Team Deakins

EPISODE 57 - TURNING THE TABLES - Shawshank Redemption

In this episode, we get the tables turned upon us! Greig Fraser leads the conversation and asks US the questions. He starts by diving into our collaboration process and then moves onto the movie SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. In addition, he chose 5 clips from the movie to discuss. We list and describe the clip in an accompanying PDF file for this episode that can be accessed by the link below. We also strayed from the movie discussion to talk about choosing the format of a movie, why one shoots anamorphic, choosing the camera for 1917, the pressure on the DP when trying to wait for the right light and the joy of seeing the performance as you are shooting. It's a fun episode which Greig skillfully leads. Don't miss it. Use this link to download the PDF file.

REQUIRED EPISODE VIEWING: Shawshank Redemption

EPISODE 56 - THOMAS NEWMAN - Composer

Team Deakins sits with Tom Newman, (1917, SKYFALL, WALL-E, AMERICAN BEAUTY), and learns lots about the world of the composer. He tells us about learning to be a collaborator, his experience with directors like Robert Altman and Sam Mendes, how he deals with last minute editorial changes after the music has been composed and the difference between composing for Live Action and Animation. He also speaks of working in television, how binge watching changed theme music on TV shows, the musical challenge on the film, 1917 and his feeling that creativity is chaotic. And that's only scratching the surface of what we got into during the conversation! A great episode with a talented composer!

RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: 1917, Shawshank Redemption

EPISODE 55 - RACHEL MORRISON - Cinematographer

Team Deakins converses with cinematographer Rachel Morrison in this episode. She speaks on many subjects - telling us about working with director Ryan Coogler, how the way she works with the gaffer differs on features and TV, her like of imperfection. She also shares that she strives to share as much information as possible when working, including sharing the look book with her crew. We learn about the shooting of MUDBOUND and the challenges on that film. And a lot more! A great episode!

RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: Mudbound

EPISODE 54 - ED SOLOMON - Writer

Team Deakins talks with writer Ed Solomon, (MEN IN BLACK, BILL & TED's EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, NOW YOU SEE ME 2), in this episode. We learned a lot about the craft of writing! Ed talks about the differences in writing for TV and features, writing on spec versus adapting material, writers block, and how his script of the original Bill and Ted changed his career. He also shares the experiences of working with Gary Shandling, making writing "actable", loving the blank page and writing for Steven Soderbergh. He speaks openly on all aspects of writing which makes this a very interesting episode!

EPISODE 53 - JOE REIDY - Assistant Director

Team Deakins speaks with an amazing AD, Joe Reidy (THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, THE DEPARTED, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, CASINO). He leads us through the many aspects of the role of Assistant Director - from Scheduling, his prep, AD breakdown, dealing with extras and his relationship with the line producer and creative producer. He speaks of working with specific directors, such as Marty Scorcese, Sidney Lumet and Oliver Stone. He delineates the various positions in the AD department and feels that "running the set is setting the tone". Everything you wanted to know about the role of the AD and more!! An information packed episode!

EPISODE 52 - PATRICE VERMETTE - Production Designer

Teams Deakins enjoys a great conversation with Production Designer, Patrice Vermette (DUNE, VICE, ARRIVAL, PRISONERS). He goes through his working process and talks about his relationship with the Director and DP. He shares his opinion on building sets or using locations, color palettes, and the traits he likes in a director and DP. He gets specific about his work on the movies: Enemy and Sicario. He also speaks of what he wants from his team and the filmmaking community in Montreal. We had hoped to finally get an explanation of the ending of the movie Enemy, but were disappointed once again! Despite that, there's still great information in this episode so don't miss it!

RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: Sicario

EPISODE 51 -ANDREW PATTERSON - Director

Team Deakins was excited to talk with emerging director, Andrew Patterson. After seeing his debut film, VAST OF NIGHT, we knew we wanted to talk with him. He leads us through the long path of getting his movie made, talks about his casting and the very interesting cadence of the dialogue of the film. He also speaks about wanting to make a movie that doesn't start to looked aged but the look stays contemporary and what he did to achieve that. He also shares how he maximized his resources, what his first hires were and what he learned from his first film. A really interesting conversation with a very interesting filmmaker!

REQUIRED EPISODE VIEWING: The Vast of Night

EPISODE 50 - JOSH BROLIN - Actor

Team Deakins sits down with long time friend, actor Josh Brolin (TRUE GRIT, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ONLY THE BRAVE, MILK). We learned so much from him - how going into law is similar to being an actor (who knew?) and how acting is like golf (learned something new!). He also tells us how his interest in human behavior drew him to acting and he shares the very funny story of his audition for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. He speaks of his experiences working with the Coen Brothers, he tells us what was involved in his THE AVENGERS role and shares how he was convinced to do SICARIO. He also goes into how he relates with the camera crew, his prep for films and how he uses instagram as a platform for his prose. And that's only a part of what we talked about! Don't miss it!

RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: No Country for Old Men

EPISODE 49 - NICOLETTA MANI - Script Supervisor

Team Deakins has the pleasure of talking with script supervisor, Nicoletta Mani (1917, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- FALL OUT, THE QUIET ONES). We get the chance to discover the wide range of this role in production from the breakdown of the script, day breakdown, script timing, editor notes, continuity and much more. We learn how the script supervisor acts as a conduit to the Editor and their relationship to the director and the other departments. We also talked about handling a shoot with multiple units and multiple cameras. We delved into continuity and when it matters and when it doesn't. Nicoletta leads us through the different aspects to the job of script supervisor - a very informative episode!

EPISODE 48 - ROB LEGATO - VFX Supervisor

Team Deakins speaks with VFX Supervisor, Rob Legato (THE LION KING, THE JUNGLE BOOK, HUGO, TITANIC). He walks us through some of the changes in VFX over the years and is quite vocal on his feelings on the different approaches - CG effects or model work. We learned a lot about his work on Jungle Book, The Lion King, Titanic and Apollo 13. We even talked about shooting 3D versus converting afterwards. Rob also told us his thoughts of the future of CG. A lot of information in this episode!