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'Dorktown' Director Jon Bois Sep 14, 2023

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Jon Bois talks the many facets of creating the epic nine-hour documentary "The History of The Minnesota Vikings" from the boss chart that anchors the series to unexpected music cues to novel uses for Google Earth.

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'Bottoms' Director Emma Seligman Sep 07, 2023

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Emma Seligman discusses creating the riotous action comedy "Bottoms" from casting and stunt work to music and production design, and the project of bringing queer characters into timeless high school tropes.

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'How To With John Wilson' Director John Wilson Sep 04, 2023

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John Wilson discusses his approach to both documentary and comedy, how he keeps track of all his b-roll, and what things he wanted to make sure How To With John Wilson taught audiences before he wrapped the series.

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'JFK' Director Oliver Stone Aug 31, 2023

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The epic political thriller "JFK" was featured last weekend at the American Cinematheque, and we had the privilege to interview writer & director Oliver Stone live on stage. Stone talks about the impact of this controversial film, and reflects on its legacy today. You'll also hear some of the filmmaker's thoughts on the state of the industry today, and why he's an even angrier, more passionate filmmaker than ever.

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'Succession' Composer Nicholas Britell Aug 24, 2023

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After seven years of scoring HBO’s “Succession,” Nicholas Britell reflects on completing his first TV series. What did he learn about working in TV? How did the series and his process evolve over the course of four seasons? Would he ever sign on to do another serialized series? Was it helpful for the “Succession” editors to use his previously recorded music to temp new episodes? Did his experience working on Wall Street, before becoming a film & TV composer, inform his understanding of the Roys? Plus, Britell explains why he wrote the last two pieces of “Succession” music (including the choir music used over the final end credits) well before seeing the series finale.

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'The Last of Us' Director Peter Hoar on 'Long, Long Time' Aug 17, 2023

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Director Peter Hoar joins us to talk about the episode of The Last of Us that had us all in tears. Peter discusses the power of telling gay stories, using both natural light and "On The Nature of Daylight," and how the crew of "The Last of Us" fell just as hard for Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) as the characters did for each other.

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'Steadicam' Inventor Garrett Brown Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

As part of 80s week over on the IndieWire site, we are featuring a special conversation with a filmmaker who forever changed the ways movies look and feel. His early work created the iconic look of movies like Rocky and The Shining, and today we are all living in the world Steadicam built. Garrett tells the story of why he needed to invent a new tool for cinematic motion, and reflects on how its legacy has shaped cinema in the decades since.

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'Jury Duty' Showrunner Cody Heller Aug 10, 2023

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in The Truman Show, with every aspect of your reality crafted by a team of filmmakers? Showrunner and executive producer Cody Heller was tasked with creating just such a world for the star of Jury Duty; an entirely fake, month-long court case built from scratch and performed live for the unaware protagonist. Heller shares the wildly creative tricks her team used to keep up with the chaos of real life, and discusses how did Jury Duty managed to be a fascinating social experiment and a goofy hysterical comedy all at the same time.

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'Dahmer' Director Paris Barclay Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

This week on Toolkit we dive deep into a single episode of the Netflix hit series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The episode in question, Silenced, is one of the best hours of TV this year, and director Paris Barclay walks us through the incredible craft that made this story of a black, gay, deaf man so transporting and emotionally resonant.

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'Barbie' Director Greta Gerwig & Editor Nick Houy Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

This episode is everything...because today we are talking Barbie! Both writer/director Greta Gerwig AND editor Nick Houy join us this week, and if you've seen the movie you know how crucial editing was to pulling it all off. The movie is a big swing, a wild ride, and a surprisingly personal and intimate project for something branded with one of the biggest names in the world. Greta walks us through how all that is possible, and the pair explore how they think about assembling stories not just on Barbie, but across their collaborations on Lady Bird and Little Women.

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