BELOW THE LINE PODCAST

What happens when you build an action movie from the discipline, pain tolerance, and physical language of ballet? For Director Vicky Jewson, the answer became Pretty Lethal — a film where movement isn’t just style, it’s story.

This week on Below the Line, Skid is joined by Vicky Jewson and co-host Katie Carroll to go behind the camera on Pretty Lethal, the action thriller now streaming on Prime Video.

From the outset, Vicky approached the project with a clear mandate: ballet wouldn’t be window dressing — it would drive everything. That meant immersing herself in the world of professional dance, collaborating with prima ballerinas, and building an entirely new movement language that blends choreography and combat into what the team ultimately dubbed “Ballet-Fu.”

The conversation explores how that idea shaped every stage of production:

Why the film was designed “ballet first, fight second,” and how that philosophy led to the creation of a new stunt vocabulary

Building a hybrid team of dancers and stunt performers — and how seven weeks of prep transformed ballerinas into action-ready doubles

The logistics behind intensive rehearsal, previs, and on-location blocking — including shooting complex sequences with an editor assembling scenes in real time

Designing action set pieces as evolving story beats, allowing the audience to discover Ballet-Fu alongside the characters

The decision to embrace the visual symbolism of tutus — not as spectacle, but as a statement about strength, femininity, and perception

Creating a collaborative, high-trust environment on set, where tone, culture, and preparation all contribute to performance

Along the way, Vicky discusses the realities of getting a film like this made — from years of development and packaging to finding the right partners and building a team that could execute at scale. She also reflects on working with Uma Thurman, whose performance balances heightened, almost mythic energy with emotional grounding.

What emerges is a conversation about preparation, collaboration, and intention — and how a clear creative idea, carried all the way through production, can define the identity of a film.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and go Below the Line on Pretty Lethal. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

Oscar night is almost here, and Below the Line closes out its 2026 Oscar series with a look at the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

This week, Skid is joined by returning guests Chris Molanphy, Louis Weeks, and Tom Peyton to break down the five nominees — a lineup that ranges from chart-topping K-pop to blues-infused cinematic spectacle, intimate indie folk, and even a rare operatic outlier.

As the ceremony approaches on March 15, the panel weighs not only which song will win, but how each nominee functions inside its film — and what that says about the evolving relationship between movies and popular music.

Among the highlights:

Diane Warren’s Dear Me — her 17th nomination — and a candid conversation about formula, legacy nominations, and the Academy’s enduring embrace of one of its most persistent contenders

Why Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters has become the category’s undeniable frontrunner — and how its structure, performance demands, and cultural impact set it apart

The scope and ambition of I Lied to You from Sinners, and how its blend of blues tradition and cinematic storytelling makes it more than just a “song”

An operatic curveball in Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi! — and what happens when a classical aria sits beside pop craftsmanship

Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner’s Train Dreams, a meditative, image-driven piece that bridges songwriter performance and filmic atmosphere

The conversation moves easily between technical craft and big-picture questions: What makes a song “original” in today’s industry? Should Best Original Song reward chart success, narrative function, or musical innovation? And in an era of streaming metrics and algorithmic pop, what still feels distinctly human?

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on Best Original Song — and get ready for Oscar night. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

As Oscar night draws near, Below the Line turns to one of the most emotionally powerful — and hotly debated — categories of the year: the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

In Episode 11 of our 2026 Oscar series, Skid is joined by returning panelists Chris Molanphy, Louis Weeks, and Jennie Armon to break down the five nominees recognized at the 98th Academy Awards: Bagonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Sinners.

With just over a week until the ceremony on March 15, the conversation balances prediction, perspective, and deep craft analysis — examining not only who might win, but what each score is attempting to accomplish.

The discussion covers:

Jerskin Fendrix’s anarchic, genre-bending approach to Bagonia — and whether creative “broken communication” can be a feature rather than a flaw

Alexandre Desplat’s lush, violin-forward score for Frankenstein and what makes it feel both classical and quietly subversive

Max Richter’s restrained work on Hamnet, including the complicated legacy of “On the Nature of Daylight” and how previously composed music intersects with Oscar eligibility

Johnny Greenwood’s immersive, pulse-driven soundscape for One Battle After Another — and why some scores only reveal their full power in context with picture

Ludwig Göransson’s sweeping, thesis-driven score for Sinners, a front-runner that uses music not just to support story, but to make an argument of its own

Along the way, the panel debates what the Academy tends to reward in this category: traditional orchestral craftsmanship, avant-garde experimentation, cultural resonance, or sheer emotional impact. They also spotlight overlooked scores from the year and reflect on how film music continues to evolve — especially as composers move fluidly between pop, concert, and cinematic worlds.

As the 98th Academy Awards approach, this episode offers both a critical deep dive and a celebration of how music shapes the movies we love.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line as our 2026 Oscar series heads into its final stretch. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

Costume design defines character before a word is spoken — through silhouette, texture, and the quiet language of fabric.

For Episode 10 of Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series, Skid is joined by Liz Vastola, Austin Wittick, and Allison Choi Braun to examine the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design at the 98th Academy Awards. Drawing on their experience across period drama, contemporary storytelling, and large-scale production, the panel evaluates this year’s field with a focus on research, construction, collaboration, and narrative clarity.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube.

Our discussion explores:

The physical craftsmanship behind Avatar: Fire and Ash, and how tangible garments support performance even in a digitally expansive world

In Frankenstein, how heightened color and silhouette push beyond strict period realism to create something emotionally immediate

How Hamnet uses restraint — muted palettes and softened textures — to support its interior storytelling

The meticulous 1950s tailoring in Marty Supreme, and what period specificity reveals about character and class

Blending Americana, music culture, and horror in Sinners, where aging, multiples, and continuity become storytelling tools

The collaborative relationship between costume designers and directors, and how early visual conversations shape the entire production

Throughout the episode, the panel reflects on how costume design operates at every scale — from the smallest accessory to the broadest color arc — and how these choices work in concert with lighting, production design, performance, and theme.

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line for Episode 10 of our 2026 Oscar series as we head into the final stretch. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.

Cinematography is where intention meets execution — in the choice of lens, the placement of light, and the movement of the camera.

For Episode 9 of Below the Line’s 2026 Oscar series, we turn to the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards. Skid is joined by cinematographers Patrick Cady and David Tuttman, who return to examine this year’s field from the inside — balancing technical precision, aesthetic philosophy, and the lived reality of production.

As with the rest of this year’s Oscar series, the conversation is available both as an audio podcast and as a full video episode on YouTube.

In this episode, the conversation explores:

• The “military operation of joy” behind Frankenstein — and how large-format photography, depth of field, and camera movement supported a unified creative vision
• The disciplined exposure control and 1970s-influenced grit of Marty Supreme, shot largely on film with exacting precision
• The ambitious VistaVision approach of One Battle After Another, and why certain sequences demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible
• The bold format shifts and musical visual language of Sinners, including the challenge of blending IMAX, 70mm, and intimate close-ups
• The natural-light philosophy of Train Dreams, and why “lighting with fire” is anything but simple
• Patrick’s case for five additional films he believes deserved recognition — and what that reveals about how deep this year’s cinematography field really is

Along the way, Patrick and David reflect on film versus digital workflows, lens design, aspect ratios, shutter angle choices, and the subtle collaboration between cinematography, production design, and performance. The discussion moves easily between the granular (film stocks, lenses, exposure latitude) and the philosophical (joy in the process, trust between departments, and how cinematography shapes story without announcing itself).

🎧 Press play — or watch the full conversation on YouTube — and join us Below the Line for Episode 9 of our 2026 Oscar series. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.