Overview
The Warner Bros. Television Directors’ Workshop is an initiative that introduces up-and-coming directors to prime time television. With the backdrop of active Warner Bros. Television sets as the learning environment and top television directors, cinematographers and showrunners as the instructors, those selected to the program will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop that is unparalleled in the industry. Directors will be taken through the full process of episodic directing, from what is expected during prep, to working collaboratively with actors and key crew during production, through post-production.
Competitive candidates will have an established portfolio of features, music videos or national commercials. For the experienced and talented directors selected, the Workshop will provide the knowledge and exposure required to cross the threshold into the competitive world of episodic television.
The Warner Bros. Television Directors’ Workshop features multiple components, all geared towards preparing the director for a successful career in television including: Master Class, Cinematography 101, and Shadowing.
Master Class
This eight-week course is taught by Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli, esteemed directors with over 300 episodes of network television between them. Based on their book Directors Tell the Story, the Master Class will feature guest speakers currently working in television, including an elite mix of showrunners, directors, cinematographers and editors. Each session will teach a new skill essential for excelling through prep, shooting and post. The 2022 Warner Bros. Television Directors’ Workshop will begin in mid-May, with meetings every weekend from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA. Full participation is mandatory.
Cinematography 101
This subset of the workshop will cover cameras, lighting and blocking. Learn how lens selection, framing the shot and lighting help tell the story you want to tell.
Shadowing
Some directors in the program will be offered the chance to shadow a director on an episode of a Warner Bros.-produced show. The inside look at the day-to-day work of a television director, and the connections made on set, will be priceless tools in preparing the director to take on their own episode.