In Medias Res

With every endeavor there are the fun parts and there are parts you avoid. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day and sometimes you have to admit the work you've been avoiding has piled up. So what else is there to do but put your toys away, roll up your sleeves, and get the bitter work done.Novis Opera website: novisopera.comFacebook: facebook.com/novisoperaTwitter: twitter.com/novisoperaInstagram - instagram.com/novisoperaGarfield's Crossing - garfieldscrossing.com

Of all the genres in all the artforms, making a romance movie is one wrought with so many potential perils and traps that getting one right feels like an act of fate. In this episode, we're here with guest Billie Jo Konze to see if SERENDIPITY has what it takes to be in the pantheon of great romantic movies.Billie Jo Konze's website: https://www.billiejokonze.com/Rum Runner Sue: Oeuf is Enough (from Icebox Radio Theater) - https://www.spreaker.com/user/iceboxradio/scoops032-rrsue-oeuf

First contact is one of the great tropes of science fiction. Encountering the radically different and unique can hold a mirror up to humanity, but it's not everyday that a movie about aliens teaches its human audience how to better communicate with each other. In this episode, we're breaking down Denis Villeneuve's film, ARRIVAL, to see how it uses a new twist on an old idea to tell an elegant and original story. The Arrival Score on Song Exploder - https://songexploder.net/arrivalMandible Judy / Under Dead Water - https://mandiblejudy.buzzsprout.com/Issaura's Claws (Part 1 of The Incarn Saga) - https://www.katharinewibellbooks.com/the-incarn-saga

It's rare that a sequel comes along that's just as good as the movie that came before it. When a sequel comes along that surpasses its predecessor, it's almost a miracle. In this episode, we continue our study of great sequels by taking a look at The Godfather Part 2 to see how it sets the bar for filmmakers and storytellers.Shawn Arnold's TMI Podcast: www.tmipod.com/

Telling a great story is a blessing and a curse. Everyone will be clambering for more, from the audience to the marketing people.Try to bottle lighting and you'll wind up getting fried, but don't you dare throw the baby out with the bathwater. In this episode, we take a look at Terminator 2 and Aliens to see how they managed to preserve what made their first story great while crafting new and interesting narratives. Featuring Shawn Arnold as a guest host.Shawn Arnold's TMI Podcast: www.tmipod.com/

They Don't call it movie Magic for nothing. Telling a great story has all the same rules as a magic trick. You gotta show them what they expect, then show them how it ‘s anything but ordinary and leave them wanting to know how you did it all the while. Tonight, we take a look behind the curtain at Christopher Nolan's THE PRESTIGE to find out how it makes its cinematic magic.Mandible Judy / Under Dead Water - https://mandiblejudy.buzzsprout.com/Issaura's Claws (Part 1 of The Incarn Saga) - https://www.katharinewibellbooks.com/the-incarn-saga

We all know Romantic comedy, action comedy, buddy comedy, but what about crime comedy? Keeping a genre fresh is no mean feat. It takes a lot of fancy footwork, So it's fitting that this early 2000's crime caper is all about illegal boxing, or is it? In this episode, we break down Guy Ritchie's high-octane British classic, SNATCH, to see how it manages to score a cinematic knock-out.Mandible Judy / Under Dead Water - https://mandiblejudy.buzzsprout.com/Issaura's Claws (Part 1 of The Incarn Saga) - https://www.katharinewibellbooks.com/the-incarn-saga

Sometimes watching a movie or reading a book decades after its release can be like raising the dead. If you know how to look, you can learn a lot about the place, time, and climate that gave birth to the creative works. In this episode, we're joined again by James David Patrick to see what lessons the 1984 classic, GHOSTBUSTERS has to tell about the era that produced it.James Bond Socal Media Project: https://thejamesbondsocialmediaproject.com/Cinema Shame: https://cinemashame.wordpress.com/

Conjuring a great comedy is like witchcraft. Even when you have all the right elements, you need a coven to make the magic happen. Tonight, we're joined by James David Patrick to break down the 1984 classic, to find how it continues to haunt film history in the best way possible.James Bond Socal Media Project: https://thejamesbondsocialmediaproject.com/Cinema Shame: https://cinemashame.wordpress.com/

We creators stand on the shoulders of giants, and with giants like Chaucer, Dante, and every religion known to man plugged into the collective unconscious… Well, let's just say: the high ground comes with its advantages. In this episode, we're back to finish the ritual, to break down the movie SE7EVN to see how it crafts a tragic morality play for the modern age.

Some fiction is heavy because of the weight of its subject matter. Some is heavy because of how much detail it shows the audience. As Crime dramas go, SE7EN has enough of both qualities to dent the universe. In this episode, we're here to breakdown David Fincher's 1995 masterpiece, to see how this movie manages to suck in its audience without becoming a black hole.

It takes many small puzzle pieces to tell a complete story. When you have to weave a tale that travels backwards and forwards in time simultaneously, that puzzle can become a lot to handle. We're back with guest Shawn Arnold to see writer & director Christopher Nolan makes all the pieces fit together in order to craft is mind-bending opus, TENET.Shawn Arnold's TMI Podcast: https://www.tmipod.com/Oslo Airport 3D Breakdown: https://youtu.be/3zBotcenHb4 Tallinn Car Chase 3D Breakdown: https://youtu.be/ItL_kEXMtXM Gateway Scene (Neil's Death) 3D Breakdown: https://youtu.be/QIK9b3vMLxg Ludwig Gorranson breaking down his music for TENET: https://youtu.be/Sa6Uja5rgig

Time Travel is sexy, cool, and insanely dangerous. The creative that decides to take on a story that makes time travel a central pillar in its plot has a minefield to navigate. And yet, every generation seems to get it right at least once. In this episode, we're here with guest Shawn Arnold to determine if Christopher Nolan's TENET is an overcomplicated mess or a misunderstood masterpiece?Shawn Arnold's TMI Podcast: https://www.tmipod.com/

All art aspires to the condition of music. Cowboy Bebop exemplifies this better than any other. Its characters are finely tuned instruments and it's storylines play out different movements. But when it comes to its finale, does it end on a crescendo or leave with a sour note? In this episode, we're back with musician Travis Schmidt to finish the session to decode this classic anime series beat by beat to unravel how it creates a ballad for the ages.

Take Spaghetti westerns, add Noir Crime drama, plus a dash of scifi, then prepare it with Japanese flair and what do you get? “The Work, which becomes a genre itself, is called Cowboy Bebop!” In this episode, we're here to break down the classic anime series to see how it combines genres and old tropes to make such sweet bad-ass music.Listen to Travis Schmidt's band, The Hearsay at https://thehearsayatl.com/

In a time when millions of dollars are being thrown at VFX budgets, only a few creatives are using the most powerful tool in creation, The human mind. The theater of the mind comes with its own set of unique challenges and advantages. In this episode, we talk to members of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company about telling stories exclusively in the theatre of sound.Atlanta Radio Theatre Company - https://artc.org/Lyssa Hoganson on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lyssawrites/

Few things can have an effect on an audience like music. Like any supporting actor, it plays a vital role in conveying your message, filling the space, and creating a mood. Tonight, we bring back musician, writer, and producer Chris Burke to talk about using music to strike all the right notes when telling stories.The Mandible Judy Podcast - https://mandiblejudy.buzzsprout.com/The Mandible Judy Twitch Feed - https://www.twitch.tv/wondervillenycSupport Mandible Judy on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/m/mandiblejudy

When you're using your art to act as a mirror for your audience it can be a risky gambit. Like angry gods, they can be cruel and capricious, but show them the unexpected or original and you might find yourself handsomely rewarded. Tonight, we're back to finish the ritual and delve deeper into THE CABIN IN THE WOODS to see if it's worthy to appease the audience and the story gods.

Horror as a genre, has fallen prey to the original slow walking slasher: “profit margins”. It's tropes are so overplayed that the audience already knows what's going to happen. Tonight, we breakdown The Cabin in the Woods to learn how to overcome the great American slasher.

Creating a successful storytelling project is no small feat. Whether its online, in print, or on video, any one requires a lot of creative skill and no small amount of business savvy. To make a project successful across different platforms is particularly impressive. Tonight, we're talking to the creators of the Kamikaze comic series to find out how they continuously break through barriers to come from a small web comic to the printed page, and soon, an animated short.Kamikaze Web Comic - https://kamikazeanimated.com/Kamikaze: Trial By Fire Teaser - https://youtu.be/RGj1NwMat1w

Giving life to an entire novel is no small task, from the vilest depths to the most angelic heights, it takes a master of character to make each voice unique and real in the audience's mind. In this episode, we're talking to Peter Kenny about mining the text of a story in order for a voice actor to build themselves into a cast of one.Peter Kenny on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peterkennyvoicePeter Kenny on SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/peter-kenny-8Audiobooks read by Peter Kenny - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=peter+kenny&ref=nb_sb_nossPeter Kenny reading Neil Gaiman - https://gizmodo.com/this-gorgeously-animated-neil-gaiman-poem-examines-a-di-1794856396?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=io9_twitter

A well-written short story is like a well-cooked stake. Balance the seasoning, heat, and preparation, and you've got a great meal. Mess up any one of those components and you'll be left with a salty charcoal brickett. In this episode, we're back for a second course of Volume One of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS to see which stories got the recipe just right.

In the best audio and visual art, music and sound design are a creative's super power. They can pull heart strings, pour ice down your back, and put you on the edge of your seat. But like any great power, they can backfire if you don't use them wisely when setting a mood. And when it comes to creating a vibe in the realm of audio stories, few people know the importance of that particular artform like Chris Burke. The Mandible Judy Podcast - https://mandiblejudy.buzzsprout.com/The Mandible Judy Twitch Feed - https://www.twitch.tv/wondervillenycSupport Mandible Judy on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/m/mandiblejudyMandible Judy on Bandcamp - https://mandiblejudy.bandcamp.com/

Few things can showcase a wide variety of artistic talent like a good short story anthology series, and like any group performance, what makes it work is solid fundamentals. Tonight, we're breaking down Volume One of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS in order to see how the different pieces of an anthology influence the whole series

In the year 2020, much of the film industry ground to a halt as the pandemic took hold of the world. As lockdowns went on, we saw the storytellers embrace the possibilities of audio-drama. One such storyteller is Bret Wood, who transitioned from filmmaking into podcasting and has ventured even further into the realm of audio to push its boundaries.

When it comes to inclusion, there is a fine line between tokenism and actual representation. So how do storytellers embrace the wonderful variety of the world without making it seem condescending or calculated? For filmmaker James Kicklighter, the answer to this question is about elevating voices while doing the work to keep the stories authentic.Learn more about James Kicklighter and his work at jameskicklighter.comTo buy Close To The Ridge visit: https://www.audible.com/pd/Close-to-the-Ridge-Audiobook/B097Z2VX6P?ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_265336_pd_us&source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWU-BK-ACX0-265336

Mythical beings and prophetic legends have long held a cushy seat in the “correct side”, but Princess Mononoke shows that even the spirits and gods are not immune to the dangers of extremism and excess. In this episode, we're back to break down how Hayao Miyazaki employs ancient archetypes to tell a timeless story that rings through the ages and feels eerily relevant to our conflicted times.

Of the stories to be told, “Man vs Nature” is one of the oldest and well trodden, yet set in feudal Japan where spirits and gods were so much a part of everyday life, this tale takes on new relevance and nuance. Tonight, we're here to breakdown Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, Princess Mononoke, and figure out how it creates a story about walking the razor's edge of cooperation and maturity.Finding the Mother Tree on Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Mother-Tree-Discovering-Wisdom/dp/B08LDXXN29/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=finding+the+mother+tree&qid=1624327259&sr=8-1

The internet is a vast ocean full of numerous and plentiful audiences, but how does a creative plumb the depths for THEIR audience across these treacherous waters. In this episode, we're talking about digital marketing with Kelly Biggs of WSI about how to fish the stormy seas like master anglers to help your creative projects find an audience that will bite.WSI Biggs online: https://wsibiggsdigital.com/

It's not every day that a movie can come along simultaneously satirizing an entire genre while also revolutionizing it. In May of ‘97, THE FIFTH ELEMENT did just that. In this episode...we're back to finish breaking down what makes this piece of science fiction powerful enough to stand the test of time.

Science fiction is sneaky, especially when it's also an action comedy summer blockbuster. They push the boundaries of what we think of as possible and make us question our norms. In this episode, we’re breaking down THE FIFTH ELEMENT to see how this stylish flick turns the conventions of sci-fi on it’s head and works like a charm because of it.

Every filmmaker talks about “subverting expectations”, but if they want to learn how to do it well, they look to the THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Tonight, we’re back to finish the job and breakdown how this neo-noir masterpiece got away with pulling off one of the greatest twist endings of all time.

Few things make a great movie like a great villain. But when your cast of heroes are all criminals, what do you do then? If you’re Christoper McQuarrie, you create a villain of biblical proportions. In this episode, we’re breaking down the classic neo-noir film, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, and trying to unravel the word of cinema’s most unreliable narrator.

Paradoxes abound. Most stories about time travel are a contradictory mess. But every once in a while, somebody gets it right. In this episode, we’re back to finish our break down of LOOPER and to close the loop on what’s good and what could have made it even better.Slash Film article on LOOPER: https://www.slashfilm.com/ten-mysteries-in-looper-explained-by-director-rian-johnson/

Time Travel stories are often best avoided by the audience AND the Author. They are complicated, messy, and confusing. AND yet, some authors still manage to thread the needle.In this episode, we’re breaking down Rian Johnson’s time-travelling masterpiece, Looper, to unravel what makes it the exception to the rule.

It takes a lot of skills to execute your vision in a film, whether it’s writing, directing, producing or performing. Luckily once you’ve mastered a skill, you find it has applications in more places that just the one where you learned it. In this episode, we’re talking to writer, producer, director and puppeteer, Raymond Carr about the skills he’s acquired in his time in the film & television industry, and how he’s put them to work in other projects.Raymond Carr on IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1663618/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Watch the short film Joyriders - https://watch.eventive.org/atlantafilmfestival2021/play/6062d8da4cb379003020f679/604821323228410096681db0Ninja Puppet Productions - https://www.ninjapuppetproductions.com/Film Impact Georgia - https://www.filmimpactgeorgia.org/

It’s not every day that a movie comes along that not only changes how films are made but one that also changes how we see reality itself, and THE MATRIX did just that.In this episode, we’re back to finish our breakdown of this masterpiece from 1999 as we decipher the code of what makes it great.

When it comes to telling stories on film, the view working from in front of the camera can be very different from the view from behind it. While it’s not uncommon for actors to take on the role of director, it’s certainly not always easy. Tonight, we’re talking to Hannah Fierman, who is in the process of making that journey from actor to director. Hannah Fierman - http://hannahfierman.com/Hannah on IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2689823/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Events Surrounding A Peeping Tom - https://www.facebook.com/TheEventsSurroundingThe Control Group (Podcast) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-control-group/id1391782679American Hell (short film) - https://youtu.be/Tx2I9ZLeos8

When the audience sits down in front of a movie, they’re looking to escape reality for a little while. When audiences sat down at this 1999 scifi, little did they know how the tables would turn. Tonight, we’re gonna breakdown THE MATRIX starring Keanu Reeves & Laurence Fishburn and we’re gonna see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

t's not often that a movie comes along and defines culture in a myriad ways decades after its release. And few movies have knocked the mainstream on its ass like FIGHT CLUB. Tonight, we’re getting up off the cement basement floor and we’re back for Round 2 of our breakdown of the classic film from 1999.

There are few movies that pack a strong enough punch to leave a mark more than 20 years after their initial release. And there’s one movie that has spawned ALL the memes, insults, inspiration and misinterpretations galore. Tonight, we’re breaking the first and the second rule and we’re talking about Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. And we’re gonna break it down.

Be it Recording a stream, or building an alien teleporter, with technology, there’s always a degree of faith involved. Tonight, we’re back...again... to finish breaking down Robert Zemeckis’ film Contact starring Jodie Foster & Matthew McConaughey.

What do you get when a famous atheist scientist pens a story about first contact and it comes off like a meditation on the nature of belief and the search for meaning? Based on the novel by Carl Sagan and directed by Robert Zemeckis we’re breaking down the movie CONTACT, starring Jodie Foster & Matthew McConaughey.

The Coen Brothers took Homer's "The Odyssey" and transplanted it to the Depression Era American South. We're taking a look at "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" in this episode.

When last we left our heroic crew, the alien had just burst from their shipmate's chest, and was about to run amok throughout the ship. We're back to finish our breakdown of Ridely Scott's ALIEN.

In 1979, Ridley Scott directed ALIEN and changed the landscape of science fiction & horror films. In this episode we're giving this classic the full IMR treatment.

Because this movie has so much style, one episode was not enough. We're coming back to finish taking a good hard look at Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION.

Such that way may cast off these fragile moral shells.... We're sick, we'll be back tomorrow. Promise.

In this episode, we breakdown Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in order to learn from it.

The art of writing is all about the economy of words. Don’t give enough detail and your writing is confusing or predictable, give too much and it’s wasted energy or self-indulgent. We’re here today to talk about how a writer can learn when enough is enough.

When it comes to telling great stories, it’s important to have a deft hand while giving a sense of place. Too much and you’ll break the suspension of disbelief, too little and your stories will never take root. In this episode we talk about how to navigate the process of building a world without losing the plot in the twisting and tangling of all that information.Garfield's Crossing - www.garfieldscrossing.coNovis Opera LLC - www.novisopera.com