BELOW THE LINE PODCAST
A podcast about the film industry: stories from the set, told by the crew
Episodes
Amazon Prime’s “The Sticky” is a clever bit of storytelling: the tale, inspired by the real-life heist of $18 million worth of maple syrup from Quebec’s national reserves, combines drama, suspense and comedy in equal parts. Helping knit together these disparate elements is the work of Score Composer FM Le Sieur, who joins us today to discuss his musical influences, his composing process and the specific inspirations for this very C...
Kevin Bacon returns to the small screen with “The Bondsman”, and today we welcome back two veterans of the podcast, Production Designer Eve McCarney and Costume Designer Liz Vastola, to discuss the challenges of a show that’s balancing genre spectacle and family drama. Co-host Gianni Damaia has some good questions, but primarily he wants to know what it’s like working with Kevin Bacon (he has a “Tremors” image on his wall). All eig...
One more look back at the 2025 Awards Season, and I’m joined by my go-to panel of fellow below-the-liners: Katie Carroll, Bill Hardy, Roger Mendoza and Shaun O’Banion. Did “Anora” deserve all those statues? Should “Dune: Part Two” have been awarded more? Who got snubbed, and which losses are we cheering? That and more, with lots of laughs.
“The Bikeriders” is an ambitious film: star-studded cast, set in Chicago during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and - of course - lots and lots of motorcycles. My guests, 1st Assistant Director (and Producer) Don Sparks and Key 2nd Assistant Director Pete Dress, tackled these challenges head-on and helped deliver this underrated film on a tight schedule with a limited budget. It’s an impressive accomplishment, which you’ll appreciate even ...
“Zero Day” - the intriguing six-episode political thriller currently streaming on Netflix - is an intentional commentary about today’s politics. Score Composer Jeff Russo joins the podcast to discuss his work on the series, and co-host Louis Weeks provides expert context for a conversation that explores both Jeff’s specific intentions with “Zero Day” and his philosophical approach to score composing as an art.
“Zero Day” - the intr...
Season 23! Episode 251! Long-time listeners: thanks for sticking with us. New listeners: welcome! We’ve got a lot to offer you.
This episode is about “Last Breath”, the based-on-a-true-story film currently in theaters. My guest is Alex Parkinson, who directed both the feature film and the documentary which inspired the movie. First-time director stories! Check. Exploring the transition from documentary to film! Check. Is Woody Ha...
Our sixth annual Academy Awards series — with panels of film professionals discussing the Oscar nominees in their category of expertise — concludes with Makeup and Hairstyling. Podcast veterans Angela Nogaro (Makeup) and Yvonne Depatis-Kupka (Hair) return to offer their assessment of this year’s slate of nominees. It’s a lively set of reviews to wrap up the series! I hope you’ve enjoyed these episodes as much as I’ve enjoyed publis...
Film professionals discussing the nominees in their area of expertise: that’s Below the Line at the Academy Awards. We’re in the home stretch (episode 11 of 12!), and today we’re talking about the Oscar nominees for Cinematography. My returning guests — Patrick Cady and David Tuttman — are directors of photography (and directors in their own right!) with a keen eye for what makes these films worthy of the nomination. It gets a litt...
It’s a wild and woolly episode of the podcast as editors Christopher Angel and Amy Duddleston return to discuss this year’s Oscar nominees for Film Editing. In all the years I’ve hosted these conversations, this pair has always complained about films being too long. Given that the shortest film on this list clocks in at two hours, I was anticipating some blistering critiques, but their assessments surprised me. Did we agree about a...
Costume Designers Helen Huang And Liz Vastola offer their insights on this year’s Academy Award nominees for Costume Design. This one runs a little longer than usual, but we take some time to discuss how costume design is different from fashion design, the role actors play in the shaping of their costumes, and other challenges of the craft. With the ceremony less than two weeks away, we’re in the home stretch, and I hope you’re kee...
Oscar season continues here at Below the Line, where film professionals discuss the nominees in the category of their expertise. Today’s animated conversation about the nominees for Animated Feature Film benefits from returning guests, Kent Seki and Camille Leganza. We also take a brief side quest to discuss the challenges currently faced by the Animation Industry.
The 2024 Nominees for Animated Feature Film:
• “Flow”
• “Inside Out...
Today we’re discussing the Oscar nominees for Original Song. My guests — Chris Molanphy (chart analyst and podcast host), Louis Weeks (score composer), and Tom Peyton (song writer) — offer both analysis and critique of this year’s nominees. Is there a lot of enthusiasm for the musical innovations these songs offer the listening audience? Well, no. Does it make for an interesting discussion? Yes, definitely.
The 2024 Nominees for O...
Our tour through the technical categories continues with a discussion of the Oscar nominees for Original Score. My guests — Louis Weeks (score composer), Chris Molanphy (chart analyst/pop critic), and Jennie Callender (founder and music supervisor of Soundbloom) — offer a multi-layered set of insights.
The 2024 Nominees for Original Score:
• “The Brutalist”
• “Conclave”
• “Emilia Pérez”
• “Wicked”
• “The Wild Robot”
It’s non-stop conversations about the Oscar nominees in the technical categories from now until the Academy Awards, and I hope you'll follow us for the full season. Today, Kent Seki and Chris Batty return to discuss the nominees for Achievement in Visual Effects.
The 2024 Nominees for Visual Effects:
• “Alien: Romulus”
• “Better Man”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
• “Wicked”
Below the Line continues our Sixth Annual Oscar Series with a discussion of the nominees for achievement in Directing, and I’m joined by a panel of fellow below-the-liners: Bill Hardy, Roger Mendoza and Shaun O’Banion. (This is the second year we’ve discussed the directors nominated for the Academy Award in lieu of the Directors Guild of America nominees.)
The 2024 Nominees for Directing:
• “Anora”
• “The Brutalist”
• “A Complete U...
We’re continuing our deep dive discussions about the Oscar nominees in the technical categories, and today, Production Designer Bob Shaw and Set Decorator Regina Graves - Oscar nominees themselves - offer their insights about the five nominees for Production Design.
The 2024 Nominees for Production Design:
• “The Brutalist”
• “Conclave”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Nosferatu”
• “Wicked”
Our Academy Awards coverage continues, and now we’re into the categories proper. Today, Oscar nominees Steve Morrow (production sound mixer) and Erik Aadahl (sound editor) discuss this year's nominees for Achievement in Sound.
The 2024 Nominees for Sound:
• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Wicked”
• “The Wild Robot”
Our Sixth Annual Academy Awards Series begins here! Each episode this season features a panel of Film Industry professionals discussing the nominees in their category of expertise. To kick us off: Achievement in Property Mastering. While the work of the property master is still not recognized with an Oscar, we’re carrying a torch. Gregg Bilson, Jr. (CEO of ISS) and Scott Buckwald (property master and friend of the podcast) propose ...
“Henry Danger: The Movie”, now streaming on Paramount+, is the latest chapter in a storyline that started with the Nickelodeon television series in 2014. Director Joe Menendez joins me alongside an all-star panel of crew, including Costume Designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, Director of Photography Chris Kempinski, Production Designer Bridget McGuire and Makeup Designer Jenn Kaminski. Not only did their collaborative efforts lift this mu...
“St. Denis Medical”, the workplace comedy currently airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock, is the latest show to take a crack at the mockumentary genre. Camera Operators Jacob Pinger, Mande Whitaker and Danny Whiteneck discuss how their extensive experience with unscripted television helps elevate this mockumentary to the next level. Why is it that an actual reality tv production would have fired these operators for filming the wa...
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