Directors Digest — Thursday 22 March 2018

Today’s Directors Digest is about Craft Awards, inspirations and visionaries, streaming wars and Hollywood crews, and also features the first findings of a major new industry report from FERA and the FSE. Dive in to all the news and views below. 

Industry

A groundbreaking new study from FERA and the FSE,  featuring input from Directors UK members, has released its first results — and they make for startling reading. (FERA)

Television

The 2018 BAFTA TV Craft Awards were announced, with Directors UK members well represented in every directing category. (Directors UK)

BBC presenters have spoken to the DCMS select committee about “being pushed into setup that fell foul of HMRC”. (Guardian)

Little White Lies asks if the Netflix vs Disney streaming war is already over. 

Danny Horan has been made Head of Factual at Channel 4. (Broadcast, Paywall)

Left Bank Pictures, producers of The Crown, have apologised to their cast after the recent pay row over the wage disparity between stars Matt Smith and Claire Foy. (Screen International)

Fremantle Media CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz is stepping down to join YouTube. (Screen International)

Film

Two Directors UK members, Amma Asante and EdgarWright, took home honorary Empire Awards. Congratulations to them both! (Directors UK)

At the same ceremony Steven Spielberg was presented with the Legend of our Lifetime award. He used his speech to describe the #MeToo movement as “More important than any of us can ever realize”. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Stephen Follows takes an in-depth look at how the average Hollywood movie crew has changed. (Stephen Follows)

The Weistein Company has filed for bankruptcy and ended all of its nondisclosure agreements. (The Verge)

Screen International reports that Channel 4 stands to make up to £15 million from the success of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Are you a member with an opinion on one of these stories? Is there an issue affecting directors that you think isn’t getting enough attention in the media? Why not write for us and make yourself heard — email [email protected] with your article idea.