The Weekend I Became a Sports Movie Director

by Jeff Fisher

My living room when I got the call: Cardboard Box Central

That was my living room. Or what used to be my living room, when I got a call about a directing opportunity that was way out of my comfort zone.

It was a Friday afternoon. Movers were coming Tuesday morning. I was leaving for a shoot in Chicago on Wednesday. I still had A LOT of packing to do.

A good friend of mine had just had dinner with a producer on a football movie that had suddenly lost its director. Three filmmakers were already in the running for the replacement slot. My friend, being the awesome human he is, had pitched me hard over the meal. Within 30 minutes of that dinner, one of the producers called. Would I be interested in reading the script? And could I have a Zoom with the EIGHT producers on this movie on Monday?

Full disclosure: I am not what you’d call a huge football guy.

My answer:  Sure!  I’d love to.  Yikes.

READ THE SCRIPT. BUY MORE BUBBLE WRAP. REPEAT.

The script arrived by email. I read it— at the kitchen island of a half-packed condo.  I knew two things before I finished: this had the bones of a genuinely great underdog story, and I was going to need a great pitch deck for this meeting.

I called a talented production assistant I trusted — someone who has since gone on to direct his own short films and is now working on his first feature — and asked if he could help me pull the deck together from the images I’d sourced. I just didn’t have the time to re-watch the You Tube tutorials about Canva between trips to Home Depot to buy more boxes.

Then I opened up my Apple TV and started renting movies.

Friday Night Lights. Any Given Sunday. Rudy. Rocky. Remember the Titans. The Blind Side. I watched them all that weekend while packing, studying how they shot the action, how they made non-fans care, how they built the emotional stakes inside the sport.  All while bubble-wrapping my life into boxes. I read the script four times over the course of that weekend. By Sunday night, I felt like I knew what my take was.

I knew The Blind Side wasn't just a football movie. It's a movie about family, loyalty, and second chances. The football is the arena. The heart is in the characters. That's what I wanted for this movie.

I wanted visceral, authentic football action for the fans who live and breathe the game — and a story with genuine character depth that would pull in everyone else. I wanted to give audiences something hopeful in a moment when the news felt relentlessly grim.

MONDAY MORNING: EIGHT PRODUCERS, ONE CLEAN PATCH OF WALL

My condo’s theme of cardboard moving boxes didn’t exactly scream “Hire me.” There was one clean corner of my home office that could sell as my Zoom background.

I moved my computer, framed out the packing tape dispenser and trash bags.  Gave my dog a 30-minute bone…and was off to the races.

Eight producers on the call.  I had my deck ready. I had done the prep. And I had a goal:

Do not be the only one talking.

I asked each producer to share why they loved this story and were so passionate about the project — before I started my pitch.

I genuinely wanted to know.  And it made this Zoom feel more like a team conversation. And by the time it was my time to speak, I  was speaking to people whose passion I already understood.

I walked them through the deck. It layed out the tone references, the visual language, the character approach. Then I showed them something specific: the opening sequence from my last Paramount film, The Stranger in My Home.

FROM FIELD HOCKEY TO CHEERLEADING

The rehearsal space for cheer sequence with Bonnie Story and our awesome cast and cheerleaders.

Here's the thing about pitching a genre you've never tackled before: you can't just say "trust me." You have to show them evidence from your existing work that the skills transfer.

In the original script for The Stranger in My Home, the daughter played field hockey. No offense to field hockey enthusiasts — but I grew up loving movies like Can't Buy Me Love and Bring It On. I thought our opening sequence needed something with more energy. I made my case to the production company executives — who were skeptical, worried about budget and logistics — and eventually got the change approved.

The sport became cheerleading. I got so lucky to work for the third time with the extraordinary choreographer Bonnie Story — whose credits include the High School Musical films — and my friend Tiffany (who was the on-camera talent on an HGTV pilot I directed).  Tiffany’s daughter was a high school cheerleader with a jaw-dropping list of national championships. Tiffany spoke cheerleading as a second language and helped enormously with recruiting our squad, a mix of great dancers Bonnie knew and actual current National Collegiate Cheer champions.

We shot that cheerleading opener in about 90 minutes. The crowd on set was cheering and clapping at the stunts. It was exactly the energy I wanted — athletic, cinematic, feel good—and lots of wow.

The awesome Amiah Miller (who is currently starring in Taylor Sheridan's The Madison) in a still from the cheerleading sequence in The Stranger in My Home.

Side note:  I also worked hard with our music supervisor to license "Lil Boo Thang" by Paul Russell — for that opening sequence. Getting that track on our budget is its own adventure, and honestly its own blog post, but man, it was worth it!  

The point is: I had some proof. I showed those eight producers exactly how I shoot dynamic athletic action — the angles, the energy, the storytelling inside the movement. The Stranger in My Home wasn't out yet, but that sequence helped me do some heavy lifting, even though it was a totally different sport. It seemed to land.

With Bonnie and our squad on the day we shot one of my favorite sequences in the movie.

THE TAKEAWAYS (BECAUSE YOUR MONDAY MORNING ZOOM IS COMING)

Whether you're a director, an actor, a writer, or anyone else in this industry facing a pitch, a meeting, or an audition for something outside your comfort zone — here's what I'd tell you:

1. Do the prep. No matter what. There will always be a reason not to. The movers are coming. The timing is terrible. You need more sleep. You've never done this genre before. Push through anyway. At minimum, you walk away knowing you gave it your best shot. That matters — to you, and to the people who believed in you enough to put your name in the room.

2. Show, don't just tell. Find the evidence in your existing work that proves the skills transfer. Audiences for an NFL underdog story don't care whether I've directed football before — they care whether I can shoot energy, capture authentic action, and tell a human story. That cheerleading sequence wasn’t football, but it was my proof of concept.

3. Make it a conversation. Asking those producers to share their passion first was one of the best decisions I made on that call. You learn more. You connect more. And you give the room a reason to be on your side before you've pitched a single idea.

4. Know what your real skill is. Mine isn't football. It's storytelling. It's finding the heart inside the action, the character underneath the competition. To be clear, after the call I worked my ass off to make sure the football sequences were  authentic by vetting revisions with friends and colleagues who knew the sport inside out.  But this idea translates to every genre of filmmaking. Know what your skill is — and lean into it.

5. Don't let down the people who vouched for you. My friend had sold me hard at that dinner. I didn't want to let him down. That's not a small motivation — it's a very human one. Use it.

The goal isn't to walk into that room perfectly qualified. The goal is to walk in fully prepared.

The crazy part:  I got the job.

And somewhere in my new place — which I'm very happy to report does not currently contain a single cardboard box — is the screenplay I hope will remind people that just like Rocky Balboa, even what seems impossible is possible through grit, determination and heart.

Got your own Monday morning Zoom coming up?

Whether you're prepping for a pitch, an audition, a big meeting, or a job interview in a genre you've never tackled before — I offer one-on-one coaching and consulting sessions. Reach out at reeltalkwithjeff.com and let's get you ready. 

Use the code REELTALK25 for $25 off any service.

Jeff Fisher is a director and writer whose credits include Paramount Pictures' "The Stranger in My Home" and "The Image of You," Hallmark's highest-rated film of the year "My Christmas Love," and reality hits spanning from "The Simple Life" to "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." Visit www.jefffisherdirector.com to see his work and www.reeltalkwithjeff.com for more industry insights. @jefffisher_insta