A podcast about the film industry: stories from the set, told by the crew
Welcome to Below the Line, a film industry podcast where we talk about making movies from the crew perspective. My name is Skid: I'm a former Assistant Director and your host. For the show, I invite my production friends - both old and new - to tell stories from their time on set. Each episode is organized around a specific film, television series or some other theme relevant to working in Hollywood. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or peruse the list below: you might learn something new about one of your favorites.
Thoughts about a specific episode or comments about the podcast? I welcome your feedback: skid@belowtheline.biz
Episodes
Thursday Apr 30, 2020
Thursday Apr 30, 2020
Today I'm speaking with the legislative directors from IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, WGA-East and the DGA, who collectively represent their members at the national level through their participation in the Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industry Coordinating Committee (AEMI). We discuss their work to-date on behalf of creative professionals in response to the pandemic ... and what's still to come.
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Ken Levin and Jill Parry join me today to revisit their time managing props for Wizards of Waverly Place, the Disney sitcom that aired four seasons (2007-2012) and introduced the world to Selena Gomez.
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
My guest today is Erik "Dr. Booty" Kieltyka, an assistant property master on the television show, S.W.A.T. (starring Shemar Moore), currently airing its third season on CBS.
Thursday Apr 09, 2020
Thursday Apr 09, 2020
Last week, we lost one of our own: Larry Lerner, an assistant director with a film career spanning more than 35 years, passed away after contracting COVID-19. My guests today are fellow Directors Guild members who knew Larry, both on and off set.
Thursday Apr 02, 2020
Thursday Apr 02, 2020
Today I'm speaking with Jeff Butcher and Dan Fisher, the property team from 2008's The Wrestler (directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Mickey Rourke, and featuring supporting performances by Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood).
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
Thursday Mar 26, 2020
My guest today is Property Master Scott Buckwald, sharing his insights from the set of 2006's The Prestige (directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale). This is the first of a multi-episode series focused on the Property Department.
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
And just like that, we're back for a new season. An assistant director, a costumer, and a property master meet virtually because of social distancing . . . this episode, my guests are crew members whose productions stopped filming due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19.
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Wednesday Feb 19, 2020
Bonus Oscar episode! A hairstylist and a sound mixer walk into a bar . . . want to know what really happens at the Academy Awards? My guests today are hairstylist Yvonne De Patis-Kupka, who has crewed many an Oscar ceremony, and three-time Sound Mixing nominee Steve Morrow, who tells us about the red carpet, the after parties, and everything in between. It's a Below the Line look at the event itself from both sides of the curtain.
Thursday Feb 06, 2020
Thursday Feb 06, 2020
Our discussion of the Oscar nominees in the technical/craftsman categories concludes today! A wardrobe department insider walks into a bar . . . this episode, we're assessing the nominees for Costume Design (Academy Awards series: 7 of 7).
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
Wednesday Feb 05, 2020
A cinematographer walks into a bar . . . this episode is a deep-dive discussion of the Oscar nominees for Cinematography (Academy Awards Series: 6 of 7).
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
A makeup artist and a hairstylist walk into a bar . . . today, we're talking about the Oscar nominees for Makeup and Hairstyling (Academy Awards Series: 5 of 7).
Thursday Jan 30, 2020
Thursday Jan 30, 2020
A pair of composers and a music critic walk into a bar . . . our Oscar conversations continue with a discussion of the nominees for Original Song and Original Score (Academy Awards Series: 4 of 7).
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
A pair of editors and a producer walk into a bar . . . today, our discussion of the Oscar technical categories focuses on the nominees in Film Editing and Visual Effects (Academy Awards Series: 3 of 7).
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Our Oscar coverage continues! A sound mixer and a sound editor walk into a bar . . . our discussion of the technical nominees continues with Sound Mixing and Sound Editing: two categories with a complicated relationship that lends itself to an interesting discussion (Academy Awards Series: 2 of 7).
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
For the next two weeks, we're all about the Oscars! A production designer, a set decorator and a leadman walk into a bar . . . our assessment of the nominees in the technical categories starts with an in-depth look at Production Design (Academy Awards Series: 1 of 7).
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
That same group of assistant directors are keeping the bar open late . . . our third of three episodes about the Directors Guild of America nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement is a discussion of the nominees in the various Television categories.
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
A group of assistant directors continue talking at a bar . . . our second of three episodes about the Directors Guild of America nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement is about the First-Time Feature Film and Documentary categories.
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Welcome to Awards Season! A group of assistant directors gather in a bar . . . this week we're talking about the Directors Guild of America nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. This episode (first of three) we discuss the Theatrical Feature Films.
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
Bonus episode! A stunt coordinator walks into a bar . . . my guest today is Robert Nagle, Stunt Coordinator for 2019's Ford v Ferrari. Needless to say, our conversation is focused on the stunts.
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
Thursday Dec 19, 2019
An assistant director, a sound mixer and a location manager walk into a bar . . . today we're talking about 2019's Ford v Ferrari (directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon): see it in the theater and then join us for the podcast!
Thursday Dec 12, 2019
Thursday Dec 12, 2019
A cinematographer, a boom operator and a set dresser walk into a bar . . . this week, we're revisiting the long-running, NYC-based NBC series, Law & Order, which ran for 20 seasons (1990-2010).
Thursday Dec 05, 2019
Thursday Dec 05, 2019
A sound mixer and a grip walk into a bar . . . my guests today are crew from Quentin Tarantino's 2019 magnum opus, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt).
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
Thursday Nov 21, 2019
An assistant director, a property master and a production assistant walk into a bar . . . this episode, my guests are from 2010's Piranha 3D (directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Adam Scott and a slew of guest stars).
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
A team of amateur filmmakers walk into a bar . . . today I'm speaking with folks who competed in The 48 Hour Film Project, an annual filmmaking event that attracts entries from around the globe.
Thursday Nov 07, 2019
Thursday Nov 07, 2019
An assistant director, a set dresser and a production assistant walk into a bar . . . this week we're talking about Arrested Development, and my guests are crew representing the runs on both Fox (2003-2006) and Netflix (2013-2019).