Indiewire's Filmmaker Toolkit

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