# Why does The Director's Guild of America forbid multiple directors in one film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235 "2005-04-01T14:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/1 "2005-04-01T14:36:22Z")
Robert Rodriguez dropped out of The Director’s Guild of America so he could co-direct ‘Sin City’ with Frank Miller, because the Guild forbids multiple directors. Why does the Guild care if a film has multiple directors? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/2 "2005-04-01T14:56:56Z")
It’s to avoid a situation where director A gets fired, director B does slipshod work, and director A gets blamed for the result ( **Caligula** , 1979; Bob Guccione fired Tinto Brass, directed the remainder of the movie himself, and left Brass’s name on a horrible mess of a film) or director A gets fired, director B takes over and gets credit for director A’s stellar labor ( **Wizard of Oz** , 1939; King Vidor was fired midway and replaced with Victor Fleming, who received sole credit for possibly the most popular film in history). Ultimately, one person gets the credit or blame for the movie. The Director’s Guild would prefer that it be the person who actually directs it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/3 "2005-04-01T14:57:47Z")
The same reason why the Writers Guild of America limits screenwriting credits to three persons\* — so that producers don’t treat directors as disposable personnel whenever disagreements occur. The rule encourages the integrity of the director’s work. The DGA will make exceptions to this rule upon appeal. - Writing teams are treated as one person. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/4 "2005-04-01T14:57:45Z")
The text of the rule is here – [http://www.dga.org/contracts/agreements\_ctr\_crh\_summary.php3](http://www.dga.org/contracts/agreements_ctr_crh_summary.php3) From what I understand, there are several reasons, the most important being that the D.G.A.'s position is that the director is the “real” author of the film and the director credit is the most prestigious. They want to preserve the prestige of the credit and so they demand that only one person can be given that credit. For comparison, look at the multiple people who get credited as “producer” and “executive producer” on movies and television shows. Often these credits are handed out to people who had little to do with the actual creative work in question. The D.G.A. doesn’t want to go down that slippery slope. They do occasionally make exceptions, such as for the Coen brothers. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/5 "2005-04-01T15:01:42Z")
Rodriguez, along with Quentin Tarantino, Allison Anders and Alexandre Rockwell directed _Four Rooms_. Was this an issue with this film or not? Was Rodriguez out of the Guild and then back in and now out again? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/6 "2005-04-01T15:02:08Z")
From [the DGA newsletter](http://www.dga.org/dga_members/ai_au_spring03_pg3.php3): > [@](#): > > Some wonder why the DGA rules are so stringent. Explains Adler: “The directors on the DGA Western Directors Council have always believed that having one director to a film is the cornerstone of directors’ creative rights and authority. It’s one captain to a ship. There should be one person you go to for decisions in prep, on the set and in post-production — at every stage of the process. It lessens confusion and leaves a clearer picture of who is in charge, whether it concerns performance, sets, props, shooting or editing.” They only give waivers if you learned to direct as a team, which doesn’t apply in the case of “Sin City”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/7 "2005-04-01T15:02:19Z")
Note that this isn’t the first time that Rodriguez has clashed with union rules. Rodriguez has the ability and inclination to do multiple jobs on a movie (directing, editing, scoring, etc.) all by himself – he’s equipped his house so he can basically do a film alone. Most directors aren’t able to do this and the union wants to protect directors from pressure from studios to take on more than is usually desirable. So they have rules about how many different things one guy can do on a film. Rodriguez tends to violate these rules. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/8 "2005-04-01T15:03:48Z")
Forget to add: does anyone know how they did the credit for **Four Rooms**? It had four different directors for the four sections of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/9 "2005-04-01T15:05:47Z")
Oh, BTW, there have been plenty of “anthology” films with multiple directors, like **Aria** , **The Twilight Zone** and **New York Stories**. Each director tells one small story. But when it’s one single story, it gets diluted when there are too many chefs, so to speak. Jonathan Frakes is credited with **Star Trek: First Contact**. I’d be shocked if he actually ‘directed’ the entire film in the traditional sense, although the witty character interaction is certainly him. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/10 "2005-04-01T15:16:12Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d be shocked if he actually ‘directed’ the entire film in the traditional sense, although the witty character interaction is certainly him. Actually, I think he did. It isn’t uncommon for various people to try their hand at directing during long-running TV shows, and Frakes seems to have had some talent for it. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/11 "2005-04-01T15:22:41Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > They do occasionally make exceptions, such as for the Coen brothers. Actually, if you check the credits for Coen Brothers films, only Joel Coen is credited as director. They share writing credits and Ethan Coen gets the title of Producer. (However, they both do some directing - only one gets credit, though, in keeping with Guild rules.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/12 "2005-04-01T16:54:48Z")
Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (\*\*Airplane!, Top Secret[/b) were billed as co-directors, but had to prove to the guild that their methods were indeed a collaboration. **Casino Royale** is credited to five directors. That may have been before the Guild created the rule, though, since the directors involved were most certainly not working as a team. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/13 "2005-04-01T17:05:28Z")
In this particular case, I don’t think it helped that Miller has absolutely no film directing experience, so the DGA would be particularly reluctant to legitimize his role based on what’s likely to be a one-time incident. A similar instance was when Jerome Robbins was allowed to direct _West Side Story_, only to be replaced by Robert Wise. They were both credited as director and shared that year’s Academy Award, but didn’t even acknowledge each other in their acceptance speeches. Robbins (a stage vet but film newbie) never received another film directing credit. The DGA will co-credit when the pairing is accepted as a genuine team. The Wachowski Brothers are one example, Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci (co-directors of _Big Night_) and Warren Beatty & Buck Henry (co-directors of _Heaven Can Wait_) are others. ---
**Author:** ![Tech\_Sass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Tech\_Sass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tech_Sass)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/14 "2005-04-01T18:30:12Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Forget to add: does anyone know how they did the credit for **Four Rooms**? It had four different directors for the four sections of the movie. Tarantino is not in the Director’s Guild. Don’t know about the other folks there, but it’s likely that they aren’t either. This mentions that he refused to join in 1993, and I’ve read a more recent interview with Rodriguez where he mentions that QT is not a member. > **[Quentin Tarantino - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/bio)** > > Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and ... ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/15 "2005-04-01T18:54:10Z")
> [@Tech Sass](#): > > Tarantino is not in the Director’s Guild. Don’t know about the other folks there, but it’s likely that they aren’t either. Actually, it’s much more likely that they are–after all, Rodriguez was until recently too. Not being a member is much more difficult career-wise and is not a decision that your ordinary director (one who’s dependent on contract gigs) is going to make lightly. This is particularly true for Anders, who has been doing quite a bit of television in addition to movies since _4 Rooms_. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/16 "2005-04-01T18:58:49Z")
Tarantino’s profile on IMDb says he is not in the DGA. The ads for _Sin City_ say he is a “special guest director” on the movie in addition to Miller and Rodriguez. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/17 "2005-04-01T19:36:52Z")
From what I’ve seen, Tarantino directed one sequence in the movie and probably wouldn’t have been an issue if his credit indicated that. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/18 "2005-04-01T22:19:37Z")
> [@Lisa-go-Blind](#): > > Actually, if you check the credits for Coen Brothers films, only Joel Coen is credited as director. IIRC, they’re listed as co-directors on _The Ladykillers_, but it’s the first film on which they’re so credited. (It’s also their worst film. Maybe they should switch back.) ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/19 "2005-04-02T00:50:10Z")
[Jonathan Frakes](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000408/) has been a Director since the late 1980’s. His credits are way beyond the guest director nod given to many actors in hit series. He has solid chops, and has produced as well. \*\* Krokodil\*\*, try to research such remarks before making them. 🙂 You could easily have chosen from many other valid examples to prove your point vis a vis an actor being thrown a bone. Unfortunately, Mr. Frakes is a poor example. Similarly, [Charles Haid](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0354024/) is a lot more than just the former actor from Hill Street Blues… Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235/20 "2005-04-02T16:29:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Tarantino’s profile on IMDb says he is not in the DGA. The ads for _Sin City_ say he is a “special guest director” on the movie in addition to Miller and Rodriguez. What he’s trying to say in his scene is that, like, there’s violence everywhere. It’s even in breakfast cereals, man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-directors-guild-of-america-forbid-multiple-directors-in-one-film/297235.md?page=2)