Emmy-Nominated Creators On Vital Collaborators: ‘Auteur Theory Is A Joke — It Takes a Village’

Mitchell Travers likened being a costume designer on the set of George Tammy to being a host at a party.

I get to work with everybody, Travers said. I get to work with production designers, hair and makeup, sound and I feel I get to make introductions between these departments. It would be impossible to do this without that collaboration in a way that A.I. can never take from us.

During Varietys Creative Collaboration: The Nominees brunch the Emmy-nominated panelists of directors, costume designers, editors and other vital members of this seasons favorite programming discussed the power in partnership in every aspect of creating outstanding TV. Because, well, there is no I in Emmy.

When putting together the 2023 Oscars Award ceremony, director Glenn Weiss wanted to create an immersive experience for viewers on the opposite sides of TV screens. This was only possible if he worked with all facets of production to make sure each element was right from sound to sight. Thats coordination between them this design team, this coordination between the screen team, the technical team and suddenly were tripling or quadrupling the number of servers that feed those strings, Weiss said. The residual effect of that in a live show is an infrastructure that grows and molds and changes along with every new concept that you come up with.

These Emmy-nominated shows also relied heavily on their actors and writers who are now on strike. It feels a little strange to be here in their stead. I miss them, said Yana Gorskaya, editor and director on What We Do in The Shadows. But I also think that as a director on the show, I can say with confidence that auteur theory is a joke. It takes a village and everyone is phenomenally important from production design, sound, costume, casting editorial.

For songwriter Jamie Hartman, he said that scoring a show like Ted Lasso was only possible with direct conversation with the directors and editors. If the team allows a little glimpse into the project and shows what the vision is, the songwriter has a much clearer idea of the tone and a sense of what the show is about, Hartman revealed.

Brett Morgen, director, producer, editor and music editor on the David Bowie biopic Moonage Daydream, shared that collaboration can extend into the smallest details of production. The color-grading is 650 hours and it was as much writing involved in that as there was at the research stage, Morgen said. Throughout every arm of production, Morgen ordered the Moonage team to go out of their comfort zone in the spirit of Bowie to create a unilateral feel for the film from top to bottom.

And Melissa McCoy, picture editor on Ted Lasso, credited Jason Sudeikis as the teams most valuable collaborator. Everything comes from his soul and he empowers everyone to be better, she said. And hes doing it at every level.

Watch the full conversation above.