PULLING A FILM TOGETHER - with Paula McGann

Team Deakins

James Ellis Deakins

Tv & Film, Filmlighting, Deakins, Movies, Filmmaking, Production, Film, Cinematography, Film Interviews

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 148 - Pulling a Film Together - with Paula McGann

In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with Paula McGann (1917, DARKEST HOUR, MIDNIGHT SKY). We had the pleasure of working with Paula on 1917, and we asked her to come on the podcast to discuss the work that goes into pulling a film together nowadays. Paula—after years of working for directors, producers, and in several departments on numerous films—has recently begun producing herself, and with several projects in various stages of development, we thought her perspective would be valuable to hear and share. Paula teaches us what the film marketplace actually is, and we explore several hypothetical situations such as breaking down a script without a director’s vision and handling a financier’s creatively disruptive note. Paula also shares an experience in which a project was taken away from her, and we discuss practicing resilience in a business of ups and downs. Throughout the episode, we discuss mentors, budgeting, sales agents, putting yourself out there, and finding your own way in the business.

This episode is sponsored by Profoto & Aputure

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi and welcome to Season 2 of the Team Deacons podcast,
0:07.0	a collection of informal conversations between Roger and James Deacons and a guest.
0:13.0	We never know where the conversation will take us, so listen in and see where it goes.
0:19.0	This episode is sponsored by Prophoto. listen in and see where it goes.
0:24.6	This episode is sponsored by Prophoto.
0:30.5	Prophoto, the light shaping company, renowned for its high-end lighting equipment used by the world's best photographers and brands, has now expanded into the world of cinematography
0:36.5	with uncompromising speed of use and limitless creativity.
0:41.9	The L-1600D is a high output with no ballast LED light.
0:47.7	Its dual mount makes it compatible with 50-plus pro-photo modifiers
0:52.5	and hundreds of Bowen's mount modifiers, making it a breakthrough
0:57.6	product for cinematographers and gaffers seeking speed and efficiency on set with the highest
1:04.3	degree of creative light-shaping possibilities. This episode is sponsored by Aperture and its new Storm XT-52, the industry's most powerful LED point source light.
1:20.6	Brighter than a 6K HMI empowered by Aperture's revolutionary Blair light engine,
1:31.3	the Storm XT-52 is both a tunable white light and also the brightest ever adjustable color LED.
1:35.9	Storm XT-52, unrivaled output, only from Aperture.
1:44.8	Today we're focusing on what it takes to get a project made.
1:48.8	Our conversations have often been about how to bring the story to the screen after it's been
1:53.7	set up, but today we're going back further in production's development and discussing
1:59.0	how our project is pulled together.
2:01.4	We're talking today with a friend who has learned the process by working as an assistant to
2:06.0	producers and directors.
2:07.7	She's well-versed in the nuts and bolts behind pulling a film together and has many
	...

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