Who was the best director on the show?

[RedDragon86]

Paul Michael Glaser.

[pahonu]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2013 at 2:54 PM, Maverick said:

TV Shows are the media of the Executive Producer/Showrunner. Therefore Michael Mann's handwriting is much more visible than the influence of one of the directors.

This is very true.  Our favorite episodes are much more the result of the show's creators and writers than the director.  Having worked for a few years in television production in the 90's, I can attest that the role of director in a TV series is much less creative than people think.  It is much more technical than creative.  Here is a good description I found of the difference between TV and film directing.  It's by Spencer Louttit, a prop master and set dresser with over 20-years in the industry:

Perhaps the best way to understand the difference is to take a look at the maxim that “Film is a director’s medium, while television is a writer’s medium.”

Film and television are both about telling stories to the audience. But, because of the differing production processes, it has evolved to the point (in North America, anyway) that the story which gets told in a feature film is the ‘director’s story’ while that which gets told in television is the ‘writer’s story’.

A Television director is usually hired to direct one or a few episodes of a series. S/he will be working with actors, crew, sets, and a schedule that is for the most part determined beforehand. All the major decisions on those elements will have been made by the producers (usually the show’s head writers) with a view to the story to be told of the series as a whole. The job of the TV Director is to use their skills to help tell the story of their particular episode as it has been envisioned by the TV show creators.

A film director, on the other hand, is usually hired to bring their own voice and vision to a project, telling the story as they see it. This will frequently include instigating re-writes of the script, along with suggestions on casting. The film director will also, usually, have great input into the design of a production, including elements such as costumes, and hair and makeup. (Again, in a TV scenario, these elements are usually predetermined by the time the Director arrives to shoot an episode.) The film director is also typically much more involved in editing and post production than a TV director is.

Perhaps most importantly, a film director can work with the cast to help develop the characters and steer the actors performance. In television, the actors have usually developed their character ahead of time, and are often leery of receiving input from a director who is only around for a short time and may not know all the different facets of a particular character.

(If a TV actor wants to talk in depth about their character they will usually do so with the show’s head writer. If a film actor wants to talk about their character they will usually do so with the Director.)

So, while directing in either medium entails telling stories with images and sounds that are captured and then edited together to present to an audience, the jobs of a film and television director are significantly different.

[James]

I'd say Rob Cohen. Made for Each Other, Evan, Definitely Miami. Three of the best episodes in the series, and the way it was shot plays a big part in it. 

And Rob Cohen went on to do the first Fast and the Furious movie, which has a similar feel to it in my opinion.

[Bren10]

I'm sorry but Made For Each Other is not one of the best episodes.  I know it's ultimately subjective but that's one I almost always skip.  Paul Michael Glaser had good eps.

[James]

39 minutes ago, Bren10 said:

I'm sorry but Made For Each Other is not one of the best episodes.  I know it's ultimately subjective but that's one I almost always skip.  Paul Michael Glaser had good eps.

Really? It's in my upper top 10.  

I agree that Paul Michael Glaser done good episodes too. The Prodigal Son, Smugglers Blues, and Calderone's Demise. And also directed the Michael Mann movie "Band of the Hand" which is a pretty good movie. 

Another notable mention is John Nicolella. Directed 7 of my favourite episodes:

• Milk Run
• Lombard
• Whatever Works
• Bought and Paid For
• Phil the Shill
• Florence Italy
• Free Verse
• Sons and Lovers
• Duty and Honor

[Ferrariman]

The late John Nicolella

[Bren10]

On 11/8/2018 at 6:26 AM, James said:

Really? It's in my upper top 10.  

I agree that Paul Michael Glaser done good episodes too. The Prodigal Son, Smugglers Blues, and Calderone's Demise. And also directed the Michael Mann movie "Band of the Hand" which is a pretty good movie. 

Another notable mention is John Nicolella. Directed 7 of my favourite episodes:

• Milk Run
• Lombard
• Whatever Works
• Bought and Paid For
• Phil the Shill
• Florence Italy
• Free Verse
• Sons and Lovers
• Duty and Honor

I like those Nicolella eps too.  But as far as Made For Each Other is concerned, you'll find many people agree with me if you check the dvd discussion page on the episode.  No, not everybody hates it but it is polarizing to say the least.  For me it is the Missing Hours or Cows of October for season 1.  If you stayed home Friday night in 84/85 to watch that you would've been very disappointed.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Bren10

[Dadrian]

Not me  I’m with the minority on that one  

I watch this episode often. It always makes me laugh, and I love the music. 

[Bren10]

Humor and music is one thing, but to call it one of the best episodes of the entire series is way too much of a stretch.  But once again I'll concede to each his own.  In regards to pahonu's post, I think Abel Ferrara is a great example of this.  Imo Ferrara is an excellent auteur director, the best of the MV directors still active, but you would never know that from his Vice eps.  You'd get more of an inkling of that from the Crime Story pilot.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Bren10

[Dadrian]

No, not one of my favorites of the series either. I just like it. 

[Tom]

I like Colin Bucksey‘s work (esp. Death and the Lady, Victim of Circumstance) and Vern Gillum did some decent episodes in season 4 and 5. (Borrasca, Hard Knocks, Child‘s Play). Late Richard Compton was the second busiest director after Nicolella and had also some nice eps like the Down for the Count two parter and Line of Fire.

[summer84]

"Made for Each Other" is an enjoyable episode to me, because of it's lighter tone and humor, but judging it overall, it's a weak episode plot wise. Not the highest quality compared to other episodes. I wouldn't place it in the same category as "Missing Hours" though. Have rated MFEO a 6 I believe. 

On the other hand... There are certain episodes, which I agree are well written, some of the most popular ones, but which I personally don''t like/are overrated to me or find boring. 

Edited November 10, 2018 by summer84

[RedDragon86]

On 11/9/2018 at 6:28 PM, Bren10 said:

I like those Nicolella eps too.  But as far as Made For Each Other is concerned, you'll find many people agree with me if you check the dvd discussion page on the episode.  No, not everybody hates it but it is polarizing to say the least.  For me it is the Missing Hours or Cows of October for season 1.  If you stayed home Friday night in 84/85 to watch that you would've been very disappointed.

I really like "Made For Each Other" it gave Stan and Zito an episode of their own, a lot of funny scenes as well, Its amusing when Stan's nagging girlfriend gets annoyed, mainly at Larry, and the when Noogie and Izzy takeover her kitchen at breakfast "this is where Ward comes down hard on the Beaver"  also the scene where they steal the truck is hilarious, and the fact that Costelada wants a cement truck because he had crappy wooden toy trucks as a kid cracks me up every time.

Compared to the duds in season 4 we at the very least still have the vibe, style and great score. You can't deny this is great fun.

Edited November 10, 2018 by RedDragon86

[Matt5]

Dick Compton did some fine work in the later seasons, Jim Johnstone’s “Nobody Lives Forever” from Season 1 was very stylish in the way it was shot. There are so many, but Colin Bucksey’s work in Season 4 and 5 was also very good. John Nicollela did some fine work from Seasons 1-3 and Lee H. Katzin also in Season 1.

John Nicollela was a production manager for the movie “Saturday Night Fever” (1978) and a sidenote Paul Nuckles was also stunt coordinator  on that film (Nuckles went on to be stunt coordinator for Miami Vice for 89 episodes).

Edited November 14, 2018 by Matt5

[ViceFanMan]

On 11/9/2018 at 12:28 PM, Bren10 said:

I like those Nicolella eps too.  But as far as Made For Each Other is concerned, you'll find many people agree with me if you check the dvd discussion page on the episode.  No, not everybody hates it but it is polarizing to say the least.  For me it is the Missing Hours or Cows of October for season 1.  If you stayed home Friday night in 84/85 to watch that you would've been very disappointed.

Agree! Made For Each Other was stupid and ridiculous (to each his or her own...but), a total cluster-crap of slap-stick garbage...not worthy of Season 1, or any other season! The only other episodes worse than “Made For”, are Missing Hours and Cows of October. Switek & Zito deserved better than “Made For”!  

[chum981]

Rob Cohen for me!

[mjcmmv]

On 11/7/2018 at 10:47 AM, pahonu said:

This is very true.  Our favorite episodes are much more the result of the show's creators and writers than the director.  Having worked for a few years in television production in the 90's, I can attest that the role of director in a TV series is much less creative than people think.  It is much more technical than creative.  Here is a good description I found of the difference between TV and film directing.  It's by Spencer Louttit, a prop master and set dresser with over 20-years in the industry:

Perhaps the best way to understand the difference is to take a look at the maxim that “Film is a director’s medium, while television is a writer’s medium.”

Film and television are both about telling stories to the audience. But, because of the differing production processes, it has evolved to the point (in North America, anyway) that the story which gets told in a feature film is the ‘director’s story’ while that which gets told in television is the ‘writer’s story’.

A Television director is usually hired to direct one or a few episodes of a series. S/he will be working with actors, crew, sets, and a schedule that is for the most part determined beforehand. All the major decisions on those elements will have been made by the producers (usually the show’s head writers) with a view to the story to be told of the series as a whole. The job of the TV Director is to use their skills to help tell the story of their particular episode as it has been envisioned by the TV show creators.

A film director, on the other hand, is usually hired to bring their own voice and vision to a project, telling the story as they see it. This will frequently include instigating re-writes of the script, along with suggestions on casting. The film director will also, usually, have great input into the design of a production, including elements such as costumes, and hair and makeup. (Again, in a TV scenario, these elements are usually predetermined by the time the Director arrives to shoot an episode.) The film director is also typically much more involved in editing and post production than a TV director is.

Perhaps most importantly, a film director can work with the cast to help develop the characters and steer the actors performance. In television, the actors have usually developed their character ahead of time, and are often leery of receiving input from a director who is only around for a short time and may not know all the different facets of a particular character.

(If a TV actor wants to talk in depth about their character they will usually do so with the show’s head writer. If a film actor wants to talk about their character they will usually do so with the Director.)

So, while directing in either medium entails telling stories with images and sounds that are captured and then edited together to present to an audience, the jobs of a film and television director are significantly different.

 

Thomas Carter, the director of the Pilot, talks about how he brought "his own voice and vision to the project". I love how he talks about Crockett hitting rock bottom and then describes creating the scene where Sonny stops at the phone booth to call Caroline!  

 

[pahonu]

That was really interesting, thanks.  

I think pilots might sometimes be a little different circumstance.  Depending on their skills, some show creators actually direct the pilot, particularly if they have already established a track record behind the camera.  Often several early episodes are also their work including writing and directing.  The grind of producing 20+ episodes in a season eventually kicks in and these different roles have to be delegated.

[pahonu]

He was also really good on the White Shadow. My wife bought me the first two seasons on DVD a couple of years ago, pretty much because I played college ball and then coached high school for five years.  It's a solid show, but I didn't realize that's where he first directed.  Very cool!

[Bren10]

I'm afraid I don't fully buy Carter's credit to himself for coming up with that sequence.  Not when Mann set a precedent with that style of shooting in Thief.  All you have to to do is watch that movie to find nearly identical shots like streetlights reflecting off the hood and wheels spinning, to music no less.  Maybe Carter suggested Phil Collins or the Benny's sign, but I think he's exaggerating just a bit (like a lot of these guys do).

Edited February 24, 2019 by Bren10

[mjcmmv]

7 hours ago, Bren10 said:

I'm afraid I don't fully buy Carter's credit to himself for coming up with that sequence.  Not when Mann set a precedent with that style of shooting in Thief.  All you have to to do is watch that movie to find nearly identical shots like streetlights reflecting off the hood and wheels spinning, to music no less.  Maybe Carter suggested Phil Collins or the Benny's sign, but I think he's exaggerating just a bit (like a lot of these guys do).

Good observation. Heat was another of Mann's masterpieces. Here's another good article on his work. https://nofilmschool.com/2017/10/michael-mann-master-class

[airtommy]

On 11/9/2018 at 1:28 PM, Bren10 said:

as far as Made For Each Other is concerned, you'll find many people agree with me if you check the dvd discussion page on the episode.  No, not everybody hates it but it is polarizing to say the least.  For me it is the Missing Hours or Cows of October for season 1.  If you stayed home Friday night in 84/85 to watch that you would've been very disappointed.

One person who doesn't hate "Made For Each Other" is Michael Mann.  It was one of his favorite episodes (from S1/2 when he was running the show) and it was his idea.

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/topic/12792-michael-mann-had-very-little-to-do-with-the-show/&tab=comments#comment-202244

I didn't care for this ep at first, but over time it grew on me and now I love it.  But the point isn't whether you like the script.  The point is the directing and the versatility Rob Cohen showed to take on three profoundly different scripts and succeed each time.

 

[mjcmmv]

1 hour ago, airtommy said:

One person who doesn't hate "Made For Each Other" is Michael Mann.  It was one of his favorite episodes (from S1/2 when he was running the show) and it was his idea.

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/topic/12792-michael-mann-had-very-little-to-do-with-the-show/&tab=comments#comment-202244

I didn't care for this ep at first, but over time it grew on me and now I love it.  But the point isn't whether you like the script.  The point is the directing and the versatility Rob Cohen showed to take on three profoundly different scripts and succeed each time.

 

It surprised me to read this-never realized it was Mann's idea or that he loved how it turned out. Armed with this information, I'm going to have to watch this again! 

[Bren10]

As great as Mann is, his idea and execution of humor has always been skewed or hit and miss.  It simply isn't one of his strong suits.  So it doesn't surprise me he liked Made For Each Other.

[TheBustedFlush]

Paul Michael Glaser had a surprisingly great directing style, and Rob Cohen obviously went on to direct The Fast and the Furious (1) so all their episodes were very cinematic and while they did have great scripts to work with for them, you can tell the pacing and camera work is fantastic. I heard Glaser convinced Mann to make Prodigal Son a 2 part episode, so right there you've got something huge.