Team Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 169 - Edgar Wright - Director

Director Edgar Wright (THE RUNNING MAN, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD, SHAUN OF THE DEAD) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Edgar is responsible for one of our favourite films, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and we didn't miss the opportunity to ask as many questions about it as we could. He shares the film's connection to director Mike Leigh's (Season 1, Episode 76) work, and w...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 168 - Ted Schilowitz - Futurist

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with futurist Ted Schilowitz. Ted has spent his life working in entertainment, from producing commercials in Florida to exploring virtual reality at Fox and Paramount, and we thought his perspective on the relationship between technology and entertainment could help us better understand where we might be headed. Over the course ...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 167 - James Laxton - Cinematographer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer James Laxton (THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, ANYTHING, MOONLIGHT). If you've seen a film directed by Barry Jenkins (Season 2, Episode 156), then you've seen James' work. Throughout much of the episode, we discuss his longstanding collaborative relationship with Barry, but we also learn how James tries to fit...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 166 - Reflections: On Cinematography - written by Roger Deakins

In this special "Turning the Tables" episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Roberto Schaefer (Season 1, Episode 162) returns to lead us in a conversation about Roger's new memoir, Reflections: On Cinematography. In the book, Roger tells the story of his life from his childhood in rural, seaside England to the present day, and he reveals...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 165 - LEDs - with Tim S. Kang

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we learn about LED lighting. LEDs are now commonplace in productions, and we thought an episode about the technology and its applications could be helpful for anyone with as many questions as us. Our guest is Tim S. Kang, a cinematographer and the principal engineer for imaging applications at Aputure, and we start by learning how Tim came...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 164 - 28 YEARS LATER - with Anthony Dod Mantle

In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Season 1, Episode 68) returns to discuss his work on 28 YEARS LATER. The film was shot extensively using modified iPhones, and Anthony shares his early conversations with director Danny Boyle about the film's intended rural setting that informed their decision to commit to using ...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 163 - Iris Prize LGTBQ+ Film Festival - with Lewis Bayley

In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Lewis Bayley, Industry Coordinator for the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Lewis invited us to speak with him about filmmaking earlier this year, and what you'll hear is that recorded conversation. We had the pleasure of discussing many topics with Lewis, such as the overall importance of ...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 162 - Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Dante Spinotti (ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, HEAT, THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY DRINKER). During our conversation, Dante reflects on his Italian upbringing and on the formative year he spent shooting photographs in Nairobi, Kenya. Dante has also frequently shot films with director Michael Mann, and he shares a num...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 161 - Atom Egoyan - Director

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Atom Egoyan (SEVEN VEILS, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, EXOTICA) in an extended conversation. Atom was born in Cairo and raised in Canada, and his young love for theatre grew to encompass filmmaking after a hard rejection in college. Throughout our winding conversation, we discuss the creation of many of his films, and Atom as...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 160 - Mark Friedberg - Production Designer

In this extended (and funny) episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with production designer Mark Friedberg (CAUGHT STEALING, JOKER, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD). A native New Yorker, it wasn't until returning to the city after Jack Kerouac-ing around the country that Mark (and his dog) first found work in the film industry as a driver for the Woody Allen production ...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 159 - Michael McDonough - Cinematographer

We speak with cinematographer Michael McDonough (BOSCH, SUNSET SONG, WINTER'S BONE) in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. If you listened to our conversation with Debra Granik (Season 2, Episode 158), then you know a bit about Michael already. He fills in what she left out, and we learn how he came to pursue filmmaking as a career after roaming around Rome on a yea...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 158 - Debra Granik - Director

In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Debra Granik (LEAVE NO TRACE, WINTER'S BONE, DOWN TO THE BONE). Debra's films carry the traditions of social realism into the 21st century, and throughout our conversation we discuss the movement's place in the United States and around the world, her approach to the work, and why she's faced difficulty findi...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 157 - Garret Dillahunt - Actor

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor Garret Dillahunt (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, DEADWOOD). We worked with Garret on NO COUNTRY and JESSE JAMES, and we had a wonderful time catching up with him. Garret shares how he made his way from rural Washington to the graduate program for acting at NYU, and we learn why he made the le...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 156 - Barry Jenkins - Director

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Barry Jenkins (MUFASA: THE LION KING, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, MOONLIGHT). How did Barry get from South Florida to Hollywood? What did he learn about himself on his walkabout around the country after leaving the industry? What did Barry struggle with in the gap between the release of his debut feature and MOONLIGHT...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 155 - Fred Specktor - Agent

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with agent Fred Specktor (CAA). Fred has actually seen it all—now in his 90s, he joined the mailroom at MCA (before its dissolution) after graduating college, and he's been in the business ever since. After a stint as movie mogul Lew Wasserman's assistant at MCA, Fred was fired, and he recounts his journey bouncing between outfits u...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 154 - Tracy Letts - Actor / Writer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor and writer Tracy Letts (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, BUG, HOMELAND). Born and raised in Oklahoma, Tracy struck out for Chicago after high school to find work as an actor in the city's active theatre scene, and we learn why Tracy began writing plays himself. We also discuss cinema's role as a messenger for exposing the sto...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 153 - Steven Soderbergh - Director

In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Steven Soderbergh (BLACK BAG, TRAFFIC, OUT OF SIGHT). Steven credits his father for giving him the movie bug, and he shares how a young adulthood shooting short films and writing spec scripts in Louisiana led to the 8-years-in-the-making overnight success of his debut feature: SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE. ...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 152 - Lucy Prebble - Playwright / Writer

Playwright and writer Lucy Prebble (SUCCESSION, I HATE SUZIE, ENRON) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Lucy's plays frequently incorporate the physical space of the stage in the telling of the story and involve the audience in engaging and creative ways, and we were excited to talk to her about storytelling both on stage and on screen. We learn how, aft...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 151 - Dave Freeth - Inventor of the Stabileye

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Dave Freeth, a recipient of a Scientific and Engineering Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the invention of the Stabileye. The Stabileye is a remotely-operated, motorized camera stabilization system, and we used the equipment extensively on 1917 to pull the film off. Dave originally ...