GlobeScreen Podcasts are not just business-as-usual. Monthly guests are true artisans of the industry and responsible or involved in key creative departments: cinematography, editing, production design, casting, VFX, writing. The art and science behind moviemaking is the footprint we intend to leave with listeners.
Starting October 2022, VFXTalks, presented by GlobeScreen Podcasts, is a new season dedicated to discussions with leaders in the world of visual effects for film and television.
Episodes will appear below monthly and on podcasts.apple.com. Hosted and produced by Zef Cota, Director of Podcasts, from New York.
Naomi Amarger is a cinematographer, based in Paris. In a conversation this year with EMPIRE magazine Editor-at-Large, Helen O’Hara, she discusses her journey into the film industry from actress to director of photography. She recently collaborated with Marie Castille Mention Schaar on the director’s latest film, Divertimento, starring Oulaya Amambra, Lina El Arabi and Niels Arestrup, and released by Le Pacte. She also shares with Helen some of the specific shooting decisions that went into the film, including how she collaborated with Marie-Castille on set.
Neil Barsky is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, based in New York. During the Out of Competition screenings at the 3rd Edition of Festival FranceScreen (14-16 June 2023), in Paris, he joined us for a Q&A to discuss his 2012 Documentary ‘Koch’ (released by Zeitgeist Films). In conversation with Dara Naficy, festival director, he shared with the audience how the idea for an in-depth portrait of the former New York City mayor came to him, editorial and musical score choices in the film and the legacy of Ed Koch, among the history of New York politicians.
Vladislav Opelyants is a cinematographer from Moscow known for Petrov’s Flu (2021), directed by Kirill Serebrennikov which was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Vulcan Award for cinematography. He has also collaborated once again with Serebrennikov on the beautifully shot and critically acclaimed Tchaikovsky’s Wife (2022) which also premiered in competition at Cannes 2022. Vlad spoke to us about his approach to what he calls the ‘international language of cinematography’, how he first became a director of photography, and the creative approach to his craft.
Dante Spinotti is both a member of the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) and the AIC (Association of Italian Cinematographers). In a recent conversation from LA, he spoke to us about his distinguished career as a cinematographer. He recalled how Dino Di Laurentiis helped start his career in the US on Michael Mann’s 1986 film ‘Manhunter’. Later in the discussion he shared many on-set stories working with Mann on four additional films 1992’s Last of the Mohicans, 1995’s Heat, 1999’s The Insider and 2009’s Public Enemies. He also talked about shooting 1997’s LA: Confidential for Curtis Hanson. Dante also offered his views on shooting film versus digital. GlobeScreen Podcasts would like to thank Murtha Skouras Agency, for arranging this episode.
Chris Roe is a London based composer for films, television and documentaries. In this discussion he shared with us how he collaborated with Aleem Khan for the 2020 feature ‘After Love’, which played at both Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival that year. It is now on theatrical release in the US. He also shared how the director originally did not envision any music for the project and how they eventually came to assemble a score for the finished production. Later in the conversation he discusses his musical score for BAFTA nominated Blue Jean directed by Georgia Oakley. The film will be released by Altitude Films in the UK on February 10, UFO Distribution in France on April 19 and by Magnolia Pictures in the US.
Stuart Dryburgh ASC is an Academy Award, (AMPAS), nominated cinematographer based in New York. Just a few of the many directors he has worked with include Jane Campion, F. Gary Gray, Peter Hedges, Peter Webber, Yimou Zhang, Ben Stiller, John Curran, Mira Nair and Michael Mann. He recently spoke to GlobeScreen Podcasts about his eclectic career as a director of photography, how he got his start in New Zealand’s film industry, before going on to shoot high profile feature films such as ‘An Angel at My Table’ (1990), ‘The Piano’, (1993) , ‘Analyse This’ (1999), ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ (2001), ‘The Painted Veil’ (2006) , ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ (2013), ‘Blackhat’ (2015), ‘The Great Wall’ (2016), ‘Ben is Back’ (2018), and ‘Men in Black: International’ (2019). GlobeScreen Podcasts would like to thank Murtha Skouras Agency for making this episode possible.
Jany Temime is an accomplished Costume Designer for film and television. Now based in London her many credits as a Costume Designer include six Harry Potter films for Warner Bros, ‘Gravity’ (2013) and ‘Children of Men’ (2006), with Alfonso Cuaron and ‘Skyfall’ (2012) and ‘Spectre’ (2015), in the James Bond franchise, both directed by Sam Mendes. She spoke to us about her collaborations with these two iconic filmmakers. A few of her other film productions and television shows include HBO’s ‘House of Dragon’, Judy’ (2019), ‘Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool’ (2017), ‘Passengers’ (2016) and ‘In Bruges’ (2008). A unique in-depth discussion into the role of a Costume Designer.
Ara Khanikian is a Gold Derby Film Award Nominee and Compositing Supervisor at Rodeo FX, based in Montreal. He begins this visual effects industry conversation with Zef Cota by recounting some of his memorable work on movies such as ‘The Aviator’, ‘300’ and ‘The Fountain‘ while at Buzz Image Group and Hybride, before joining Rodeo. He explains the difference between an Inferno Artist and a Compositor. He then goes on to describe some of the compositing work he has led at Rodeo FX for ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’, ‘Mirror Mirror’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’, ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, Alejandro Inarritu’s ‘Birdman’ and Andy Muschietti’s IT: Chapter One’, including all the diverse technical challenges associated with these films. He also shares some personal philosophies about VFX — the work can’t just look pretty, it needs to serve the storytelling of the project it is associated with. Listen in to learn more.
Martin Pelletier leads the Quebec office of Rodeo FX. In this conversation with Zef Cota he discussed his work on film and television projects such as ‘Stranger Things’ ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ ‘Gods of Egypt’ ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ and ’Star Trek: Beyond’. He also shared how his office coordinates project workflows and deadlines with the company’s other locations. He discusses specific technologies Rodeo FX is investing in, putting it ahead of other VFX companies in the industry.
Florian Gellinger is a co-founder of RISE Visual Effects Studios, founded in 2007. With a team of 140 artists and offices in Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich, Cologne and London, it is one of the largest visual effects companies in Central Europe. Florian talked to us about getting his start in visual effects by working on Roman Polanski’s OLIVER TWIST. Later in the discussion he focused in-depth about some of the technical challenges on the following films and television shows his company has worked on HARRY POTTER: DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, THE BOOK THIEF, IRON MAN 3, MAN FROM U.N.C.LE, FAST AND FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDENWALD, WANDAVISION and LISEY’S STORY. He also shared some thoughts on using practical camera angles when possible and how the company manages render times when a project involves a large number of complex shots.
Adam Pere is a VFX Producer in the LA office of Crafty Apes. In a wide-ranging conversation with us he explored multiple facets of the visual effects profession. He recalled how he joined the company and the differences between a Visual Effects Coordinator and Visual Effects Manager role. He talked about his work for feature films including LA LA LAND (2016), SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019), FAST & FURIOUS: HOBBS AND SHAW (2019), PALM SPRINGS (2020) and DEADPOOL 2 (2016). In television his credits include THE ORVILLE and WESTWORLD. In 2017 he transitioned into the role of VFX Producer. He explains how this role involves bidding, budgeting shots for clients and managing successful relationships that can lead to future collaborations. He also discussed building teams for each project, how the experience of producing visual effects work differs on a television show versus a feature and how often he interacts with the director.
25 year visual effects veteran Matthew Bristowe has overseen many high-profile productions in senior roles at Technicolor, One of Us, Prime Focus, MPC and currently, Jellyfish Pictures. In Part 1, of a two-part podcast, he discusses his time at MPC as a Digital Intermediate Supervisor on titles such as 28 DAYS LATER (2002), TROY (2004), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005), THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006) and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008). Later, while Senior Vice President at Prime Focus World, he talks about his groundbreaking stereographic work on Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY (2013), for which he won the Advanced Image Society’s Lumiere Award. He also recalls his stereography work for HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (2011) and EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014).
Christina Moore is an accomplished Production Designer based in London. She is currently Production Designer on SKY ATLANTIC/ EPIX television show, BRITTANIA. In 2020 she was Production Designer for Jessica Swale’s SUMMERLAND, with Gemma Arterton, released by IFC Films in the US. Previously in her career, she was Supervising Art Director on both HBO’s JOHN ADAMS and several seasons of GAME OF THRONES. She talks to Zef Cota about the art of Production Design in general and juggling the worlds of design for both film and television. She also discusses her favorite production designers and experiences working with various directors, including a unique career start as Storyboard Artist on Ang Lee’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.
Los Angeles based Millennium Media, founded in 1996, is behind some of the film industry’s most successful movies to date, including THE EXPENDABLES, LONDON HAS FALLEN, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, BROOKLYN’S FINEST, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD and most recently THE OUTPOST. Other titles soon to be completed by the indie studio include THE ASSET with Michael Keaton and THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, both of which Lionsgate will release next year. The studio’s Co-President, Jonathan Yunger, recently had a conversation with Zef Cota about Millennium’s various productions, his day-to-day responsibilities, experiences as a Producer, plus much more.
Annarie Boor is a London based Producer & Talent Manager. She recently spoke to Zef Cota, Director of GlobeScreen Podcasts, about the journey that took her from professional ballet dancer in South Africa to indie filmmaker based in the UK. Topics discussed include the various projects her company, Tapping Frog Productions, is engaged in, how the company approaches talent management and the activities of her mentoring organization, Mentor Through Film.
Eric Brodeur is an LA based First Assistant Editor who has worked in the editorial departments of numerous features. His many credits include OUIJA, THE GRUDGE, THE NUN and TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT. GlobeScreen’s Zef Cota recently sat down with Eric for a fascinating and highly informative discussion on the art of feature editing. Topics discussed included how editing has changed in recent decades, collaborating with different departments, and how various directors approach the art of editing differently, among other talking points.
Dogwoof is a London based documentary film company which has released 26 Oscar nominated and 3 BAFTA winning documentaries. Just a few of the company’s credits include I AM GRETA, APOLLO 11 and THE CAVE. The company’s CEO, Anna Godas, was joined by Variety’s International Editor, Manori Ravindran, for a wide-ranging conversation about the documentary market,
Zef Cota, Director, GlobeScreen Podcasts had the chance to chat with LA based Cinematographer Alonso Homs, who has worked in cinematography for over 10 years, serving as a Director of Photography and in the camera departments of features such as Derek Cianfrance’s BLUE VALENTINE, Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY and Martin Scorsese’s 2010 HBO documentary, PUBLIC SPEAKING. They had an informative and wide-ranging conversation about the latest technology, lenses, lighting, shooting digital vs. film and professional influences.