Three Renowned Artisans Made Their Feature Directing Debuts This Season

variety.com:

Carolyn Giardina Rachel Morrison — the first woman to earn an Oscar nomination for cinematography — often picked up a camera and entered the ring to do handheld shots while making “The Fire Inside.” But this wasn’t a typical production for Morrison — she was the director on the inspirational drama about boxer Claressa Shields.

And Morrison isn’t alone. “The Fire Inside” is one of a trio of movies marking the feature directorial debuts of some of the movie business’s most distinguished artisans.

Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg stepped behind the camera for “Unstoppable,” and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto took the reins on “Pedro Páramo.” Although the confluence of below-the-line talent calling the shots is notable, there’s a long history of filmmakers who got their start editing, shooting or performing other jobs on set.

There’s Robert Wise, who edited “Citizen Kane” before directing classics such as “West Side Story,” and Barry Sonnenfeld, who was a DP for the Coen brothers prior to directing the “Men in Black” movies. “We’re all storytellers,” Goldenberg says. “We’re trying to tell the best story in the most efficient and most exciting way possible, the most emotional way possible.” Often, the skills these artisans honed on other movies helped prepare them for the leap to directing. “I know what good performance is.