Indiewire's Filmmaker Toolkit

Michael Schur (The Office, Parks & Rec), master of the work place comedy, talks about the challenges of tackling the big concept and twisty plot of “The Good Place.” In this conversation Schur outlines the one vital key to success in all serialized tv, working with philosophy professors as consultants, modeling heaven after The Grove and avoiding the M. Night Shyamalan trap of training an audience to anticipate twists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside the process of creating a historical horror story of a lost Arctic expedition on a sound stage and how Kajganich pitched the show as anthology, but won't be coming back for another season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Atlanta's Lakeith Stanfield Didn’t Even Know Donald Glover Was Playing Teddy Perkins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The screenwriter behind "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" talks about the intersection of faith and cinema, and how arthouse cinema has radically changed since he first wrote "Transcendental Style in Film" in 1971. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The director behind one of the best films of 2018 talks about how a woman born in Beijing and schooled at NYU ended up telling real-life stories of people living on a South Dakota reservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oscar nomination director Yance Ford talks about his 8-year journey to completing a film about his brother's violent death in 1992. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were a ton of bad drafts of "The Big Sick" before it became one of the best comedy scripts in years. Kumail & Emily talk about the 4 year process of adapting their real life story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gerwig talks about what her artistic dreams were when she, like Lady Bird, was 18 and came to New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aronofsky on why you have to make the audience laugh, cry or scare the shit out of the them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jordan Peele talks about his biggest fear in making "Get Out." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Patty Jenkins learned from walking away from Marvel's "Thor" that shaped "Wonder Woman." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Guillermo del Toro was inspired by musicals, Punch Drunk Love and Stan Laurel in making his beautiful fable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guadagnino talks about his approach to filmmaking and his upcoming remake of Suspiria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer/director Dee Rees talks about how she weaved together her complex narrative about race and what drew her to tackle the ERA, Joan Didion and a "Get Out" like horror film in her upcoming projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The indie filmmaker behind "Tangerine" talks honestly about his struggle working with union crews for the first time and his nervousness about bringing a star like Willem Dafoe into his world of first-time performers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sundance breakout talks about creating his ambitious New Jersey hip-hop musical debut featuring Australian actress Danielle MacDonald. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Safdie Brothers talk about how the knew Robert Pattinson would be able to give himself over to their unique approach to filmmaking and how they built a story around aspects of the "Twilight" star that haven't been seen publicly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noted video essayist Kogonada talks about making the transition from academics to being a breakout at this year's Sundance Film Festival with his new film "Columbus." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Reeves talks about directing actors for motion capture and his plans for the new Batman film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Lowery talks about quietly making a small little film in a house with friends that he was willing to bury if it ended up being an embarrassment. The risk paid off, as "A Ghost Story" it the best reviewed indie so far this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices