BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

Sound is where performance, environment, and emotion converge — shaped first on set and refined in the mix.

In Episode 7 of Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series, Skid is joined by Steve Morrow (Production Sound Mixer) and Don Sylvester (Sound Editor) to examine the nominees for Achievement in Sound at the 98th Academy Awards. Together, they explore how production and post-production intersect to support performance, pacing, and drama...

Judging production design means considering not just what we see, but how an entire world was constructed to function on screen.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Bob Shaw (Production Designer), Regina Graves (Set Decorator), and Kerry Weeks (Leadman) to examine the nominees for Achievement in Production Design at the 98th Academy Awards. Representing three distinct roles within the art department, they offer a grounde...

Animated feature filmmaking is defined by endurance — years of development, constant iteration, and creative risks that often aren’t visible on screen.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Kent Seki and Camille Leganza to discuss the nominees for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. Drawing on their extensive experience in animation, they look closely at how different creative pipelines, production cultures, ...

Makeup and hairstyling are among the most visible crafts in filmmaking — shaping how an audience understands age, history, and identity before a word is spoken.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Yvonne De Patis-Kupka, Angela Nogaro, and Lynda Armstrong for an in-depth discussion of the nominees for Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards. Drawing on a wide range of experience across film and te...

This episode begins with a hypothetical question: what would it look like if Property Mastering were its own Oscar category? We explore it as part of Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Scott Buckwald and Gregg Bilson, Jr. for a deep dive into the craft of property mastering through the lens of the 98th Academy Awards. Using a fictional Oscar ballot as a framework, they explore how pro...

Continuing Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series, the conversation turns to Visual Effects — a category that sits at the intersection of technology, craft, and storytelling.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Kent Seki and Chris Batty for a focused conversation about the Oscar nominees for Achievement in Visual Effects. Together, they look at how the category has evolved — and what separates technical accomplishment from s...

As the 98th Academy Awards approach, Below the Line returns for its seventh annual Oscar series — beginning with Film Editing, a category that quietly shapes every other craft recognized on Oscar night.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Amy Duddleston and Christopher Angel to open the 2026 Oscar series with a focused conversation about the nominees for Achievement in Film Editing. Together, they examine how editing cho...

Designing for television isn’t just about building sets — it’s about knowing when to preserve them, when to break them, and how to let them evolve over time. On Slow Horses, that long view shapes every creative decision.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Production Designer Choi Ho Man, with Gianni Damaia returning as co-host, to talk about the fifth season of Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ espionage series starring Gary O...

The stranger The Chair Company gets, the more seriously it has to be treated. Nothing about the show tells the audience when to laugh — its world looks ordinary, its people feel real, and that restraint is exactly what lets the absurdity land.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Costume Designer Nicky Smith and Cinematographer Ashley Connor to discuss their work on The Chair Company, the HBO series created by Tim Robinso...

Why do people who’ve spent their careers in the trenches of production take everything they’ve learned on set and turn it into something as quiet and lasting as a book? In this episode of Below the Line, three authors with deep roots in the industry talk about translating lived experience into storytelling on the page.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Melanie Ragone, Key Grip and author of Below the Line: A Film Crew ...

What happens when filmmaking becomes a marathon of collaboration — spanning years, thousands of shots, and the world of Oz itself? For Wicked: For Good, that was the daily reality for Film Editor Myron Kerstein and Visual Effects Supervisor Pablo Helman.

This week on Below the Line, Skid welcomes back Myron Kerstein and introduces Pablo Helman, who makes his Below the Line debut to discuss their shared journey on Wicked: For Good, ...

Before there were military consultants on movie sets, there were officers like Jon McBride — servicemen who understood how stories shape public perception. On this Veterans Day episode of Below the Line, we look at how the Navy’s storytellers helped connect the worlds of service and cinema.

This week, Skid is joined by Jon McBride, a former U.S. Navy officer whose service from 1964 to 1968 led him from the deck of the USS Kitty Haw...

What does it take to build a world that feels as authentic as the people it represents? On The Lowdown, that meant storytelling rooted in place — and departments working in harmony.

This week on Below the Line, Skid welcomes Makeup Department Head Sharon Tabb and Production Designer Brandon Tonner-Connolly, who reunite after three seasons of Reservation Dogs to discuss their latest collaboration with creator Sterlin Harjo on the FX...

What does it mean to edit a sports horror film that blurs the line between spectacle and nightmare? For Taylor Mason, the answer was finding the rhythm that carried HIM through its shifting tones.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Film Editor Taylor Mason to discuss her work on the Universal/Monkeypaw feature HIM, directed by Justin Tipping and starring Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans. Joining the conversation is Chris...

How do you design a world that honors Hawaiian history while telling a story on a global stage? For Production Designer Jean-François Campeau, the answer was equal parts creativity, cultural respect, and collaboration.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Jean-François “JF” Campeau, Production Designer of Chief of War, the Apple TV+ historical drama starring Jason Momoa. Two special guests from the Smithsonian Institution...

What does it take to shoot Formula 1 at Formula 1 speed? For 1st Assistant Director Toby Hefferman, it meant precision, improvisation, and a crew running at full throttle.

This week on Below the Line, Toby Hefferman joins Skid to talk about his work on F1: The Movie, the high-octane feature that merges scripted drama with real-world racing. From on-track logistics to high-pressure resets, Toby shares how he and the crew captured th...

In Alien: Earth, the music has to merge sci-fi horror with sci-fi action — all while carrying the emotional core of Noah Hawley’s storytelling.

This week on Below the Line, Score Composer Jeff Russo joins Skid and returning co-host Louis Weeks to discuss his work on Alien: Earth, the FX series now airing its first season. An Emmy-winning and multiple Emmy-nominated composer, Jeff talks through how his music honors the legacy of Ali...

Production Design doesn’t always get the laugh — but on Hacks, Rob Tokarz helps set up the punchline.

This week on Below the Line, Production Designer Rob Tokarz joins Skid to discuss Rob’s Emmy-nominated work on Hacks, the HBO Max comedy that just wrapped its fourth season. Rob shares how the show’s design evolved with Deborah and Ava’s careers — from Vegas casinos to LA sound stages — and how visual comedy can live in the details...

Designing a future where human life feels disposable — and deeply familiar — takes creative nerve, dark humor, and a fearless approach to world-building.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Production Designer Sue Chan to talk about her work on Murderbot, the new Apple TV+ series based on Martha Wells’ bestselling novellas. Sue breaks down how she and her team designed a future full of corporate dread, practical machiner...