Transitions Unit - RESEARCH Michael Uppendahl (Director)

Michael Uppendahl is an American Director who has worked on films and television drama episodes. Born in New York, he had an education of film and television before getting his first major break through as an assistant director. From this he moved onto Directing and has since directed shows like 'American Horror Story', 'The Walking Dead' and 'Mad Men'.

Uppendahl first started his directing career on the show 'Becker', a sitcom set in New York focusing on the life of a doctor who runs a small surgery and the different people that are in his life. From there he went on to directing episodes for the Hit US TV show 'Mad Men'. This is where Michael Uppendahl really found his feet. He received a huge amount of critical acclaim by the way he had done the episodes and fully projected himself as a reputable director in the industry. After this he worked on more popular US TV shows such as 'American Horror Story', 'Glee' and 'The Walking Dead'.

You can view some clips of his work below:

Glee: Series 3 - Episode 18 (Choke)

The Walking Dead: Season 4 - Episode 6 (Live Bait)

American Horror Story was the work that I was really inspired by that he did. Please look at the clip below:


American Horror Story: Season 2 - Episode 4 (I Am Anne Frank Part One)

Through out the clip you can see the types of shots Michael has used. The camera starts off stationary and then as the characters walk it glides smoothly to follow them. The shot then switches to the front of them continuing in a gliding motion. This is a really nice effect and I would love to do something like this when it comes to making production.

When there are two characters in the scene, the camera cuts back and forth quite a lot depending on who is talking with a range of close ups, wides and mid shots to give variety to the scene. This is something I will consider as it allows the production to flow seamlessly but gives a sense of purpose to who is talking.

As the episode changes to the operating scene there is a change in pace. Shots are quickly cut together with close ups and mid shots to build tension and to heighten intensity. I will be sure to get a wide range of shots if we are doing an intense scene as I feel this works really well. In contrast to the scene before, although tense, its a different kind of tension that uses its progression slowly to make the audience feel more suspense.