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 for the past four decades. Fred’s long career as an agent is populated with moments such as networking at a car accident and attending an acting class with Jack Nicholson, and he shares many of them with us throughout the episode. We also discuss the differences in Hollywood, moviegoing, and filmmaking between today and the previous century, and we learn how he still tackles his work with verve after a lifetime on the job. Plus, Fred makes his prediction for the future of the movies. - If you enjoy listening to Fred, we recommend reading THE GOLDEN HOUR. Fred’s career and life is one of the subjects of the novel which was written by previous guest (and Fred’s son) Matthew Specktor (Season 2, Episode 146). - This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Barco
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TRACY LETTS - Actor / Writer
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 the theatre, and he shares his mixed experiences adapting his plays into films, from director William Friedkin’s tense vision of BUG to the Hollywood ensemble version of his Pulitzer Prize winning play AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. An accomplished actor as well, Tracy reflects on seeking advice for performing for the camera from his seasoned HOMELAND castmates Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, and he reveals how he felt when, after being replaced on a film he had written, he was asked to act in additional scenes invented for his character. Plus, Tracy quotes a critical review that ironically sold out the remaining shows of his first play KILLER JOE. - This episode is sponsored by Barco & Aputure
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STEVEN SODERBERGH - Director
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 directing and filmmaking, and he opens up about his transition into shooting his own films under the alias Peter Andrews. Steven also reflects on directing OUT OF SIGHT, recalling how he ended up with the job, when a studio note protected him from his own instinct to be lean in the film’s edit, and why he felt the movie was at stake when he went to war to cast Jennifer Lopez. Steven also stresses the importance of character and reputation in the business, and he recalls the pitfalls of acting like an egomaniac that he witnessed while crewing in his early days. We also discuss the value of establishing a basic grammar and set of rules specific to the film one is making, and Steven shares how he tries to listen to what a movie wants “itself” to be. - Recommended Viewing: OUT OF SIGHT - This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Barco
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LUCY PREBBLE - Playwright / Writer
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 her own plays put on, and she reflects on her experiences running her own television show and working on others’. Lucy also wrote for the amply-budgeted video game DESTINY, and she shares (as much as she’s allowed to) how the writing process works for something with that many resources. Lucy also reveals the real-world events that inspired her plays ENRON and THE SUGAR SYNDROME, and we learn how she identifies the real human relationships at the heart these stories. We also discuss the value of empathy and deadlines for a writer, and Lucy makes a prediction for the future of the theatre in the digital age. Plus, we observe that many of history’s greatest writers were really just frustrated actors. - This episode is sponsored by Barco & Aputure
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DAVE FREETH - Inventor of the Stabileye
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 himself working for the Ministry of Defence until making the transition into the film industry. We asked Dave to come on the podcast to discuss the Stabileye’s inception and design, and he describes the underlying mechanics that not only power the Stabileye but other stabilization systems in use today. We talk about gyroscopes, satellites, lasers, and even gravity! He also shares how the Stabileye is adapting to newer camera models, and he reveals some surprising potential developments in sensor technology. We learn a lot in this episode, and we were excited to celebrate Dave’s recent recognition with him. - This episode is sponsored by Aputure & Barco
The Team Deakins podcast is an ongoing conversation between acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins and James Deakins, his collaborator, about cinematography, the film business and whatever other questions are submitted. We start with a specific question and end....who knows where! We are joined by guests periodically. Followup questions can be posted in the forums at www.rogerdeakins.com.
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