Team Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 176 - Chris Lowe - Production Designer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with production designer Chris Lowe (BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE LAST JEDI, IN BRUGES). We worked with Chris on SKYFALL, and we had a great time catching up with him. In addition to production design, Chris has had a long career as an art director, and he helps us understand how the two po...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 175 - Embeth Davidtz - Actor / Director In this episode, of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor and director Embeth Davidtz (DON'T LETS GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT, MAD MEN, SCHINDLER'S LIST). Embeth's directorial debut, DON'T LETS GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT (an adaptation of the book of the same name written by Alexandra Fuller), is one of our favourite films from this past ye...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 174 - César Charlone - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer César Charlone (PARTIDO, BLINDNESS, CITY OF GOD). Born in Uruguay, César found filmmaking after interrupting his veterinarian studies to hitchhike across Brazil. Throughout our conversation, we discuss César's general approach to cinematography, the degree of work he...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 173 - Kate Winslet - Actor / Director Actor and director Kate Winslet (GOODBYE JUNE, MARE OF EASTTOWN, HEAVENLY CREATURES) joins us in this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. During our conversation, we discuss Kate's humble beginnings, inheriting an accent, good and bad direction, playing characters based on real people, and her experiences shooting her directorial d...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 172 - Kleber Mendonça Filho - Writer / Director In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with writer and director Kleber Mendonça Filho (THE SECRET AGENT, BACURAU, NEIGHBORING SOUNDS). Kleber was born in the northeastern region of Brazil, in the city of Recife, and many of his films take place in the city and surrounding areas. We reflect on the influence of Brazili...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 171 - LEDs - with Jeffrey Lee, Ph. D. In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we return to the world of LEDs. After speaking with Tim S. Kang (Season 2, Episode 165), we realized we had even more questions! To answer them, we invited Jeffrey Lee, Ph. D. who works at Fiilex Lighting as its Chief Product Officer to speak with us. We learn how Jeff's background in biology and...

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 170 - Cristian Mungiu - Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Cristian Mungiu (R.M.N., GRADUATION, BEYOND THE HILLS). Cristian's films—which we deeply admire—largely focus on social issues in his native country of Romania, and though they are told in his own unique voice, his films explore problems many in the world face today. We...

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 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 w...

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 w...

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...

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, an...

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...

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,...

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 directo...

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 creatio...

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 dri...

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...

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, a...

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 N...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 sta...