I actually liked to start with the improv of the scene, because I always feel like you can get back to the script.

But if you're on script and then you improvise, you're always coming back to the script.

So we'd actually go find stuff and then be like, okay, now let's add the lines back in.

So we would find the intention of scenes a lot of the time, and that's where you might find some things that were just magic. Hello, and welcome back to the director's cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America.

Today's episode takes us behind the scenes of director Maureen Barucho's new comedy, Golden Arm.

The film tells the story of Melanie, a nice girl baker who must trade her whisks for barbells,

after her best friend Danny ropes her into taking her

spot at the National Ladies' Arm Wrestling Championship. In addition to Golden Arm, Ms. Barucho's

other directorial credits include the feature film Fatal Flip, the movie for television I Am Watching

You, and episodes of the series Eft and A Hey Dude. She was also a segment director on Jimmy Kimo Live.

Ms. Barucho recently spoke with fellow director Lucia Anjillo at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles about filming Golden Arm.

Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.

Okay, so first off, tell me about how you found the script, what happened

you first read it, what spoke to you about it, and what made you say this is my first feature?

Yeah, what's funny is I actually didn't read the script at first. I met the writers,

Amory, Allison, and Jenna Millie in a woman's group, like a, basically

like women writers, producers.

Okay.

I reached out to them to do some PR on another thing, and they were like, we love your

work.

I'd done some shorts for Sprinkles Cupcakes and Funny or Die and Comedy Central.

And they were like, we have this idea for a movie, for arm wrestling movie, and we need someone

...