Future of Film Podcast with Alex Stolz Future of Film Podcast with Alex Stolz

In this episode we are joined by the acclaimed visual artist and costume designer, Ane Crabtree. Ane’s substantial body of work includes her iconic, unmistakable designs for THE HANDMAID'S TALE (seasons one and two) as well as WESTWORLD (season one), and Apple TV’s THE CHANGELING.
As such, Ane has built a formidable reputation as a designer of the future and was described as one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018, deemed so "for designing the apocalypse".

Ane is a long standing collaborator with (previous guest of this show) Liam Young, including their most recent project PLANETARY REDESIGN which premiered at Venice Biennale in 2023. Ane also recently collaborated with Darren Aronofsky for POSTCARDS FROM EARTH which was made for The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Her work reflects the rural roots of Kentucky and the rich influence of her Okinawan heritage as the backbone of her visual storytelling.

In this inspiring and wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the theme of worldbuilding tand storytelling through costume design, includiing her work for THE HANDMAID'S TALE. We also explore Ane's creative and collaborative process, her journey from rural Kentucky to the peak of screen storytelling, the influence of her Okinawan heritage in her work and how she came to collaborate with Darren Aronofsky - and much more!


About Ane Crabtree

Ane Crabtree is a visual artist, painter, costume designer, and documentarian whose images conjure the hidden emotions behind the stories of memory, skewed reality, sense of place, and human nature. Her work in movies and television explores the use of deconstruction and dystopia, most notably in her original iconic designs for The Handmaid's Tale, seasons one and two. She is also responsible for The Sopranos pilot, Westworld season one, and Masters of Sex, seasons one and two.

Inspired by the landscapes of reality, alchemy, nature, and direct documentation, Crabtree's approach to her designs explores the transcendence of the real, utilizing emotions as a conduit or emotional decoder for the audience.

In 2018, Crabtree spoke at the United Nations, in support of the METoo movement, at the commemoration of The International Day to End Violence Against Women/Orange the World.

She has been nominated for three Emmy Awards (2017, 2018, 2019)for her work on The Handmaid's Tale and Westworld (2016). She has been nominated for four Costume Guild Awards for PanAm (2012), Masters of Sex (2015), Westworld (2016), and winning for The Handmaid's Tale (2018).

Her first solo exhibition was "Designs for Dystopia" at SCAD Museum of Fashion and Film, featuring her sketches, designs, and wall of inspiration from The Handmaid's Tale (2018). Her work for The Handmaid's Tale has been shown at pop up exhibitions for Vogue Magazine/The Public Hotel (2017), The Paley Center for Media (2017), and is a part of the permanent collection at The National Museum of American History at The Smithsonian Museum (2018). This work was also a part of the group exhibition, Designs for Different Futures at The Philadelphia Museum of Art (2019-2020), The Walker Museum of Art (2020-2021), and The Art Institute of Chicago (2021).

Crabtree's work will soon be featured in a group exhibition, "Mother!" at The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2021).

Her most recent collaboration, with filmmaker Liam Young, for the National Gallery of Victoria Museum's Triennial (2020-2021), at MAAT in Lisbon (March 2021), and at the Shanghai Biennale (April 2021) features costumes in the short film "Planet City", directed and produced by Liam Young. Planet City is the first "design for utopia" for Crabtree. She served as costume designer, producer, and costume director for seven international artists, including herself. Her costumes for The Handmaid's Tale are now in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian Museum of American History.

This special episode features a conversation with three leaders in this space exploring the future of the greenlight process in film:

Anjali Midha is the Former Head of Entertainment at Twitter and the Founder and CEO of the entertainment analytics platform Diesel Labs.

Irina Albita, co-founder and co-CEO of FilmChain, the blockchain based platform revolutionising the collection of revenues in film and TV.

Ted Hope is the producer of over 70 feature films, the former Head of Production at Amazon Studios and author of the book Hope for Film and blog of the same name.

In an increasingly competitive and congested distribution marketplace, better and more informed decision making upstream is increasingly essential. Is there a better way? How can we support intuitive creativity with robust data analytics, audience insights and distribution intelligence? What are the tools, resources and information that can underpin more effective commissioning or investment decisions? Where are the information blindspots and how can filmmakers formulate a more robust investment opportunity? How can we create more inclusiveness in the greenlight process?

More about our speakers

Ted Hope has been a producer on over 70 films, studio executive on over 60, CEO of a start-up streamer, co-head of 3 production companies, executive director of a film society & festival, a Professor Of Practice at 2 universities, and founder of a post-production facility, 2 websites, 2 think tanks, & an app. Ted launched Amazon’s foray into feature film production, leading them to 19 Oscar nominations and 5 wins. As a producer, his films have received 25 Oscar nominations, with 6 wins. Ted’s memoir and newsletter Hope For Film, are both must reads. Ted helped launch the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry and many others. His most recent films include the first narrative from Oscar-winning documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro, as well as the documentary Invisible Nation on Taiwan, directed and produced by Vanessa Hope.

Anjali Midha, an entrepreneur with a passion for driving innovation in media and marketing analytics. She is the co-founder & CEO of Diesel Labs, a content analytics company that addresses the toughest questions facing media companies today. Before starting Diesel Labs, she was the Global Director of Media Research at Twitter where she developed the ‘playbook’ for television - illuminating the synergies and opportunities across traditional and new media. She joined Twitter via their acquisition of Bluefin Labs (the pioneer of Social TV Analytics), prior to which she was the VP of Strategy & Analytics at Digitas. Anjali holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University and an MBA from MIT Sloan

Irina Albita is a technologist with over 12 years experience in the London/NYC tech scene, with a mathematics-economics background. Her passion is exploring how emerging tech radically transforms creative industries, and she is a prominent figure at film & tech events worldwide. She co-founded FilmChain alongside Maria Tanjala. The platform is transforming how producers, financiers, and sales agents get paid. With a digital collection account management (CAM) for indie films and a royalties management solution for content distributors, FilmChain brings transparency to payments and modernises royalties. Former EFM Startups 2018, they have won awards such as ‘Startup of the Year’ London Business Awards 2020, Startup Challenge at San Sebastian Film Festival 2020, Makers and Shakers 2020, and Unchain Fintech Festival 2022, to name a few.

This episode is presented in partnership with Screenovators, the online community dedicated to innovation in the screen industries. For more information and to join: www.screenoavtors.com

Mark Forstater and Nathan Neuman are co-Founders of Dreambird the new Web3 powered filmmaking and streaming platform. In this episode, they discuss the pitfalls and structural problems associated with the current film financing model and outline their vision for Dreambird as a marketplace designed to foster creators' collaboration, decision-making, and project participation. In a wide ranging conversation - that draws on Mark's rich experience as a producer (including Monty Python and the Holy Grail no less!) - we also explore generative AI, NFTs, interactive storytelling and the history - and future - of the industry.

About Mark Forstater
Mark Forstater is a highly experienced producer with over 40 years in the film and television industry and a pioneer of independent British films. He has extensive credits including cult classics like "Monty Python & The Holy Grail" and "XTRO,". His recent films, "Swipe Fever" and "The Lullaby Killer," highlight his continued commitment to pushing boundaries and film production.

About Nathan Neuman
Entrepreneur and filmmaker with a background in music and post-production, Nathan has managed production companies and talent agencies in the UK and US, while also working as a producer for global corporations in music, advertising, fashion, and technology. Nathan directed the feature film "Swipe Fever" and designed the game "Viral Survival."

In this episode we are delighted to welcome back to the podcast, the Super Story Architect himself, Houston Howard.

An expert in franchise development and transmedia incubation, Houston demystifies the practice of world building with his customary passion and pragmatism. In this conversation, recorded as part of Future of Film incubator 2023, we explore the key elements of creating expansive narrative universes, providing practical advice, checklists, and relatable examples for all genres.

Houston shares the wisdom of literary legends like Tolkien, Lewis, Lucas, and Rowling, and explains why focusing solely on a single character or story could be limiting your creative potential. He also also shares the 'five Ps' of world building: premise, place, people, practices, and past, discussing how these elements can help bring your vision to life.

The discussion extends to the business aspect of world building, examining how to present creative ideas and their revenue potential. Houston sheds light on how AI tools can super charge the world-building process. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to broaden their understanding of world building and its potential in the entertainment industry.

Houston Howard is the Executive Vice President, Content Incubation and Transmedia Development at Gramarye Media and Chief Storyteller and Co-Founder of One 3 Creative. Houston has been a recognized thought leader in the entertainment and branding communities because of his unique and proprietary transmedia approach to story. Advising entities such as Mattel, Disney Imagineering, Reliance Media Works, West Coast Customs, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Harper Collins Publishing, as well as designing a number of transmedia-focused projects for Fox, the CW, TNT, Slinky and the writers of Toy Story, Houston has an impressive amount of experience designing projects that are primed for the 21st Century.

When he’s not outlining a new slate of transmedia design books, setting up international co-productions for current transmedia projects or leading a wildly diverse creative team, Houston is educating professionals on how to adapt to an ever-changing entertainment landscape. This has included leading workshops for the Producers Guild of America, the National Association of Broadcasters, Act One, Storyworld USA, The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Houston led a series of international transmedia masterclasses across both Brazil and Africa throughout 2016.

His latest book, Make Your Story Really Stinkin’ Big: How to Go From Concept to Franchise and Make Your Story Last For Generations, has been a go-to manual for creative professionals on how to leverage a variety of media platforms, maximizes revenue potential and engages audiences in new and innovative ways.

Learn more about how Houston builds projects that exist at the intersection of branding and entertainment at http://superstory.works/.

Emma Needell is a filmmaker and worldbuilder who champions original storytelling. Her script THE WATER MAN, directed by David Oyelowo and produced by Oprah Winfrey, premiered at TIFF and is now on Netflix. In 2021, she won an Epic Megagrant to use Unreal Engine on a short film that explores the power of technology to bring people together. The film premiered at Tribeca and is now on the festival circuit. She is also the worldbuilder and Head of Story for the web3 content company Tally Labs.

Emma joined Future of Film Incubator 2023 to share insights from her journey as a storyteller, her creative process and how she incorporates technology into her practice. Highlights include:

- The story behind Emma's first script being made with David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey
- Emma's adoption of Unreal Engine in her creative process
- Emma's use of AI and her position on its adoption in filmmaking
- How Emma is leaning into the Web3 world with the worldbuilding of the Azurbala project

"I ended up using Unreal Engine to rewrite the script because I could play around with 3D motion, with camera movement, I could put a score to it, I could mess around with lighting and with basic blocking." - Emma Needell

In this episode, we welcome back to Future of Film storytelling pioneer, Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull.

During the episode, HaZ provides an exclusive inside look into the innovative processes behind his groundbreaking projects like RIFT and MOONTOPIA, which utilise Unreal Engine to redefine game design and monetisation. The discussion explores game development optimization, private testing, and intellectual property ownership within the context of Unreal Engine for Fortnite. HaZ also shares fascinating insights into the potential impact of AI on the gaming industry, offering a glimpse into the future possibilities for creators.

Operating at the intersection of film and gaming with a remarkable career spanning from Visual Effects to directing and producing, HaZ has gained recognition for his breakout feature film, THE BEYOND, and his second hit, 2036 Origin Unknown. Currently working on the groundbreaking sci-fi action anime, RIFT, HaZ leverages virtual production and realtime CGI, rendering the entire film in Unreal Engine.

In addition to his technical expertise, HaZ reveals his visionary ideas for nurturing the next generation of content creators and the transformative - but challenging potential of AI-driven creativity.