Behind the Slate
Join host, Aaron Strand, for a historical deep dive into the life and work of cinema's greatest directors. Our mission is to lower the barrier of entry to classic cinema through live screening events, multi-part history series, and interviews. We skip across time, genre, and nationality to explore the greatest and wildest stories from the history of film, and use the lives of these extraordinary artists to examine the broader historical context that shaped their art. Think 'Hardcore History' meets 'You Must Remember This'. Whether you're a hardcore cinephile, a history nerd, or just someone who likes a good story, you'll love these gripping tales about the art and artists that have shaped and defined our modern world! behindtheslatepod.substack.com
Episodes
Today we’re diving into Stanley Kubrick's final film, the Christmas classic ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999) - a misunderstood masterpiece that is incredibly prescient of the 21st century we are currently living in. I discuss Kubrick's upbringing and the myths, misconceptions, and misinformation that surrounds his reputation. All this plus an audience discussion after the film, and lobby interviews with Peyton Johnson…it’s a great late nigh...
Today we’re diving into George Lucas’ debut film, ‘THX 1138’ (1971) - which I argue is one of the most influential films of all time. We talk about the early life of director George Lucas and how he went from underground race-car driver to wannabe experimental filmmaker. We dive into his USC-nerd-friends “The Dirty Dozen” and how a budding bromance with Francis Ford Coppola led to one of the most important idealistic yet doomed pro...
Join host Aaron Strand live at Ciné in Athens, GA as he presents Ishiro Honda's 1954 film 'Gojira'. This podcast features a history intro about the film and a special Q&A with legendary stills photographer, Murray Close, who shot many of the iconic images from the film.
Come see us for our next live show in Atlanta, GA on September 25th where we will be screening George Lucas' film 'THX-1138'.
Email us: behi...
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 film 'Harakiri'. This podcast features a history intro about the film and a special Q&A with legendary stills photographer, Murray Close, who shot many of the iconic images from the film.
Come see us for our next live show in Athens, GA on August 7th where we will be screening Ishiro Honda's film 'Godzilla'.
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Bruce Robinson's 1987 film 'Withnail and I'. This podcast features a history intro about the film and a special Q&A with legendary stills photographer, Murray Close, who shot many of the iconic images from the film.
Come see us for our next live show, July 24th where we will be screening Masaki Kobayashi's 'Harakiri'
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Walter Hills's 1979 film 'The Warriors'. This podcast features a history intro about the film and a post-film audience discussion!
Come see us for our next live show, July 24th where we will be screening Masaki Kobayashi's 'Harakiri'
Email us: behindtheslatepod@gmail.com
Instagram: @behindtheslatepod
TikTok: @behindtheslatepod
Y...
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Agnes Varda's 1962 film 'Cleo from 5 to 7'. Before the screening we hosted the OFFICIAL Agnes Varda lookalike competition (you can check out the video on our Instagram and Tiktok). So this podcast is featuring the-post film audience discussion!
Come see us for our next live show, March 27th where we will be screening Walter Hill's 1979 film ...
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Tara Theatre in Atlanta, GA introducing Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film 'High and Low' as part of Videodrome's KUROSAWA NOIR screening series.
Come see us for our next Behind the Slate live show, March 27th where we will be screening Walter Hill's 1979 film 'The Warriors'
Email us: behindtheslatepod@gmail.com
Instagram: @behindtheslatepod
TikTok: @behindtheslatepod
YouTube: @...
Aaron is joined by one of the most influential independent filmmakers in the world, Andrew Callaghan - creator of 'All Gas No Breaks', 'Channel 5', and director of the new documentary 'Dear Kelly'. Andrew shares what it was like creating his new film, and how his innovative self-distribution strategy led to a $100k opening weekend and over 30,000 week 1 downloads, making it one of the most successful Direct-To-Consumer Documentarie...
IN 1 WEEK CRASH ZOOM WILL BE MOVING EXCLUSIVELY TO OUR OWN PODCAST FEED.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO NEVER MISS AN EPISODE.
Sammie is on vacation so we are inviting a special guest to the show, Evelyn Lorena. Evelyn is an actress and filmmaker who's most recent short film 'Gabriela' qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards.
She takes through her film development, the health issues she suffered during production, and w...
HAPPY NEW YEAR! IN 2 WEEKS CRASH ZOOM WILL BE MOVING EXCLUSIVELY TO OUR OWN PODCAST FEED.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO NEVER MISS AN EPISODE.
On today's very special episode we look back on the crazy year in film in television that was 2024.
You can check out Sammie's work:
Sammie on Substack
You can check out Aaron's work:
@strandedonstage
@withdrawalfilm
Email us: crashzoompod@gmail.com
IN 2 WEEKS CRASH ZOOM WILL BE MOVING EXCLUSIVELY TO OUR OWN PODCAST FEED.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO NEVER MISS AN EPISODE.
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss:
IN 3 WEEKS CRASH ZOOM WILL BE MOVING EXCLUSIVELY TO OUR OWN PODCAST FEED.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO NEVER MISS AN EPISODE.
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss...
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Sergio Leone's 1967 film 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly'. Aaron gives an opening monologue giving a brief historical background of the filmmaker. After the screening, we open up the conversation for a lively audience discussion!
Come see us for our next live show, January 23rd where we will be screening Agnes Varda's 1962 film 'Cleo from 5...
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss:
Brand Focused Content with Sugar23 and Fifth Season (Deadline)
Legal Battle over AI Voice Over (Puck)
Ben Mezrich Hacks Hollywood (Vulture)
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss:
AI training on Hollywood (The Atlantic)
Wicked Cellphone Vids (Variety)
David Ehrlich review of 'Wicked' (Indiewire)
Thanksgiving Box Office (Ind...
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss:
A newly discovered Spec Script (The Hollywood Reporter)
WBD's outsourced 'Capability Center' (Puck)
Sebastian Stan needs a friend (Buzzfeed)
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this episode we discuss:
CW Layoffs (Deadline)
Recent layoffs at the Academy film Archive (Indiewire)
Trump Era M & A (The Hollywood Reporter)
Welcome to Crash Zoom, a new podcast from Behind the Slate. Join entertainment journalist Sammie Purcell and filmmaker Aaron Strand as they explore the world of film and entertainment and how big picture changes affect the life and work of independent artists. On this debut episode we discuss:
An AI disclaimer at the end of 'Heretic' (From an article in Variety)
A recent study about an untapped Indie Film Market (Check out the s...
Join host Aaron Strand live at the historic Plaza Theatre in Atlanta, GA as he presents Sergio Leone's 1967 film 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly'. Aaron gives an opening monologue giving a brief historical background of the filmmaker. After the screening, we open up the conversation for a lively audience discussion!
Come see us for our next live show, November 20th where we will be screening John Flynn's 1977 film 'Rolling Thu...
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