Steven Schachter
Encyclopedia
Steven Schachter is an American
television
, theatre, and film director
and screenwriter
.
Much of Schachter's success stems from projects on which he has collaborated with William H. Macy
. The two co-wrote the cable
television movie
s The Con (1998), A Slight Case of Murder
(1999), Door to Door
(2002), and The Wool Cap
(2004), all of which Schachter directed and in which Macy starred. He also has directed numerous other made-for-TV movies, including an adaptation of David Mamet
's play The Water Engine
, which he had directed at the off-Broadway
Public Theater in 1977 and again at the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway
the following year. In 2006 he directed the TV movie The Mermaid Chair
.
Schachter's latest projects also involve Macy. In May 2007, he completed filming the feature
The Deal
, written by and starring Macy, which is scheduled for release in 2008. The two are collaborating on Family Man, a pilot
for a TNT
series in which Macy would portray a model husband and father of three who unbeknownst to his family leads a gang of burglars.
Nominations
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, theatre, and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Much of Schachter's success stems from projects on which he has collaborated with William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
. The two co-wrote the cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s The Con (1998), A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
(1999), Door to Door
Door to Door (film)
Door to Door was a 2002 TV movie about Bill Porter , a door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy. The film was produced for the TNT cable network and was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards, winning six...
(2002), and The Wool Cap
The Wool Cap
The Wool Cap is a 2004 American cable television movie, an updated and Americanized version of the 1962 feature film Gigot starring Jackie Gleason, who wrote the original story....
(2004), all of which Schachter directed and in which Macy starred. He also has directed numerous other made-for-TV movies, including an adaptation of David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
's play The Water Engine
The Water Engine
The Water Engine is a play by David Mamet that highlights the sometimes violent suppression of a disruptive alternative energy technology. The storyline setting of 1934 likely coincides with the real-life experiences of Texans Henry "Dad" and Charles H. Garrett who, in 1935, received a U.S. Patent...
, which he had directed at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Public Theater in 1977 and again at the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
the following year. In 2006 he directed the TV movie The Mermaid Chair
The Mermaid Chair (film)
The Mermaid Chair is a 2006 movie adapted from the book written by Sue Monk Kidd. It was directed by Steven Schachter and stars Kim Basinger, Alex Carter, and Bruce Greenwood. The movie was filmed in British Columbia Canada...
.
Schachter's latest projects also involve Macy. In May 2007, he completed filming the feature
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
The Deal
The Deal (2008 film)
The Deal is a 2008 American satirical comedy film directed by Steven Schachter. The screenplay by Schachter and William H. Macy is based on the 1991 novel of the same title by Peter Lefcourt. Macy and Meg Ryan co-star....
, written by and starring Macy, which is scheduled for release in 2008. The two are collaborating on Family Man, a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for a TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
series in which Macy would portray a model husband and father of three who unbeknownst to his family leads a gang of burglars.
Awards and nominations
Awards- 1999 Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best TV Teleplay (The Con)
- 2000 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Television Feature or Miniseries (A Slight Case of Murder)
- 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Door to Door)
- 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Door to Door)
Nominations
- 2003 Humanitas PrizeHumanitas PrizeThe Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
for Writing, Television Movie 90 Minutes or Longer (Door to Door) - 2003 Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award (Door to Door) - 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie (The Wool Cap)
- 2005 Writers Guild of America Award (The Wool Cap)