Team Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 78 - PABLO HELMAN - VFX SUPERVISOR Visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, THE IRISHMAN, JARHEAD) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Born in Argentina, Pablo spent his youth playing music professionally and touring South America with his band before graduating from UCLA and working for several effects houses before ultimately ending up at Industrial Light & Magic where, for the past 27 years, Pablo has hung his hat. Throughout the episode, Pablo shares how he approaches implementing VFX into a film and how he works with directors and the various heads of departments during production to ensure the effects serve the story being told. Pablo also reveals how the de-aging technology used in THE IRISHMAN was developed, how it actually works, and why its development was led with the intent to preserve an actor’s performance. Later, Pablo shares several stories from working on KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, from scanning and reproducing a miniature oil derrick to wrangling digital cows. Towards the end, we consider how VFX is just another tool to use to create the reality of a film and discuss why you ultimately can’t escape from what you shoot. - This episode is sponsored by the Dallas Film Commission & Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 77 - PENNY ROSE - COSTUME DESIGNER Costume designer Penny Rose (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, THE COMMITMENTS) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Despite dressing actors at a local theatre (as a teenager) and later working alongside fashion designer Elio Fiorucci (as an interpreter), costume design didn’t occur to Penny as a career path until she found herself in the position (as the last-minute backup) on a commercial for director Adrian Lyne. Penny spent the next decade working with and learning from the preeminent English commercial directors of the time, following them into features and further developing her abilities as a costume designer. Penny later breaks down the costume department for us, and we discuss what qualities she looks for in her team members. We also learn how she builds out the look of a character with the director and the actor and of the diplomacy she exercises between the two when a disagreement arises. Towards the end, we reflect on the demands and pleasures of the vagabond lifestyle of a filmmaker. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure & the Dallas Film Commission

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 76 - DEB AQUILA - CASTING DIRECTOR Casting director Deb Aquila (CODA, LA LA LAND, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Deb grew up in an arts-loving family, whose encouragement to enter the field led her to attend NYU and study under Stella Adler. Pivoting into casting, Deb found herself working on the hit series MIAMI VICE for two seasons before growing into a veteran independent casting director. Deb breaks down what really goes on in the audition room and how she works with actors to bring out their best performances as she hunts for the right choice for a part. We learn how she works with directors after being brought on to a project, and she shares how a character can evolve over the course of the audition process. Deb later shares what her responsibilities are as a studio executive at Paramount and how she balances those with her responsibilities as a casting director. Towards the end, we discuss “casting” personalities, when hiring both the cast and crew, and the value of creating a safe space for actors to give their best performances during the shoot. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 75 - LUC MONTPELLIER - CINEMATOGRAPHER Cinematographer Luc Montpellier (WOMEN TALKING, AWAY FROM HER, AUTUMN HEARTS) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Hailing from rural Canada, Luc reflects on his childhood growing up with a deep love for film and later knuckling down to get into film school, both by building his portfolio and threatening the school with an endless stream of applications until his acceptance. We learn how the Canadian government supports its country’s film industry and how that support has evolved over time, and we consider the different pathways for young filmmakers to gain experience in both Canada and the United Sates. We later mine the fine details of Luc’s approach to shooting the deceptively “simple” WOMEN TALKING and how he and director Sarah Polley identified when and how to visually express the women’s story and their evolving characters. And, towards the end, Luc thanks us for responding to his email years ago following a difficult professional experience. - Recommended Viewing: WOMEN TALKING - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 74 - LISA CHURGIN - EDITOR On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we’re joined by editor Lisa Churgin (PITCH PERFECT, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, GATTACA) to discuss her career and the craft of editing. Lisa shares with us the moment she discovered filmmaking after leaving suburban New Jersey for New York City and how she survived bouncing between employment and unemployment before landing an editing gig on THE WARRIORS and working for director Woody Allen’s longtime editor Susan E. Morse. Lisa later laments the general loss of the dailies process and the opportunity for younger editors to listen to the crew talk out production problems. Later likening editing to sculpting, Lisa reflects on the role of an editor and her place in the greater filmmaking process. We worked with Lisa on HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG and DEAD MAN WALKING, and she shares how she and director Tim Robbins approached the construction of the latter.  We also learn what the director-editor interview for a potential job is really about, and we bookend the episode heaping praise on dolly grips.  - Recommended Viewing: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, DEAD MAN WALKING - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 73 - INBAL WEINBERG - PRODUCTION DESIGNER Production designer Inbal Weinberg (THE LOST DAUGHTER; SUSPIRIA; THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Despite her early love for European social realist films, Inbal embarked on the immigrant dream of making it in New York City and studied film at NYU before being asked by director Hal Hartley (her favourite filmmaker at the time) to design THE GIRL FROM MONDAY. Inbal reflects on working in America as a foreigner and how that perspective influences her design choices, and we discuss handling the Mediterranean personality infrequently encountered in American productions. She later speaks of the art department as the hub through which the vision of the film is communicated to other departments and the importance of maintaining open lines of communication throughout production. Inbal also shares how she and other production designers are fighting to stay involved in the evolving design process in the face of the proliferation of VFX across all departments. Topics also include: using time in prep to learn how to work with a director, the revolving door of information we accrue and abandon when transitioning between projects, and Inbal’s favourite episode of the podcast. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin discusses his early career and partnership with Rian Johnson. They reflect on film school, the nature of luck in one's career, and designing the look of films. They explore the role of technology and AI in filmmaking, various cinematographic techniques, and the confusion surrounding 'poker face' in filming.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 71 - DAVID OYELOWO - ACTOR / DIRECTOR On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we’re joined by actor and director David Oyelowo (LAWMEN: BASS REEVES, THE WATER MAN, SELMA) to discuss his career and his craft. A television-addicted latchkey kid in his youth, David later spent several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company before embarking on his career on the screen with chameleonic aspirations. While discussing his performance as Seretse Khama in A UNITED KINGDOM, we consider the steep barriers to entry for a global audience to immerse themselves in the history of a period film set in a specific African country and the power of drawing an audience in to the story through the personal rather than the political. David later reflects on his journey to play Dr. King in SELMA, describing to us how the script’s focus evolved as new directors took over the project, what director Ava DuVernay said to financiers to finally get the project off the ground, and how he took inspiration from actor Daniel Day-Lewis to embody the essence of Dr. King’s character. We also discuss David’s directorial debut, THE WATER MAN, and how he leaned on his past collaborators to prepare for the project. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

Zach Braff, actor/writer/director, shares his early experiences in the arts, casting choices in 'Garden State', empowering the crew during production, challenges of crowdfunding 'Wish I Was Here', marketing films today, and his love for flying and filmmaking.

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 69 - CORD JEFFERSON - WRITER / DIRECTOR Writer and director Cord Jefferson (AMERICAN FICTION, WATCHMEN, THE GOOD PLACE) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Cord tells us why he never considered a career in the arts and how he wrote his way onto a journalism beat after college. After transitioning into writing television and surviving the Hollywood shuffle, Cord shares why he wrote AMERICAN FICTION following a huge professional failure in 2020 and how he realized the film with the help of Rian Johnson’s production company T-Street in a risk-averse industry. We dive deep into Cord’s process and experiences as a first-time director and learn how he prevented the tone of the film from falling into farce. Cord later shares why he prefers the collaborative nature of filmmaking over the solitude of prose writing and why AMERICAN FICTION was the first screenplay he ever wrote purely out of passion. At the end, Cord preaches patience when asked to give a younger version of himself advice, and he dispels the myths surrounding writer’s block. - Recommended Viewing : AMERICAN FICTION - This episode is sponsored by Aputure