#057 - Simon Chong // Supervising Director

Eric Daniel Horn and Diane Schutz are the founders of CultureRoot, a documentary studio focused on telling stories about compelling subcultures and real communities. In this episode, they talk about their experiences producing documentaries around the world, Diane’s years working on Anthony Bourdain’s shows, and the challenges of building a new kind of documentary studio.Eric and Diane also break down CultureRoots' first production sprint, which sent a small crew through four countries to make 12 episodes in 30 days—including an unexpected trip to the ER.Tune in as we chat with this duo about why YouTube may be the future of documentary television, the challenges of making great work in an era when everyone has a camera, and why Eric and Diane believe there’s still a place for thoughtful, authentic nonfiction.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Patrick Lawler has had anything but a traditional career in filmmaking. What started with making skate videos and teaching himself After Effects eventually led to directing music videos, buying one of the earliest RED cameras, teaching himself motion graphics, making NFTs, and eventually finding his way back to music videos. Tune in as we talk to Patrick about following whatever creative opportunity comes next, reinventing himself when one path stops working, and how an obsession with learning new tools has allowed him to build a career in some very unexpected places.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Natasha Braier's passion for cinematography began with a roll of 110 film that she got while on a family vacation. Her humble beginnings in Argentina informed her resourcefulness with the medium. With Deep Light, Natasha is tapping into years of experience to provide the tools to the next generation of DPs so that they can navigate on set politics and other responsibilities you don't learn about in film school. Tune in as we chat with Natasha about shooting The Neon Demon chronologically and the camera setups required to work on I Love Boosters.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Skydiving cinematographer Joe Jennings has been jumping out of planes for fun since the early 90s. For some people that might be enough adrenaline, but Joe needed another task while plummeting to the ground. Throughout his career, Joe has captured some incredible shots with his former X Games skydiving partner Rob Harris, an iconic Superbowl Pepsi commercial, and for feature films like Point Break. Tune in as we get nerdy with Joe and ask about his skydiving helmet rig and all the pressures that come with rolling on a camera during freefall.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

WARNING: This episode includes SPOILERS from Macon's new film "IDIOTS", in theaters now. Director, writer, and actor Macon Blair doesn't just love movies—he loves being on set and making them. From Blue Ruin to The Toxic Avenger and his new feature Idiots, Macon joins us to talk about his creative journey and how his experiences as an actor continue to shape the way he writes and directs.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Long before he was building wacky props for Boots Riley's "I Love Boosters", Christopher was storyboarding for commercials and feature films. His work has given him the opportunity to work with directors such as Sam Raimi, Ang Lee, Ron Howard, Spike Jonze, and more! Today, Christopher's love for film is expressed in the ability to create the suspension of disbelief through practical set builds and VFX elements. Tune in as we chat with Christopher about his career blending physical with virtual and why he keeps turning down the opportunity to work with Jon Favreau.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Chloe Badner is a production designer best known for her work on Dropout TV's shows Game Changer and Make Some Noise. Ten years ago, Chloe was just starting to figure out how to even do the job she was destined for. From building a cardboard couch, to teaching herself how to make puppets, Chloe quickly realized her skills were perfect for designing improbable props. Tune in as we talk to Chloe about bringing an absurd idea to life, the challenges of meeting deadlines for game shows, and how being neurodivergent is a double edged sword.-----⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

What makes a great directing duo? Is it balancing each other out with a deep knowledge of skills while reeling each other back creatively? Or does it just help to be twins? For the Diamond Bros. it's both. After years of working in post production, Jason and Josh decided to launch their careers into directing. Tune in as we talk to them about how they took a gamble on their creative futures and how it led to working on some exciting commercial productions with Red Cameras and VR/AR technology. -----⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Imagine if you could land a dream job through a series of tweets. Well that's how Supervising Director Simon Chong got hired to work on Bob's Burgers! Join us as we chat with Simon about how he uprooted his life from the UK and moved to LA , the different roles he took on before directing his first episode, and why it takes 9 months to put together one animated episode.-----⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Before he escaped set life, Matthew Borgatti was working for legendary set shops designing animatronic props for films like Snakes on a Plane, Garfield, and Alien vs. Predator. Tune in as we chat with Matthew about the elements that go into deciding how much function an animatronic prop needs in order to be picture ready and what some of the on the fly solutions are that this type of work inspires. -----⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠