for the Directors Guild of America
“Dan Attias has years of experience in directing, and he has outlined clearly how to capitalize on the power of story and tell it in the most convincing way. I highly recommend this book.”
— Carole Dean, author of The Art of Film Funding.
“If he had to, Dan Attias could land a television show on the Hudson. A master.”
— Hugh Laurie, star of House, The Night Manager, and Veep