IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

“Novocaine” directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen join IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill to talk about their new action-comedy, which merges the influence of 1980s hits like “Die Hard” and “Lethal Weapon” with the story of a new kind of action hero. Berk and Olsen discuss how they made the most of a modest budget, why Cape Town, South Africa doubled for San Diego, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Korean only version begins at: 23:01 We are thrilled to welcome back Oscar winning director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho. His new movie takes place in a world where human printing exists (memories and all), and follows a man who agrees to be killed again for science. Director Bong reveals the pandemic-inspired origins of the film, what it was like working with Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo, and more. You can watch the full conversation on IndieWire's Youtube page: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_oEavFHbDlFCGlOmGO71Tvzb1qEHofCg&si=GIs_qajyGCSlhXvu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So what makes a great hangout film like “Dazed & Confused” or “American Graffiti”? That’s what IndieWire’s Chris O’Falt asks director Carson Lund, a student of the sub-genre and who just made a great one with his baseball film “Eephus,” the story of two recreational baseball teams, up in small town New England, playing their last game on their beloved field before it gets torn down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Compensation' is an underdiscussed classic that follows two young black couples, one of whom is deaf, played by the same actors in two time periods, facing two different pandemics. In making the movie in the 90s, and discussing it now, Zeinabu is brilliant at capturing the complexities and patterns of black lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Universal Language' is a charming, deceptively deep indie film about a town that is somehow both Winnipeg, Canada and Tehran, Iran, and the lives of its citizens. Director Mathew Rankin sat down with IndieWire craft writer Sarah Shachat to discuss what it takes to live in community, finding his family on set, and of course filming with live turkeys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Coralie Fargeat tells IndieWire how the films of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, the Coen Brothers, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter and Darren Aronofsky inspired her Oscar nominated body horror classic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This powerful documentary, produced and directed by Shiori Itō, documents her own sexual assault and the investigation in Japan. Itō kindly shares her personal experiences documenting her own legal case, and describes the challenges of post production when she is the subject as well as filmmaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oscar nominated director of one of the splashiest films of the year joins IndieWire's Chris O'Falt to dive into her ideas about self hatred, body image, Hollywood, and how she represented it all in her body-horror extravaganza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of the most celebrated animated film of the year sat down with IndieWire's Sarah Shachat to share how he made this charming and powerful film on a micro-indie budget. You can watch the full intrerview with Glints at Youtube.com/IndieWire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new movie "Companion" is part horror, part rom-com, part heist flick, and a whole lot more. First time writer/director Drew Hancock joined IndieWire's features writer Jim Hemphill for a deep dive into his filmmaking process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Horror filmmaker Leigh Whannell joins IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill to talk about “Wolf Man,” his latest collaboration with Universal and Blumhouse. Like Whannell’s “The Invisible Man,” “Wolf Man” reinvents a classic Universal monster in an entirely new and original way. Whannell talks about the differences between “Wolf Man” and “Invisible Man,” the influence of David Cronenberg, and how living through COVID informed his writing and directing process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies" director is back with her Nicole Kidman starring sexual thriller about a high powered CEO who explores her submissive kink through an affair with a much younger intern. Halina shares her very specific vision for the film, and breaks down how she used her experiences as an actor to bring authenticity and craft to the sex scenes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Academy Award-winning editor William Goldenberg stops by the podcast to talk with IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill about his directorial debut “Unstoppable.” “Unstoppable”tells the true story of Anthony Robles, a wrestler who was born without a leg yet went on to become an NCAA champion. Goldenberg talks about his process casting, shooting, and cutting the film, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Peter Berg joins IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill to discuss his epic new Netflix series “American Primeval,” a Western about the bloody battles that erupted in 1850s Utah between Mormons, immigrant settlers, indigenous tribes and faithless opportunists out to make a buck. Berg talks about creating the series’ visceral action sequences, relying on advisers and rigorous research to provide a sense of journalistic detail, and why he’s optimistic about the future of America in spite of his brutal vision of its past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Sing Sing' tells the real life story of men imprisoned at the infamous prison in upstate New York, and the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program that helped the men find their voice, dignity, and hope. Director Greg Kwedar sat down with IndieWire to discuss developing this sensitive story for the screen, and directing a cast of mostly formerly incarcerated men who understood the story better than he did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Payal Kapadia is one of the most exciting up and coming filmmakers we have right now, and she sat down with IndieWire's Chris O'Falt in studio to discuss her new film that is one of the year's best. Listen in to learn a lot about Mumbai, filmmaking in India, and what how Kapadia's work in documentary informs her style; a blend of fiction and non-fiction filmmaking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill sits down with writer and director James Mangold to talk about his return to the musical bio-pic with his Bob Dylan film “A Complete Unknown.” The interview covers what Mangold learned about making musicals from “Walk the Line,” what he learned about directing actors from Robert De Niro on “Copland,” and why recording actors live instead of lip-syncing is the only way to go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Succumb to the darkness with us as we sit down with one of our favorite directors to discuss his provocative vampire movie 'Nosferatu.' Eggers discusses the intense physical performance from Lily-Rose Depp, his trademark meticulous period reconstruction, and what it meant to complete this remake he has beed dreaming about for decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of this summers box office sensation joined IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill to discuss the anxieties and joys of making a sequel to the beloved 2015 film, what Mann learned from his teen girl advisory board, and how his film evolved from script to screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did director Brady Corbet and his team make one of the most epic-feeling movies of the year for less than 10 million dollars? Listen in to our conversation with him to learn the filmmaking tricks they used to tighten the budget, and hear him discuss what the Brutalist Architecture in 'The Brutalist' really means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At our inaugural Future of Filmmaking summit this November, IndieWire's Chris O'Falt hosted a fascinating discussion on performance capture filmmaking, featuring the director, VFX supervisor, and a lead actor from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." Listen in to hear how the team on these films is pushing performance capture technology forward, and what it was like for the actors in "Ape Camp." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Nickel Boys" is not only one of the best films of the year, but also one of the most experimental and challenging we've seen in a long while. IndieWire's Chris O'Falt sat down with Director RaMell Ross to explore why this story had to be told in first-person cinematography, and hear what Ross is trying to say about film form, and how it needs to evolve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of "Jackie" and "Spencer" returns to his unofficial trilogy of films about famous women in moments of crisis, this time to depict the final days of one of opera's most renowned singers, Maria Callas. Larraín talks to IndieWire's Jim Hemphill about directing Angelina Jolie in the biggest role of her career, and how he found a cinematic language that felt truly operatic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Sugarcane' is an investigative documentary about abuse at a Catholic Native school in Canada. The film's director's joined Chris O'Falt to talk about the years of developing the project, speaking to honest Native experiences, and the camera's power to heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard about this movie where Amy Adams turns into a dog? Writer and Director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) spoke with IndieWire's Sarah Shachat about how she related to this wild and thought-provoking story, and explains how she tackled the famous Hollywood no-no, working with both children and dogs in one film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luca Guadagnino joins us for his 5th appearance on the Toolkit Podcast, this time to discuss his drug-infused psycho-sexual drama "Queer." Luca explains how the novel has been a part of his life for decades, why he decided to shoot the film on soundstages with painted backdrops, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Elizabeth Sankey's new documentary examines depictions of Witches across media and pop culture, using her own journeys with motherhood and mental illness as a powerful lens. She has a great chat with IndieWire's Sarah Shachat about the complex filmmaking and personal details that make the film special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of this fall's biggest box office smash joins Chris O'Falt to break down the incredibly complex making of the movie. They discuss the decision split the story into two films, how Chu reworked Elphaba's emotional arc, and the intricacies of Munchkin-land culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trio of directors behind Ken Burn's new film join IndieWire's Sarah Shachat for a deep dive into documentary filmmaking, and how they pushed their form forward to capture one of the most fascinating minds in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For his second feature as Director, Jesse Eisenberg takes us on a hilarious and emotionally complex family road trip to Poland. He sat down with IndieWire's Chris O'Falt to discuss writing the script, why he initially wanted to play the Kieran Culkin part, and what the title of the film actually means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our favorite Toolkit guests is back to talk about his hilarious, heartfelt, and emotionally challenging new feature. Baker explains how he found the incredible mansion that anchors the film, what was important to get right in the portrayal of sex, and shares stories about working with the incredible multi-lingual ensemble cast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of The Batman, and its upcoming sequel, joined IndieWire's Chris O'Falt for an extra long deep dive into the spin off series on HBO Max. Reeves explained his role as creative head of this current Batman franchise, how the show is intimately connected to the films, and how he crafted a monster of an origin story for the unrecognizable Colin Farrell to portray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the best directors working today has made an incredible series about how form and narrative can manipulate our understanding of events. We dive right into a rich, spoiler-filled discussion of the series, so we recommend watching it all before listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Megan Park sat down with IndieWire's Sarah Shachat to discuss her new time-travel coming of age movie. Park discusses the wonderfully quirky Canadian-ness of the movie, and how she found the perfect "Old Ass" late in the process with Aubrey Plaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IndieWire's Chirs O'Falt sat down with Co-Directors of one of the most urgent and powerful documentaries of the year while they were in town for the New York Film Festival. Basel is a Palestinian activist who had been filming his rural West Bank farming community as it had been destroyed by Israel's occupation. He builds an unlikely alliance with the Israeli journalist Yuval, who had been traveling to the region to report on what was going on in the West Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front is back with a story of a very different conflict: choosing the next Pope. Berger chatted with IndieWire’s Chris O’Falt about directing the impeccable Ralph Fiennes, making multiple scenes of voting feel dramatic, and how he inserted honest absurdities into the serious proceedings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Linklater sat down with IndieWire's Chris O'Falt back in June for the premiere of 'Hit Man,' one of the most fun movies of this year. Linklater explains the decision making that went into crafting the film's many twists and turns, and explores his deep collaboration with star Glen Powell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Toolkit, something special: for the 30th anniversary of the action classic "Speed," IndieWire's Jim Hemphill interviewed the director and stars live on stage at the American Cinematheque for their recent Beyond Fest screening of the movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Aaron Schimberg takes us under the hood of his fascinating new film, which follows Sebastian Stan as a man with a condition that causes tumors to grow in the skin of his face. The story takes us through black comedy, thriller, and explores the streets of New York in an honest, gritty way we haven't seen since the films of the 70s. And Aaron opened up about his personal relationship to the story and actor Adam Pearson, who has the condition in real life. Around 48:00 we ask Aaron about his screening series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and he breaks down how each film inspired "A Different Man." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The creators of the hit HBO series join Chris O'Falt on Toolkit to discuss the season finale. They get surprisingly candid about the ways they needed to improve as writers and show runners after the first two seasons, and dive into the many choices that made season three a titanic leap forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The film that Francis Ford Coppola has been working on for a quarter century, that he spent 120 million of his own fortune to finance, is finally hitting theaters this weekend. Listen to Francis talk about how he rediscovered his craft in the long journey to the screen, and opens up about some of the on-set controversies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Duplass, the writer and producer of the new Netflix series Penelope, sat down with Chris O'Falt to discuss the maverick way he brought this project to screen. From inspiration he took from conversations with his kids about their mental state, to the potential future he sees for an indie-TV market to rival indie-film, Mark covered a range of fascinating topics in this conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever been curious about visiting a psychic? Too skeptical to try? Lana Wilson's new documentary might be for you. Hear Wilson share the story of an Election Night 2016 story that sparked her fascination into the psychic community, and why she thinks it's not really about believing, but something more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Schrader returns to Toolkit to discuss the film he is most proud of from his long career, "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters." Schrader walks through the challenges he faced getting the film made, including wearing a knife proof vest on set due to death threats from the right-wing government, and why the story of this Japanese artist has fascinated him for decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Daniels joins IndieWire features writer Jim Hemphill to discuss his new Netflix film “The Deliverance,” which combines elements of spirituality, social realism, melodrama, dark comedy, and horror to create a consistently entertaining and intensely involving viewing experience. Daniels talks about working in the horror genre for the first (and probably last) time, the challenges of making a movie with several younger actors, how he turned Glenn Close into an archetype often seen in life but rarely on screen, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The creator of "Dear White People" sat down with us to talk about his new 4-part docuseries that explores the forgotten influences and power of black film. Listen in to learn about some of the untold stories of black Hollywood, and hear how his peers like Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay reacted to watching this cinematic history. - You can watch this entire conversation on IndieWire.com or on the IndieWire Youtube page - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices