SEASON 2 - EPISODE 89 - ELLEN MIROJNICK - COSTUME DESIGNER

Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (OPPENHEIMER, WALL STREET, FATAL ATTRACTION) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. A born and bred New Yorker, Ellen jumped right into costume design on a low-budget feature in New Orleans where she quickly (and easily) took to the role as the department head. She later spent two films working and studying under famed costume designer Sandy Powell before being recruited by director Adrian Lyne to work on FATAL ATTRACTION (one of many films in which she would work with actor Michael Douglass). During our discussion of OPPENHEIMER, Ellen shares the notes she received from director Christopher Nolan that informed her approach to the design of the film’s costumes and reflects on the challenge posed by needing to design costumes that could be shot in black-and-white in one setup and in colour in the next. Ellen also reflects on the challenge of designing the film’s costumes to seamlessly reflect changes in time without losing the characters across numerous decades of story. Towards the end, we discuss the importance of creating costumes that are not only right for the period, but right for the actors who need to wear them.

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This episode is sponsored by Godox

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 88 - JOHN KNOLL - VFX SUPERVISOR

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, VFX supervisor John Knoll (THE BATMAN, ROGUE ONE, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) joins us to talk about his career and his craft. Despite growing up among an academic family of engineers, scientists, and medical professionals, John fell in love with the fantastic imagery of cinema and television, and he saw miniature work as his way into filmmaking. From cold-calling Industrial Light & Magic at 15 to later working for them, John reflects on his life as one who turns hobbies into professions, and we learn how John fuses technology with art in his work. John reveals, with great clarity, how slit-scans are actually composed and shares how he used the effect to generate the illusion of the Starship Enterprise entering and exiting warp speed. We later discuss the leadership responsibilities of being a supervisor, including giving negative feedback in such a way that elevates a collaborator’s work. Towards the end, we also discuss the enduring appeal of miniatures for audiences and filmmakers alike. In addition to his work in VFX, John (alongside his brother Thomas) invented Photoshop, the popular photo-editing software used around the world.

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This episode is sponsored by Godox

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 87 - STEFAN DECHANT - PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Production designer Stefan Dechant (REBEL MOON, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, WELCOME TO MARWEN) joins us on this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast. We worked with Stefan on TRUE GRIT and JARHEAD, and it was great catching up with him. Like many other young boys of the 70s, Stefan became enchanted with STAR WARS, and (while attending school in Cincinnati, Ohio) lied his way to a gig working on JURASSIC PARK. His first love was storyboards, but he soon found his design and illustration skills best suited a career in art direction and production design. Stefan shares how his time drafting storyboards informs his approach to production design, and we also discuss the integration of emerging technologies in filmmaking today and tomorrow. We also hear about Stefan’s experience working with director Joel Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel on THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH and learn how they carved the film’s expressionistic and abstract sets out of light.

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Recommended Viewing: THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

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This episode is sponsored by Godox