Hello, and welcome back to the director's cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America,

where each episode we bring you a fresh and insightful interview featuring one of the film industry's top directors,

conducted by one of their peers.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode takes us behind the scenes of director Susan Walters' new romantic comedy,

All I Wish. The film tells the story of Senna, a clothing designer whose life seems to be spiraling out of control until she unexpectedly

meets Adam, her perfect match, at her 46th birthday party.

Expecting never to meet again, the two serendipitously reunite at her 47th birthday party,

and Senna's life begins to flourish.

All I Wish is Miss Walter's directorial debut. Her credits as an assistant director

include feature films such as Gary Marshall's Dear God, Harry Weiner's house arrest, and series such as

Caroline in the City. Following a recent screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles,

Ms. Walter spoke with director Maria Burton about

filming All I Wish. During their conversation, she discusses her beginnings in the DGA's

assistant director's training program, how Sharon Stone's involvement switched from supporting

role to the lead, and the importance of having a great AD team when working with a tight budget.

So thank you, Susan, for this movie. I really enjoyed it. I was saying I actually got to see it on the airplane, which is so fun, and then to see it on the big screen. It's such a treat.

So I have a bunch of questions, and then we're allowed to have a little bit of Q&A if you have questions. So my first question is just how your path to make this happen.

I know you started as an AD and then you were a writer and...

Yes, I took the longest path possible to make my first movie. I was a DGA trainee. I got in the

program in 1991 and graduated the program in 1993 and worked as a second AD for about eight years.

And I have to say, like being up here, as a DGA trainee when you have like no money

...