ABSTRACT
Norman Buckley opens by recounting his early days at film school and his first jobs in the industry, working as an editor on Tender Mercies, Silkwood, and Places in the Heart. He talks about what he learned from directors such as Bruce Beresford, Mike Nichols, Rob Reiner, and Don Coscarelli when he was editing for them, and talks about his own early aspirations to direct while editing the TV series Fastlane. He explains how he transitioned into directing on The O.C., which led to jobs on Gossip Girl and Chuck, and talks about how nervous he was on his first day of directing in spite of being intimately knowledgeable about the show from his time in the editing room. He talks about turning to directing full time and finding a niche in the teen genre, where he feels very comfortable. This leads to a discussion of his work at the Freeform network, where he has become a frequent director on shows such as Pretty Little Liars and its spinoff, The Perfectionists. He explains the importance of a good rapport with studio and network executives as well as showrunners and producers, and the influence of director Alfred Hitchcock on his work. He stresses the importance of listening when coming on a new show, and the importance of planning. He concludes by talking about the transition into producing on The Perfectionists, and what it’s like seeing the process from different perspectives.
