Team Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 215 SKYFALL - with Adam Bricker "Turning the Tables" returns in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. The film in focus: SKYFALL. Cinematographer Adam Bricker (Season 2, Episode 213) hosts us this time, and he walks us through the film's major sequences and moments and asks us about the logistical challenges we overcame, the creative intentions behind the vision for the film, and how we and the rest of the cast and crew filmed a globe-trotting adventure almost entirely in the UK. We also reflect on prioritizing practical filmmaking over visual effects, and we discuss the franchise's place in English culture and in cinema. We also reveal the aspect of James Bond's journey in the film that appealed to us enough to accept director Sam Mendes' (Season 1, Episode 18) offer to shoot the film, and we share how the production kept everything moving forward despite numerous last minute changes. Plus, we discuss the importance of a cinematographer needing to know what a shot will look like before rolling the equipment off the truck. - Recommended Viewing: SKYFALL - This episode is sponsored by BenQ & Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 213 Adam Bricker - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Adam Bricker (HACKS, CHEF'S TABLE, AMERICAN VANDAL). After being hosted by Adam at several Q&A's around Los Angeles, we turn the tables on him, and we ask him about his own career, learning about his journey from Chicago to Los Angeles and the many hours he put in cold-calling filmmakers on Craigslist to pitch himself as a cinematographer. We also discuss the value of having an agent as a DP, and Adam reflects on the privilege of having been able to work in Los Angeles during an extended city-wide downturn in production shoot days. Adam was also the sole cinematographer across five seasons and nearly 50 episodes on HACKS, a comedy series on HBO MAX, and he reveals how he and the other filmmakers approached shooting the show, from location scouting and prepping to grabbing the footage on the day. Adam also reflects on nailing the final shot of the series, and he shares how he endeavored to imbue a single-camera sensibility into the multi-cam show. Plus, we discuss Adam's relationship with light meters. - Recommended Viewing: HACKS - This episode is sponsored by BenQ & Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 211 Eddie Marsan - Actor In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor Eddie Marsan (NO ORDINARY HEIST, BACK TO BLACK, RAY DONOVAN). During our conversation, we discuss Eddie's youth in East London, being discovered by casting in a club at 18, his disciplined approach to his craft, working with a range of directors including Mike Leigh (Season 1, Episode 76), Edgar Wright (Season 2, Episode 169), and Steven Spielberg, playing a countless number of supporting roles, and the shortcomings of filmmakers who fail to give working and lower class characters volition, autonomy, and humanity. Eddie also reflects on acting as "evil" characters, and we discuss the qualities of several of them from throughout his career. Towards the end of the episode, we ask Eddie how younger generations of actors are different compared to the ones who came before, and he encourages young actors to not wait for the system to change and create space for the roles they want to play. Plus, Eddie reveals the type of character he'd love to play but has yet to. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 209 Robin Swicord - Writer / Director In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with writer and director Robin Swicord (WAKEFIELD, WHEN THEY SEE US, PRACTICAL MAGIC). Throughout the episode, Robin is frank about her experience working in the film industry as a woman, and we discuss how she's seen the culture and behaviour within the industry change over the years. Robin wrote the script for the 1994 adaptation of LITTLE WOMEN, and she shares what it took for the studio to finally greenlight the film after 12 years of development. She also reflects on the long development process of BENJAMIN BUTTON, and she reveals what her initial vision for the story was. After years as a writer, Robin was able to direct her first feature, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, and she shares how she cast the film on short notice and how she prepped for it as a first-time director. We later discuss how she shot her second film as a director, WAKEFIELD, in just 18 days, and she reflects on what she brought from her experiences on her first film to the second one. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure ⁠

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 207 John Carroll Lynch - Actor / Director In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor and director John Carroll Lynch (BALLARD, LUCKY, FARGO). During our conversation, John tells us what originally drew him into acting, and we discuss an actor's function and place in film, television, and the theatre. As an actor, John has been directed by filmmakers ranging from Clint Eastwood to David Fincher to Ethan and Joel Coen (Season 1, Episode 33), and we discuss how he adapts to different methods of working. We later spend much of the episode discussing John's directorial debut, LUCKY, and we learn how he came to direct the film, how he worked with actor Harry Dean Stanton to develop a script based on his own life, and what it was about the film that attracted him to join in the first place. John also reflects on his experience directing the late David Lynch in the film, and we ask him what to expect in his next movie as a director. We worked with John on FARGO, and it was great catching up with him. - Recommended Viewing: LUCKY

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 205 Charley Gilleran - Rigging Key Grip In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with rigging key grip Charley Gilleran (A STAR IS BORN, BLADE RUNNER 2049, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN). Charley shares why he got into rigging, what the job entails, and throughout the the episode he shares how he overcame several lighting challenges, ranging from Wallace's office in BLADE RUNNER 2049 to the Pacific Coast Highway in INTOLERABLE CRUELTY. Charley also recalls his first meeting with key grip Mitch Lillian (Season 1, Episode 27) on the streets of New York, and we learn why Charley moved to Los Angeles to continue and grow his career. Charley later reflects on the scheduling benefits of being the rigging grip on a job, and he shares how he preps for and adapts during a production to help the cinematographer execute his or her plan. We also discuss how much rigging has changed with advances in technology, and Charley offers his thoughts on the future of the film business in Los Angeles. We've worked with Charley on numerous films, and we were excited to have him on the podcast. - Recommended Viewing: HAIL, CAESAR!

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 203 John Schwartzman - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer John Schwartzman (THE HOUSEMAID, THE HIGHWAYMEN, THE ROCK). John has worked on numerous high-budget, highly commercial films throughout his career, and we spend much of the episode discussing his approach to his work on those movies and his process overall. John's father, an entertainment lawyer for the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Hal Ashby, married into the Coppola filmmaking family while John was just a teenager, and we learn how John leveraged this connection and his skills at board games to win letters of recommendation from his uncle Francis Ford Coppola and friend-of-the-family George Lucas. We also discuss how John draws on his upbringing to help actors feel comfortable during a shoot, and he reflects on how he satisfies his creative needs in modern Hollywood. John also shares the pivotal pieces of advice he received from cinematographers such as Conrad Hall and Caleb Deschanel (Season 1, Episode 86) that instilled confidence in him, and we learn how and why he failed out of USC.