BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

Season 11 - Ep 7 - Oscars - Film Editing

Are you following the series? Week Four of our Oscars coverage kicks off with a review of the nominees for Film Editing. My guests - Christopher Angel and Amy Duddleston - are editors with a wealth of experience to share when discussing this year’s Academy Awards nominees.  (Episode 7 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 6 - Oscars - Makeup and Hairstyling

Week Three concludes with a discussion of the Oscar nominees for Makeup and Hairstyling. My guests — Angela Nogaro (Makeup) and Yvonne Depatis-Kupka (Hairstyling) — have opinions. I think you’ll enjoy them. (Episode 6 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 5 - Oscars - Original Song

Week Three: our tour through the technical categories continues with a discussion of the Oscar nominees for Original Song. My returning guests — Mick Coogan (song writer), Louis Weeks (score composer), and Chris Molanphy (chart analyst and fellow podcast host) — offer a multi-layered set of insights. (Episode 5 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 4 - Oscars - Animated Feature

This episode of our Oscar series features a discussion of the nominees for Animated Feature. Ready for some behind-the-scenes insights? My guests, Kent Seki and Camille Leganza, bring more than 40 years of animation experience to the panel, and it makes for an informative and lively conversation. (Episode 4 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 3 - Oscars - Production Design

It’s Week Two of our Oscars coverage, where film industry professionals offer insights in the category of their expertise. Today we’re focused on Production Design, and I’m happy to welcome back Sam Lisenco (Production Designer), Regina Graves (Set Decorator), and Kerry Weeks (Lead Man) to discuss this year’s nominees. (Episode 3 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 2 - Oscars - Costume Design

Our 3rd Annual Academy Awards coverage continues, and today we turn our attention to this year’s Oscar nominees for Costume Design. My panelists, Allison Choi Braun and Helen Huang, are both veteran costumer designers (and returning podcast guests!) with insights to share. (Episode 2 of 10)

Season 11 - Ep 1 - Oscars - Sound

Our 3rd Annual Academy Awards coverage starts now! Each episode, a panel of subject-matter experts discuss the nominees in the technical category of their expertise. Today, I'm joined by Steve Morrow (production sound mixer) and Don Sylvester (sound editor) to discuss this year's Oscar nominees for Sound. (Episode 1 of 10)

Season 10 - Ep 8 - DGA Awards - First-Time Features

This year, the Directors Guild of America nominated six directors for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in  First-Time Feature Film. I’m joined again by Katie Carroll, Bill Hardy, Roger Mendoza and Shaun O’Banion to discuss these films from a below-the-line perspective.

Season 10 - Ep 7 - DGA Awards - Theatrical Feature Films

Welcome to Awards Season! For the third year in a row, I’ve assembled a panel of fellow below-the-liners — Katie Carroll, Bill Hardy, Roger Mendoza and Shaun O’Banion — to discuss the five directors recognized by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film. How did we rank them? Answers at the end of the podcast.

Season 10 - Ep 6 - Hawkeye

The tv shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe almost always have a parallel filming unit focused on the stunts and action sequences, and “Hawkeye” (the latest to stream on Disney+) is no exception. Two members of Hawkeye’s 2nd Unit, 1st Assistant Director Tim Fitzgerald and Cinematographer Darin Moran, discuss how their team aligned with the overall production effort.

Season 10 - Ep 5 - The Gesture and the Word

Writer/Director/Producer Helen Alexis Yonov and Cinematographer Matt Rodgers join me today to discuss their recent project, “The Gesture and the Word”, a 23-minute short film that was in limited release for most of 2021 (logging 87 festivals and 65 awards). It’s a lively conversation, exploring the complexities of the production and the nuances of the festival circuit. The film is currently streaming for all audiences at Omeleto.com/257318/

Season 10 - Ep 4 - The Witcher

“The Witcher”, currently streaming on Netflix, is a rousing mashup of monsters, mages, and mayhem. My guest today, Cinematographer Romain Lacourbas, talks about his work on the second season and how interdepartmental teamwork is a critical component of the production mix.

Season 10 - Ep 3 - Invasion

Apple TV+’s “Invasion”, with storylines spanning four continents, was an epic production in terms of both scale and scope. My guests today — Production Designer Loren Weeks, Leadman Kerry Weeks, and Set Dresser Dan Fisher — discuss how the art department met the challenges of this massive undertaking.

Season 10 - Ep 2 - The Shrink Next Door

“The Shrink Next Door”, currently streaming on Apple TV+, stars Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd as patient/therapist, tracking their dysfunctional relationship over more than three decades. My guest today, Costume Designer Helen Huang, discusses how wardrobe is an important aspect of the storytelling.

Season 10 - Ep 1 - Planet of the Apes

I was the DGA Trainee on Tim Burton’s "Planet of the Apes" (2001), and I’m joined today by some fellow crew members with stories to share: Douglas Noe (Ape Makeup), Kevin Haney (Ape Makeup), Steve Thorp (Electric), and Ryan Miningham (Production Office) reminisce with me about our days together on set.

Season 9 - Ep 14 - 8-Bit Christmas

"8-Bit Christmas", currently streaming on HBO Max, is a holiday nostalgia tale reminiscent of "A Christmas Story" but set in the 80s and trading its Red Ryder air rifle for a Nintendo Entertainment System. My guest today is Avery Plewes, the film’s Costume Designer. Happy Holidays!

Season 9 - Ep 13 - The Matrix - Visual Effects

"The Matrix", the 1999 sci-fi classic written and directed by the Wachowski siblings, is rightfully praised for its groundbreaking visual effects. My guest today is Diana Giorgiutti, Digital Effects Producer for all three films in the original trilogy. 

Season 9 - Ep 12 - Tick, Tick . . . Boom!

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, “Tick, Tick . . . Boom!”, both features and reflects upon the creative works of Jonathan Larson, best known as the creator of the Broadway musical, Rent. My guests today are the film's editors, Andy Weisblum and Myron Kerstein, who discuss the challenges of shepherding this ambitious adaptation from script to screen.

Season 9 - Ep 11 - Women Below the Line

My guests today - Melanie Ragone, Melissa Beaupre, and Nicole Higgins - are women who work in below the line film crew specialties typically dominated by men. We discuss the challenges and rewards of being film industry pioneers, and what attracted them to these careers in the first place.

Season 9 - Ep 10 - The Chronicles of Narnia

The 21st Century has seen three film adaptations of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (2005), “Prince Caspian” (2008) and “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” (2010). Howard Berger, my guest today, supervised the prosthetic makeup for all three films, and he won an Oscar for his work on the first. In addition to discussing this effort, our conversation places Howard’s work within the context of his storied career.

Season 9 - Ep 9 - The Harder They Fall

In “The Harder They Fall”, currently streaming on Netflix, Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba are opposing outlaws, leading their respective gangs into a classic Old West showdown through a series of expectation-defying twists. Film Editor Tom Eagles speaks with me about the journey from page to screen for this stylish western, the first feature-length film from Director Jeymes Samuel (aka The Bullitts).

Season 9 - Ep 8 - Combat Camera, Revisited

Today is Veterans Day, and, to honor the occasion, I’ve once again invited a panel of Combat Camera veterans to talk about their time in uniform. My guests - Jim Stayton, J.R. Cole, and Fred Johnson - reminisce with stories covering nearly 50 years of Combat Camera history . . . and still find time to laugh about the foibles of a certain L.T. for whom they once worked. Oh, and remember in 2008 when Air Force One flew over NYC at low altitude? We’ve got the inside scoop on that. 

Season 9 - Ep 7 - Last Night in Soho

Edgar Wright’s latest film, “Last Night in Soho” (starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy), is one of his most ambitious projects to date. My guest today is Re-Recording Mixer and Supervising Sound Editor Julian Slater, whose collaboration with Edgar Wright spans six films. Spoiler Alert: Soho is best enjoyed in the theater, and you’ll definitely want to see it there before joining us on this episode of the podcast.

Season 9 - Ep 6 - Man of the House

“Man of the House”, the 2005 action-comedy starring Tommy Lee Jones as a Texas Ranger, is not well reviewed. It is, however, a film I worked on, as a consultant for a company called Big Crowds. Our mission was to fill a football stadium with background fans . . . or at least make it look that way on camera. My guests today — Alexa Sheehan, Ken Twohy, and Damon Chang — were members of my team.

Season 9 - Ep 5 - L.A. Confidential

“L.A. Confidential”, the 1997 film starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce, is an exceptional adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel about police and crime in 1950s Los Angeles. It was directed by Curtis Hanson, and my guests today are members of his assistant director team: Jim Goldthwait (Key 2nd AD), Heather Kritzer (2nd 2nd AD), and Kevin Koster (DGA Trainee). This was a challenging but rewarding film project for everyone involved, and we’ve got the stories.