SEASON 2 - EPISODE 109 - KEVIN BAILLIE - VFX SUPERVISOR

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with visual effects supervisor Kevin Baillie (HERE, PINOCCHIO, FLIGHT) in an engaging conversation about the evolving use of VFX in film. We learn what types of discussions Kevin has with filmmakers to determine how to incorporate VFX effectively into their projects, and we discuss his belief in using the right tool for the right job. While looking back in history, we marvel in the immersive quality of Ray Harryhausen’s pioneering work on JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and discuss the function of VFX within a piece of storytelling. We also discuss the increasingly prevalent role of VFX in production and on a perceived creative bifurcation between the production stage and the post-production stage. A frequent collaborator of director Robert Zemeckis, we discuss how the director’s relationship to visual effects has changed over the years, and Kevin reveals the intent behind the VFX in the upcoming feature HERE.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 108 - TIM BLAKE NELSON - ACTOR / WRITER / DIRECTOR

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor, writer, and director Tim Blake Nelson (LEAVES OF GRASS, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, LINCOLN) about a wide range of topics. We had the pleasure of working with him on O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, and we had a wonderful time catching up with him. We learn all about his journey from Oklahoma to his first breaks as an actor, and we discuss the artistic and academic foundation that informs his choices as a filmmaker. James and Tim both studied the classics in college, and they compare their Latin and Greek syllabi and reflect on how they still draw from what they learned during their education. Picking the subject back up later in the episode, we also learn the truth behind the apocryphal myth as to whether anyone actually read Homer's Odyssey before shooting O BROTHER. Tim later reflects on his parallel career as a playwright, and we learn why he doesn’t direct his own plays as he muses on the different demands of conceptualizing a story for the stage versus one for the screen. Later, we discuss his career as a director, and Tim shares his increasingly difficult experiences funding his independent films. Towards the end, we discuss his recent role as the star of his son’s feature debut, ASLEEP IN MY PALM, and we ask Tim about his recent novel, CITY OF BLOWS, and learn how the story was inspired by Tim’s real experiences in Hollywood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 107 - PETER JAMES - CINEMATOGRAPHER

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, cinematographer Peter James (MAO’S LAST DANCER, BLACK ROBE, DRIVING MISS DAISY) joins us to talk about his career. Growing up in Sydney, Australia, Peter spent five years in his youth working at a small studio working on commercials and local television programs before finding his to working on features. Peter shares his process for overcoming his dyslexia to break down scripts, and at one point in the conversation, he even teaches us a new lighting trick. Peter later discusses how he and the crew battled the elements to shoot the colonial-era set BLACK ROBE on location in the Canadian wilderness. Towards the end, we conduct some forensics on Peter’s IMDb page, and we reflect on the power of the inverse-square law.

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Recommended Viewing: BLACK ROBE

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure