Which Supernatural directors influenced Jensen Ackles?
The CW
Five seasons in, Jensen Ackles had spent years working closely with the regular and guest directors of “Supernatural.” During a Q & A session (via Assignment X) Ackles explained which directors were particularly influential when it came time to direct his first episode:
“I love to watch [the late] Kim Manners’ episodes. He was a director who I thoroughly looked up to, both on and off the set. Also, Bob Singer has been an amazing mentor for me. And it’s not in like a certain style or a certain way – it’s really just in the small, little subtleties.”
Both Kim Manners (“The X-Files,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Robert Singer (“Midnight Caller,” “Smallville”) were crucial contributors to the show, joining in the very first season as directors and producers. In directing some of the shows earliest and most beloved episodes, the duo helped to establish the aesthetic and visual style of “Supernatural. Manners is responsible for directing 17 episodes of the show before his death in 2009. His work included fan-favorite episodes like “Dead In The Water,” “Mystery Spot” and “Lazarus Rising.” Singer directed 48 episodes of the show, sticking with “Supernatural” from beginning to end: some notable episodes include “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Scoobynatural,” and the series finale, “Carry On.”
A blast from the past
The CW
In the same interview, Ackles explained what he learned from working under Manners and Singer:
“Kim always preached that it’s in the nuances — the scene is in the nuances. You may not see it written right there on the page — it’s the stuff that’s between the lines that really makes a scene come to life. So I try to find that both as an actor and as a director. And Bob has the same sort of advice when it comes to that kind of stuff, and he also gives me really nice technical advice. ‘Drop back, use long lenses, use your focus, use your transitions to your advantage.’ And so it really kind of was Film School 101 for me with these guys, and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers.”
Revisiting not just their episodes but earlier seasons in general was helpful when time came for Ackles’ directorial takeovers. Just after helming season 10’s “Soul Survivor,” Ackles shared that he revisited some of the show’s earliest episodes to prepare.
“I went back all the way to the pilot — I watched the pilot, I watched a couple more season 1, I watched some season 2, some of the big arc shows, the big ones — not the one-offs, but the ones that really move the mythology of the story along. Really, I know what they were about, I was there when we were doing them, but I just wanted to get kind of fired up again. And it inspires me to go back and see how far we’ve come and what we did when we were back then.”
Ackles even revealed that he called his co-star Jared Padalecki (good to hear) to tell him, “I watched the pilot last night. It still holds up.”
The Supernatural Episodes That Inspired Jensen Ackles Directorial Style
The CW
By Shania Russell/June 20, 2022 5:22 pm EST
Which Supernatural directors influenced Jensen Ackles?
Five seasons in, Jensen Ackles had spent years working closely with the regular and guest directors of “Supernatural.” During a Q & A session (via Assignment X) Ackles explained which directors were particularly influential when it came time to direct his first episode:
“I love to watch [the late] Kim Manners’ episodes. He was a director who I thoroughly looked up to, both on and off the set. Also, Bob Singer has been an amazing mentor for me. And it’s not in like a certain style or a certain way – it’s really just in the small, little subtleties.”
Both Kim Manners (“The X-Files,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Robert Singer (“Midnight Caller,” “Smallville”) were crucial contributors to the show, joining in the very first season as directors and producers. In directing some of the shows earliest and most beloved episodes, the duo helped to establish the aesthetic and visual style of “Supernatural. Manners is responsible for directing 17 episodes of the show before his death in 2009. His work included fan-favorite episodes like “Dead In The Water,” “Mystery Spot” and “Lazarus Rising.” Singer directed 48 episodes of the show, sticking with “Supernatural” from beginning to end: some notable episodes include “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Scoobynatural,” and the series finale, “Carry On.”
Both Kim Manners (“The X-Files,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Robert Singer (“Midnight Caller,” “Smallville”) were crucial contributors to the show, joining in the very first season as directors and producers. In directing some of the shows earliest and most beloved episodes, the duo helped to establish the aesthetic and visual style of “Supernatural. Manners is responsible for directing 17 episodes of the show before his death in 2009. His work included fan-favorite episodes like “Dead In The Water,” “Mystery Spot” and “Lazarus Rising.” Singer directed 48 episodes of the show, sticking with “Supernatural” from beginning to end: some notable episodes include “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Scoobynatural,” and the series finale, “Carry On.”
“I love to watch [the late] Kim Manners’ episodes. He was a director who I thoroughly looked up to, both on and off the set. Also, Bob Singer has been an amazing mentor for me. And it’s not in like a certain style or a certain way – it’s really just in the small, little subtleties.”
A blast from the past
In the same interview, Ackles explained what he learned from working under Manners and Singer:
“Kim always preached that it’s in the nuances — the scene is in the nuances. You may not see it written right there on the page — it’s the stuff that’s between the lines that really makes a scene come to life. So I try to find that both as an actor and as a director. And Bob has the same sort of advice when it comes to that kind of stuff, and he also gives me really nice technical advice. ‘Drop back, use long lenses, use your focus, use your transitions to your advantage.’ And so it really kind of was Film School 101 for me with these guys, and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers.”
Revisiting not just their episodes but earlier seasons in general was helpful when time came for Ackles’ directorial takeovers. Just after helming season 10’s “Soul Survivor,” Ackles shared that he revisited some of the show’s earliest episodes to prepare.
“I went back all the way to the pilot — I watched the pilot, I watched a couple more season 1, I watched some season 2, some of the big arc shows, the big ones — not the one-offs, but the ones that really move the mythology of the story along. Really, I know what they were about, I was there when we were doing them, but I just wanted to get kind of fired up again. And it inspires me to go back and see how far we’ve come and what we did when we were back then.”
Ackles even revealed that he called his co-star Jared Padalecki (good to hear) to tell him, “I watched the pilot last night. It still holds up.”
Revisiting not just their episodes but earlier seasons in general was helpful when time came for Ackles’ directorial takeovers. Just after helming season 10’s “Soul Survivor,” Ackles shared that he revisited some of the show’s earliest episodes to prepare.
“Kim always preached that it’s in the nuances — the scene is in the nuances. You may not see it written right there on the page — it’s the stuff that’s between the lines that really makes a scene come to life. So I try to find that both as an actor and as a director. And Bob has the same sort of advice when it comes to that kind of stuff, and he also gives me really nice technical advice. ‘Drop back, use long lenses, use your focus, use your transitions to your advantage.’ And so it really kind of was Film School 101 for me with these guys, and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers.”
Ackles even revealed that he called his co-star Jared Padalecki (good to hear) to tell him, “I watched the pilot last night. It still holds up.”
“I went back all the way to the pilot — I watched the pilot, I watched a couple more season 1, I watched some season 2, some of the big arc shows, the big ones — not the one-offs, but the ones that really move the mythology of the story along. Really, I know what they were about, I was there when we were doing them, but I just wanted to get kind of fired up again. And it inspires me to go back and see how far we’ve come and what we did when we were back then.”
