Can DGA protect directors’ jobs by preventing actors from taking them over?

Zachary Quinto played the role of Dr. for two seasons. Oliver Wolf on “Brilliant Minds” on NBC. He also stepped behind the camera for the June 3 episode and picked up his first directing credit.

It is quite common for actors, writers or camera operators to temporarily take the director’s chair during a show. But all is not well with the Directors Guild of America, especially since fewer shows are being made and fewer directing jobs are available.

The DGA argues that doing two jobs at the same time diminishes the role of director, while taking on a job that could go to a career director.

So, under a tentative agreement reached last week, “affiliates” will be allowed to direct no more than two episodes per TV season. For a show with fewer than eight episodes, only one “affiliate employee” may serve as director.

The agreement is the result of a compromise with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and is riddled with exceptions and loopholes. It is difficult to say how much effect this will have. But to the extent it’s effective, it could limit career options for actors and others who want to make the transition to directing.

Many veteran TV directors got their start in front of the camera. “Grey’s Anatomy,” for example, has long given episodes to actors who want to direct. Kevin McKidd, who appeared as Owen Hunt, went on to direct 48 episodes – the most of any director on the show. Shondaland even has the work of actor-directorshighlighting the 13 best “Grey’s” episodes, directed by cast members.

The DGA has emphasized that the restriction does not only apply to actors. It also includes most other non-directors, although a show’s creators — the showrunners or those who write an episode in the first season — are allowed to direct without counting toward the limit.

Noah Wyle, star of “The Pitt,” directed an episode in the second season. If the deal had been made, his episode would not have counted toward the two-episode limit because he also wrote two episodes in the first season.

An executive producer or co-executive producer also does not count toward the limit, provided they do not write or act in the show. A “producer-director” who has no other role on the show would also not count toward the limit.

In a summary of the contract, the DGA said the cap is intended to preserve the jobs of directors, but is not intended to limit opportunities for people with a genuine interest in becoming directors.

“This supports directors – both established veterans and those in the pipeline – while allowing those who are serious about directing as a career, even while working in other capacities, to still continue to build their directing careers,” the summary said.

The contract language also includes an exception for shows where all “affiliated employees” are experienced directors or are hired to direct the entire season. An experienced director should have directed either two films, eight TV episodes (of which at least four were episodes when directing was their only job), or ten TV episodes across three shows.

SAG-AFTRA, which represents artists, declined to comment on the DGA deal.

The DGA also seeks to protect the jobs of its members by expanding its jurisdiction abroad. Under current circumstances, when an American show is filmed abroad, producers are willing to apply DGA terms about 85% of the time. The DGA is looking for more than that. But the AMPTP did not allow an expansion of its jurisdiction.

The AMPTP agreed to issue a bulletin reminding producers not to discriminate against DGA members when taking on roles abroad. And an existing industry-wide body, the Geographic Scope Committee, will meet before the end of the year to continue the discussion on overseas coverage.