The Dangerous Art of the Documentary

Double Elvis Productions, Tiller Russell
  • 4.6 (9)
  • FILM INTERVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Filmmaker Tiller Russell (Waco: American Apocalypse, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Operation Odessa, The Last Narc, The Seven Five) exchanges the camera for a microphone, sitting down with other documentary filmmakers for riveting, in-depth conversations about their most successful, iconic or recent films.

  1. DEC 12

    Andrew Jarecki & Charlotte Kaufman (The Alabama Solution | HBO Max)

    Directors Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman take viewers deep inside one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems in their latest film “The Alabama Solution”, where incarcerated men defy the odds stacked against them to expose an explosive and shocking cover-up. They share with Tiller how this story inspired them (2:30), their co-directing method (6:45), the intention behind the cinematography (16:00), gaining access to an underground civil rights movement within the Alabama prison system (24:00), the construction of character in the edit (31:00), and the only way they know how to make documentaries (39:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    49 min

  2. DEC 3

    Geeta Gandbhir (The Perfect Neighbor | Netflix)

    Director Geeta Gandbhir’s new film "The Perfect Neighbor" is largely made up of police bodycam footage, tracking the events of a seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida escalating into deadly violence. Geeta shares with Tiller how she got her first film job on Spike Lee’s “Malcom X” (2:00), discovering the trove of archival evidence (7:00), how the system failed the entire neighborhood and how the entire tragedy was preventable (19:00), and the thought and craft  behind the original photography (33:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    47 min

  3. NOV 21

    Chai Vasarhelyi & Lynsey Addario (Love+War | National Geographic)

    Pulitzer Prize-winning Lynsey Addario has risked her life to capture the stark realities of war — from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Ukraine. From National Geographic Documentary Films and Academy Award-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, “Love+War” chronicles Addario’s ascent in the male-dominated world of conflict photography. In their conversation, Tiller learns why this is Chai’s most personal film (3:00), how Lynsey decided to become the subject of a film (9:00), the lifelong cognitive dissonance of Lynsey’s life (20:00), Chai’s standard of stories that actually matter (31:30), and how Lynsey has managed to sustain her challenging lifestyle (40:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    44 min

  4. NOV 6

    Gabe Polsky (The Man Who Saves the World? | In Theaters)

    Director Gabe Polsky’s new documentary “The Man Who Saves the World?” tells the story of Patrick McCollum, a spiritual leader living in Moraga, California. The twist is this: certain Indigenous leaders in the Amazon believed Patrick is the answer to an ancient prophecy––the one who will unite and save the world. Gabe talks to Tiller about how he decided to dive all the way into this topic (3:45), his reliance on instinct while shooting (13:00), the complicated relationship he formed with the lead subject (20:00), the patchwork editorial process (27:30), and the hardest parts about making a film (31:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    40 min

  5. OCT 19

    Rebecca Miller (Mr. Scorsese | Apple TV+)

    Director Rebecca Miller’s latest five-hour docuseries profiles America’s greatest living director, Martin Scorsese. She talks to Tiller about how she framed her pitch to Scorsese (6:00), the selection of soundtrack (15:00), the importance of his key collaborators (24:00), how she took a cubist approach to Scorsese’s portrait (30:00), and what she learned about the art of directing (38:30). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    43 min

  6. OCT 4

    Abel Ferrara (Turn in the Wound)

    Legendary director Abel Ferrara’s latest film, “Turn in the Wound”, explores human conflict and the search for peace and balance through the music and words of Patti Smith in reflective conversation with the experiences of people at war in Ukraine. This is one interview Tiller has been looking forward to all his professional life. Abel shares with Tiller the secret to retaining his unflinching creative vision (1:30), making the decision to travel to war-torn Ukraine (8:00), how the film captures the cross-section of humanity in Ukraine (19:00), interweaving the arc of Patti’s story (29:30), the resilient nature of the Ukrainian people (40:00), and what Abel’s working on next (48:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    51 min

  7. SEP 15

    Bill Banowsky & Paul O'Bryan (A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant)

    Director Bill Banowsky and producer Paul O’Bryan’s latest film “A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant” chronicles the incredible life and career of political cartoonist Patrick Oliphant, which also provides a concise history of political cartoons, political polarization and corporate media control. In their discussion, Bill and Paul reflect on becoming friends with Pat Oliphant (2:00), finding conflict and humanity in a film subject they respect (12:00), the genius of Pat’s ability to satirize intense subjects (20:30), and how Pat influenced the modern art of memes (30:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    36 min

  8. SEP 1

    Amy Berg (It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley)

    Director Amy Berg returns to the podcast to discuss her latest film, “It’s Never over, Jeff Buckley”, a portrait of the gifted musician who died tragically in 1997, having only released one album. Amy shares with Tiller how Jeff Buckley appealed to both masculine and feminine audiences (2:00), the impulsive nature of artists adding to their mythology (12:00), finding the right financiers and producing partners (18:00), designing the animation style (26:00), and ultimately what she hopes people feel while watching this movie (36:00). The film is available to purchase now on Digital/VOD. Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

    38 min
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4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Filmmaker Tiller Russell (Waco: American Apocalypse, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, Operation Odessa, The Last Narc, The Seven Five) exchanges the camera for a microphone, sitting down with other documentary filmmakers for riveting, in-depth conversations about their most successful, iconic or recent films.

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