I fell in love with movies at 16, courtesy of Ingmar Bergman and Wild Strawberries. Once the appetite was there I feasted on European movies, Truffaut, Godard, Fellini, Buñuel. I started my working life in TV in the North of England and when I began making movies in the 70s became entranced with American cinema. I sensed a spirit of independence of work done within the studio system but every bit as original and daring as my European idols, from directors such as Coppola, Altman, Scorsese, Cassavetes, Spielberg, Lumet and Woody Allen. There was, however, one big difference: these films had lines around the block. Filmmakers were talking to people, and the studios were part of the equation, creating a fusion of art and commerce. The vision of directors, writers and actors was given free rein. I badly wanted to be part of all that.

I made my first film, Coal Miner’s Daughter, in 1979 and joined the DGA, but the golden age was over and things had started to change. As budgets and fees got out of control, the industry’s sense of freedom and courage began to disappear. Although it became more difficult to make the sort of films that interested me, the sheer energy and ambition of Hollywood provided a constant stream of work and over the next two decades I managed to build a body of work, while still continuing to do jobs in the UK. And although I was happy to be a member of the DGA and valued the opportunities to meet other directors, at that time, frankly, I was almost totally unaware of the real gifts that Guild membership had to offer.

That changed when I made Thunderheart when I had to turn to the Guild to protect my creative rights. I was told to cut nearly 25% of my movie for its reuse on television (more than 270 separate cuts). To make those cuts would have dishonored the unwritten pledge I had made to the Native American community who hosted our filming, to respect the representation of their beliefs and customs. The staff and Creative Rights Committee came to my rescue, took on the studio that was mangling the movie, won the initial arbitration and all the studio appeals up to the 9th Circuit. It was an impressive and sustained show of power to protect my rights as a filmmaker.

Just as I had never really thought how my creative rights were protected by the Guild, likewise with residuals, pension and health benefits and the many other services the DGA provides. I just accepted them as part of the landscape of Guild membership. But from my experience on Thunderheart I saw that it was the activism of working members that made the Guild effective, and so I began my own involvement. I joined and eventually chaired the Guild’s new Independent Directors Committee, was elected to the Western Directors Council and became Fifth Vice President of the National Board before being elected your President in 2003.

Our Guild was founded on the twin pillars of economic and creative rights protections, and in two years we’ll be celebrating our 75th birthday. One reason we’ve done so well for so long is that our structure encourages tremendous membership involvement at all levels. At any given moment, literally hundreds of Guild members are hands on involved in determining the direction of our Guild through our six Councils and many Committees. And running alongside all that we have the exceptional Mr. Roth and his fine staff of over 140 in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago giving us clarity, consistency and purpose. Just as our daily work is a partnership between us and our crews, so it is with the management of the Guild.

Throughout my tenure, whatever the issues, whatever the circumstances, whenever I looked for help and advice from members, I was never disappointed. And, all modesty aside, I think it is fair to say that between us all we got a lot done, including negotiating two remarkably successful contracts, in 2004 to secure our Health Care Plan with tens of millions of new company contributions, and in 2008 to get jurisdiction and compensation in New Media. Among other things, we fought runaway production and led the charge to the passage of the first federal tax incentive for audio-visual work; ran a successful Late Scripts campaign in episodic television which greatly reduced a problem that threatened the creative rights of television directors, and launched two new publications, the DGA Quarterly to focus on our craft and the DGA Monthly to share the news and screenings of our Guild. And to make communications even better for members, we are currently overhauling our website.

Today in Hollywood there is a different and unnerving kind of energy as we find ourselves facing new frontiers. Economic news remains grim, Internet piracy threatens our ability to earn a living and the next cycle of negotiations will be upon us before we know it. We are now deep into a digital age that has begun to fundamentally alter the relationship between creators and the audience. At this moment, the industry is struggling to create an order to the economics of New Media and we, the DGA, have led the way in carving out a template for jurisdiction and residual compensation not only for our members, but for the whole industry.

Even with all the extensive innovation and experimentation, with all the debate and uncertainty as to where our business is heading, we continue to imagine new worlds and create new stories. Entertainment remains a major U.S. industry, whose films and TV programs are seen by billions around the world. It is a window into who we are, into the good and bad of our society, and while some of it may not be to everyone’s taste, this powerful art form continues to connect to people like no other. Who doesn’t remember where you were when you first saw a favorite film… or who you were with… or what you felt in that moment? Everyone who experienced that magic in some theatre somewhere in the world shared in a universal experience. That is the power and the beauty of what our industry creates and what we give to the world.

I’ve been in this business for over 40 years, and consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have served in my “field of dreams” my whole working life. To have the chance to tell a story, work with a great crew, watch it unfold on a screen and to be able to share that vision with an audience, well… it doesn’t get much better than that. And through a lot of those years, whether I knew it or not, my Guild has supported and empowered me. Thank you for that.

The DGA and all of its people have become too big and important a part of my life to simply say goodbye. I shall remain involved in whatever capacity the Guild needs, and I look forward to joining the ranks of the Guild’s many distinguished and accomplished past presidents. I’m not convinced my portrait belongs on the same wall as giants like Frank Capra and Robert Wise, but I’ll take it and be proud to be in their company.

Thank you for the privilege and honor to have served you.

Michael