The Talks

Trevor Matthews and Nick Gordon: “Why is this story important?”
Mr. Matthews and Mr. Gordon, what is the biggest challenge you face as film producers today?
Nick Gordon: In the indie space, movies tend to not happen because you can't get enough money to be able to execute. Some companies have their own financing, they have to get things made in order to keep the business going and so they may be willing to make more sacrifices than others. But for a company like our Brookstreet Pictures, we are always trying to keep our eye on the ball as far as quality control, if we see something dipping to a level where it's like, that extra million dollars means this has to go from the project, or you're cutting a week from the schedule, or that cast member no longer works… We just won't do it. We try to really keep our prestige meters as high as we can. Our aspiration is to execute at the highest level.
Trevor Matthews: Right, we're doing this because we're passionate about storytelling, so we want to enjoy the experience, but also create something worthwhile. We’re so lucky to be one of the many companies in the world that gets to select what kind of stories we want to bring to the world, so we do have to ask ourselves before each film: Why are we making this? Why is this story important?
What other big fundamental questions are you asking yourself before deciding on a project?
TM: When deciding on a project, we’re asking questions like: What is the experience making this going to be like? What is the director’s past work? What changes should we make to the story if we could?
NG: Can we give the filmmaker the resources he or she needs to succeed? What happens when you have to adapt along the way? Because you will invariably have to adapt, you will have to pivot here and there, so you want to try to predict if those pivots that you have to make will adversely affect the project.
TM: Those questions all merit a whole day sometimes to sit down and analyze. With the director, we’re asking what's really important about the story to them, and how can we help emphasize that in the creation of the movie? Timing and fiscal responsibility also come into play when we’re thinking about making another movie. Sometimes we might be searching for something that will come together quickly, while in other cases, we may have had an idea that's been festering around in our heads for the last seven years. Sometimes there’s simply something in your bones, like you have make this right now.

Kenny Gravillis: “It becomes a dance”
Mr. Gravillis, you’ve spent almost two decades designing artwork for film and TV, working with everyone from Spike Lee to Luca Guadagnino to Steven Spielberg. What’s it like when you’re walking down the street and you see a poster you designed?
Oh, man, I say this all the time: it really never gets old, and when it does, I'll probably leave the business.
Somehow I never realized that there even was a movie poster business…
It’s funny you should say that because I think a lot of people feel that way! When you see a movie poster when you’re driving down the street, I think people assume the studio does it. But there’s a whole niche industry behind it. For me personally, I’ve always loved film and music. So on top of being a designer, it was important for me to connect into those things that I was passionate about. I worked in the music industry for several years, collaborating with Def Jam… And then around 2004, music started going, you know, with Napster and Limewire and iTunes, the budgets were going terribly. So I moved to LA, started hitting up the studios to see if we could get into the film industry.

Paul Tazewell: “I was paving my own path”

Sean Momberger: “I’m a part of something big”

Seth Gordon: “Film is a living organism”

Jenny Beavan: “That’s when your mind is free”

Spencer Bailey: “It’s a really careful act”

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: “That's the magic of it”

Dominique Crenn: “Food is a movement”

Alessandra Rampazzo and Marcello Galiotto: “Passion is what guides us”
