The Curiosity Codex

The Codex is open again, and it’s the start of a whole new conversation. Your ardent enthusiast is chatting with stage actress Dolores Mendoza, who just directed her first play. But before we get to that, we’ll talk about her rocky journey to the stage, through a bitter rivalry about Edgar Allen Poe, disappearing in front of her father’s eyes and her special connection to the world’s favorite exti...

Welcome back to the Curiosity Codex. Your ardent enthusiast has returned to indulge his obsessions in a brand new season of the award-ignored podcast. But before we start delving deep into the new topics, this episode finds us reading up on where we’ve been and where we’re going. 

The movie has premiered. Jess Plus None is in the world now and Kyle has seen it. This week, Mandy Fabian is back to talk about the whirlwind of activity leading up the premiere, reflections on the film’s love language, and what it means to just let actors … act. Learn more about Jess Plus None right here!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, where filmmakers are going right for your heartstrings with mistletoe and holly clenched in their teeth. But are their intentions dancing with sugarplums or dark as coal? On today’s chapter, special guests Pete Wright and Rob Kubasko join me to revisit the subject of “Weaponized Nostalgia” with an eye toward a selection of this year’s high profile nerdy Xm...

In today’s chapter, we enter into the stormy seas of post-production. Mandy Fabian gives us an update on the thousand little pieces that contribute to a final film: VFX, the trailer, the website, the score, opening titles, closing titles and the weird world of coloring. But first things first, we’ll talk about her recent return to the stage.

We’ve reached the end of the shoot. But what happens when you call cut for the last time? Mandy Fabian takes us through the frantic last minutes on set, trying to get all the magic she needed before the clock struck twelve. But then what? Now begins the post-production period! Music, sound, color, all of them require their own separate processes. But now, we begin at the ending...

Star Wars - Obi Wan Kenobi and Star Trek - Strange New Worlds. Two different shows from two different long running science fiction franchises. But each approach their established canons in different ways, and have had polarizing reactions from fans. Rob Kubasko has returned to the Codex to discuss these shows and ask: how should we deal with fan nostalgia? 

Today Mandy Fabian takes us through all the planning that has to happen before a shoot. From shotlists and storyboards, finding out which songs you can use and even what brands you’re allowed to show, she’ll tells me what she’s learned. Plus, we’ll talk about working with actors, including how she directed an actor in a very intimate moment.

The time has come to assemble the crew! Mandy Fabian takes us through the process of picking her elite team to make her movie. From assistant director to wardrobe, casting, sound, and the rest. And the most important question: how are you going to feed them all?

You’ve got the script, you’ve got the money, but you can’t make a movie without actors and locations. Mandy Fabian is going to give us the inside track on the casting process. And how exactly do you find the right actor during a pandemic? And we’ll get into the joys of location scouting and how bad timing can end up being a good thing. Plus, will she follow the Quentin Tarantino path and cast hers...

It’s no secret that’s it’s nearly impossible to get a movie made. In today’s chapter, Mandy Fabian is going to give us the strange, twisting path that she followed to be able to make her first movie. From close calls with big name actors to watching a hot script go cold, only to see a cold script get hot, what was the magical sequence that finally got her movie the fabled green light? Plus we’ll g...

In our latest chat, Mandy Fabian and I decided that we’d just talk about writing and let the chat go wherever it led. We’ll discuss our processes, outlines, getting strange ideas that weren’t meant for us, and how to take your family’s drama and make a movie out of it. But first, we venture into the strange shared brainspace that happens when you have a co-writer.

On today’s chat, Mandy Fabian will talk about her time as a shadow, that is, when she got a chance to shadow direct on a couple of big time television shows. We’ll talk about the differences between directing actors on television, movies and on stage. But first, she’ll talk about crossing paths with a future Oscar winner.

Let’s take this show on the road! Mandy Fabian discusses the fun and adventure that comes along with taking your short film on the festival circuits. We’ll talk about the joys and networking and the gut-wrenching terror of a Q&A when there aren’t any Q’s. But first, we’ll discuss the downside side of binge culture.

And: action! On today’s episode, we’ll be discussing the first time Mandy Fabian ever sat in the director’s chair. We’ll talk about the learning curve that comes with making your first short film, dealing with actors and crew who have way more experience than you. Plus she tells me about the worst direction she ever gave an actor. But as today’s chat starts, directing is the last thing she ever wa...

Chapter Five of my conversation with Mandy Fabian takes us into the hallowed halls of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Then we’re back into the word mines to discuss dialogue, adapting existing properties, and creating a series for the web using stars from TV. We’re going to be diving deep into the world of a writer, but before we get there, Mandy Fabian tells us of her time at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Then we’...

We’ve reached the fourth part of our conversation, so that means it’s time to party. In today’s chat, you’ll hear Mandy Fabian tell us about what a Hollywood party is really like, including an Emmy party. Then we’ll get into more of the writing process as we discuss spec scripts and the joys of the note process.

Our chat with Mandy Fabian now takes us to Hollywood, where she gives us a look at what pilot season is like from the inside. We’ll also discuss agents and managers, voice-over sessions, the painful process of auditions, and more.

My conversation with Mandy Fabian continues as we move from Texas to Boston to the city so nice they named it twice: New York. We’ll get into the hustle of trying to start a career; paying the bills, getting an audition, scoring your first commercial and her brush with the Great White Way.

We’re shifting gears here at the Codex and trying something new. As a curious person, I’ve always wondered what directing a movie is really like. And I was lucky enough to meet someone who has not only directed a film, but was willing to chat with me at length about the process: actress, director and fellow podcaster Mandy Fabian. But what began as a simple chat became a much more elaborate conver...

From Ghostbusters Afterlife to Matrix Resurrections, filmmakers are making sequels that look at the original films, and how they were received by the audience, in very different ways. Some are building chapels, while others are burning down the houses they built. From dinosaur-sized remakes to awakening the force, in this episode of the Curiosity Codex, we’re going to chat about this new phenomeno...

In this episode, we answer an outside question: what do I need to watch to be able to understand WandaVision if I’ve never seen anything from the MCU? Our discussion kicks off from there, looping into Falcon & Winter Soldier and Loki’s TV series. Plus a bonus chat about which films can be ignored entirely.

The last course in our Trek through the Stars, we end with our very first dish, the top of the menu, the choice that brought our little food stand up from nothing. Some say it hasn’t aged well, while others think it’s never tasted better. Either way, it’s important to know where you came from before you can know where you’re going. Part Five: The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

In Part Four of our Trek through the Stars, we now place in front of you the most popular dish on our menu. But there’s a reason that it’s regarded as a classic. With timeless flavors, enhanced aesthetics and a slew of awards, you can’t go wrong with this selection. Or can you? Part Four: If You Give Off Signals That You Don’t Want To Belong…

Our third menu option is for those of a more modern palette, who are willing to take a bit more risk to try and reap the taste rewards. But the cook can be unstable and we’re not sure how the whole meal is going to turn out, but it’s the freshest thing we’ve got on offer. Part Three: Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are