DreamPath Podcast

Castille Landon is an actor, screenwriter, and director who wrote and directed the psychological thriller Fear of Rain, starring Madison Iseman, Harry Harry Connick Jr., Katherine Heigl, and Israel Broussard. Before directing Fear of Rain, Castille wrote and directed Albion: The Enchanted Stallion and Apple of My Eye. She recently directed two films in the After series, based on the After book series, by Anna Todd.

What you will learn:

• How Castille began her career as an actor, entered academia, and transitioned into screenwriting and directing.
• Why Castille prefers screenwriting and directing over acting, due to the emotional toll of the audition process.
• How her experience as an actor has made her a more empathetic and effective director.
• The benefits of her liberal arts education, and why aspiring filmmakers should study "everything but film" in college.
• How Castille approached casting Fear of Rain.
• The importance of "name actors" in certain roles, and lesser known actors in other roles; and the risks directors take by casting name actors without auditions.
• The hurdles Castille faced as a result of last minute casting changes.
• Why the themes in Fear of Rain resonate with a broad audience despite the specific challenges faced by the protagonist.
• The research Castille did on schizophrenia and mental illness while writing the screenplay for Fear of Rain.
• Advice she has for aspiring filmmakers.
• Why, despite having degrees from Harvard and Oxford, she still longs for the world of academia.

Resources

• Castille Landon's: IMDB, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

Justin Connor is a Los Angeles-based musician, actor, screenwriter, and director. His musical drama/comedy The Golden Age is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Justin wrote and performed every song from The Golden Age Soundtrack. The film follows pop singer Maya O'Malley after he is dropped from his label and embarks on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout India in an attempt to resolve his troubled past. Justin's companion book to The Golden Age film is scheduled to be published in the Spring of 2021, and his third studio album is scheduled to be released in early 2022.

What you will learn:

• The challenges Justin has faced writing, directing, casting, and acting in his first feature film.
• How parts of Justin's life and spiritual journey mirror the character Maya O'Malley's journey in The Golden Age.
• How Justin incorporated songs he wrote for the film into the film's narrative.
• Why he wrote a companion book to The Golden Age, which will be released in the Spring of 2021.
• The challenges Justin faced while shooting The Golden Age over the course of seven years, and why he chose to shoot over such a long period of time.
• How his own childhood trauma informed the development of screenplay for, and his acting in, The Golden Age.
• Why Justin has has shied away from the trappings of social media in a city obsessed with social media notoriety.
• How Justin views himself as a "servant to the servant to the servant" in the arts, and does not like to define or categorize his art.

Resources:

• Justin's Website, IMDB, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• The Golden Age Amazon Prime URL, IMDB, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Carlson Young is a television and film actor, screenwriter, and director, known for her roles on Scream: The TV Series, True Blood, and Key and Peele, among many others. She made her feature length directorial debut with The Blazing World, starring Dermont Mulroney, Vanessa Shaw, and Udo Kier, which premiered at Sundance this year. Isom Innis, from the multi-platinum selling band Foster The People, scored the film.

What you will learn:

• The genesis of The Blazing World story and script.
• How Carlson was able to find inspiration from 17th century prose to create a fantasy world infused with horror elements.
• What opportunities opened for Carlson after The Blazing World short film premiered at Sundance 2018, and what challenges remained as she developed the feature length version of that film.
• How Carlson's personal curiosity and research about the effects of childhood trauma manifested in themes throughout The Blazing World.
• What casting choices she made in The Blazing World and why.
• The logistics of shooting an indie-film in a pandemic.
• How the restrictions of shooting in a pandemic affected the shoot.
• What it was like for Carlson and Isom to work so closely scoring their first feature film together.
• What insights Isom gained from his experience as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, and performer and how that serves him well as a film composer.
• How Carlson and Isom found hope and inspiration to keep creating despite the darkness of the pandemic which sometimes made creative endeavors seem futile.
• What opportunities opened for Carlson after the premiere of The Blazing World feature at Sundance this year.
• What projects Carlson is working on now.

Resources:

• Carlson Young's IMDB, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Isom Innis' IMDB, Instagram, and Foster The People website

Bryan and Jason discuss key takeaways from the interview with director Jen McGowan, who directed the thriller Rust Creek. Bryan also talks about films he saw at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, which is now completely online this year. Finally, Bryan talks about the profound connection he made with a recent guest, Justin Connor, who wrote, directed and acted in The Golden Age, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Justin's interview launches in early March.

Jen McGowan is a film director whose first feature film, Kelly & Cal, won the Gamechanger Award at the South by Southwest film festival. Her most recent feature film, Rust Creek, is currently #5 on Netflix. Jen is also the founder of Glass Elevator, a networking and skill sharing site for women in the film industry, and recently directed episodes of The Purge and The Twilight Zone.

What you will learn:

• How Jen has coped creatively and professionally amid the pandemic and political turmoil over the last year, and how screenplays have evolved throughout the pandemic. [0:00-11:53]
• What was unique about her film Kelly & Cal, how Juliette Lewis went above and beyond to promote the film, and what tough decisions she had to make on that film with an indie budget, especially regarding music rights. [11:15-19:17]
• The differences between working as a director on indie films without representation vs. being represented while working on studio films with larger budgets vs. directing television; how the freedom her parents provided growing up factored into her decision-making educationally and vocationally. [19:17-31:18]
• What it was like making Rust Creek, from inception, to casting, to production, to making necessary scene cuts, and finally the premiere. [31:18-41:26]
• How distribution of films work and the importance of festivals, especially for indie movies; how Netflix and other streaming services factor into the distribution strategy, relative to theater ticket sales. [41:26-46:20]
• What Jen believes the turning point was for women in the film industry, based on her personal experience, what exciting (but secret) plans Jen has for the future, and advice she has for listeners interested in breaking into film. [46:20-55:41]

Resources:

• Jen McGowan's: IMDb, Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• Glass Elevator website

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interview with actress Rebecca Metz, talk about Bryan's experience covering the 2021 NAMM show, and wax on / wax off about Cobra Kai, one of Bryan's favorite new shows (now streaming on Netflix).

In this "Encore Episode" we are replaying Bryan's interview with film composer Anthony Willis, who scored the film Promising Young Woman, recorded in February of 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Promising Young Women recently made its theatrical (streaming) debut. We are pleased to re-release Anthony's interview so listeners can hear about his creative process and how he used music (and silence) to set the tone and feel of such a important, powerful, compelling, and sometimes dark film.

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Film composer Anthony Willis has worked on Hollywood films such as How to Train your Dragon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jason Bourne, Wreck it Ralph, & Despicable Me 2. Anthony's most recent film is Emerald Fennell's drama/thriller Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan which premiered at Sundance 2020. He has also scored video games such as Fortnite. Willis grew up in London, and studied composition at Marlborough College, Wilshire and the University of Bristol, before earning a graduate degree from the University of Southern California Film School.

What you will learn:

• What early childhood experiences influenced him creatively.
• How training as a chorister as a young child helped prepare him for broader musical challenges.
• Why he decided to move to the United States to pursue film school.
• How he works with film directors at various stages of production.
• How he made transitioned from film school into the the world of scoring films professionally. What mentors helped him learn the craft, trade, and art of film composition.
• What it was like working on big budget productions like How To Train Your Dragon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Despicable Me 2.
• The challenges involved in scoring a feature film like Promising Young Woman, which crossed genres from comedy to drama to thriller.

Resources:

• Anthony's Bio
• Anthony's IMDB
• Transcript of Anthony Willis' Interview

Rebecca Metz is a Los Angeles-based actress whose credits include a recurring role as Tressa on Better Things, as well as roles on many acclaimed television shows over the last two decades, including Shameless, Mom, Nip/Tuck, Maron, This is Us, Grey's Anatomy, Bones, Justified, and Gilmore Girls to name just a few. Rebecca is also a voiceover, stage and screen actor. Her most recent feature film is Disney's Magic Camp.

What you will learn:

• What it was like acting on the IFC series Maron (now streaming on Netflix), and being directed by the late, great Lynn Shelton [0:00-8:58]
• What auditioning for Shameless was like, as a fan of the show, and how a long-time connection with a casting agency has been crucial to her success; what it was like working with great actors and directors like William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. [8:58-15:48]
• How film and television auditions happen during the pandemic, and the uncertain future of theater; the theatrical influence that Rebecca's classically trained singer parents had on her growing up. [15:48-26:07]
• The process of auditioning for Better Things, embracing the subtlety of awkward humor, and her hopes for her character in Season Five (which may include a potential love interest) [26:07-34:12]
• The problems that cast and crew face while filming multi-cam shows while following COVID restrictions; why Rebecca admires Better Things creator Pamela Adlon for superbly executing seasons 3 and 4, not only maintaining the quality of the writing after Louis C.K. left the show, but making it better. [34:12-39:43]
• What's next for Rebecca and advice she would give people who are interested in pursuing a career in acting. [39:43-45:38]

Bryan processes the riots in Washington in D.C., what it means as we head into the inauguration of President Biden, why he remains hopeful for future generations, and what to expect on the podcast in 2021.

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from the Naomi Grossman interview, process the events at the Capitol and what it means moving forward, talk about Bryan's new role as grandpa, and preview next week's episode with actress Rebecca Metz.