My Sister's Keeper

Above the Line

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Director

Nick Cassavetes

Bio

NICK CASSAVETES (Screenwriter/Director) strives to create personal films marked by narrative authenticity and universal resonance while remaining true to his independent roots. He recently wrote and directed the gritty drama “Alpha Dog,â€� based on a true story and starring Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Emile Hirsch. Cassavetes also directed the hit romantic drama “The Notebook,â€� based on the bestselling Nicholas Sparks novel and starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Gena Rowlands. Prior to that the director helmed “John Q.,â€� starring Denzel Washington, and “She’s So Lovely,â€� the only film to win two awards at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn and John Travolta. Cassavetes’ facility for character-driven intimacy was first evident in his feature film directorial debut, the critically acclaimed “Unhook the Stars,â€� starring Marissa Tomei, Gerard Depardieu and Gena Rowlands. Cassavetes also cowrote the incisive drama, which was recognized by the National Board of Review and garnered Screen Actors Guild® Award nominations for Rowlands and Tomei. Cassavetes studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before beginning his career as an actor and appearing in such films as “Blind Fury,â€� “Quiet Cool,â€� “The Wraithâ€� and “Twogether.â€� He starred opposite William H. Macy in Henry Bromell’s “Panicâ€�; with Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron in “The Astronaut’s Wifeâ€�; and with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Ted Demme’s “Life.â€� He also made a cameo appearance in Demme’s “Blow,â€� after co-writing the screenplay. In addition, Cassavetes appeared as playwright Robert E. Sherwood in Alan Rudolph’s “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle,â€� and with John Travolta and Nicholas Cage in John Woo’s “Face/Off.â€� Cassavetes has also appeared on television in such series as “L.A. Law,â€� “Quantum Leap,â€� and John Sayles’ “Shannon’s Deal,â€� and in the telefilms “Just Like Dadâ€� and “Shooter.â€�

Director- Job Description

The principal creative artist on a movie set. A director is usually (but not always) the driving artistic source behind the filming process, and communicates to actors the way that he/she would like a particular scene played. A director's duties might also include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing. Typically, a director has complete artistic control over all aspects of the movie, but it is not uncommon for the director to be bound by agreements with either a producer or a studio. In some large productions, a director will delegate less important scenes to a second unit director 2UD.