BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

Everybody knows that actors and directors have professional agents, but what about the crew? Sometimes the people behind the scenes need people of their own. To kick off Season 14, Marilyn Lintel (Storyline Public Relations) and Craig Mizrahi (Innovative Artists) join me to talk about representing Below the Line talent.

Principal photography for the “The Old Man”, the FX series starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow that ran for seven episodes earlier this year, started in November 2019 but didn’t finish until March 2022. Propmaster Scott Buckwald returns to the show to discuss the complexities of navigating first COVID and then Jeff Bridges’s lymphoma diagnosis over the course of bringing this dynamic series to the screen.

Production Designer Joshua Peterson and Cinematographer Adam McDaid talk about collaborating on “Everything’s Trash”, the Brooklyn-based sitcom starring Phoebe Robinson as a podcaster facing adulthood (streaming on Hulu). They talk about Brooklyn as a character and how both their departments deal with the crazy challenge of reflective surfaces. And of course we all agree that podcasters are HOT right now.

“The Princess”, currently streaming on Hulu, is basically an extended fight sequence: Joey King, the titular heroine, can only escape her prison tower by battling through an army of mercenaries. Now imagine filming those scenes — out of order — over a period of 12 weeks, and you have an inkling of the challenge faced by the Hair and Makeup Designer Lynda Armstrong. Lynda speaks with me about the pleasure of working with Joey and the difficulty of getting hair products delivered from London to Bulgaria in a timely fashion (thanks, Brexit).

Pair Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Howard Berger with veteran film journalist Marshall Julius, and what's the result? A globe-spanning selection of makeup artists sharing the secrets of their craft. Both Howard and Marshall are here this week to discuss “Masters of Make-Up Effects”, a new compendium that will soon be on the bookshelf of every film buff you know. Learn more about the book and upcoming signings at mastersofmakeupeffects.net. 

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”, like all of his films, is an audacious fusion of sight and sound, and Wayne Pashley, the owner/co-founder of Big Bang Sound Design, has been working with Baz for more than 30 years. Credited as the re-recording mixer, sound designer and supervising sound editor on “Elvis”, Wayne is uniquely qualified to talk about the “sonic glue” that helps hold the whole construct together. 

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is a Nicolas Cage film that’s basically . . . a riff on Nic Cage. Principal photography took place in Hungary and Croatia, but two weeks of LA reshoots gave Property Master Mikey Trudel a chance to work his craft closer to home. Adhesive finger tape that delivers a knock-out chemical? Yeah, that’s a complicated prop.

HBO Max’s “Our Flag Means Death” is 10 episodes of comedy that manages to be both thoughtful and absurd, delivered by an all-star cast and a rotation of hilarious guest stars. 1st Assistant Director Emily Hogan returns to the show to talk about wrangling this ensemble through a series of unexpected adventures, including the Mystery of the Disappearing Beach and The Boat They Built on Stage.

"Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" is an unexpected pleasure: amusing, poignant, and heartwarming in equal measures. It’s also a major technical achievement, and Production Designer Liz Toonkel talks about the challenge of creating the whimsical world of Marcel and his shell community within the limitations of a reality where the principle character is 1-inch tall.

For the second half of our look at Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down”, Harry Humpries (Senior Military Advisor) and Kimberley Ann Berdy (LA Production Coordinator) dive deep into the challenges of filming those epic battle scenes in Morocco. Plus, Kim joined the crew in country for what sounds like a pretty epic wrap party.