THM - William Friedkin

The Hollywood Masters Come to LMU

Being a film student at LMU has afforded me opportunities to experience some truly fascinating film industry events up close. Recently, I’ve had the good fortune not only to attend, but also to be part of the production crew for, The Hollywood Masters — moderated by The Hollywood Reporter executive features editor Stephen Galloway.

The Masters consists of 90 minute discussions with legendary filmmakers held in Mayer Theater at LMU. Galloway was recently named LMU School of Film and TV’s Cosgrove Family Distinguished Visiting Artist for 2014. So far, he’s conducted in-depth interviews (followed by Q &A) with Alfonso Cuaron, David O. Russell, Sherry Lansing, Judd Apatow, John Singleton, William Friedkin, and Alan Horn.  The programs are taped before a live audience of LMU students. As part of the LMU SFTV crew, I had the opportunity to be there for each event.

What made these discussions so amazing was that, rather than appearing simply to promote their current projects (the norm for publicity appearances), these extraordinary talents shared thoughts and feelings about their entire bodies of work — a lifetime of filmmaking genius on display.

Below are some clips from these incredible interviews:

Alan Horn

Disney Chairman Alan Horn talks about the next Star Wars film.

John Singleton

John Singleton talks about the realities of getting films made inside (and outside) the Hollywood system.

Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow talks about Lena Dunham and HBO’s Girls.

David O. Russell

David O. Russell talks about his first meeting with Academy Award Winner, Jennifer Lawrence, and his experiences with her during the filming of Silver Linings Playbook.

Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron, recalling his highly unusual career path, recounts the long and winding road to his blockbuster success with Gravity.

William Friedkin

Legendary director William Friedkin talks about casting Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

 

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