SEASON 2 - EPISODE 218 Peter Kosminksy - Director

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with director Peter Kosminsky (WOLF HALL, THE UNDECLARED WAR, THE STATE). Peter's work as a director encompasses both film and television which covers topics including the Falklands War, ISIS, Thomas Cromwell, and an Emily Brontë novel. Throughout the episode, Peter reflects on the highs and lows of his career, from standing up to the BBC over censorship to being chosen by Hilary Mantel to adapt WOLF HALL for television, and we discuss his general thoughts on directing, casting, and writing. Peter also reflects on his difficult experience directing 1992's WUTHERING HEIGHTS while being undermined by the film's producers, and we discuss how the experience shaped the rest of his career and approach as a director. We later question Peter about his work on THE STATE, a fictional four-part miniseries about ISIS, and we learn how he approached making a show about radicalization and contemporary issues that were actively developing while creating the series. Peter also shares his views on the changing cultural power of television, and we discuss the effects of the rise of streaming services on the economics of creating a series.

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This episode is sponsored by BenQ

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 217 Nikolaus Summerer - Cinematographer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Nikolaus Summerer (COLOR BOOK, DARK, WHO AM I). If you listened to our conversation with director David Fortune (Season 2, Episode 206), then you know a little bit about Nikolaus already, but in this episode, Nikolaus tells us everything David didn't: how he took advantage of going to film school with a class of wannabe Fellinis, how he persevered to break into the German film industry in Munich, and how he has developed his skills across a wide variety of projects. Nikolaus frequently collaborates with director Baran bo Odar across TV and film, and we discuss how Nikolaus and the rest of the crew shot shows such as DARK and the short-lived 1899. We learn how the look of DARK developed to help international audiences understand different time-periods in German history, and Nikolaus reflects on trying to make the sets of 1899 feel real within the Volume. Nikolaus also shares why he chose to shoot COLOR BOOK, and he reveals how he used his connections at ARRI to secure the right monochromatic camera to shoot the film's striking black-and-white cinematography.

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This episode is sponsored by BenQ

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 216 Denise Di Novi - Producer

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with producer Denise Di Novi (PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, LITTLE WOMEN, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS). Denise has been producing for nearly 40 years, and throughout the episode we discuss her career and what she's learned from the many films she's helped create. Denise shares how she first encountered the script for HEATHERS, and we learn how the film was developed and produced, and we discuss whether the film could even get made today. Following HEATHERS, Denise teamed with director Tim Burton as his producing partner, and she reflects on the transition from producing primarily independent films to producing movies alongside major Hollywood studios. Denise has also produced two LITTLE WOMEN adaptations—in 1994, written by Robin Swicord (Season 2, Episode 209) and in 2019 with Greta Gerwig's version—and she reflects on her experiences being involved in both and reveals what finally gave Greta's screenplay the greenlight. We also learn how she finds and develops projects with filmmakers, and she reflects on her strategy for putting any given film together and what she looks for in a director when taking meetings.

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This episode is sponsored by BenQ