Columns
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Ten Takeaways from Hundreds of Beavers‘ Success
Each Friday I send out a free email newsletter with an original Editor’s Letter along with viewing recommendations and festival deadlines. The Editor’s Letter is usually not reposted here on this site. As a way of encouraging sign-ups — you can join for free here — I’m posting here a slightly edited version of last week’s edition, in which I draw some production and distribution conclusions from the success of the Mike Cheslik’s independent hit Hundreds of Beavers, drawing info from linked interviews, now unpaywalled, from our current print edition. — Editor Because I edit Filmmaker and am supposed to […]
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“There’s Never Any Trust Until You Just Do It”: Jimmy Tatro, Back To One, Episode 301
Jimmy Tatro is an actor, director, writer, and comedian best known for the popular YouTube channel he created over a decade ago, LifeAccordingToJimmy. His career expanded into the mainstream with roles in movies like 22 Jump Street and the Netflix series American Vandal, all while he continued to expand the content on his channel. His latest project is The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie, a continuation of his popular mock-reality show web series. The film delves deeper into the absurd lives of friends navigating the quirks of suburban Southern California while preparing for their high school reunion. Tatro’s […]
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“The Hardest Thing Is To Get Out of Your Own Way”: Lady In The Lake‘s Y’lan Noel, Back To One, Episode 300
Y’lan Noel played Daniel in the HBO series Insecure starred in The First Purge, and now he plays Officer Platt in Lady in The Lake, Alma Har’el’s eagerly anticipated new series for Apple TV+ that drops on July 19th. On this episode, he discusses his unique approach to the work, which starts with, and centers on, daydreaming and the avoidance of aiming to do “the right thing.” He talks about allowing for “an energy that’s not me to make certain decisions;” the importance of solitude, space, stillness; how Har’el’s willingness to leave room for the mystical served his process; and […]
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“Shooting on Film Remains Somewhat of a Black Art”: DP Adam Stone on The Bikeriders
After eight years—much of them spent developing projects that never came to fruition—Mud and Midnight Special filmmaker Jeff Nichols is thankfully back with a new movie. That means cinematographer Adam Stone is back with a new movie too. After meeting Nichols at the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, Stone has been behind the camera on all six of the director’s features. Every one of them has been shot on 35mm, including the pair’s latest collaboration, The Bikeriders. Lensed in and around Cincinnati, the movie takes its inspiration from the photographs and stories in Danny Lyon’s titular 1968 […]
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“If We’re Gonna Live in This Story, We’ve Gotta Live with Each Other”: Zachary Ray Sherman, Back To One, Episode 299
After early success opposite Kirsten Dunst in Lifetime’s Fifteen and Pregnant, and as Jasper on the CW’s reboot of 90210, he’s gone on to build an impressive acting resume balancing television work (Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven) with edgy, transformative roles in independent films (Cuck; Can’t Seem to Make You Mine, opposite Lindsay Burdge; and A Desert, which just premiered at the Tribeca Festival, to name a few). On this episode, he talks about why it all starts with building trust with his collaborators early, the semi-mystical process of aligning his heart with the character’s heart, the importance of […]
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“You Can’t Only Turn Up and Be Like ‘I’m Going To Show You My Soul’ — No, You’ve Got a Job To Do as Well”: Abbey Lee, Back To One, Episode 298
In the midst of a successful modeling career a decade ago, Abbey Lee’s chance to break into acting came with Mad Max Fury Road. That challenging shoot was the first of many she faced with relish. A scene-stealing role in The Neon Demon followed, then M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, Lovecraft County, and Florida Man, to name a few, and now she stars opposite Kevin Costner in his 2-part western epic Horizon: An American Saga (in theaters now). On this episode, she talks about letting the character find her, the importance of staying malleable, using everything that happens as fuel for […]
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“It Was a Deeply Loving Set. Very Intimate. Very Small. Lots of Women”: Janet Planet Star Julianne Nicholson, Back To One, Episode 297
There are few actors more well respected than the preternaturally gifted Julianne Nicholson. Recent notable credits include August: Osage County, Dream Scenario, Mare of Easttown (which won her an Emmy award), and, her latest, playwright Annie Baker’s first film, Janet Planet. In this episode, she talks in-depth about playing Janet in that remarkable film, her elusive preparation process, getting the environment to settle into her body, actually learning how to do acupuncture, why she lets her instinct lead the way, and much more. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. […]
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Holding the Chicken: DP Rob Hardy on Civil War
In Civil War, the United States has splintered into four clashing factions, but if you’re expecting a treatise on the country’s ideological divide from British writer-director Alex Garland, this is not that movie. America’s dysfunction is secondary to examining the toll on the journalists covering the conflict. The story follows a quartet of correspondents (including jaded photographer Kirsten Dunst and green Cailee Spaeny) as they travel to the war’s front in Washington D.C. in hopes of landing an interview with the embattled president (Nick Offerman). Cinematographer Rob Hardy, who’s lensed all of Garland’s projects since the novelist/screenwriter turned to the […]
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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 […]
