IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

“The Color Purple” has already been a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, Academy Award-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, and Tony Award-winning Broadway show, but director Blitz Bazawule still found new areas to explore in his new adaptation of the stage musical. On this episode he talks about finding a visual language for the heroine Celie’s imagination, making the leap to big budget filmmaking, and choreographing every scene of the movie like a musical — even when the characters were just talking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast was always conceived as a place where filmmakers could have the kinds of detailed, craft-centric discussions that Martin Scorsese would love. Now, for our 250th episode, the master himself joins us explain why his new film both is and isn't inspired by the American Western, and reflects on what keeps him passionate so far into his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone were nominated for Oscars for their first collaboration, “The Favourite,” and their new film “Poor Things” is even funnier, more moving, and more original. Lanthimos and Stone sat down with us to talk about their collaboration, the benefits of a stripped-down set even for an epic, and the challenges of editing such a unique movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nikki Giovanni was one of the most prominent poet-activists to come out of the late-60s Black Arts Movement, and, as this film explores, is one of the Godmothers of Afrofuturism and the Afropunk alternative arts scene. But "Going to Mars" is far from your standard issue profile documentary, instead husband-wife co-directors Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster use Giovanni's life and writing as a jumping off point for their own formal exploration as they "delved into the soul of a poet." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Errol Morris has interviewed many controversial figures from Donald Rumsfeld to Steve Bannon, but when he sat down with author and former spy David Cornwell - aka John le Carré - he finally met his match in terms of intelligence and preparation. Morris joined us to discuss the interview with Cornwell that resulted in “The Pigeon Tunnel,” one of the director’s most compelling and entertaining films to date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ridley Scott is one of those directors with almost too many great films to count, from classics like Blade Runner to modern favorites like The Martian. He joined us to discuss his newest film, detailing how he manages to shoot epics like this in a fraction of the time it takes other filmmakers, and how his partnership with Joaquin Phoenix has strengthened since Gladiator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of the boundary pushing documentary joins us to illuminate how this famous character from Virginia Woolf remains strikingly relevant in our time, and how we are all a bit of an Orlando. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The directing team behind the latest Disney animated feature join us to discuss tapping into 100 years of Disney movie history to craft a film with its own sense of magic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After helming the last three films in the previous Hunger Games film series, director Francis Lawrence returns for the much anticipated prequel. He joined us to discuss how he returned to the franchise, and how he attempted to take every aspect of the series in new directions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sixteen years after the world saw a trailer for it in Grindhouse, Eli Roth has turned Thanksgiving into a real horror movie. Roth shares how the movie finally made it to the screen, and the slasher b-movies he paid homage to with this throwback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you know it or not, today's guest has probably been involved in a movie or TV show you love. The celebrated director, writer, & producer joins us for the 40th anniversary of his directorial debut Terms of Endearment. Brooks shares memories from working with an all star cast as a first time director, and how his clear vision for the comedic tone made the movie a success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of one of the most talked about movies of the fall joins us to discuss making a courtroom thriller quite unlike any other, using film form to challenge the tropes of the genre and our obsession with true crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are joined by the captain himself: show-runner, creator, and now director David Jenkins. We go deep below decks to learn why Jenkins rejects many typical pirate tropes in order to protect the emotional truth of his characters, and how they represent his views on comedy and romance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of Once (2007) and Sing Street (2016) joins Toolkit today to discuss his latest film about creativity, music, and finding connection in Dublin. Listen to hear how classic musicals influence how Carney sees his stories, and even what he thinks of Taylor Swift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The creator & showrunner of this darkly funny look at 80s culture and gender roles joined Toolkit to discuss the series' three season arc, the moving final episode, and that cruel inner voice so many of us seem to have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Bois talks the many facets of creating the epic nine-hour documentary "The History of The Minnesota Vikings" from the boss chart that anchors the series to unexpected music cues to novel uses for Google Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma Seligman discusses creating the riotous action comedy "Bottoms" from casting and stunt work to music and production design, and the project of bringing queer characters into timeless high school tropes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Wilson discusses his approach to both documentary and comedy, how he keeps track of all his b-roll, and what things he wanted to make sure How To With John Wilson taught audiences before he wrapped the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Stepping up to helm the tenth installment of one of Hollywood's biggest franchises is enough of a challenge, but director Louis Leterrier also had to step into the role with the movie already in progress. He discusses the challenges and upsides of joining a project already in motion, and how he managed to keep his trademark humor and personality in tact in a massive worldwide tentpole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As his hit show enters its final season on HBO, Bill Hader returns to Toolkit to break down his newest, weirdest ideas from the director's chair. As director for every episode this season, Hader's control over the artistic vision of the show has never been stronger, which comes with even more pressure and expectations. Hear how he found ways to improve on his previous work on the series, and what he hopes the future holds for Bill Hader, movie director. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cast and filmmakers behind Showtime’s “George & Tammy” break down the creative choices that went into bringing two country music legends to life. Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon and others discuss the decision to record all the musical performances live, explaining how it was accomplished and why it was crucial to telling the stories of these icons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For her adaptation of a beloved novel, the 'Edge of Seventeen' director understood a gentle hand was needed when approaching the nostalgia around this story. Kelly explains how she applied that gentle touch to period detail, as well as how she captured a truly authentic sense of childhood awkwardness. From the writing process to the edit room, Kelly shares many fascinating insights into this fantastic and much anticipated film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the preeminent American horror auteurs is back with his third feature, and for the director of Hereditary and Midsommar, it's no small thing to say this is his most ambitious film to date. Hear Aster discuss how he leveled up his craft, convinced Joaquin Phoenix to trust him, and stepped beyond the horror genre to encompass the bizarre totality of Beau's mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The co-creator of The Knick joins us to talk about stepping onto Perry Mason as a showrunner for Season 2. Hear how he achieved the team's ambitious goals to expand the scope of the story, deepen the already fantastic characters, and craft a beguiling mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With this horror classic getting a 20 year anniversary Blu-Ray release this year, we sat down with Rob Zombie to reflect on the making and impact of his debut film. He recalls wild stories from getting the movie made, and opens up about his journey since then finding his artistic voice within the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I just want those old version to die forever," director Gregg Araki told us during our discussion of the release of the long awaited restoration. Twenty eight years since the film was last properly seen at its Sundance debut, hear Araki unpack his long emotional journey with the film, and what it took for this restoration to bring his original vision back to the big screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director of all four John Wick movies sat down to discuss the secrets behind the stunning action and stylistic flare of his iconic series. Stahelski goes deep on the many influences he drew from to keep pushing the boundaries of what Wick can be in this third sequel. With the scope of the film drawing from epics like Lawrence of Arabia, and the fight scenes inspired by Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse musicals, hear how the franchise stays engaging by rooting itself in classic cinematic language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showrunners Nora & Lilla Zuckerman discuss how they built ten "all killer" mysteries for "Poker Face," even in episodes where no one actually, as well as how their work in the genre space helped them understand Charlie Cale and the importance of building stories that use every part of the Buffalo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years as the star of the Creed franchise, Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut in this emotional third sequel. Jordan opened up with us about the challenges of directing intense physical scenes while maintaining his energy as an actor, and the trust and grace he received from his cast that made it possible. He also goes deep on how his passion for anime revamped the visual style an emotional storytelling of the fight scenes, and how real life fathers Muhammad Ali, Jamie Fox, Kobe Bryant, and his barber inspired the girl-dad relationship between Adonis and his young daughter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1987, Robert Townsend co-wrote, directed, starred in and self-financed (using his savings and credit cards) “Hollywood Shuffle” as a reaction against the lack of opportunities for black actors at the time. 36 years later, the film stands alongside “Stranger Than Paradise,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” and “sex, lies, and videotape” as a classic of the independent film movement and has been newly released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection. Townsend sat down with Toolkit to talk about the “dark ages” of 1980s independent film, how he turned his frustrations into the raw material of hilarious farce, and how the lessons learned on “Hollywood Shuffle” continue to fuel his successful directing career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices