SEASON 2 - EPISODE 180 - Nicholas Britell - Composer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with composer Nicholas Britell (JAY KELLY, DON'T LOOK UP, MOONLIGHT). "How can a score function within a film?" is the question driving most of our conversation with Nicholas, and throughout the episode he generously provides insight into his process and recalls several examples from his own work to demonstrate how he and his directors arrived at specific pieces of music. We also reflect on...
Feb 11, 2026•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 180
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 179 - Kelly Reichardt & Christopher Blauvelt - Director & Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Kelly Reichardt and cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt. Kelly and Christopher started working together on MEEK'S CUTOFF, and they've continued their partnership through films such as FIRST COW, SHOWING UP, and THE MASTERMIND. During the conversation, Kelly (from Miami) shares how she made it out of Florida to join the film comm...
Feb 04, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 179
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 178 - Fatih Akin - Writer / Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with writer and director Fatih Akin (AMRUM, IN THE FADE, HEAD-ON). Born in Hamburg, Fatih wrote his first script at 18 during religion lessons, and after selling the screenplay a year later, he's been writing, directing, and producing films ever since. In addition to discussing his process as a filmmaker, we also learn what it's like to make movies within the German system. Duri...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 178
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 177 - James Slattery - Colourist In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with colourist James Slattery (THE LOST BUS, EMPIRE OF LIGHT, 1917). How does someone become a colourist? What do they really do? What is a CDL? DI? QC? DIT? P3? HDR? James, with whom we've worked with several times, graciously explains what all these acronyms (and more) mean, how a colourist generally goes about their work nowadays on any given project, and what he's able to do to ...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 177
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 176 - Chris Lowe - Production Designer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with production designer Chris Lowe (BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, THE LAST JEDI, IN BRUGES). We worked with Chris on SKYFALL, and we had a great time catching up with him. In addition to production design, Chris has had a long career as an art director, and he helps us understand how the two positions work together on any given project and what each one's responsibilities are. Throughout the ...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 176
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 175 - Embeth Davidtz - Actor / Director In this episode, of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor and director Embeth Davidtz (DON'T LETS GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT, MAD MEN, SCHINDLER'S LIST). Embeth's directorial debut, DON'T LETS GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT (an adaptation of the book of the same name written by Alexandra Fuller), is one of our favourite films from this past year, and we spend most of our conversation learning how Embeth pulled it off. The film is centered ar...
Jan 07, 2026•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 175
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 174 - César Charlone - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer César Charlone (PARTIDO, BLINDNESS, CITY OF GOD). Born in Uruguay, César found filmmaking after interrupting his veterinarian studies to hitchhike across Brazil. Throughout our conversation, we discuss César's general approach to cinematography, the degree of work he does in post, the amount of prep he performs before every film, and his long-time professional part...
Dec 31, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 174
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 173 - Kate Winslet - Actor / Director Actor and director Kate Winslet (GOODBYE JUNE, MARE OF EASTTOWN, HEAVENLY CREATURES) joins us in this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. During our conversation, we discuss Kate's humble beginnings, inheriting an accent, good and bad direction, playing characters based on real people, and her experiences shooting her directorial debut, GOODBYE JUNE. In addition to her long career as an actress and newly begun one as a director, ...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 173
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 172 - Kleber Mendonça Filho - Writer / Director In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with writer and director Kleber Mendonça Filho (THE SECRET AGENT, BACURAU, NEIGHBORING SOUNDS). Kleber was born in the northeastern region of Brazil, in the city of Recife, and many of his films take place in the city and surrounding areas. We reflect on the influence of Brazilian history and politics in his work, and we learn how Kleber generally approaches creating his movie...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 172
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 171 - LEDs - with Jeffrey Lee, Ph.D. In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we return to the world of LEDs. After speaking with Tim S. Kang (Season 2, Episode 165), we realized we had even more questions! To answer them, we invited Jeffrey Lee, Ph.D. who works at Fiilex Lighting as its Chief Product Officer to speak with us. We learn how Jeff's background in biology and physics and interest in the physical properties of light led him to work at Fiilex, and he shares what...
Dec 10, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 171
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 170 - Cristian Mungiu - Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Cristian Mungiu (R.M.N., GRADUATION, BEYOND THE HILLS). Cristian's films—which we deeply admire—largely focus on social issues in his native country of Romania, and though they are told in his own unique voice, his films explore problems many in the world face today. We learn how the fall of communism and Ceaușescu's regime in Cristian's youth enabled him to become a f...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 170
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 169 - Edgar Wright - Director Director Edgar Wright (THE RUNNING MAN, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD, SHAUN OF THE DEAD) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Edgar is responsible for one of our favourite films, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and we didn't miss the opportunity to ask as many questions about it as we could. He shares the film's connection to director Mike Leigh's (Season 1, Episode 76) work, and we learn how the film was developed during Edgar's free time while...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 169
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 168 - Ted Schilowitz - Futurist In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with futurist Ted Schilowitz. Ted has spent his life working in entertainment, from producing commercials in Florida to exploring virtual reality at Fox and Paramount, and we thought his perspective on the relationship between technology and entertainment could help us better understand where we might be headed. Over the course of our conversation, we discover that to think of the future, we ...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 168
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 167 - James Laxton - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer James Laxton (THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, ANYTHING, MOONLIGHT). If you've seen a film directed by Barry Jenkins (Season 2, Episode 156), then you've seen James' work. Throughout much of the episode, we discuss his longstanding collaborative relationship with Barry, but we also learn how James tries to fit into the visions of the other directors he's worked with. The th...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 167
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 166 - Reflections: On Cinematography - written by Roger Deakins In this special "Turning the Tables" episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Roberto Schaefer (Season 1, Episode 162) returns to lead us in a conversation about Roger's new memoir, Reflections: On Cinematography. In the book, Roger tells the story of his life from his childhood in rural, seaside England to the present day, and he reveals the reasoning behind many of the creative and practical decision...
Nov 05, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 166
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 165 - LEDs - with Tim S. Kang In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we learn about LED lighting. LEDs are now commonplace in productions, and we thought an episode about the technology and its applications could be helpful for anyone with as many questions as us. Our guest is Tim S. Kang, a cinematographer and the principal engineer for imaging applications at Aputure, and we start by learning how Tim came to work on this side of the business. He also helps us understan...
Oct 29, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 165
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 164 - 28 YEARS LATER - with Anthony Dod Mantle In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Season 1, Episode 68) returns to discuss his work on 28 YEARS LATER. The film was shot extensively using modified iPhones, and Anthony shares his early conversations with director Danny Boyle about the film's intended rural setting that informed their decision to commit to using the devices. Anthony later explains how he jailbroke the iPhone's...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 164
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 163 - Iris Prize LGTBQ+ Film Festival - with Lewis Bayley In this special episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Lewis Bayley, Industry Coordinator for the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Lewis invited us to speak with him about filmmaking earlier this year, and what you'll hear is that recorded conversation. We had the pleasure of discussing many topics with Lewis, such as the overall importance of film festivals and our longtime efforts giving back to younger ge...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 163
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 162 - Dante Spinotti - Cinematographer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Dante Spinotti (ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, HEAT, THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY DRINKER). During our conversation, Dante reflects on his Italian upbringing and on the formative year he spent shooting photographs in Nairobi, Kenya. Dante has also frequently shot films with director Michael Mann, and he shares a number of stories from their years of working together. While best-k...
Oct 08, 2025•58 min•Season 2Ep. 162
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 styl...
Oct 01, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 2Ep. 161
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...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 160
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...
Sep 17, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 159
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 158 - Debra Granik - Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Debra Granik (LEAVE NO TRACE, WINTER'S BONE, DOWN TO THE BONE). Debra's films carry the traditions of social realism into the 21st century, and throughout our conversation we discuss the movement's place in the United States and around the world, her approach to the work, and why she's faced difficulty finding the means to shoot and distribute films that direct attention ...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 158
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 157 - Garret Dillahunt - Actor In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor Garret Dillahunt (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, DEADWOOD). We worked with Garret on NO COUNTRY and JESSE JAMES, and we had a wonderful time catching up with him. Garret shares how he made his way from rural Washington to the graduate program for acting at NYU, and we learn why he made the leap from theatre to film and television. While trading stories fro...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 157
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 156 - Barry Jenkins - Director In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Barry Jenkins (MUFASA: THE LION KING, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, MOONLIGHT). How did Barry get from South Florida to Hollywood? What did he learn about himself on his walkabout around the country after leaving the industry? What did Barry struggle with in the gap between the release of his debut feature and MOONLIGHT? How did he survive the gonzo shooting schedule of THE UNDERGROU...
Aug 27, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 156
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 155 - Fred Specktor - Agent In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with agent Fred Specktor (CAA). Fred has actually seen it all—now in his 90s, he joined the mailroom at MCA (before its dissolution) after graduating college, and he's been in the business ever since. After a stint as movie mogul Lew Wasserman's assistant at MCA, Fred was fired, and he recounts his journey bouncing between outfits until landing at CAA where he has represented top Hollywood talent...
Aug 20, 2025•55 min•Season 2Ep. 155
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 154 - Tracy Letts - Actor / Writer In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor and writer Tracy Letts (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, BUG, HOMELAND). Born and raised in Oklahoma, Tracy struck out for Chicago after high school to find work as an actor in the city's active theatre scene, and we learn why Tracy began writing plays himself. We also discuss cinema's role as a messenger for exposing the stories of the stage to rural American communities without access to...
Aug 13, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 154
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 153 - Steven Soderbergh - Director In this extended episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Steven Soderbergh (BLACK BAG, TRAFFIC, OUT OF SIGHT). Steven credits his father for giving him the movie bug, and he shares how a young adulthood shooting short films and writing spec scripts in Louisiana led to the 8-years-in-the-making overnight success of his debut feature: SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE. We spend much of the episode discussing Steven's insights into di...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 153
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 152 - Lucy Prebble - Playwright / Writer Playwright and writer Lucy Prebble (SUCCESSION, I HATE SUZIE, ENRON) joins us in this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Lucy's plays frequently incorporate the physical space of the stage in the telling of the story and involve the audience in engaging and creative ways, and we were excited to talk to her about storytelling both on stage and on screen. We learn how, after a bookish childhood, she eventually found the courage to have ...
Jul 30, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 152
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 151 - Dave Freeth - Inventor of the Stabileye In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Dave Freeth, a recipient of a Scientific and Engineering Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the invention of the Stabileye. The Stabileye is a remotely-operated, motorized camera stabilization system, and we used the equipment extensively on 1917 to pull the film off. Dave originally started out in an apprenticeship for watchmaking but soon found h...
Jul 23, 2025•59 min•Season 2Ep. 151
