Marc Maron’s WTF podcast is a bit of a revelation when it comes to in-depth interviews with fascinating people who create work that we adore. I always wondered why something that’s specifically about movies rather than stand-up comedy didn’t really exist. And then I discovered David Poland’s DP/30 series. He is a film industry analyst and movie critic, and founder of the website Movie City News. His blogging is good, but his bread and butter is the DP/30 video interview series.
In it, he sits down with a filmmaker or filmmakers, actors, directors, writers, producers, or technical crew members, and chats for half an hour. The tone is casual, but the result that comes out of this casual, lengthy, often meandering discussion is insight and perspective into the craft of filmmaking that goes far deeper than any material I’ve come across anywhere else. It’s quite incredible the troves of information and ideas that can be uncovered simply by creating an atmosphere of comfort and safety and respect for what the other person has to say. Poland is probably the best film interviewer I know of, and even though he knows his guest is the one people are interested in hearing from, his selection of questions and occasional insertions of his own thoughts show a keen sense of why movies so deeply interest audiences and creators alike.
Do you have any writers or critics that you think offer unique perspectives on movies? Who have perhaps changed the way you watch? Share any of your own thoughts in the comments section below.
