Behind The Lens

Catch up with #BTLRadioShow as we dig deep into the world of YELLOWSTONE with excerpts of our exclusive interviews with Ruth Carter, Ruth De Jong, Ben Richardson, and Brian Tyler. Plus, hear what production designer Gemma Jackson (with a Will Smith sidebar) has to say about creating the world of ALADDIN. And we talk about the powerful TRIAL BY FIRE. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

It's a deliciously wicked episode of BEHIND THE LENS this week thanks to 79 PARTS, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, MURDER MADE EASY, and THE INTRUDER! First up is writer/director DAVID PALAMARO giving a quick pre-recorded tease about MURDER MADE EASY. Regular listeners and readers will recall David being on the show several times when MURDER MADE EASY was on the festival circuit. A devilishly delectable dish with six guests, six meals, and six murders, MURDER MADE EASY now hits Blu-ray/DVD on May 20th. Then we continue last week's discussion on THE INTRUDER with an excerpt of my exclusive interview with DENNIS QUAID talking about delving into THE INTRUDER and the maniacal character of Charlie Peck with director Deon Taylor. Our first live guest today is director JAY LOWI talking about his divine dark comedy EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. Fresh, funny, and classroom worthy of extra credit, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES gets an A+ in my book. Listen as Jay talks about his impeccable cast and crafting the visu

It's a real "show of shows" this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we welcome back the fabulous DEON TAYLOR for the entire hour! Take a listen as we go in-depth talking about Deon's latest film – THE INTRUDER plus Deon's journey as a filmmaker to arrive at today with a wide release feature film that debuted as the #1 new release at the box office and only second to "Avengers: Endgame". A man who has always kept his eye on the ball, his story is an inspiration to every filmmaker or wannabe filmmaker. And he is as affable, energetic and entertaining as can be while staying grounded, grateful, and humble. Dennis Quaid affectionately refers to him as "Mr. Excitement." One of the hallmarks of his filmmaking finds Deon with an uncanny knack for lulling one into a false sense of security when it comes to both his characters and his audience. He shows us ordinary people who become victims to terrifying circumstances, but who somehow find the inner mettle to survive. He also excel

How about taking a trip into the past and the early days of jazz with BOLDEN? One of my picks of the year, take a listen to our exclusive prerecorded interview with writer/director DAN PRITZKER as we go in-depth into the history of jazz and Buddy Bolden. At the midpoint of the show, writer/director/producer/cinematographer VILAN TRUB joins us live talking about his neo-noir crime thriller, THE DIRTY KIND, the story of a politician, a hooker, a couple of gangsters and a private eye and how everything goes wrong for everyone. Calling on his own love of 30's and 40's Sam Spade films and works by Dashiell Hammett, as well as more recent crime thrillers, listen as Vilan talks about crafting the story and the characters and layering plotlines on character traits, wearing a multiplicity of hats, shooting a film in nine days, the importance of location on a low budget production, rehearsal, editing, 20/20 hindsight, and his best advice to other filmmakers – don't wait for someone to wave a bag of mon

Female filmmakers are front and center this week on BEHIND THE LENS thanks to writer/director ROXANNE BENJAMIN and director ROXANN DAWSON. First up is our exclusive pre-recorded interview with director ROXANN DAWSON who makes her feature directorial debut with BREAKTHROUGH. Based on the true story of 14-year old John Smith who, on January 19, 2015, fell through the ice of Lake St. Louis, and was clinically dead for almost an hour. With no CPR for 27 minutes and no pulse for 45 minutes, the emergency medical team delivered the worst possible news to John's mother, Joyce. But as any mother knows, you don't give up on your child. Calling on her immense faith, Joyce prayed for John to "come back to life" and be healed. Miraculously, he started breathing. Adapted for the screen by screenwriter Grant Nieporte from the bestselling book "The Impossible" by Joyce Smith, take a listen as Roxann talks about what compelled her to tell this story and why she chose it as her directorial feat

Fresh off the 10th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival and a look back at the gems of the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond, this week on BEHIND THE LENS, we continue to take a look at history through the eyes of cinema thanks to our two special guests, writer/director TIM DISNEY and producer KEN PETRIE. Take a listen as writer/director TIM DISNEY talks about his new narrative feature WILLIAM, premised on a longstanding scientific debate about Neanderthals v. Homo Sapiens. "What if" the Neanderthals were actually the more advanced of the two species? And "what if" a Neanderthal child was born in today's world. Would he be stronger, smarter? Given the rapid-fire scientific advancements of cloning and the unearthing of very well preserved human and animal remains from the Neanderthal era and older, reality provides a fascinating basis for Tim's telling of this story. Known for his documentary work, Tim talks about making the leap into this narrative feature, the research that went in

It's that time again! Time for the 10th ANNUAL TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL!!! And for the 5th consecutive year, BEHIND THE LENS celebrates TCM and the festival with a preview look thanks to our very special classic film Movie Mavens, KELLEE PRATT, AURORA DESMOND, KRISTEN LOPEZ, and PAULA GUTHAT! This year, all four of the ladies are TCM AMBASSADORS, so festival attendees, be on the lookout for them! These gals will be everywhere seeing as many movies as they can, answering questions for you, and keeping you updated on social media. You can hop onto Twitter and keep up with each of us throughout the festival and all year long at: @irishjayhawk66, @citizenscreen, @journeys_film, @paula_guthat, and @moviesharkd. Take a listen as we go through the festival line-up and special events and debate the merits of each film from the perspective of "conflict" situations. And trust me on this - every time block presents conflict situations as to which movie to see or event to attend; a true testament t

It's a jam-packed show this week as we take flight with DUMBO and hear what TIM BURTON, RICK HEINRICHS, and COLLEEN ATWOOD have to say about the "making of" this delightful tale, followed by filmmaker SHAWN AUSTIN talking about his latest feature PRINCESS OF THE ROW, and then rounding things out with co-directors PAT McGEE and ADAM LINKENHELT as they talk about their powerful documentary AMERICAN RELAPSE. But first up it's all about that precious pachyderm DUMBO! Take a listen and hear what TIM BURTON had to say to me during our recent press conference about creating the specific sound for our little elephant as well as "Dumbovision", while production designer RICK HEINRICHS talks specifically about designing the Medici Circus and its sideshows, and costume designer COLLEEN ATWOOD talks about her design work on a Busby Berkeley inspired number which incorporated choreography, cinematography and Berkeley's legendary geometric stylings into her costume design. Then co-write

It's a week of all pre-recorded exclusive interviews on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS thanks to being felled by the flu and laryngitis, but each interview is as insightful and enlightening as the next thanks to TY ROBERTS, LANE GARRISON, NED VAN ZANDT, KENT JONES, and MATTHIAS SCHOENARTS. Kicking off the show take a listen to a wonderful filmmaking triumvirate – writer/director TY ROBERTS, actor LANE GARRISON, and actor NED VAN ZANDT – talking about THE IRON ORCHARD. Adapted by Roberts and co-writer Gerry DeLeon, THE IRON ORCHARD is based on the novel by Tom Pendleton aka Edmund Pendleton Van Zandt (and the father of Ned Van Zandt) and takes a look at the wildcatting days of west Texas through the eyes of Jim McNeely (played by Lane Garrison). A love letter to the West, THE IRON ORCHARD is also a love story; a love story about Jim and oil, Jim and wife Lee. Then we go from West Texas to New England and our exclusive interview with writer/director KENT JONES as he talks about DIANE. With a tour de for

It's all about journeys to self-discovery and explorations of self-identify on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS. First up, we take a look at CAPTAIN MARVEL and hear from directors ANNA BODEN and RYAN FLECK as they talk about working with VFX for the first time as they make the leap from the quiet little character-driven indie world to the explosive and electrifying MCU, while MCU leader KEVIN FEIGE chimes in with his thoughts. Then we hear from co-writers/directors ANDRE PHILLIPS and CHARLES VUOLO who are live talking about their feature debut film, LUPE. Beautifully lensed and boasting some excellent performances, their journey to make LUPE is as interesting as the characters they bring to life on screen. Writer/director CAMBRIA MATLOW rounds out the show talking about her latest documentary WOODSRIDER. An almost experimental format with no voiceover and no narration, we are dropped into the world of snowboarder Sadie Ford and go along for the ride as we explore her off-the-beaten path lifestyle li

We've got some tasty treats for you in this episode of BEHIND THE LENS! Take a listen to our pre-recorded exclusive interview with director MAYA GALLUS as she talks about her latest documentary THE HEAT: A KITCHEN (R)EVOLUTION. A fascinating conversation as Maya talks with us about the making of THE HEAT, selecting the female chefs profiled, developing a through-line, shooting food, and more! And then at the midpoint of the show is writer/director STEPHEN PORTLAND talking about his debut feature, the psychological horror film SOMETHING, a nice twist on the genre, filmmakers will appreciate hearing Stephen's journey in the making of SOMETHING and the learning curve of "details". http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

It&s all about DRIVER X on BEHIND THE LENS with special guests actor PATRICK FABIAN and writer/director HENRY BARRIAL. And how about those Oscars and Spirit Awards? http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

An action-packed BEHIND THE LENS thanks to special guest, writer/director SAM FRIEDLANDER talking BABYSPLITTERS, plus, our prerecorded exclusive interviews with WWE SUPERSTAR PAIGE and actor/writer/comedian NICK FROST talking FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY and more! http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

Miss #BTLRadioShow live? Catch up now and take a listen as thrills, chills and laugh out ridiculum are the watchwords of the day thanks to special guests filmmakers RON CARLSON (DEAD ANT) and DORON PAZ (THE GOLEM), plus an excerpt of our prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director LEE CRONIN talking THE HOLE IN THE GROUND. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

Another enlightening and entertaining episode of #BTLRadioShow thanks to our special guests, director ROSS CLARK talking THE BIRD CATCHER, and co-directors BRENT KINETZ and TERENCE MICKEY talking 1 BILLION ORGASMS. Plus, excerpts of our exclusive interview with writer/director JOE PENNA talking ARCTIC. Miss us live on Adrenaline Radio? Take a listen now! http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This episode of BEHIND THE LENS looks at some more of the wonderful films that played at SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL this year thanks to our live guests, w/d ALEC TIBALDI (SPIRAL FARM) and w/d MARK JACKSON (THIS TEACHER). Plus, hear excerpts of our exclusive interview with Emmy award-winning producer/writer/director STEVE McCARTHY talking about his new HBO documentary BRESLIN AND HAMILL: DEADLINE ARTISTS. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

On this episode of BEHIND THE LENS, we're welcoming another year of Slamdance Film Festival as we take a look at FINDING THE A**HOLE, an entertaining series of short films from writer/director/actor MELISSA STEPHENS which premieres at Slamdance on January 25, with the first three series chapters then released into the universe the same night. Our special live guest, take a listen as we dig deep with Melissa talking about the conception and development of FINDING THE A**HOLE, financing, her growth as a director as she moves through each of the first three short film chapters, casting and collaboration, and more. But before Melissa joins us, we're talking about ASHES IN THE SNOW starring Bel Powley. Adapted from the acclaimed novel "Between Shades of Gray" by RUTA SEPETYS, take a listen to our exclusive prerecorded conversation with Ruta, as she talks in-depth about her journey to write the book and her research and personal connection to the story of 15-year old Lina and her imprisonment in

Writer/Director JEFF FRY is back with us live talking about his WWII short film KRIEG and some upcoming film festivals where you can catch this amazing film. Listen as Jeff talks about his search for the perfect international cast, locating authentic uniforms, planes, vehicles and other equipment, overcoming the challenges of thefts of rare original items which forced him to build a WWII radio similar to that used by the Resistance, the ten-year process of script to screen, as well as research into the military aspects of the war from the perspective of the Nazis, Allies and Resistance fighters. A Herculean undertaking that pays off in spades when you see the end product. And you'll hear excerpts of our exclusive interview with director NEIL BURGER talking about the #1 box office movie - THE UPSIDE! Last week you heard what Kevin Hart had to say about tackling a more dramatic role with more sobering and restrained humor. Now hear what his director has to say. Covering everything from what made him acc

BEHIND THE LENS kicks off its fifth year with a jam-packed show and special guest, director JEN McGOWAN. First up we're talking about THE UPSIDE. An update and fresh English-language version from director Neil Burger of the acclaimed, internationally popular, "The Intouchables." Starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman, THE UPSIDE is one of the first "must see" films of the year. And one of the things that makes this a "must see" is KEVIN HART's performance. Not what we're accustomed to from Hart, in THE UPSIDE he finds a perfect balance with a light comedic touch and a sobering dramatic arc that is revelatory. Listen as Hart talks about this performance and stretching his acting chops from within. And then we go to the birds with BIRD BOX. Take a listen to excerpts of our exclusive interview with screenwriter ERIC HEISSERER as he talks about developing Sandra Bullock's character of Malorie as well as the depth of development for the supporting

BEHIND THE LENS wraps up its fourth year on Adrenaline Radio and 2018 with an awards bang! Take a listen as we talk about the Golden Globe-nominated MARY POPPINS RETURNS with our exclusive interview with lead animated character designer JAMES WOODS. You'll be fascinated as James talks about creating 137 animated characters, working with legendary 2d Disney animators, and the magic of Mary Poppins. And did you know it takes 24 drawings to create one second of animated footage? Plus, production designer JOHN MYHRE talks exclusively with BTL about what is clearly his favorite giddy-with-glee piece of magic created by his team - Mary Poppins' talking parrot head umbrella! And director Rob Marshall talks about finding the balance between the touchstones from the 1964 film and melding them with the new magic of MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Producer BENJAMIN WIESSNER is live at the midpoint of the show talking about the Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee THUNDER ROAD! Already lauded at film festivals arou