Rachel Morrison — the first woman to earn an Oscar nomination for cinematography — often picked up a camera and entered the ring to do handheld shots while making “The Fire Inside.” But this wasn’t a typical production for Morrison — she was the director on the inspirational drama about boxer Claressa Shields.
And Morrison isn’t alone. “The Fire Inside” is one of a trio of movies marking the feature directorial debuts of some of the movie business’s most distinguished artisans. Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg stepped behind the camera for “Unstoppable,” and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto took the reins on “Pedro Páramo.”
Although the confluence of below-the-line talent calling the shots is notable, there’s a long history of filmmakers who got their start editing, shooting or performing other jobs on set. There’s Robert Wise, who edited “Citizen Kane” before directing classics such as “West Side Story,” and Barry Sonnenfeld, who was a DP for the Coen brothers prior to directing the “Men in Black” movies.
“We’re all storytellers,” Goldenberg says. “We’re trying to tell the best story in the most efficient and most exciting way possible, the most emotional way possible.” Often, the skills these artisans honed on other movies helped prepare them for the leap to directing.
“I know what good performance is. I know how to cover things,” says Goldenberg (who won an Oscar for “Argo” from Ben Affleck, a producer on “Unstoppable”). “It only took about 30 years of editing to get it to be instinctual, but what was new to me was working with actors.
“In a way, directors are trying to get a performance out of me as an editor. They’re trying to encapsulate what they want and how, and it’s up to me to carry that out,” he continues. In turn, he had long conversations with his actors “about the tone and what we were trying to do with the characters.”
Morrison’s and Prieto’s backgrounds also gave them greater confidence. “I have been on set with a camera in my hand for the better part of 20 years, which makes so much second nature to me, so I can literally just focus on my actors,” Morrison says.
All three hit up their past collaborators for tips. “I’ve learned so much from the directors I worked with,” says Prieto, whose credits include Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” He adds that one lesson from the venerable director is “sometimes the simplest approach is the best. … Sometimes the performance is a spectacle, is what grabs you. So it’s better not to move the camera in those cases.” Prieto even screened his movie for Scorsese during the editing process to get his input.
For Morrison, it was critical to find the right person to fill her former job. She selected Rina Yang to be her DP, though she was known more for her commercial shoots than for narrative feature work. “I didn’t want a studio sensibility,” Morrison says.
For the cinematography of “Pedro Páramo,” Prieto made the uncommon decision to share the responsibilities with DP Nico Aguilar, who shot second unit on “Killers of the Flower Moon.” “I saw he could match my sensitivity,” Prieto says.
To cut “Unstoppable,” Goldenberg turned to editor Brett M. Reed, who had been his first assistant for more than a decade. “I wanted to hit the ground running with somebody who was going to be completely honest with me,” he says.
Goldenberg is now editing Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus,” but plans to direct again, saying, “They are two wonderful ways to tell stories.”
Prieto is on tap to shoot Scorsese’s next movie, while also developing a project to direct. “I don’t want to stop being a DP,” he says. “I love it too much.”
Morrison, however, has turned her focus to directing (both features and episodic work). “It’s not for the faint of heart,” she says, “but it’s worth it. A story is out in the world because I fought for it.”
