Director Ryan White (GOOD NIGHT OPPY, THE KEEPERS, ASSASSINS) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast to discuss his career and the field of documentary filmmaking. Born and raised in Dunwoody, Georgia, Ryan later enrolled in Duke University where he found his calling to direct documentaries after watching Agnès Varda’s THE GLEANERS AND I. After welcoming him on the podcast, Ryan starts off strong by revealing how he’s used previous episodes to study a particular department to help secure a job. He reflects on the state of the industry in which he came up that forced him to begin directing in his mid-20s and laments how today’s industry can delay a young filmmaker from taking their first steps towards starting a career by employing them to assist those already established. We later learn how Ryan prefers to shoot his documentaries as intimately as possible over several years and how he and his producing partner Jessica Hargrave have typically sold their projects to distributors. Throughout our discussion, we reaffirm the value of learning by doing, of believing in your stories and talents when leaving the nest, and of listening to your mother. - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission  Instagram: @dallasfilmcommission - Recommended Viewing: THE KEEPERS, GOOD NIGHT OPPY

Actor, writer, director, and novelist John Sayles (MATEWAN, BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, LONE STAR) joins Team Deakins on this episode of the podcast for a discussion covering his long career in filmmaking and in fiction writing. A true multi-hyphenate, John first describes his postgraduate journey from working in an Italian sausage factory to enlisting in the Roger Corman film factory. John reflects on his luck having his first three screenplays produced under the legendary filmmaker and on the lessons he learned shooting his self-funded first feature. Working chiefly in independent American cinema, John considers the times and the market in which he came up that facilitated his filmmaking and offers advice for young filmmakers today. Among the many other topics of discussion, we consider the following: how John decides which medium best serves a story, the benefits of cutting in your head during production, and how comfortable an actor may or may not feel working out of an Econo Lodge in West Virginia.  - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission  Instagram: @dallasfilmcommission

Actor, director, and showrunner Bill Hader (BARRY, INSIDE OUT, THE SKELETON TWINS) joins Team Deakins to discuss his multi-faceted career in one of our funnier conversations. Reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bill describes how he first rode into town despite an early setback being rejected from film school for being “too entertaining.” We later drive down memory lane as Bill recounts several exciting but terrifying stories of PA’ing on low-budget films around LA—stops include a seven camera setup (all pointed at a map), watching us wrap early on THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (with envy), and learning what a controlled burn is (and maybe isn’t). Bill also shares his experience co-showrunning BARRY with Alec Berg, a discussion ranging in topics from “what is a tone meeting?” to which takes actor Henry Winkler consistently nails his performance. At the end, Bill discusses his post-BARRY aspirations and the longevity of classic films that, despite their imperfections, stand tall today on the merits of their craft. - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission  Instagram: @dallasfilmcommission

Acclaimed costume designer Jenny Beavan (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, CURELLA, A ROOM WITH A VIEW) joins us for a conversation about her craft on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. Hailing from England, Jenny shares how she fell in with the famed Merchant Ivory troupe, and she describes spending her early formative professional years traveling around the world and working alongside the legendary filmmakers. We later consider how, just as with real people, characters reuse clothing and how some costume pieces take on a life of their own. Jenny also reflects on how she adapts after having the wool pulled over her eyes on a project and how designing costumes is never about the clothes themselves but about the stories they tell. At the end, Jenny is generous enough to offer salient advice to budding costume designers. - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission  Instagram: @dallasfilmcommission

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we sit down with writer and director Ava DuVernay (WHEN THEY SEE US, 13TH, SELMA) for a lively conversation about her career and her craft. Ava credits her early love for cinema to her classic-film-loving, night-shift-working aunt, and she describes the lightbulb moment while on location of Michael Mann’s COLLATERAL that catalyzed her transition from running her own boutique publicity agency to filmmaking. Ava later shares David Oyelowo’s persuasive pitch to her to direct SELMA, what changes she made to the script to make the film within its relatively modest budget, and how Oprah lent her influence during the shooting of a pivotal scene. After Ava reveals her newfound love for dailies while shooting her latest feature, we consider the viewing ritual’s collaborative nature, its widespread decline in use, and Ava’s commitment to the process in her future projects. Plus, at the end, Ava tells us which photo of Roger inspires her the most. - This episode is sponsored by Dallas Film Commission  Instagram: @dallasfilmcommission