Deschanel moved up to the director's chair with "The Escape Artist" (1982), a muddled tale of a child magician. Critics praised the visual stylings of the film (although some carped over the director's mixed use of period and contemporary details), but found the script to be lacking. His second feature, "Crusoe" (1988), a retelling of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" with Aidan Quinn, was exhibited at Cannes and earned respectful reviews but failed to find an audience. Like "The Black Stallion", the imagery was put above the words in "Crusoe", but the film's examination of fear and betrayal might have benefited from a less sensitive and more biting quality of light. Deschanel directed three episodes of the David Lynch-produced ABC TV series "Twin Peaks" (1990-91) before returning to cinematography with 1994's "It Could Happen to You", a surprise hit in which he transformed a romance with few surprises into a fairy tale of almost innocent discovery through his moving the lighting base from a matter-of-fact realism to tonal dream-like moments. He reteamed with director Carroll Ballard on the acclaimed "Fly Away Home" (1996), which featured breathtaking aerial camerawork that earned him third Oscar nomination.