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Directing May 2, 2026

Directing Gremlins: lessons from Vaughn Ross

Kingdom of Dreams · EP 32 · Directing

Director Vaughn Ross talks through Gremlins' Secrets: Director - Vaughn Ross on Kingdom of Dreams: how to lead a set, protect performances, and make day-of choices when time and weather disagree with the shot list.

Directing Gremlins' Secrets: Director - Vaughn Ross means translating intention into a schedule. Vaughn Ross describes the human side of that translation: talking to actors, choosing when to move on, and keeping the crew pointed at the same verb for the scene.

Steal one habit from this episode: decide what must be true at the end of the scene, then reverse-engineer coverage that can prove it.

Go deeper on Kingdom of Dreams

Browse more director conversations in the Kingdom of Dreams archive.

Original Kingdom of Dreams craft take based on our conversation with Vaughn Ross (EP 32). Not a reprint of any single article.