Michelle MacLaren.
Michelle MacLaren is a director and producer who has worked on Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. She started out as a production assistant, and worked up to being a production manager on 1989 Ranch. [1]
I chose to write about MacLaren because of her work on Game of Thrones, one of my favourite TV programmes. This is because of how cinematic the show is which corresponds to how cinematic Fargo is. I admire the work on Game of Thrones with such a strong plot and the production being so detailed.
After watching the first and last episodes of Game of Thrones that MacLaren directed, I can see a style of hers that carries through. There is a lot of master shots used; scene-setting shots at the beginning and end of each scene that show the position of the characters in the relation to items in the room. The characters are also played slightly melo-dramatically, but this may be as a result of the style of Game of Thrones and the actors rather than MacLaren's direction.
Considering that MacLaren directed 2 episodes of season 3 and 2 episodes of season 4, it was interesting that there was parallels between the first and last episodes that she directed. In the last episode, Daenerys was talking about things that happened in the first episode that MacLaren directed.
MacLaren seems drawn to shooting suspense and dramatic scenes, and this can be said for her work in Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead. She has also worked with Adam Bernstein (my chosen director) who has said about her: “When I think of Michelle, I think of very striking, cinematic, visual storytelling,” “I think of bold action sequences that are balletic.” [2] She has an eye for creating drama, and making the viewer physically feel the tension in the scene as though they are there. Notable for this is the 'pool scene' in Breaking Bad's episode 'Salud'. It's a scene with a happy background but in the foreground of the action you can feel the tension. She has a way of making the viewer always feel an emotion.
MacLaren speaks to The National about how Netflix has changed the process for directors; “It’s spectacular to get these 14-hour shows. You don’t have to think about things in that box. You can think of things in a much more unique way, really let the show evolve and let the character arcs develop. You’re not tied into a two-hour movie or an hour’s TV anymore, you can think of a project as four hours, 10 hours, even as maybe a five-year series.” I find this an interesting way to view the dawn of online/ recorded TV. I usually hear about it negatively impacting the business, but here she says about how, creatively, the process has improved, because you can think about bigger plot lines. [3]
I think I'm particularly inspired by MacLaren's work because not only is the scene I'm recreating seemingly very much in her style, but also how she got into the business. She has come so far from starting out as a production assistant, and moving her way up through the industry. I would like to be able to work my way up over time, and so in this sense, I find her work inspiring, as she is now known for some of the biggest TV programmes of the decade.
In relation to my chosen scene, I would like to take how much she gets involved into consideration. She's also very logically minded after working as a production manager and so to take this onto set would be a great asset as this job would help to be punctual and thinking about the logistics of the production as well as the creative vision. I think this is likely a benefit that not all directors have, and as I'm doing the job of producer as well then I will have to be able to keep all of this in mind. MacLaren's scenes inspire me to go big and don't feel so conscious about being the director, that I need to be confident and focus on getting the job done to a high standard.
I chose to write about MacLaren because of her work on Game of Thrones, one of my favourite TV programmes. This is because of how cinematic the show is which corresponds to how cinematic Fargo is. I admire the work on Game of Thrones with such a strong plot and the production being so detailed.
After watching the first and last episodes of Game of Thrones that MacLaren directed, I can see a style of hers that carries through. There is a lot of master shots used; scene-setting shots at the beginning and end of each scene that show the position of the characters in the relation to items in the room. The characters are also played slightly melo-dramatically, but this may be as a result of the style of Game of Thrones and the actors rather than MacLaren's direction.
Considering that MacLaren directed 2 episodes of season 3 and 2 episodes of season 4, it was interesting that there was parallels between the first and last episodes that she directed. In the last episode, Daenerys was talking about things that happened in the first episode that MacLaren directed.
MacLaren seems drawn to shooting suspense and dramatic scenes, and this can be said for her work in Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead. She has also worked with Adam Bernstein (my chosen director) who has said about her: “When I think of Michelle, I think of very striking, cinematic, visual storytelling,” “I think of bold action sequences that are balletic.” [2] She has an eye for creating drama, and making the viewer physically feel the tension in the scene as though they are there. Notable for this is the 'pool scene' in Breaking Bad's episode 'Salud'. It's a scene with a happy background but in the foreground of the action you can feel the tension. She has a way of making the viewer always feel an emotion.
MacLaren speaks to The National about how Netflix has changed the process for directors; “It’s spectacular to get these 14-hour shows. You don’t have to think about things in that box. You can think of things in a much more unique way, really let the show evolve and let the character arcs develop. You’re not tied into a two-hour movie or an hour’s TV anymore, you can think of a project as four hours, 10 hours, even as maybe a five-year series.” I find this an interesting way to view the dawn of online/ recorded TV. I usually hear about it negatively impacting the business, but here she says about how, creatively, the process has improved, because you can think about bigger plot lines. [3]
I think I'm particularly inspired by MacLaren's work because not only is the scene I'm recreating seemingly very much in her style, but also how she got into the business. She has come so far from starting out as a production assistant, and moving her way up through the industry. I would like to be able to work my way up over time, and so in this sense, I find her work inspiring, as she is now known for some of the biggest TV programmes of the decade.
In relation to my chosen scene, I would like to take how much she gets involved into consideration. She's also very logically minded after working as a production manager and so to take this onto set would be a great asset as this job would help to be punctual and thinking about the logistics of the production as well as the creative vision. I think this is likely a benefit that not all directors have, and as I'm doing the job of producer as well then I will have to be able to keep all of this in mind. MacLaren's scenes inspire me to go big and don't feel so conscious about being the director, that I need to be confident and focus on getting the job done to a high standard.
Bibliography
[1] Game of Thrones Wiki. (2018). Michelle MacLaren. [online] Available at: http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Michelle_MacLaren [Accessed 9 Feb. 2018].
[2] Zoller Seitz, M. (2014). The Other Wonder Woman: Michelle MacLaren Is the Best Director on TV. [online] Vulture.com. Available at: http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/michelle-maclaren-wonder-woman.html [Accessed 9 Feb. 2018].
[3] Newbould, C. (2018). ‘Breaking Bad’ director Michelle MacLaren on television's technological game changer. [online] The National. Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/breaking-bad-director-michelle-maclaren-on-television-s-technological-game-changer-1.693181 [Accessed 9 Feb. 2018].
Comments
Post a Comment