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List of second unit directors

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A second unit director is a person who is in charge of a film's secondary crew and a second camera unit, often known as a second unit, that shoots scenes separately from the main unit during principal photography, such as action sequences, establishing shots, or scenes not requiring the main or supporting cast. The 2nd unit director works under the film's main director and often has no involvement in the main crew.

Overview

A key skill for a second unit director is to be able to follow the style being set by the film's primary director. Peter MacDonald, who was second unit director on Batman for Tim Burton, Batman and Robin for Joel Schumacher, Jack the Giant Slayer for Bryan Singer, Radio Flyer for Richard Donner, X-Men Origins: Wolverine for Gavin Hood, Excalibur for John Boorman, Rambo: First Blood Part II for George P. Cosmatos, Cry Freedom for Richard Attenborough, The Quest for Jean-Claude Van Damme, Guardians of the Galaxy for James Gunn, and Labyrinth for Jim Henson, has said, "The most important thing about any second unit is that you can't tell the difference between the second unit and the first unit. It must have the stamp of the first unit, both in photography and the style of direction. ... You try to copy what the first unit does as much as possible. You mustn't be on an ego trip and try to do your own style, because your material has to cut into theirs and it mustn't jar, it must fit in exactly so no-one can tell the difference." Brett Ratner, commenting about Conrad E. Palmisano, who directed second unit for him on Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, After the Sunset, and X-Men: The Last Stand, The Other Guys for Adam McKay, No Strings Attached and Six Days, Seven Nights for Ivan Reitman, Batman Forever for Joel Schumacher, Assassins and Conspiracy Theory for Richard Donner, She's Having a Baby for John Hughes, Robocop 2 for Irvin Kershner, Robocop 3 for Fred Dekker, Into the Blue for John Stockwell, Disturbia for DJ Caruso, Rambo: First Blood, Weekend at Bernie's and Weekend at Bernie's II for Ted Kotcheff, Marked for Death for Dwight H. Little, and Under Siege for Andrew Davis said, "He has the understanding of what it takes to create a great action sequence and never deviate from the story or the tone of the film."

Because second units often film scenes with stunts and special effects in action movies, the jobs of stunt coordinator and visual effects supervisor often get combined with that of the second unit director.

List of Second Unit Directors

Examples of second unit directors include:

Occasionally, some second unit directors work with certain directors on several projects, such as Allan L. Graf, who directed second unit for Walter Hill on several of his films, as well as Eric Schwab working with Brian De Palma on his films. Certain films also may have more than one second unit director. Examples include The Departed, Superman Returns, The Expendables, Blade: Trinity, Transformers: The Last Knight, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, Minority Report, and Bad Boys For Life.

Sometimes, if a film has no second unit, another person will only direct a sequence. An example of this is Robert Shaye, who directed the melting staircase sequence of Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, which he produced, as well as having two uncredited voice roles as the television newsreader and the KRGR radio broadcaster. Occasionally, there is an uncredited co-director to a project. An example of this is Up in Smoke, where Tommy Chong, in addition to co-writing and co-starring in the film, co-directed the film uncredited alongside Lou Adler. This also happened with George Lucas, who directed the Vietnam War scenes in More American Graffiti for Bill L. Norton, directed reshoots Red Tails for Anthony Hemingway, in addition to serving as executive producer. Sometimes, actors get a start serving as second unit director, like Danny McBride, who served as second unit director for David Gordon Green on George Washington, before making his acting debut in Green’s next film, All the Real Girls.

Some directors, such as Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Mike Judge, and Stephen Hopkins, do not use second units in their films.

Second unit directors who have become directors

Unlike an assistant director, who is second-in-command to the main director, a second unit director operates independently, and thus can be a stepping stone for aspiring directors to gain experience. Examples of second unit directors who made this step include:

Film directors that have served as second unit directors

Occasionally, actual film directors might serve as second unit directors on certain projects. Well known examples include:

Other times, directors may return to predominantly working as second unit directors for the remainder of their career. One example is Michael D. Moore, who directed second unit on more than 60 films, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Funny Farm, and The Little Drummer Girl for George Roy Hill, Patton for Franklin J. Schaffner, The Man Who Would Be King for John Huston, 101 Dalmatians, The Mighty Ducks, and The Three Musketeers for Stephen Herek, 102 Dalmatians for Kevin Lima, Ghostbusters II for Ivan Reitman, Willow for Ron Howard, Chaplin for Richard Attenborough, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III for Stuart Gillard, National Lampoon's European Vacation for Amy Heckerling, Toy Soldiers for Daniel Petrie Jr., Sometimes a Great Notion for Paul Newman, Wrongfully Accused for Pat Proft, Never Say Never Again and The Return of a Man Called Horse for Irvin Kerschner, and the original Indiana Jones trilogy for Steven Spielberg.

Other example is James B. Rogers, who served as second unit director on American Pie under Paul Weitz before directing American Pie 2, Demoted, The Pool Boys, and Say It Isn't So. as main unit director. He has since returned to second unit directing, having done so on over 30 films, including Dumb and Dumber To, There's Something About Mary, Kingpin, and The Heartbreak Kid for Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Green Book for Peter Farrelly, Man Down for Dito Montiel, Music from Another Room for Charlie Peters, and Beverly Hills Ninja for Dennis Dugan.

Additional functions

It is common for certain personnel involved with a production in another capacity to also function as a second unit director, benefiting from their understanding of the material and relationship with the production's director or producers. Examples include:

Some second unit directors also occasionally serve as the second unit director of photography. Examples include:

References

  1. "A Dark Night in Gotham City". Starlog issue 142. May 1989. pp. 37–40.
  2. "Conrad E. Palmisano | Action Director, Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director". www.actiondirectorconrad.com.
  3. Halbfinger, David M. (9 March 2008). "The Dark Knight - Movies". The New York Times.
  4. Hemphill, Jim (18 March 2020). ""We Kept the Third Act in a Safe": Tarantino's Assistant Director William Paul Clarke on Kill Bill, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Improvisational Logistics". Filmmaker Magazine.
  5. Kench, Sam (1 January 2023). "What is a Second Unit Director and What Does a Second Unit Do?". Studio Binder.
  6. "American Pie 2 Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  7. ""Herr der Ringe"-Star Sean Astin in "Demoted"". N24. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  8. "Long-delayed New Orleans-shot comedy 'Pool Boys' settles for cheap laughs". NOLA.com. December 26, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  9. "USA Today review Say It Isn't So". USA Today. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  10. "Review: 'Say It Isn't So' isn't so funny". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved December 23, 2024.