This is episode 34 and the FINAL EPISODE in our second season of The Directors Take Podcast.
In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad do a round up of their 2024 highlights, lowlights and their favourite episodes from the second season of the podcast, before throwing out some optimistic feels for the year ahead.
It’s been a tough year, but we are here to bring you some positivity for 2025 with a little help from our friends and guests of past episodes.
Our wonderful sponsor for this episode is THE NATIONAL FILM and TELEVISION SCHOOL.
We’ve also partnered with SCRIPTATION to offer our listeners an EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT on their software, which you can find on the link below…
http://scriptation.com/thedirectorstake
Nugget of the week
Marcus: The Telepathy Tapes by Ky Dickens
Oz: The Actors Guide to Success by Michaela Longden
Our Favourite Episodes of Season 2
Marcus:
Episode 1 – How I Directed Baby Reindeer with Weronika Tofilska
Episode 17 – Demystifying VFX with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Angus Bickerton
Episode 8 – Showrunning BBC’s Domino Day with Lauren Sequeira
Episode 19 – Demystifying the road to BAFTAs & Oscars with Flair PR’s Catherine Lyn Scott
Episode 31 – How we created EMILIA PÉREZ with Jacques Audiard & Thomas Bidegain
Oz:
Episode 1 – How I Directed Baby Reindeer with Weronika Tofilska
Episode 15 & 16 – The Journey to Directing PRESUMED INNOCENT with Greg Yaitanes
Episode 9 – How I Directed HOUSE OF THE DRAGON with Clare Kilner
Episode 13 & 14 – The Journey to Directing SUPACELL with Sebastian Thiel
Episode 6 – Is Perfectionism Killing Your Creativity? With Dr. Thomas Curran
Credits
Socials
The Directors’ Take: Twitter (X) & Instagram
Marcus: Twitter (X) & Instagram
Oz: Twitter (X) & Instagram
If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at TheDirectorsTake@Outlook.com
It’s bittersweet, but we are saying goodbye this week and ending the same way we started: breaking down our predictions for this year’s Oscars Ceremony. Stick around after for a celebration of all things ReelBlend while we reminisce about many of our most cherished memories on and off the show.
Thank you to everyone who has hung out with us for any number of discussions, debates, and of course interviews over the last several years. It’s been the ride of a lifetime, and we couldn’t have done any of it with you.
Until next time, Dunkirk!
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Timestamps (approx. only)
- 00:00 – Intro
- 2:47 – 2025 Oscars Predictions
- 1:11:32 – Farewell
- 1:53:12 – Outro
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How do you write science fiction when technology is moving so quickly? John and Craig welcome back journalist and screenwriter Max Read to look at the trickiness of predicting the future, how our imagined futures can affect our reality, and ways that writers can protect their work from becoming dated before it’s even released.
We also follow up on the new Dogma manifesto, words we don’t have in English, questioning ChatGPT, and answer listener questions on hosting your scripts on your website, offline writing software and how to find the time to goof around.
In our bonus segment for premium members, Max walks us through his Letterboxd lists and proposes a new, niche film genre.
Links:
- Max Read’s newsletter Read Max and his Letterboxd
- Dogma 25 Explodes at Cannes by Annika Pham, Marta Balaga for Variety
- Maze by Christopher Manson
- Blue Prince
- Graham’s source for Egypt’s GDP and John’s sources
- Neal Stephenson
- William Gibson
- Red Rooms
- This Strange Mutation Explains the Mystifying Color of Orange Cats by Gayoung Lee for Scientific American
- The Simulation is Failing. by Jessica Mazin
- r/OneOrangeBraincell
- Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
- Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
- Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
- Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
- Craig Mazin on Instagram
- John August on Bluesky and Instagram
- Outro by Spencer Lackey (send us yours!)
- Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Sam Shapson. It’s edited by Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.
“Chimp Crazy” is HBO’s top-watched documentary. But being from the team that made Tiger King is both a plus and a minus. In this episode, writer, producer, and editor Evan Wise https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2188036/ chats with Matt & Oren about the hurdles they faced and the moment he knew this doc would be good. We explore the importance of personal connection, being open to letting the story evolve during filming, and the role of editors as writers and storytellers in documentary films. Evan also discusses how they found their shadow director, why that was important to getting this doc off the ground. Connect with Evan on Instagram @deathedit
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Evan’s Endorsement: “Diamond Hands” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17662108/
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Ever wondered exactly which indie films distributors are hungry for? In this episode, we dive into the exact movie genres that sell best, why star-power matters more than ever, and the secret to standing out in today’s ultra-competitive indie market.
Tune in to find out how to get distributors excited about your next film project!
Elric and Brian continue their “Anything Goes” series, this time focusing on the films of the 1970s. They are joined by one of their favorite and most returning-est guests, screenwriter Larry Karaszeski (ED WOOD, MAN ON THE MOON, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME) who brings his usual encyclopedic knowledge and humor to the show.
Consider supporting Pure Cinema (and getting monthly bonus content) via our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/purecinemapod
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Welcome to Filmmaking (Actually)!
If you have any questions or comments for Koura or any of team, please reach out to us at filmmakingactually@gmail.com.
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For as little as $1.99 a month, you can join our community and stay updated on the latest projects from Koura and the Space Dream team.
Make sure to tune in for this and every episode, and we’re excited to share more of what we have in store for you on Filmmaking (Actually).
Don’t forget to subscribe and turn on notifications for future episodes!
Filmmaker Emilija Gašić joins VIFF’s Vanguard series programmer Sonja Baksa to discuss 78 Days, a found-footage film that won the Vanguard Award at VIFF 2024. Shot on hi-8 tapes in her native Serbia, the film follows three sisters documenting their lives during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Inspired by her own childhood memories, Gašić’s decision to use analog tape lent to the ”docufiction” quality of the film.
In this conversation, Sonja and Emilija unpack the film’s unconventional process and the Vanguard series’ focus on ”films that are pushing the boundaries of cinema”, and how Gašić’s journey from Lord of the Rings fan to NYU Tisch grad shaped her voice as a director.
This episode was recorded during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival.
This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the award-winning film “Saints and Soldiers” a special screening was held followed by an engaging Q&A with Cast and Crew moderated by actor Doug Jones.
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 443 from September 2023 featuring writer and director husband and wife team Abby Horton and Ryan Dickie talking about making their first feature together as a team. I thought it would be fun to pair it with Brian and David’s episode from Monday because they are also a married couple who came together to write and direct a feature as a team. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
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A shareholder revolt is underway at Warner Bros. Discovery… meaning, a 60% vote against CEO David Zaslav’s $52 million pay package for 2024. What drove the investor backlash? Meanwhile, Disney is back in layoff mode, with hundreds affected in the latest wave of budget cuts. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni explain what’s behind both moves.
Plus, Masters talks to Late Night host Seth Meyers about how his years at SNL both shaped and traumatized him. The comedian also shares how fatherhood has given him plenty of material for his standup specials — Lobby Baby and Dad Man Walking.
Check out our video essay channels on YouTube:
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About this episode:
Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.
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LOOK OUT! It’s only Films To Be Buried With! A REWIND CLASSIC!
Join your host Brett Goldstein as he talks life, death, love and the universe with the excellent comic actor and performer HELÉNE YORKE!
This Rewind is from July 4th 2023, originally episode 255, a bright and breezy fun ride with Heléne on top form! Below is the original writeup:
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Hopefully you may know Helene from her stellar work in The Other Two, which is doing big business out there in the streaming world. Or perhaps you’ve become familiar with her through Masters Of Sex even… The IMDB list is large, so you’ve got a ton of entry points – but if this is your first encounter with the name, what a great place to start. Heléne is brilliant fun from the very start, and it’s an episode for the books right here with tons of fun and riffs, and a nice balance of film and non-film to really crack the code on Heléne… Loads to enjoy, and you shall!
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THE SECOND BEST NIGHT OF YOUR LIFE
SUPERBOB (Brett’s 2015 feature film)
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SEASON 2 – EPISODE 145 – Deliverables and Preserving Authorial Intent – with Steve Yedlin
In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Steve Yedlin (Season 2, Episode 72) returns to talk with us about deliverables and preserving authorial intent in post-production. Throughout the episode, we tap into Steve’s deep well of technical knowledge, and we make frequent reference to Steve’s publicly available demonstration on what HDR really is and how it has affected the colour timing stage of post. We get into the weeds during our conversation, and we try to make sense of the growing number of variables, units of measurement, and home-video viewing options we’re forced to contend with as filmmakers in the digital age. We also look at how our level of control over home-viewing deliverables has changed since the VHS days, and we attempt to peek into what the future may hold for us as technology and audience expectations continue to evolve. Towards the end of our conversation, we discuss the economic realities of restoring old films, and Steve offers his best advice to any young (or older!) filmmaker feeling overwhelmed by the endless technical jargon. Plus, we find some surprising and relevant wisdom within THIS IS SPINAL TAP.
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We highly recommend watching Steve’s demonstration on HDR for an even deeper investigation into the topics discussed in this episode. Tap here to watch.
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Profoto
In this episode, we talk about
- Navigating the industry.
- Pre-production and creating the look of the show
- Ransom Canyon
- Shooting with multi cameras
- The collaboration between DP and Production Designer
Director of Photography: Eric Koretz
https://www.instagram.com/erickoretz_dp/
Check out the trailer to: Ransom Canyon
Thank you for listening: Please let me know what you learned or thought of the show today. Subscribe to the podcast.
In this episode, I am joined by DP Justyn Moro, whose cinematography career has included collaborations with artists like Jared Leto, Tom Delonge and countless others – and most recently has been shooting features and television at Tyler Perry Studios.
Justyn shares the full scope of his creative journey—how he got started shooting music videos, learning cinematography on the road with Jared Leto, and making the leap into narrative storytelling on projects like Monsters of California and Beauty in Black.
Topics covered include:
- Breaking into the film industry with zero connections
- Shooting documentary and music video content with Jared Leto across the globe
- Lessons from working on Monsters of California with Tom DeLonge
- Transitioning from music videos to narrative film & television
- Justyn’s approach to prep, lighting, and working fast on set
- Creative collaboration with directors and building a strong crew dynamic
- Why a clear vision and openness to collaboration make the best directors
Links from the show:
Justyn Moro – Website
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“I would encourage you, as I do if you’re an actor, to know your own equipment, know your own psychology, and use the great teachers that are synthesized in my favorite teacher’s book, Moss, who I studied with later. There is a book called Intent to Live that distills down Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, and Stanislavski. The great teachers at the Group Theatre believed that the method needed to be altered to be constructive rather than destructive to artists.
David Milch’s mind is so singular because he uses language in a way that defines character. That’s what all good writers do: use language to get to the heart of something. He would use malapropisms to make up words, and Milch loved playing with that. As someone who played the love interest of such a unique character as Andy Sipowicz, I found it fascinating.
Through Sylvia and David Milch’s understanding, his wife humanized him. Sipowicz was portrayed as an addict, a very flawed human who had many addictions. David Milch is now suffering from Alzheimer’s, so we won’t get his words again. However, the words that he has to offer are timeless because he studied Robert Penn Warren and had many mentors throughout his vast literary education. That is key. I love speaking Noël Coward’s words. As a bon vivant, he wrote musically, to charm us and amuse us. So going and reading Noël Coward is important for actors to learn those cadences and the musicality of a certain era.
Of course, Shakespeare comes to mind. I also think of the female playwrights who delight me now, whether it’s Caryl Churchill. She has that singular mind and plays with gender so well, challenging gender norms. Seeing ‘Cloud Nine’ when I was in college blew my mind open because men were playing women and women were playing men. Of course, Shakespeare was doing it too, but her work felt more intimate; it was in a small theater. That’s another thing I encourage actors and audiences to do: go see things in small theaters. See it up close because that will excite you and help you learn the craft.”
Sharon Lawrence is an acclaimed actress best known for her Emmy-nominated, SAG Award-winning role as ADA Sylvia Costas on NYPD Blue. She has delivered memorable performances in Desperate Housewives, Monk, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, Shameless, and Queen Sugar. On stage, she’s earned praise for roles in The Shot (a one-woman play about the owner/publisher of the Washington Post, Katharine Graham), Orson’s Shadow, and A Song at Twilight. Shestarred in Broadway revivals of Cabaret, Chicago, and Fiddler on the Roof. Her recent work includes the neo-Western series Joe Pickett, opposite Michael Dorman, and the films Solace with Anthony Hopkins and The Bridge Partner. Lawrence is also a dedicated advocate, serving on the boards of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, WeForShe, and Heal the Bay, and is a former Chair of the Women In Film Foundation.
Instagram
@sharonelawrence
@creativeprocesspodcast
In this episode we off a new series leading up to episode 500, reflecting on the evolution of The Wandering DP Podcast and revisiting valuable lessons from past episodes. This week, we are joined by cinematographer Isaac Bauman, who shares his unconventional journey from directing to cinematography and how real-world experience shaped his creative voice.
The conversation explores the essential blend of intuition and technical proficiency that defines strong cinematographers. Isaac discusses developing a bold visual style, making creative choices under pressure, and balancing artistic integrity with client and agency demands.
Whether you’re shooting documentaries, commercials, or narratives, this episode is packed with practical advice on camera and lens choices, lighting setups, color grading challenges, and building a reliable crew.
It also dives into the sacrifices often required to succeed in the film industry and how maintaining a consistent visual style can open professional doors.
Enjoy!
Key Topics Discussed:
- Isaac Bowman’s path into cinematography
- Lessons from directing and why he walked away from it
- Learning on set: the real-world film school
- Crafting a unique visual style in documentary work
- Navigating client relationships and agency dynamics
- Project selection: artistic alignment over quantity
- Collaborating with directors and adapting to their vision
- Working with small crews vs. large productions
- Camera and lens selection as workflow tools
- The role of intuition vs. technical mastery
- Challenges with color grading and post workflows
- Advice for aspiring DPs: team building, sacrifice, and growth
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to the Podcast Series
03:13 – Evolution of the Podcast
06:08 – The Shift to Visual Mediums
09:07 – Looking Back at Past Episodes
11:52 – Guest Introduction: Isaac Bowman
14:47 – Isaac’s Journey to Cinematography
17:47 – Learning the Craft on Set
20:57 – Technical Skills and Intuition
23:53 – Transitioning to Professional Work
27:04 – Documentary Filmmaking Insights
35:50 – Creating a Bold Visual Style
42:13 – Navigating Client Relationships and Agency Dynamics
47:48 – Choosing Projects: Quality Over Quantity
51:33 – Collaborating with Directors: Finding the Balance
59:47 – Adapting to Different Project Types
01:04:54 – Working with Small vs. Large Crews
01:05:39 – Choosing the Right Camera
01:11:10 – Lens Selection and Workflow
01:17:40 – Building a Reliable Team
01:23:15 – Color Grading Challenges
01:33:08 – Advice for Aspiring DPs
Listen now and rediscover the timeless lessons that shape great cinematography.
Featured Guest – Cinematographer Isaac Bauman
Website: Isaac Bauman
Instagram: @isaacbauman
The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #490 – The Road to 500 (#44 Isaac Bauman) appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.
Havoc is the new film from Welsh writer-director Gareth Evans, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Starring Tom Hardy as a jaded cop at the heart of a conspiracy in an unnamed, crime-ridden American city’s underbelly, it packs some of the most frenetic action scenes of the year so far – but then again, what did you expect? Gareth is the filmmaker behind 2011’s The Raid, 2014’s The Raid 2 and the TV show Gangs of London – each of which is renowned for its dizzying fight choreography.
In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Gareth tells me about his love for characters who have something to atone for. We get into an early, more commercial draft of the film in which Walker wasn’t the estranged father he is in the finished film, and break down how he constructed the movie’s jaw-dropping club fight sequence. Plus, hear how his own experience of parenthood fed into the writing of Havoc. That last bit is surprisingly tender for a film in which a character gets harpooned in the head.
Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.
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David Joseph Craig & Brian Crano (writers/directors of I Don’t Understand You) discuss the personal story behind the movie, writing the truth vs writing honestly, scenes you need, who your competition is, why knowing actors is a good thing, poking the turkey, and more.
THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
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