 Tim Minear was selected by Whedon to be the show runner , who serves as the head writer and production leader . According to Whedon " [ Minear ] understood the show as well as any human being , and just brought so much to it that I think of it as though he were always a part of it " . Many of the other production staff were selected from people Whedon had worked with in the past , with the exception of the director of photography David Boyd , who was the " big find " and who was " full of joy and energy " . 
