SEASON 2 - EPISODE 161 - Atom Egoyan - Director

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Atom Egoyan (SEVEN VEILS, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, EXOTICA) in an extended conversation. Atom was born in Cairo and raised in Canada, and his young love for theatre grew to encompass filmmaking after a hard rejection in college. Throughout our winding conversation, we discuss the creation of many of his films, and Atom asks us a few questions too! Atom’s films vary in their visual styles, and he frequently collaborates with cinematographer Paul Sarossy (Season 1, Episode 111), and he reveals how they first met and how they like to work together. Atom also shares why he restructured THE SWEET HEREAFTER in post, and we discuss the power of withholding information from the audience. We also learn why Atom chose to avoid a conventional historical drama when constructing ARARAT, a film about the Armenian Genocide, and we reflect on cinema’s ability to communicate the horrors of history.

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Recommended Viewing: ARARAT, THE SWEET HEREAFTER

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Sandstorm

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 160 - Mark Friedberg - Production Designer

In this extended (and funny) episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with production designer Mark Friedberg (CAUGHT STEALING, JOKER, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD). A native New Yorker, it wasn’t until returning to the city after Jack Kerouac-ing around the country that Mark (and his dog) first found work in the film industry as a driver for the Woody Allen production team. Mark was eventually let out of the van, and, throughout our conversation, he reveals how he thought through many of the challenges in his long and impressive career as a designer. Mark is also a staple in Barry Jenkins’ (Season 2, Episode 156) stable of collaborators, and we learn how Mark’s daughter convinced her father to break his own rules to initially meet with the director. We also discuss technology’s place in Mark’s design process, and he shares why he rehired the millennial gamers who built MUFASA’s Africa to digitally visualize the sets of JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX before physically constructing them.

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Recommended Viewing: THE ICE STORM

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This episode is sponsored by Sandstorm & Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 159 - Michael McDonough - Cinematographer

We speak with cinematographer Michael McDonough (BOSCH, SUNSET SONG, WINTER’S BONE) in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. If you listened to our conversation with Debra Granik (Season 2, Episode 158), then you know a bit about Michael already. He fills in what she left out, and we learn how he came to pursue filmmaking as a career after roaming around Rome on a year-long printmaking scholarship during his time in art college. We further discuss his professional partnership with Debra, and we also trade stories about working with director Michael Radford. In addition to his work in film, Michael has shot long-running television series such as FEAR THE WALKING DEAD and BOSCH, and he shares how he does the best he can given the limitations of working in the format. Michael also reflects on how BOSCH incorporates Los Angeles’ rich noir history into the show’s look, and we learn what advice he would give his younger self if he were starting out again. Among the other topics discussed in our conversation: lighting lessons learned from observing cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and the allure of Venice Beach in the winter.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Sandstorm