Indiewire's Filmmaker Toolkit

The epic political thriller "JFK" was featured last weekend at the American Cinematheque, and we had the privilege to interview writer & director Oliver Stone live on stage. Stone talks about the impact of this controversial film, and reflects on its legacy today. You'll also hear some of the filmmaker's thoughts on the state of the industry today, and why he's an even angrier, more passionate filmmaker than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After seven years of scoring HBO’s “Succession,” Nicholas Britell reflects on completing his first TV series. What did he learn about working in TV? How did the series and his process evolve over the course of four seasons? Would he ever sign on to do another serialized series? Was it helpful for the “Succession” editors to use his previously recorded music to temp new episodes? Did his experience working on Wall Street, before becoming a film & TV composer, inform his understanding of the Roys? Plus, Britell explains why he wrote the last two pieces of “Succession” music (including the choir music used over the final end credits) well before seeing the series finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Peter Hoar joins us to talk about the episode of The Last of Us that had us all in tears. Peter discusses the power of telling gay stories, using both natural light and "On The Nature of Daylight," and how the crew of "The Last of Us" fell just as hard for Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) as the characters did for each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As part of 80s week over on the IndieWire site, we are featuring a special conversation with a filmmaker who forever changed the ways movies look and feel. His early work created the iconic look of movies like Rocky and The Shining, and today we are all living in the world Steadicam built. Garrett tells the story of why he needed to invent a new tool for cinematic motion, and reflects on how its legacy has shaped cinema in the decades since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in The Truman Show, with every aspect of your reality crafted by a team of filmmakers? Showrunner and executive producer Cody Heller was tasked with creating just such a world for the star of Jury Duty; an entirely fake, month-long court case built from scratch and performed live for the unaware protagonist. Heller shares the wildly creative tricks her team used to keep up with the chaos of real life, and discusses how did Jury Duty managed to be a fascinating social experiment and a goofy hysterical comedy all at the same time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Toolkit we dive deep into a single episode of the Netflix hit series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The episode in question, Silenced, is one of the best hours of TV this year, and director Paris Barclay walks us through the incredible craft that made this story of a black, gay, deaf man so transporting and emotionally resonant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is everything...because today we are talking Barbie! Both writer/director Greta Gerwig AND editor Nick Houy join us this week, and if you've seen the movie you know how crucial editing was to pulling it all off. The movie is a big swing, a wild ride, and a surprisingly personal and intimate project for something branded with one of the biggest names in the world. Greta walks us through how all that is possible, and the pair explore how they think about assembling stories not just on Barbie, but across their collaborations on Lady Bird and Little Women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the greatest series in the history of TV, Justified, is back on the air with a haunting new subtitle. We talk this week with showrunner, writer, and director of Justified: City Primeval, Michael Dinner. He explores the reasons the show is making a triumphant return, what it was like coming back to a career-defining project after many years, and how this season was adapted from unexpected source material. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've seen Across the Spider-Verse you won't be surprised to learn such a complex film took three directors to helm. One of those directors, Kemp Powers, joins us to explain how they pulled it off with the same grace, ambition, and heart that defines the spider-people at the center of the story. Kemp breaks down the experience of essentially "shooting" the movie for four years, and how even when directing a crew of thousands he managed to work in personal inspiration from his own life. After you listen you'll want to run right out to the theater to catch all the incredible details Kemp points out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our favorite things to do on Toolkit is speak with rising stars in the world of directing, and we got to do just that this week with Celine Song, whose debut film 'Past Lives' is landing firmly in the top of most "best of the year so far" lists. She explores how she tackled challenges unique to this particular love story, especially the careful presentation of language. Song wrote the script in two languages and sought an unusual level of control over subtitles in order to protect the nuances of the love story, just two of many reasons 'Past Lives' feels both deeply personal and incredibly confident in its craft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The creator and star of one of the most visually inventive and challenging shows of the year sits down with us this week to discuss the rich culture (and pop-culture) that informs the project. It's a series you have to see to fully comprehend, and Terence provides fascinating insights into how such an ambitious project came to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Helming any superhero blockbuster is a massive balancing act, and few filmmakers had as much to bring together as Andy Muschietti for this multiverse-hopping epic. Hear him explain how he approached the legendary iconography of Batman (Batmen?) and the impressive technique used to capture his star's dual performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stunt coordinator turned director Sam Hargrave joins us to walk through his process making this satisfying sequel. He shares his thoughts on why so many stunt performers have recently become some of our best action directors, and explains how his close collaboration with star Chris Hemsworth allows for moving moments between the action (as well as incredible feats like 21 minute long take fight scenes). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an unusually zany quest for the holy grail on today's Toolkit as we sit down with the co-writers and creators of Mrs. Davis. They discuss the challenges of balancing wild comedic antics with some truly deep questions about religion and technology, and how a special blend of influences from Looney Tunes to Quentin Tarantino and Monty Python helped it all come to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can't stop thinking about the end of Succession, so we had to sit down with Mark Mylod to dig into his directorial journey across the four seasons of this incredible show. He breaks down the many infamous moments from the finale, and also reveals which episodes along the way taught him what the style of the show would become. It's a conversation that will make you want to rewatch the series from the beginning with open eyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two of Terry Gilliam's masterpieces recently received lavish Criterion Collection re-releases, packed with the insights and special features expected from the series. We felt this was a perfect excuse to sit down with Terry and take a humorous and thoughtful look back on the making of The Fisher King and Time Bandits. Hear the master reflect on everything from working with Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, to making an unusual kids movie within the studio system, and drop in many funny anecdotes along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craig Mazin is a huge fan of The Last of Us and it's characters, and that passion comes across beautifully when he described making the show. He dives deep into his meticulous approach to preserving the world of the game, adapting an interactive action game into a TV drama, and his feelings about the story's infamous relationship to the power and horror of love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A decade after their last collaboration, 2013's Enough Said, Holofcenter reunites with star Julia Louis-Dreyfus for another brilliant film about the complexities of relationships. The new film, about the fallout of a wife hearing what her husband really thinks of her work, is full of comedic possibility and penetrating insights on the subtle negotiations that make up a long lasting marriage. Holofcenter has become the master of American marital strife, and has a fascinating discussion with us diving into how she achieves her signature tonal balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Love & Death tells the true story of an affair gone horribly wrong, and Director Lesli Linka Glatter joined us to explore all the lurid details. The television directing legend, with credits on Mad Men, Twin Peaks, Homeland, and many more, explains how she balanced the entertaining tone of the series with the authentic horror of this real life tragedy, and why a scene involving just two people in a laundry room was the hardest scene of her career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Schrader joins us in the IndieWire studio this week to discuss the third film in his loose "a man in a room" trilogy, following 'First Reformed' and 'Card Counter.' These movies center on a particular kind of existential loner, in this case an reformed white supremacist hiding from his past in a garden community. Hear Schrader explain how digital technology and smaller budgets have liberated his filmmaking, and how 'Master Gardener' draws from and comments on the long cinematic history of troubled, loner men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices