Beginning Middle End

July 24th, 2015 As luck would have it, Adam Salky paid a call to my seldom visited home in Fresno. Always the opportunist, I took the chance to sit down with him and talk about his new movie I Smile Back, the value of eating donuts, and a filmmaker who inspires us both, Jacques Audiard.

September 3rd, 2014 We've officially wrapped Season 1 of Beginning Middle End. Have a listen as I reflect on what an enjoyable first season it's been, and hear my thoughts on where the show goes from here. Catch you soon!

August 7th, 2014 I took a trip to the East side of the 5 and kicked it with Hannah Fidell. We talked about A Teacher, The Gathering Squall and some of Hannah's up coming projects. To my surprise, I also discovered Hannah's love of 90s rap, her disdain for East Coast weather, and her obsession with Brian De Palma's Mission Impossible.

July 31, 2014 I recently had the good fortune to sit down and talk shop with Patrick Brice. Over an excellent French press, we caught up about his two feature films Creep and The Overnight, his short doc Maurice, and finding meaning in even the dumbest things. Patrick also references a great moment in Claire Denis’ Beau Travail, which you should watch here.

July 23rd, 2014 In college Warren Fu studied economics. He never anticipated a career in the commercial arts, but after graduating from Cal, his artistic impulses and good fortune led him to George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic and eventually a career as a music video and commercials director. Check out the podcast and hear all about ILM, hustling his way into directing, and his collaborations with The Strokes and Daft Punk. Peep his work here.

July 16, 2014 I originally intended to catch up with Wes Ball, but T.S. Nowlin decided to drop in on the interview, and serendipitously Beginning Middle End notched its first ever threesome. I love every podcast, but this one has some real magic to it. Amongst other things, we cover filmmaker classics like how to blow your savings on a short film, the value of sleeping on couches while trying to launch a career, the art of Hollywood deal making, and of course, all things Maze Runner.

July 9, 2014 I was recently in Oakland and paid a visit to my good friend Barry Jenkins. Over home made americanos we cover a range of topics, including how to make chicken stock, the art and craft of screenwriting, first jobs in the industry, and the quest to give your story a spine that is truly unbreakable. Barry also drops some knowledge on what he considers the favorite film he's ever made. Check it out here.

July 2, 2014 For our inaugural episode I sit down with cinematographer James Laxton. We discuss what it’s like to grow up in an industry family, the opportunities for experimentation as a young filmmaker, and we go in depth about some of his most recent projects including Peter Sattler’s Camp X-Ray starring Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi, as well as Tusk, directed by Kevin Smith. Finally, we speak about how this scene in Claire Denis' Friday Night changed his understanding of what a movie...