Phil Johnston: Episode One

Great artists steal. So why not steal from the greatest playwright in  the english language, William Shakespeare? Too old fashioned? Too hard to understand? Too dull/misogynist/racist? Combo platter? Shakespeare is possibly all those things but great movies from wildly disparate cultures and times have been made from his plays because the film-makers knew the secret to bringing his stories to life for a modern audience. What is that filmmaking secret? Louis Fantasia, international Shakespeare Guru, and Michael Patrick Jann discuss it as they get deep about Three Great Shakespeare Movies. If you dig movies and directing, you'll love this.

Thomas Lennon is so successful and talented, that if he wasn't so damn likable, you'd probably want to hit him with a rock. REN0 911, THE STATE, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, his work is hilarious and original and his credits go on forever. In his roles as actor, writer and producer, he's worked with more directors than anyone I know. CHRIS NOLAN to JAMES IVORY to MICHAEL BAY and today on the pod Tom talks to Michael Patrick Jann about what he needs to hear from a director to help make a project great and memorable. It is incredibly fun and funny and deep and informative. Only on MICHAEL PATRICK JANN CAN'T DIRECT TRAFFIC.

Seth Gordon's directorial debut was small and personal and quirky and absurd and a masterpiece. How his doc, THE KING OF KONG, became hugely popular is a great story. How he transferred his personal voice and vision into bigger mass market features and TV shows is an even greater great story. Host MICHAEL PATRICK JANN digs it all and goes deep into how KONG, BAYWATCH: THE MOVIE (so much better than you think it is!), THE GOOD DOCTOR, FOR ALL MANKIND and the rest of Seth's super popular oeuvre came to be. Feature, documentary, Premium and Network TV... Seth has done it all and we talk about it all. LISTEN!!

How many Latina directors, other than PATRICIA RIGGEN, have made a movie that sits in the top 1,000 box office earners of the past decade? NONE. WHY IS THAT?!? As the director of THE 33, LA MISMA LUNA, and TOM CLANCY'S JACK RYAN, Patricia combines intimate emotional truths with big ass explosions. What's it like to conquer show-biz mountain while staying true to your own ideals and vision? LISTEN TO THIS wonderful conversation between PATRICIA RIGGEN and host/video village veteran MICHAEL PATRICK JANN. It's insightful, and it's 63% funnier than all other serious film-making podcasts. That's just the truth.

David Wain is a Pantheon Level Comedy Director. Hilarious. Original. Totally unique. Why? He's spent his life doing the most important thing any great director can do: developing his own personal directorial voice. Listen to this great conversation between David and  Michael Patrick Jann about the How and Why of defining and honing a personal voice. LISTEN! ENJOY!

Wreck-it Ralph 2 is partially inspired by what French New Wave classic? How do you make a personal film inside the Disney Behemoth? PHIL JOHNSTON, veteran of of Disney and Indie film, explains in his insightful and funny conversation about the vocation of directing with Michael Patrick Jann. Inaugural episode of Season One! Listen and Subscribe!