Team Deakins

Rian Johnson, writer and director of Knives Out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Looper, discusses various topics in this podcast. He talks about attending a screenwriting seminar with his father, the father-son story in Looper, differences in crew cultures, creative partnerships with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Steve Yedlin, the design of the throne room in The Last Jedi, and building extensive and grounded sets. Johnson also reflects on his abilities as a filmmaker and the beauty of emotionally correct scenes in a story.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 62 - DECLAN QUINN - CINEMATOGRAPHER Cinematographer Declan Quinn (HAMILTON, LEAVING LAS VEGAS, MONSOON WEDDING) speaks with Team Deakins on this episode of the podcast. A first generation immigrant from Ireland, Declan first reflects on his youth bouncing between America and his family's home country. We then ruminate on Declan's decision to spend part of his early career in Ireland and on the function of pubs as watering holes wherein a young filmmaker could, back when Roger and Declan were starting out at least, find a community with which to celebrate and commiserate over work and life. Later, Declan shares his experiences working with directors Mike Figgis and Neil Jordan and on the myriad of other films he helped bring to life. Towards the end, Declan describes the process of Broadway captures and how he filmed HAMILTON at the height of its popularity with its original cast. - This episode is sponsored by Fiilex

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 61 - DALLAS FILM COMMISSION On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we sit down with two members from the Dallas Film Commission: Tony Armer, the commissioner, and Andrew Vela, a project specialist. We pepper Tony and Andrew with questions throughout the episode. What does a film commission office actually do? How do offices differ at the state and city levels? How do they help local filmmakers? And who's responsible for incentives? Andrew and Tony (who is also one of the founders of the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida) also answer our many questions about festivals. Should you go to your local film festival? Is it worth submitting to the bigger ones? And which festivals should you even submit to? In between all our questioning, we also learn how Tony and Andrew came to work at the Dallas Film Commission and of the various responsibilities of their roles within it. - This episode is sponsored by Fiilex

David Lowery, Writer / Director, discusses his early childhood obsession with Star Wars, his career in independent filmmaking, and the making of AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS and A GHOST STORY. They dive into the development of film titles, the use of old-fashioned illusions in creating the Ghost's costume, and the importance of a memorable title. David also touches on film financing and the process of storyboarding and drawing in filmmaking.

Kelley Dixon, editor on Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Goldfinch, and Breaking Bad, shares her journey from the MGM/UA mailroom to becoming a successful editor. She discusses the application of visual effects in editing and how it expands creative possibilities. The episode explores editing as an invisible art and the role of editing in setting the audience's state-of-mind. The speaker also talks about working on flying sequences, collaborating with actors, and the dynamic relationship between editors and cinematographers.

Ernest Dickerson, Director and cinematographer, shares his journey into the film industry, his collaboration with Spike Lee, and his transition into directing. They discuss the importance of lighting, influences from classical films, and the process of writing and shooting the film Juice. They also highlight the significance of doing your homework as a director and the joy of studying film history.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 57 - FRANKLIN LEONARD - FOUNDER OF THE BLACK LIST Franklin Leonard, the founder of The Black List, joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast for a fascinating conversation. Franklin, a Harvard-educated military brat, starts by recounting his many travels across continents and industries before finding his footing as an assistant in the motion picture literary department at CAA. Having transitioned into development, Franklin shares how The Black List was born out of an innate desire to do better in his job as a junior executive at the time. We learn how The Black List has since evolved and how Franklin's experiences influenced those evolutions to address industry access issues. We later consider what makes a good script, the inherent subjectivity of evaluating art, and how a script appearing on the list can vindicate one's interest in "weird" material. Franklin stresses how the ultimate goal should not be to get on The Black List but to get your movie made, and he exposes the psyops he executes to avoid leaking which scripts end up on the list. The Black List is an annual list of the most-liked scripts circulating within Hollywood in a given year, and it has served as a valuable industry tool for filmmakers since its inception.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 56 - RYAN WHITE - DIRECTOR Director Ryan White (GOOD NIGHT OPPY, THE KEEPERS, ASSASSINS) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast to discuss his career and the field of documentary filmmaking. Born and raised in Dunwoody, Georgia, Ryan later enrolled in Duke University where he found his calling to direct documentaries after watching Agnès Varda's THE GLEANERS AND I. After welcoming him on the podcast, Ryan starts off strong by revealing how he's used previous episodes to study a particular department to help secure a job. He reflects on the state of the industry in which he came up that forced him to begin directing in his mid-20s and laments how today's industry can delay a young filmmaker from taking their first steps towards starting a career by employing them to assist those already established. We later learn how Ryan prefers to shoot his documentaries as intimately as possible over several years and how he and his producing partner Jessica Hargrave have typically sold their projects to distributors. Throughout our discussion, we reaffirm the value of learning by doing, of believing in your stories and talents when leaving the nest, and of listening to your mother. - Recommended Viewing: THE KEEPERS, GOOD NIGHT OPPY - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 55 - JOHN SAYLES - ACTOR / WRITER / DIRECTOR / NOVELIST Actor, writer, director, and novelist John Sayles (MATEWAN, BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, LONE STAR) joins Team Deakins on this episode of the podcast for a discussion covering his long career in filmmaking and in fiction writing. A true multi-hyphenate, John first describes his postgraduate journey from working in an Italian sausage factory to enlisting in the Roger Corman film factory. John reflects on his luck having his first three screenplays produced under the legendary filmmaker and on the lessons he learned shooting his self-funded first feature. Working chiefly in independent American cinema, John considers the times and the market in which he came up that facilitated his filmmaking and offers advice for young filmmakers today. Among the many other topics of discussion, we consider the following: how John decides which medium best serves a story, the benefits of cutting in your head during production, and how comfortable an actor may or may not feel working out of an Econo Lodge in West Virginia. - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission

Bill Hader, the talented actor and showrunner known for 'Barry' and 'SNL,' shares his unique journey from Tulsa to Hollywood, including a humorous tale of being rejected from film school. He recounts chaotic and funny moments as a PA on low-budget films and discusses the challenges and joys of co-showrunning 'Barry' with Alec Berg. Hader highlights the art of casting, directing, and balancing the emotional depth of storytelling while addressing the evolving landscape of cinema and the importance of classic films.