How do you turn New Jersey into 1960s Greenwich Village — while navigating strikes, rewrites, and a lead performance that hinges on live music? That was the challenge behind A Complete Unknown, the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic directed by James Mangold.
This week, Skid is joined by three key crew members behind the film: Set Decorator Regina Graves, Property Master Michael Jortner, and Second Assistant Director Brad Robinson. Together, they share how they navigated shifting scripts, location changes, and the challenge of historical fidelity — all in service of a film that manages to feel both intimate and iconic.
Topics include:
- Rebuilding momentum after the actor’s strike forced a full crew reset
- The challenges of transforming Hoboken and Jersey City into Greenwich Village
- Training extras to behave like real 1960s folk fans — from posture to props
- Creating immersive environments for actors to perform (and improvise) in
- Balancing accuracy and atmosphere when representing real figures and events
- Behind-the-scenes dynamics with director James Mangold and star Timothée Chalamet
- Filming the concert finale, the Viking Hotel sequence, and the Columbia studio set
- How a film’s invisible craft can be both its triumph and its obstacle come award season
The conversation also touches on the tensions between Dylan’s legacy and the demands of dramatization — and how the crew stayed grounded despite outside opinions and mid-production curveballs.
🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on A Complete Unknown. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.
