Team Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 134 - Nathan Crowley - Production Designer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with production designer Nathan Crowley (WICKED, DUNKIRK, INTERSTELLAR). After growing up in England, Nathan's dreams of selling secondhand sports cars in LA were cut short after a run in with set designer and fellow countryman Joe Hodges at a bar outside Paramount, and we learn how Nathan dove headfirst into the art department after assisting Joe on HOOK. Nathan later shares how he made the jump to heading the department himself, and we discuss his approach to production design throughout the episode. We uncover the reasoning behind the aesthetic choices of DUNKIRK, and Nathan shares how he accounted for the practicalities of filmmaking during a globetrotting location scout to help realize the vision of INTERSTELLAR. In the back half of the episode, we discuss Nathan's recent work on WICKED, and he shares what attracted him to the film and what scared him about designing one of the most well-known worlds in the American imagination, and he reveals how Donna Langley, the head of the studio, helped convince production to plant millions of tulips for the film. Plus, Nathan shares a key lesson he learned while working with director Michael Mann about following his instincts.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 133 - Lisy Christl - Costume Designer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with costume designer Lisy Christl (CONCLAVE, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, FUNNY GAMES). Originally from Bavaria, Lisy did just about everything she could do to avoid the film industry, and she shares several moments from her career when other filmmakers would not take her "no" as an answer. Lisy later reflects on her 10-year-long collaboration with director Michael Haneke, and she reveals the inspiration for the all-white outfits of the two men in FUNNY GAMES. We also discuss Lisy's work on CONCLAVE, and she reveals what inspired her to adjust the typical garb worn by the cardinals. During our discussion of her work in TIME OF THE WOLF, Lisy shares the costuming decision she made to bring the audience to the present in a scene that recalled a scenario out of the Middle Ages, and she reveals the lengths she and her team went to design silent puffy jackets out of consideration for the sound department. We also discuss Lisy's work in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, and she describes how and why she empowered herself to make choices that may not have been exactly period appropriate.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 132 - Post - with Ed Lachman

In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Ed Lachman (Season 1, Episode 77) joins us to talk about post-production from the point-of-view of a cinematographer. Throughout the episode, Ed shares a bounty of his own observations regarding colour, luminosity, and depth of field, and we share our own perspectives on the perceived effects of anamorphic and spherical lenses. We later discuss the fatiguing effect of a monotonous montage of dark images, and Ed reveals a recent revelation about the relationship between resolution and colour. We also discuss the different (and complicated) methods of mimicking film in digital images, and we reflect on the importance of making your image look the way you want in-camera. We also ask Ed what he might do differently today to achieve the same Douglas Sirk-inspired look of Todd Haynes' FAR FROM HEAVEN, and Ed even brainstorms what he might do on his upcoming film shooting later this year.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 131 - Ben Davis - Cinematographer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Ben Davis (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, LAYER CAKE). During our conversation, we talk all things cinematography, and we learn what it was about a film set that initially appealed to a younger Ben. We also discuss the importance of knowing how a film is going to be cut, and Ben reflects on his path working up the grades of the camera department. A frequent collaborator with director Martin McDonagh (Season 2, Episode 19), Ben shares how he and Martin typically prep, and he describes their process for working on THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. We also discuss how Ben balances shooting with multiple cameras, and he compares the experiences of shooting on films with many resources against those with much fewer. We later discuss the pitfalls of pre-vis, and we reflect on the different practices of manipulating film stock and digital footage. Plus, Ben shares his best impression of producer Dino De Laurentiis

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 130 - Peter Kurland - Production Sound Mixer

Production sound mixer Peter Kurland (THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, WALK THE LINE) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. We've worked with Peter many times over the years, and we had a wonderful time catching up with him. In the beginning of the episode, Peter shares the two versions of his origin story, both of which begin in Nashville, and we learn how he was repeatedly enlisted in roles in the sound department without any training. A former boom op, Peter also fills us in on the subtle differences between boom mics and radio mics, and we learn how Peter communicates potential sound problems to a director and to production at large. Peter also shares how he best fulfills requests from post-production, and we discuss how we try to capture what the director wants, even when they don't want to think about it. And, at the end, Peter shares his thoughts on recent changes in the film industry.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 129 - Brad Ingelsby - Writer

Writer Brad Ingelsby (MARE OF EASTTOWN, THE WAY BACK, OUT OF THE FURNACE) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. A self-professed overwriter, Brad shares his personal approach to screenwriting, and we break down the parts of a story we like the most as viewers and as filmmakers. We later discuss the ever-shifting nature of a script from prep through post-production, and Brad shares how he thinks about when to reveal pieces of information that lead to the most effective telling of a story. We also ask Brad about THE DYNAMITER, an early film in his career, and he shares how the film evolved from an AFI thesis film into a full feature. We also reflect on the role of research in screenwriting, from spending time in a particular community to convincing its members to tell you what's wrong with your script, and Brad shares how he tries to integrate resources from a specific area into the actual shoot of a project. Brad also compares writing for film against writing for television, and, at the end, we ask Brad what advice he would give to a young screenwriter today.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 128 - Deadliest Catch - Arom Starr-Paul & David Reichert

In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we're talking about one of our favourite shows: DEADLIEST CATCH. Executive producer Arom Starr-Paul and cinematographer David Reichert join us for a lengthy discussion and generously answer our many questions about how the show actually gets made. We first learn how both men made their way to the Bering Sea as camera operators and worked their way into their current roles after many years. Later, Arom shares how the show's storytelling evolves over the course of a season and how the crew identifies which storylines to follow out at sea. David also highlights the day-to-day responsibilities of the cameramen and women on the boats and reveals how he coordinates the look of the show across the huge fleet of crabbing boats featured in every season, and we learn how they sift through 40,000 hours of footage down to just 20. Roger also compares his fishing strategies with those in the fleet from the show, and we reflect on the ecological changes in the oceans and in the practices of fisheries.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 127 - Adrien Brody - Actor

Actor Adrien Brody (THE BRUTALIST, SUMMER OF SAM, THE PIANIST) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. We worked with Adrien on THE VILLAGE, and it was great catching up with him. Early in our sprawling conversation about his career and his craft, we discuss what he learned as a young actor working with directors of great caliber—from Juan José Campanella (Season 2, Episode 80) to Spike Lee and Ken Loach—that led to his lauded performance in THE PIANIST. Later in our discussion of THE BRUTALIST, Adrien reflects on his collaboration with director Brady Corbet and shares what his first concern as a performer was when told the film would be shot on loud VistaVision cameras, and Adrien reveals the personal family history that informed his moving performance and shares how he and his fellow filmmakers pulled the film off with relatively limited resources. Towards the end our conversation, we also consider actors' and cinematographers' reliance on others to reach creative fulfillment, and we ask Adrien if he thinks it's possible to learn how to act. Plus, Adrien explains how to jury-rig a polaroid camera battery into a makeshift hand warmer.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 126 - Tye Sheridan - Actor

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor Tye Sheridan (THE ORDER, READY PLAYER ONE, MUD). Coming out of rural east Texas, Tye reflects on getting his start as a child actor on THE TREE OF LIFE and MUD, and we discuss the type of personality it takes to deal with the transient life of a filmmaker. Tye is also the co-founder of Wonder Dynamics, which currently offers an AI-based performance capture solution for filmmakers without a large VFX budget, and we discuss the company's origins and how the technology actually works. Tye later recounts the casting process for READY PLAYER ONE that ended with him nerding out with director Steven Spielberg over E.T., and we discuss the working conditions of independent films that have made them so attractive Tye as an actor. We also discuss Tye's experience working on THE ORDER, and we end the episode reflecting on the evolution of the industry in the digital age.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 125 - Deborah Scott - Costume Designer

Costume designer Deborah Scott (AVATAR, TITANIC, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. During our wide-ranging conversation, we learn how a childhood diet of drive-in theatre westerns developed her appetite for cinematic storytelling, and we discuss Deborah's long career outfitting characters representing extraterrestrial aliens, the denizens of the afterlife, and everyday people from our past, present, and potential futures. Deborah also reflects on her experience embodying the characters of E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL to develop the children's costumes for the film, and she details the level of rigor with which she preps before presenting a director with ideas after being brought aboard a project. Deborah also contrasts the difficulty inherent in the open-ended nature of designing for sci-fi films with the specificity inherent in period films, and she highlights the invaluable contributions from the entire costume department that facilitate the realization of all that clothing on screen. Plus, towards the end, Deborah shares how she juggles being a parent and being a filmmaker.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure