Columns
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“That’s What’s Thrilling about Acting—Recreating Private Moments”: John Early, Back To One, Episode 296
John Early is an actor, comedian, writer, and wearer of many hats. His latest as a comedian and writer is the HBO special Now More Than Ever. His latest as an actor is the independent film Stress Positions. On this episode he talks about how these two projects came about, the differences between the John Early character and himself, the pleasure of working on the series Search Party, why he relishes straight-up acting, the comedy breakthrough he made in his new special, and much more. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google […]
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“Anamorphic Just Looks More Like a Movie”: DP Nick Remy Matthews on I.S.S.
When war breaks out on Earth, the kinship between Russian and American scientists aboard the International Space Station (including Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina) is shattered when both sides receive orders to take over the station by any means necessary. What follows is a taut chamber piece of ratcheting paranoia and betrayals, shot in 32 days in Wilmington, North Carolina partially on an I.S.S. replica originally created by NASA. After a theatrical release earlier this year, the movie is now available on VOD and Paramount+. Cinematographer Nick Remy Matthew talked to Filmmaker about counterintuitively shooting anamorphic in tight quarters, spending […]
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“I’m a Good Director’s Actor”: Clive Owen, Back To One, Episode 295
When you look at the illustrious career of Clive Owen, you see choices made based on the depth of the roles (Closer, Children of Men, Hemingway and Gellhorn, The Knick), not on trajectory or star power. His two latest projects, Monsieur Spade and A Murder At The End of The World, are quality television series where he’s able to settle in and deliver the grounded, nuanced work we’ve come to expect from him. On this episode, he explains why he needs time to prepare a role, and the “marination” process that is required. He talks about the qualities found in […]
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From 2nd Unit to Second Shoot: DP Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature
Abel Ferrara has said, “In movie making, money is no excuse. It doesn’t cost anything to set up a cool looking shot.” In a Violent Nature is the embodiment of that credo. A deconstruction of the slasher genre, the movie tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar point of view as the camera stays with its undead killer Johnny (adorned in a vintage fireman’s mask and armed with a pair of logging hooks) as he traipses through the forest from victim to victim. The film poses the question, as director Chris Nash puts it, “What if Gus Van Sant directed a […]
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“I’m Not Into Embracing the Digital Look”: DP Ben Fordesman on Love Lies Bleeding
After setting her directorial debut Saint Maud in a fading English seaside town, London-born filmmaker Rose Glass turns her gaze toward the American southwest for the neo-noir follow-up Love Lies Bleeding. Set in 1989 and shot in New Mexico by Maud cinematographer Ben Fordesman, the film follows the violent repercussions when a nomadic bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) falls for a small-town gym manager (Kristen Stewart) with a family full of criminals (including gun-running dad Ed Harris). With the A24 movie out today on VOD, Blu-ray and UHD following its theatrical run, Fordesman spoke to Filmmaker about emulating film on digital, pick-ups […]
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“The Most Human Part of Acting is the Moment In-Between When You Don’t Know What To Do”: Betsy Aidem, Back To One, Episode 294
Betsy Aidem has been in over 80 plays, off Broadway, on Broadway, and around the world. Recent titles of note: All The Way, where she played Lady Bird Johnson, Mama’s Boy, where she played Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother, Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, and Prayer For The French Republic, for which she is nominated for her first Tony Award. On this gold-filled episode, she talks about her love of extensive research, why she doesn’t think the people she plays are just one person, the “golden moment when your character is unsure,” the importance of a director’s patience and willingness to let her […]
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“I Want To Get Back To That Lack of Self-Consciousness I Had as a Kid” Molly Gordon, Back To One, Episode 293
Molly Gordon makes everything better. She was a stand-out among stand-outs in films like Good Boys, Booksmart, and Shiva Baby. Then she showed her talents on the other side of the camera, co-writing/directing the hilarious indie hit Theater Camp. Now she plays Claire on the beloved series The Bear, which is about to drop its third season. On this episode she talks about why she loves improv, how her parents unintentionally formed her comedy sensibilities, getting “buzzed” from in-person auditions, “locking in” with Jeremy Allen White, why she’s always aspiring to a child-like lack of self consciousness, and much more. […]
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“Because I HAVE TO Do It, I Do”: Nell Tiger Free, Back To One, Episode 292
She was on Game of Thrones when she was a child, but Nell Tiger Free hit her stride in the M. Night Shyamalan series Servant, and now her absolutely incredible performance in the hit horror film The First Omen has solidified her as one of the great young actors working today. On this episode, she discusses her “total non-process” process, which means every aspect of her work takes place between “action” and “cut” and literally nowhere else. She talks about why she only reads the script once, finds all backstory that isn’t on the page “cringe,” doesn’t like to rehearse […]
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“Obviously, We Couldn’t Get Three Sandworms for That Day”: DP Greig Fraser on Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two picks up directly following the events of its predecessor, with young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) taken in by the Fremen after being marooned in the desert of Arrakis. However, cinematographer Greig Fraser was not content to merely continue where he left off. After winning an Oscar for the first film, Fraser shuffled his tool bag by adding the Alexa 65, an assortment of colorful new glass and an infrared sequence set in a gladiator arena on Giedi Prime. It’s not surprising considering Fraser’s history of experimentation, which includes pioneering virtual production work on The Mandalorian and reintroducing […]
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“You Have to Make it All Personal”: Tom Pelphrey, Back To One, Episode 291
Since he was last on the podcast (Ep. 112), Tom Pelphrey has been nominated for an Emmy for his work on Ozark, he’s had juicy roles on Outer Range and David E. Kelly’s Love and Death, and now Kelly has given Pelphrey perhaps his most exciting role to date in the character of Raymond Peepgrass in Netflix’s A Man In Full. On this episode, Pelphrey takes us deep into his work on that limited series. He talks about why a good costumer designer is an actor’s best friend, what made him feel free to go “full weird” with Regina King, […]
