Team Deakins James Ellis Deakins, Roger Deakins

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 99 - ALFONSO CUARÓN - WRITER / DIRECTOR
Writer and director Alfonso Cuarón (ROMA, CHILDREN OF MEN, Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast to talk about his career and about filmmaking. Growing up in Mexico, Alfonso sought solace in the cinema, and he crewed and assisted on documentaries around the country throughout his youth, setting the foundation for his visual sensibilities by studying the photography of Ansel Adams and observing a DP manipulate natural light to shoot vegetables. After directing his first feature, Alfonso was brought to Hollywood by director Sydney Pollack to work on an episode of the anthology series FALLEN ANGELS, and Alfonso recalls for us his encouraging conversation with actor Alan Rickman that helped him overcome the petrifying pressure of shooting within the Hollywood machine. Alfonso later shares how director Guillermo del Toro convinced him to helm the third HARRY POTTER film, and he reveals which elements of the franchise he pushed to evolve and change. Alfonso also reflects on his relationship with visual effects, and we discuss why prep and bringing one’s collaborators into one’s process brings out the best in any film. Towards the end, Alfonso reflects on his experiences working on his upcoming limited series and shares his fear that television, not cinema, is the one conquering the other; however, despite this fear, we discuss the past, present, and potential future of filmmaking through an optimistic lens. 
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 98 - ETHAN HAWKE - ACTOR / DIRECTOR
On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we’re joined by actor and director Ethan Hawke (WILDCAT, BLAZE, BOYHOOD). James once worked with Ethan on WHITE FANG in Alaska, but before that, Ethan started acting in his youth in the theatre before landing his life-changing role on DEAD POETS SOCIETY. Throughout our discussion, Ethan reflects on his evolving relationship to film, art, and acting and shares a number of his thoughts on the nature of filmmaking. Ethan shares how he adjusts to the working style of different directors and what he’s applied to his own discipline of acting after directing a number of projects. We later discuss rehearsals, learning how director Sidney Lumet once adjusted a scene with Ethan because of having run through the scene with him, and Ethan shares why would never ask a director to change their preferred way of working. We also learn how Ethan developed and directed BLAZE and what the guiding principles were behind the direction of WILDCAT. An engaging conversation with a truly talented artist!
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 97 - MARK JOHNSON - PRODUCER
Producer Mark Johnson (THE HOLDOVERS, BETTER CALL SAUL, GALAXY QUEST) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. After growing up in Spain and a brief stint as an extra on DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, Mark worked in commercials in New York City before finding his way into the Directors Guild of America’s Assistant Directing training program. Mark later survived William Friedkin’s globe-trotting production of SORCERER, emerging from the dirt and mud having risen to the position of 2nd AD, and eventually broke into producing with director Barry Levinson’s DINER. During our discussion, we learn how Mark finds projects to produce and what he looks for in projects brought to him. Mark also reflects on the varying styles of directors and how he personally defines the responsibilities of a producer. We also learn how Mark shepherded GALAXY QUEST (a favourite of ours) into existence, and he shares a number of insights into the journey of its development, production, and release. We later learn how Mark first met writer Vince Gilligan and of their long-term professional relationship that led Mark to producing BREAKING BAD and BETTER CALL SAUL, and he reflects on the differences between working in television versus film. Mark is responsible for introducing us to director Denis Villeneuve before we worked together on PRISONERS, and it was a pleasure to be able to catch up with him in this episode. 
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 96 - GEORGE COTTLE - STUNT COORDINATOR / 2ND UNIT DIRECTOR
Stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director George Cottle (BARBIE, OPPENHEIMER, TENET) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. At 16, George spent a summer assisting stunt coordinator Greg Powell at Pinewood Studios, and his life has been dedicated to stunts ever since. George shares how he met the requirements for the British Stunt Register (while explaining what the organization actually does) and how the structure of the stunt department encourages the gradual but meaningful development of skills in its members. We also question George about his recent expansion into 2nd unit directing and learn how he coordinated the car chase in BARBIE using his daughter’s walkie-talkies. We later learn how new technologies and advances in visual effects have assisted the stunt department in safely executing elaborate stunts, and George reflects on the department’s modern pivot away from its historically machismo culture. George also reveals how he determines whether an actor can (or should) participate in a stunt, and we learn how he builds out his team when hired for a job. We also get George to reflect on the unique challenges of designing stunts for TENET amidst its many locales and its time-defying script.
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 95 - RICK CARTER - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Production designer Rick Carter (THE FABELMANS, AVATAR, MUNICH) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Despite growing up around Hollywood, Rick was a rebel, and it wasn’t until after dropping out of college and traveling the world as a hippy that Rick finally found his way into filmmaking. Rick shares why he fell into the art department and, throughout the episode, reflects on how he conceptualizes spaces with his fellow filmmakers before bringing them into our reality. Rick also reflects on the podcast itself—it being an archive of filmmakers of a certain epoch of filmmaking—and eagerly adds his own voice to its chorus. We also focus on Rick’s experiences working on director Steven Spielberg’s MUNICH and on the decision-making that went into finding the location for the staircase scene set in Athens.
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Recommended Viewing: MUNICH
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 94 - BILL BENNETT - CINEMATOGRAPHER
On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Bill Bennett speaks with us about the world of commercial filmmaking. Born into a family of engineers, Bill came to love art through his mother’s own development as an artist, and he quickly changed majors in college to pursue his passion. Finding his way to LA, Bill built sets for commercials for years until breaking his way into camera operating and eventually cinematography in the field. Bill reveals how commercial filmmakers transitioned from film to digital formats and of his involvement in the development of the Arriflex 435 camera, a major breakthrough at the time. Bill later reflects on the impact of the Arri Alexa camera on the design of digital cameras at large and on the moment a digital camera demonstrated its value as a viable replacement for film cameras to him on a car commercial shoot. Bill also shares plenty of advice for young filmmakers looking to enter the world of commercial production and what his own views are on what makes someone stand out from the crowd. Towards the end, we discuss how commercial filmmaking is changing with new technologies like artificial intelligence and volume lighting systems.
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure