BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

I was a DGA Trainee on the fourth season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and I’m joined today by some of my crew mates: Todd McIntosh (Makeup Supervisor), Athena Alexander (Key 2nd AD), and Douglas Noe (Makeup Artist). We share stories from the set of this iconic Joss Whedon/Sarah Michelle Gellar series . . . and have a fun time catching up.  

Today we’re talking about “American Horror Stories”, the weekly anthology show helmed by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, itself a spin-off of their long running series, “American Horror Story” (now in its 10th season). My guest is the Production Designer, Eve McCarney, who talks about the challenges of building a new world every week while remaining true to the aesthetic of the original show.

Contract negotiations between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are at a challenging juncture. My guests — Mike Loomer (Local 44), Dave Tuttman (Local 600), and Michael Taylor (Local 728) — discuss the union’s concerns and the possibility of a strike.

Today we’re discussing the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, and my Emmy-nominated guests — Amy Duddleston (“Mare of Easttown”), Geoff O’Brien (“Framing Britney Spears”), Alexandra Fehrman (“The Boys”) and Rich Weingart (“The Boys”) — share stories from this year’s ceremonies.

Today we’re talking about “The Social Dilemma”, a documentary about the manipulative and dangerous aspects of our online social activity currently streaming on Netflix. My guests are the Emmy-nominated cinematographers, John Behrens and Jonathan Pope, who split oversight of the documentary and narrative portions of the film but share responsibility for the cohesive look and feel.

Today we’re talking about “The Boys”, the audacious and dark superhero series currently streaming on Amazon Prime. My guest is Alexandra Fehrman, Sound Mixer for both seasons and recent Emmy nominee for her work on the Season 2 finale.

2021’s “Loki”, with all six episodes currently streaming on Disney+, is a surprisingly enjoyable expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. My guest today, Douglas Noe, both led the makeup department for the series and was the personal makeup artist for Tom Hiddleston, the continuation of a relationship that began with 2012’s “The Avengers”.

“Framing Britney Spears”, the New York Times investigative documentary released in February 2021, explores the conservatorship that Britney Spears has been living under since 2008, specifically within the larger context of her career and celebrity. My guests today - Geoff O’Brien and Pierre Takal - are the editors of the film.

Today my guests are a pair of Industry veterans - JR Helton ("Below the Line", the book) and Mike Taylor ("Confessions of a Hollywood Juicer", the blog) - who talk about the code of silence that surrounds most film productions and why they decided to break it.

I was the 2nd 2nd Assistant Director on Just Like Heaven, the 2005 Mark Waters feature starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. My guests today are two other members of our AD team: Key 2nd AD Eric Pot and Production Assistant Taylor Phillips. We laugh about the challenges of filming in San Francisco and the extensive stage work involved once we returned to Los Angeles.