Randall Miller is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and occasional actor. He is known for directing Bottle Shock, CBGB, Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, Nobel Son, The 6th Man, Houseguest, and Class Act, and for producing Savannah. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones during the filming of Midnight Rider, which he was directing and producing. Miller served one year in jail and is currently completing nine years of probation. Miller is the first film director in history to be convicted in the U.S. for the death of a cast or crew member.
Early life and education
Miller grew up in Pasadena, California. His mother, Leona Miller, was an internist and professor at USC County Medical Center and President of the Diabetes Association. His father, Alexander Miller, was a Professor at UCLA in Microbiology after completing his graduate studies at Cal Tech in Pasadena. Miller attended UC Davis where he studied biochemistry inspired by his own parents' careers in medicine.
Career
In 1993, Miller was nominated for CableACE Awards for his writing and direction of a short children's musical entitled Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. In 2000, he was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Children's Programs for the Wonderful World of Disney episode "H-E Double Hockey Sticks". He then directed a number of independent films, including his self-distributed 2008 film Bottle Shock which premiered at the Sundance Film festival in 2008. His previous film Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005; Nobel Son premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and CBGB in 2013. Class Act, released in 1992, is a modern-day comedic take on The Prince and the Pauper, about a pair of teenagers with switched identities. In 1995, Miller helmed Houseguest, another movie about mistaken identities. The Los Angeles Times said of it, "Houseguest, a rowdy fish-out-of-water comedy, is as good-natured as its big, beefy star, comedian Sinbad." The film debuted at No.3 and went on to gross $26 million in North America, making it a modest commercial success considering its 10.5 million budget. In 2005, Miller wrote and directed Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, a full-length feature of his 1990 short film of the same name. Nobel Son was written and directed by Miller, and was a 2007 American black comedy release about a dysfunctional family dealing with the kidnapping of their son for ransom following the father's winning of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It featured Alan Rickman in the leading role. Alan Rickman returned in a leading role for Miller's movie Bottle Shock in 2008, a dramedy about a 1976 wine competition where a Californiawine defeated a French wine in a blind taste test. Miller and wife, Jody, were introduced to Marc and Brenda Lhormer, the founders of the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, in 2006 at the opening night of Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. In 2008, the founder couple presented the screenplay of a story involving the 'Judgement of Paris' to Miller and his wife. This story interested Miller and Jody and they took the story on board. They ended up writing, directing and producing Bottle Shock. Rickman returned for the third time to play Hilly Kristal in CBGB, a 2013 historical film about the former New York music venue of the same name. Miller wrote the screenplay, produced and directed the film revolving around the life of Kristal, musician and owner of the CBGB club.
''Midnight Rider'' manslaughter conviction
In 2014, on the first day of production of Midnight Rider, camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed during the filming of a scene. The film was never completed. A police investigation in the town of Jesup, Georgia concluded that Miller and crew were trespassing on an operating railway line and that the train was unscheduled. Charges for criminal trespassing and involuntary manslaughter were eventually brought against Miller, his wife Jody Savin, Jay Sedrish, and Hillary Schwartz for Jones' death. On March 9, 2015, Miller agreed to a plea deal in exchange for having charges dropped against his wife. He was sentenced to ten years, the first two to be served in jail followed by probation, along with a $20,000 fine and 360 hours of community service. Sedrish and Schwartz were sentenced to 10 years probation with no jail time, and ordered to pay fines. The terms of Miller's probation stipulated that he would be prohibited from serving as director, first assistant director or supervisor with responsibility for safety on any film production until his sentence was completed. Sedrish and Schwartz's sentences contained similar provisions. Miller's conviction marked the first time a director was sent to prison for the death of a cast or crew member. Miller was released from jail on March 23, 2016 after serving slightly more than one year, due to a two-for-one deal made during negotiations for the original plea agreement with Georgia Assistant District AttorneyJohn Johnson, requiring the court to revise the original sentence as it was deemed improper. Sarah Jones' father Richard Jones said in his statement to the court, "When Elizabeth and I agreed to this plea, it was our understanding that he would be serving two years in jail. If had we understood that it would have been one year, we would not have agreed," and "I want to be clear that we don’t want to inflict — we don’t mean to inflict more pain to Mr. Miller’s family. We understand that … can imagine it’s been quite a lot of pain for their family, but this is, in our view, about a bigger purpose. It’s about making the film industry a better, safer place. And in order to do so, we feel very strongly that this is an important element that Mr. Miller be held fully accountable for what he did." In July 2017, Sarah Jones' family were awarded $11.2 million in civil damages. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, "the jury found that CSX was primarily liable for the accident and should pay 35% of the total judgment.... Miller was found responsible for 28% of the amount of the latest ruling. Rayonier Performance Fibers, owners of the land where the accident occurred, are responsible for 18% and the rest of the liability is divided between individual members of the film's production company."
''Higher Grounds'' controversy
In 2019 Miller directed the movie Higher Grounds in Serbia, London, and Columbia while on probation which prevented him working as a "director, first assistant director or supervisor with responsibility for safety in any film production". After being made aware early 2020, the Jones family alerted Georgia's DA office that Miller was directing, a probation violation. Georgia Assistant District Attorney John Johnson said "Randall Miller has violated the terms of his probation, as a director, he’s in violation." before requesting an arrest warrant be issued. Attorney Mike Smith previously stated to the film crew of Higher Grounds that Miller was able to direct as long as he did not oversee safety, although ADA Johnson noted that Smith likely has a conflict of interest as he is also the movie's Executive Producer. The Jones family also called for the Directors Guild of America to expel Miller after backlash that the Guild had greenlit the production and still lists Miller as a member.
Personal life
Miller has been married to his wife Jody Savin, since March 13, 1999.. He and Jody have two school age children.
