Soundstage Access

It was awesome to welcome on the show Ted Griffin, a director, producer and screenwriter whose credits include OCEAN'S ELEVEN, MATCHSTICK MEN and Martin's Scorsese's THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. Ted has an encyclopedic knowledge of film history, and in today’s conversation we discuss a number of topics: from Ted selling his first script at age 27 and the frustrating first few years working in Hollywood as a screenwriter; his experience writing OCEAN'S ELEVEN, and the creative process behind writing heist films; how meeting Martin Scorsese led to them collaborating on THE KEY TO RESERVA, a Hitchcock-inspired short film; Ted’s favorite memories from the set of THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. All of this… and much more! Make sure you subscribe to Soundstage Access to catch a preview of which guests we'll be interviewing next. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

What a treat to speak with Ilya Naishuller, a Russian filmmaker whose credits include HARDCORE HENRY and NOBODY (starring Bob Odenkirk as a kick-ass action star).
 In today’s conversation, Ilya and I discuss a wide range of topics: how directing a music video that went viral led him to receive a fully-financed offer to make his first feature film; how that film became Hardcore Henry, an indie videogame-like film experience shot as a first-shooter for $ 2 MILLION; a deep-dive discussion on Ilya’s new movie Nobody—from the 2-year training Bob Odenkirk went through to physically prepare for the role, to working with 87Eleven and directing the iconic bus fight in the film. All of this... and much more! Make sure you subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform so you can share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It's a pleasure to sit down with Salvatore Totino, a Hollywood cinematographer whose credits include BIRD BOX, THE DA VINCI CODE, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING and SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY. In today’s conversation, discuss a wide range of topics: from Sal’s career-long relationship with Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and the creative choices they made during the challenging production of CINDERELLA MAN; the death-defying experience of shooting EVEREST, the true story of the extreme 1996 blizzard that claimed the lives of 8 mountain climbers; also, why Sal has spent most of his career choosing to shoot with at least 2 cameras simultaneously on most of his films. All of this... and much more! Be sure to check out Sal’s new movie, SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY, which will hit theaters and HBO Max later this summer. Subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform so you can share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstage

What a treat to be welcomed in the offices of Stunts Unlimited to chat with Jack Gill, an award-winning stunt coordinator and second unit director whose credits include VENOM, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and several chapters in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise.
 In today’s conversation, discuss a wide range of topics: from Jack’s violent beginnings in the stunt industry of the 1970’s, working on TV shows like THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and KNIGHT RIDER, revolutionary at the time for their ground-breaking action—and why he would choose time and time again to return on set despite breaking his neck and his back multiple times; Jack’s relationship with Hal Needham, perhaps the greatest stuntman who ever lived, and their lifelong battle to introduce a new Oscar category for Hollywood’s stunt community; plus, the work that goes into designing some of the wildest car chases in the FAST & FURIOUS movies. All of this... and much more! Make sure you visit the website of Stunts Unlimited and subscribe to Soundstage Access on yo

UPDATE: Erik won a 'Best Cinematography' Oscar for MANK since our conversation! Congratulations! It’s so exciting to sit down with Erik Messerschmidt, ASC - an Emmy-nominated cinematographer whose credits include the popular Netflix series MINDHUNTER, HBO’s RAISED BY WOLVES and David Fincher's latest Netflix film MANK! In today’s conversation, Erik and I discuss his beginnings in the film industry working as a gaffer (learning from the best cinematographers in the business); a deep dive into his cinematography for the two Emmy-nominated seasons of MINDHUNTER; Erik’s creative relationship with David Fincher, and the thought process behind the infamous “multiple takes” Fincher is so known for; how classic Hollywood noirs of the ‘30s and 40s influenced the visual style for MANK—all of this, and much more. Be sure to check out Erik's new film MANK (now on Netflix), which many speculate will land him his first Oscar nomination for Cinematography in just a few months. Subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favo

We're honored to welcome to the show Kazu Hiro, an Oscar-winning makeup effects designer from Japan whose credits include THE GRINCH, PLANET OF THE APES and THE DARKEST HOUR, which earned him and Gary Oldman Academy Awards for the stunning transformation into Winston Churchill. In the conversation, we discuss Kazu's personal relationship with makeup legends Dick Smith and Rick Baker (who created iconic makeups for THE EXORCIST and MEN IN BLACK); why a call from Gary Oldman brought him back from retirement with THE DARKEST HOUR; how turning 50 informed his love for fine art and the projects he’ll be taking on during his time left in the business; the Oscar-winning design for BOMBSHELL—and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It was a joy to be welcomed in studio by Emmy-winning composer David Arnold, whose credits include CASINO ROYALE, INDEPENDENCE DAY and BBC’s SHERLOCK. In today’s conversation we discuss how avoiding a formal music training (in favor of scoring student films) prepared David for his launch into the film industry—and why David chooses not to listen to film music composed by his peers; how making a record in 1995 (really his own love letter to the James Bond franchise) led him to be hired by the series’ Producers and score 5 entirely different films including CASINO ROYALE; his creative relationship with director Edgar Wright, and in what ways HOT FUZZ was inspired by the films of Tony Scott—and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It’s so exciting to sit down with cinematographer Shelly Johnson, whose credits include CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, THE WOLFMAN and BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC. Shelly is an amazing storyteller, and in our conversation we discuss a number of topics: from Shelly getting chosen by Spielberg himself to shoot JURASSIC PARK III as his first studio movie; the complex process of creating a "skinny Steve Rogers" for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER; how Shelly reconstructed an epic naval battle completely inside a dry studio for Tom Hanks’ newest movie GREYHOUND; how a last-minute emergency brought him aboard Keanu Reeves’ newest film BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC; plus- the spectacular sequences designed for the upcoming HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS reboot (titled SHRUNK)—and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER:

To complete our conversation we catch up once more with Zoë Bell, a New Zealand actress, stunt double and stunt coordinator whose credits include THE HATEFUL EIGHT, THOR: RAGNAROK and ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD. While in Part 1 of our conversation we discuss Zoë's experience on the XENA TV series and memories from shooting KILL BILL in China, today's Part 2 is focused on a wide range of topics: her experience receiving the screenplay of 2007’s DEATH PROOF, her first role as a leading actress in which she plays herself—stuntwomen Zoë Bell; how the experience on that film influenced the future choices in her acting career; the experience of being offered to stunt coordinate—and act—in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD; what watching Leonardo DiCaprio taught her about acting; and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess

We're so lucky to sit down with Zoë Bell, a New Zealand actress, stunt double and stunt coordinator whose credits include THE HATEFUL EIGHT, THOR: RAGNAROK and ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD. In Part 1 of our conversation we discuss Zoë’s beginnings in New Zealand stunt doubling Lucy Lawless in the XENA TV series; how a special trip to Los Angeles led her to meet Quentin Tarantino and be cast as Uma Thurman’s stunt double for KILL BILL; Zoë creative relationship with Tarantino and why he insisted on making the stunts for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD as period-accurate as possible; the psychological toll that major injuries can have on stunt performers—and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It’s so exciting to sit down with Emmy-nominated British film composer Lorne Balfe, whose credits include THE DARK KNIGHT, BAD BOYS FOR LIFE and Marvel's BLACK WIDOW. In our conversation we discuss a number of topics from Lorne's career: an introduction to his score for HBO’s HIS DARK MATERIALS, Lorne’s technical approach to film scoring and creative collaboration with Hans Zimmer since 2005, an in-depth breakdown of Lorne's music for one of our favorite movies, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT, as he gets ready to score MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 & 8—and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It’s an honor to sit down with legendary Dutch filmmaker Jan de Bont, who directed the most exciting action cinema of the '90s. He began his career as the cinematographer of DIE HARD, before directing pulse-racing movies like SPEED (with Keanu Reeves) and the disaster flick TWISTER. In our conversation we discuss the horrific accident Jan suffered on the infamous production of ROAR when one of the 150 untrained lions scalped him while shooting one of the scenes; an in-depth chat on the making of his directorial debut SPEED, and how the low-budget forced him to go behind the studio’s back to pull off his vision; memories from shooting DIE HARD, and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

We're so happy to be joined on the show by Oscar-winning Production Design duo David Wasco & Sandy-Reynolds Wasco, whose credits include COLLATERAL, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and LA LA LAND. In Part 2 of our conversation, we briefly talk about the history of Los Angeles in movies and the Wasco's experience trying to re-invent the city 11 different times (PULP FICTION among them)— before we shift our conversation entirely to LA LA LAND. The Wascos discuss how the Damien Chazelle musical was originally cast with two very different actors in mind; how the one-year production delay ultimately brought them to design the movie as we know it today; how the movie's score and dance choreography dictated the size of every single set; and much more. Don't miss Part 1 of the episode, where we talk about the Wasco's creative approach to films like Wes Anderson’s THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and Quentin Tarantino’s INGLORIOUS BASTERDS! Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favor

We're so happy to be joined on the show by Oscar-winning Production Design duo David Wasco & Sandy-Reynolds Wasco, whose credits include KILL BILL, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and LA LA LAND. In Part 1 of our conversation, we discuss how their creative process ranges when working with directors like Wes Anderson, Michael Mann and Quentin Tarantino; an in-depth discussion about their experience on INGLORIOUS BASTERDS—and the crazy plan to design and build all sets with only 10 weeks available; creating the colorful environments of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS; and much more. Don't miss Part 2 of the episode, in which we focus on their experience designing the world of LA LA LAND! Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

We're jazzed to sit down with award-winning filmmaker Alice Wu, whose credits include SAVING FACE and THE HALF OF IT, which won 'Best Narrative Feature' at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix! In our conversation we discuss with Alice the importance of writing emotionally authentic stories, the path that led to her first feature being financed, how the 15 years between her two movies as a director impacted her creative process, and much more. THE HALF OF IT follows a shy, straight-A student named Ellie who's hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help winning over a popular girl. But their new and unlikely friendship gets complicated when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

It was awesome to welcome to the show Oscar-nominated film director Morten Tyldum, whose credits include 2014's THE IMITATION GAME (for which he received his first Academy Award nomination), PASSENGERS - starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt - and this year's DEFENDING JACOB, now streaming on Apple TV+. In our conversation we discuss the impact that the Oscar-nomination received for THE IMITATION GAME had on Morten's creative process, how DEFENDING JACOB evolved over the course of the production, stories from the set, and more. The Apple+ limited series DEFENDING JACOB is a gripping, character-driven thriller that follows an assistant DA (Chris Evans) whose world is shattered when his beloved son gets charged with murder. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

What a pleasure to be joined on the show by Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman turned filmmaker who since 2013 has dedicated his directing career to the JOHN WICK franchise, starring Keanu Reeves. We're big fans of Chad's creative approach to turning stunts into a storytelling device, and in our conversation we provide an in-depth breakdown of the JOHN WICK movies: how Greek mythology influenced the series as we know it today, the planning required to execute each of the films' mind-bending stunt sequences, what to expect from JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

What a treat to sit down with animation director of photography Patrick Lin, who's curated the cinematography for your favorite Pixar films including INSIDE OUT, RATATOUILLE, UP and THE INCREDIBLES. In our conversation, we break down the creative pipeline of how movies are made at Pixar, how Patrick chose dynamic camera angles for THE INCREDIBLES, the design behind that heart-breaking opening for UP, why him and his team used real-life lenses to shoot the characters of TOY STORY 4 and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

We're so excited to welcome on the show Oscar-winner Chris Corbould, a Special Effects Supervisor whose credits include STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, THE DARK KNIGHT and every James Bond film from THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) to the upcoming NO TIME TO DIE (2021). Chris has discovered a way to merge imagination and engineering to create larger than life action. In our episode we discuss his memories from shooting the hospital explosion with Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT, Chris' creative collaboration with Christopher Nolan, shooting the Matera car chase sequence in NO TIME TO DIE, and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC

We're honored to welcome to the show Oscar-winning Production Designer Barbara Ling, whose credits include BATMAN & ROBIN and Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. In our conversation, we briefly discuss her creative experience working on two of the most controversial BATMAN films before deep-diving into a nearly hour-long spoiler conversation about designing the sets of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, transforming Hollywood Blvd back to its original 1969 state, her creative process with Quentin Tarantino, and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Soundstage Access on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episodes with your friends. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/soundstageaccess/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/soundstageaccess/ TWITTER: twitter.com/SoundstageAC