Team Deakins

EPISODE 116 - PABLO LARRAÍN - Director Team Deakins sits down with director Pablo Larraín (JACKIE, NERUDA, NO). He shares with us the experience of his first film flopping and all that he learned from that, as well as the "rules" he sets for each individual film and the power of breaking these rules. He talks about his process, his avoidance of storyboarding, his dislike of multiple cameras, and remembering that films based on actual people are still works of fiction. According to Pablo, "when you are shooting, you're fighting the script, when you are editing, you are fighting the shoot". We learn a lot about the production of the movie "Jackie," the production design, the shooting design, and why he chose to shoot in 16mm film. A fascinating look into the mind and process of a talented director!

EPISODE 115 - BILL MACDONALD - UCLA Cinematography Department Team Deakins converses with Bill McDonald of the UCLA Cinematography Department. We learn about the UCLA program and the difference between the undergraduate and graduate programs. He shares what UCLA looks for when admitting students and how they work to bring out the students' native talents. The students learn all the different areas of film production since this increases their ability to collaborate with other departments in the future. We talk about the pricing of the school and the difference between state and private schooling in film. Bill also shares that film school is not best for everyone and the importance of finding the film school with the approach that works best for the individual. A great lesson in film schools!

EPISODE 114 - JOHN TOLL - Cinematographer Team Deakins has a great talk with cinematographer, John Toll (LEGENDS OF THE FALL, BRAVEHEART, WIND, THE THIN RED LINE, RAINMAKER). We start on a humorous note as we learn how he started in the business and learned on the job! We talk about his time as an operator and his eventual switch over to working as a DP. He recalls his time working for Conrad Hall as an operator and what he learned and also speaks of the different methods of working as an operator in England. We learn about his first big break to shoot the behind-the-scenes footage on ET which was never seen. He also shares why he chose to shoot WIND (his first feature as a DP), even though he tended to have bad seasickness! We learned about the difficulty of shooting WIND on the water and in boats, which is even more impressive when you consider it was his first time as a cinematographer! John's humorous way of at looking things will have you laughing! RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: Wind

EPISODE 113 - LÁSZLÓ NEMES - Director Team Deakins speaks with László Nemes, director of SON OF SAUL and SUNSET, in this episode. He speaks of what he learned from the Hungarian film director Béla Tarr and why he doesn't believe in film schools, feeling it doesn't create curiosity among students. He shares the difficulty of setting up the film, Son of Saul, and how it finally was financed. He speaks of the value of state sponsorship of movies and being able to make films that have to compromise greatly. We learn about his relationship with his DP, Mátyás Erdély, and how they work together. It's a fascinating discussion with a passionate filmmaker! RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: Son of Saul

Rodrigo Prieto, a talented cinematographer known for his work on films like THE IRISHMAN and AMORES PERROS, shares fascinating insights about his craft. He enjoys the trickery of filmmaking and reflects on his journey from Mexico to Hollywood. Prieto discusses the significance of simplicity and natural light in cinematography, his collaboration with directors like Martin Scorsese, and the evolution from film to digital technology. Anecdotes about childhood influences and the revival of Mexican cinema in the 90s highlight his passion for storytelling.

EPISODE 111 - PAUL SAROSSY - Cinematographer Team Deakins speaks with Paul Sarossy, a frequent collaborator with director Atom Egoyan, in this episode. Paul's credits include THE SWEET HEREAFTER, REMEMBER, and AFFLICTION. We learn how Paul started by shooting news and what skills that gave him right off the bat. Of course, we speak about his collaboration with Atom Egoyan and learn how they work together. We break down a lot in the film, The Sweet Hereafter, and learn a lot! He shares that he thinks prep normally revolves around figuring out one thing and the rest "you just deal with". We also touch on his working on two movies based on Russell Banks movies in a row, operating the camera, working with a non-linear time structure, digital technology as being subtractive vs additive, and the difference of working in TV and on features. And much, much more! A great conversation!

EPISODE 110 - KAZU HIRO - Prosthetic Makeup Team Deakins speaks with the very talented prosthetic makeup and effects designer, Kazu Hiro (BOMBSHELL, DARKEST HOUR, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON). We learn a lot in this episode. Kazu leads us through the process of prosthetic makeup and very patiently answers our many questions. He shares with us his work on the films Bombshell, Darkest Hour, and Benjamin Button. He also tells us about his experience of working with Akira Kurosawa! We now know about face casting, applying makeup on top of prosthetics, and the testing that is done before shooting. A great conversation with a great artist!

EPISODE 109 - TURNING THE TABLES - 1917 Team Deakins gets the tables turned on us led by esteemed still photographers, Alex Webb (Episode 30) and Rebecca Norris Webb. They ask us questions about the film 1917. We talk about the one-shot concept and how we worked to not make it a gimmick. We examine the choice of camera and lens and we compare this choice in still work and motion picture. We talk about collaboration, the last shot of 1917 and the trees that bookends the movie. We also speak of the impossibility to explain the power of a photo. We even got into a little discussion of the lighting of the film Chinatown! It's a fun episode you won't want to miss! RECOMMENDED EPISODE VIEWING: 1917

EPISODE 108 - PETER DEMING - Cinematographer Team Deakins has the pleasure of talking with cinematographer Peter Deming (LOST HIGHWAY, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, SCREAM 2). A frequent collaborator with director David Lynch, Peter shares how he started working with David and their very particular style of working together. We learn a lot about the shooting of the film Mulholland Drive and really love having the chance to ask all our questions. He also explains what "lens whacking" is and when you might use it. Peter tells us how he works differently when shooting film or digital and talks about shooting dark scenes. We cover a lot in this episode so don't miss it!

EPISODE 107 - PAUL LAMBERT - VFX Supervisor Team Deakins has a great conversation with Paul Lambert, VFX Supervisor (DUNE, FIRST MAN, BLADE RUNNER 2049). He walks us through the world of VFX and reveals the complexities. We talk about the VFX on Blade Runner 2049 and how some of them were achieved. He shares how he figured out the transparency of the character Joi. He also talks about his work on the film, First Man and tells us how a lot was accomplished. We talk about what makes a VFX shot work and what makes it fail. We also touch on the importance of continuity of lighting between the elements of the shot, the importance of the placement of the focus and the difficulty of scheduling the amount of time needed to create the shots. A fascinating look into the world of VFX!