IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

As a young screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan saw the special effects magicians at Industrial Light & Magic bring his most spectacular acts of imagination to life. Over 40 years after his work on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Kasdan returned to the world of ILM for “Light & Magic,” a six-part documentary series chronicling the biggest effects developments of the 20th century...

Peele knows you'll have questions after seeing 'Nope,' but to what degree did he figure out the the life and history of his new film's alien life form? Peele answers that question, as he breaks down the process of making his UFO cinematically real, and what he learned from filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. 'Nope' is a masterpiece of sound, and in second half of the podcas...

On this episode of Filmmaker Toolkit, showrunner Peter Gould and executive producer Vince Gilligan join to talk about the ending of "Better Call Saul." No Season 6 spoilers here, but they discuss the show's writing process, the personnel decisions that have helped elevate the series, how the camerawork has evolved over the course of the show, and some of the storytelling philosophy that has stood...

On this episode of Filmmaker Toolkit, creator Danny McBride discusses the latest season of "The Righteous Gemstones" and his philosophy for everything from where the humor needs to come from, shooting action comedy, and maximizing his resources on a television schedule and budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, we speak with show creator David Jenkins and director/star Taika Waititi about their collaboration creating this ambitious comedy for HBO Max. The pair discuss everything from the visual influences that help "Our Flag Means Death" walk a tonal tightrope to the visual effects innovations that made shooting on television schedule possible. Learn more...

On this edition of IndieWire's Deep Dive: Station Eleven creator Patrick Somerville joins director Jeremy Podeswa, the crafts team, and cast to discuss how the show's timelines and themes come together in Episode 10, "Unbroken Circle" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcsat, Natasha Lyonne discusses the games that "Russian Doll" Season 2 is playing (of which time-travel via the 6 Train is only one), why this was a Pink Floyd season, how she refined her preparation as both a director and an actor over the pandemic, plus a little love for Sergio Leone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Bill Hader discusses the latest season of Barry and digs into his directing work on Episode 6, "710N". Hader talks about when and why he embraces generic conventions (and when he doesn't), what he likes about long takes, the benefits of eschewing coverage, and how he constructed a chase sequence in the spirit of Jacques Tati. Learn more about your...

On this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, we speak with Peter Jackson and his longtime collaborator, editor Jabez Olssen about their work distilling hundreds of hours of audio, dozens of hours of video, and 40 years of mythology about the Beatles' Get Back sessions into a documentary that tries, going day by day, to lay out the experience of the sessions that led to the Beatles' last live...

On this episode of the Filmmaker’s Toolkit podcast, showrunner Sterlin Harjo talks about why he could only make (this version) of "Reservation Dogs" in his native Oklahoma, and what opportunities open up to a series when rooting it in a specific place that TV hasn't really seen before – and certainly not from a Native perspective. That, plus the steps in teaching an audience how to laugh at surviv...

Kogonada discusses the cinematic components of "After Yang" from how memory relates to the processof filmmaking to the importance of a science fiction story with domestic stakes. All of that, plus: the importance of spaces that can tell their own stories, the differences between film and short story, how the quality of light impacts the film, and a little bit of love for Robert Bresson. Learn more...

Creator and executive producer Soo Hugh discusses how she tackled the globe and time-spanning 'Pachinko' by thinking about was the show wasn't and then discovering what the show was. All of that, plus: challenges of creating characterization in translation, the different visual styles of the show, and what a historical epic that isn't fetishizing period can look like. Slightly spoiler-y conversati...

For a surprise bonus episode of Filmmaker's Toolkit, we have a conversation with 'Dune' cinematographer Greig Fraser. He gets into how he and director Denis Villeneuve achieved the correct sense of scale, the power of simplifying the frame, the film's concentrated, strategic bursts of color, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Reeves dives into his desire for greater subjectivity in a Batman story, influences from "The Wrong Man" to "The Long Halloween," the compulsive physicality of Robert Pattinson's performance, and how he found the light (and the dark) in Gotham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go inside the Matrix with long-time Wachowski collaborators supervising sound editors Dane Davis and Stephanie Flack as we listen to examples from ‘Matrix Resurrections’ and hear how the franchise has sonically evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Mills discusses the philosophy, iconic imagery, and blend of documentary and narrative that come together to give "C'mon C'mon" its richness and soul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Maggie Gyllenhaal and editor Affonso Gonçalves discuss their creative partnership and how they pushed both image and sound on "The Lost Daughter." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at PTA's creative process, the unique way he approaches filmmaking, and his new film with long-time collaborators:  [1:20]: Co-cinematographer Michael Bauman [11:40]: Supervising Sound Editors / re-recording mixers Christopher Scarabosio & David Acord  [18:39]: Costume Designer Mark Bridges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go inside Lowery and Droz Palmero's collaboration on the year's Best Cinematography. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fukunaga and Sangren break down their realistic, but painterly approach to Daniel Craig's final installment as James Bond, with incredible insights to film's use of color, camera movement, and emotional storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary director ("The Piano") dives into her process and collaborations in making the Netflix western. This is followed [26:30] by a conversation with her editor Peter Sciberras, who breaks down how he and Campion carefully navigated the relationship between Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) – as they needed to maintain the mystery, mounting sexual energy, and growing...

He’s back. The action maestro behind “Fast Five” and “Fast & Furious 6” returns to the franchise that was never the same without him. While on the podcast, Justin talked about what it’s actually like to direct big action scenes that are being shot thousands miles away, while he’s on a soundstage with the Vin Diesel and the cast, and how he integrates practical stunt work with VFX and cast performa...

One of the three co-creators of the new HBO Max series “Hacks,” Aniello also directed six of the 10 episodes (including the first three) and together with cinematographer Adam Bricker employed a purposeful and effective use of the camera so sorely missing from most half-hour comedy series. On the podcast Lucia discusses casting a non-standup in Jean Smart, creating her routines, and how she used t...

The “In the Heights” director on his original pitch to Lin-Manuel Miranda to direct his Tony award winning musical. We break down the opening number, the “When the Sun Goes Down” dance up the side of the building, and Jon’s distinct use of movement.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The “P-Valley” showrunner talks about growing up in Memphis and how going to strip clubs informed how her Starz TV series celebrates the culture and art form of stripping. Hall discussed how she was inspired by Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” and used color light to capture the beauty of her casts’ dark skin tones. The playwright-turned-TV creator also talked about her experience of being a first time...