Behind the Camera with Megan Liz Smith

In this episode, host Edward Frumkin (he/him) and contributor Sean Naughton (he/him) break down the comeback of Black and White films in 2021 such as Belfast, The Velvet Underground, and Passing. Then, filmmaker Megan Liz Smith (she/her) discusses her experiences as a young actor before transitioning to work behind the scenes as a "cameraperson." Finally, in today’s concluding thought, Edward talks about his experiences with performing and theatre. Guest Bio: Megan Liz Smith (she/her) is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker from the snowy Northern Territory of Minnesota. She grew up acting in commercials and short films, but has since transitioned to working behind the camera. Megan has been a production assistant on shows like Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin, and Rogue Trip on Disney+, as well as the Oscar shortlisted documentary Procession on Netflix. Her directorial debut was the short film Diary of a Teenage Zealot (played at 2021 First Look at Museum of the Moving Image 2020 St. Louis Int. and 2021 KC Film Fests). She now works as a full time cinematographer in the Twin Cities. Time Codes: 1:20 - Recalling the 2021 B&W Films and our experiences of B&W films 4:23 - Seeing how Black and White films become refreshing 9:20 - Two Best Cinematography Academy Awards 14:32 - Analyzing color as an artistic decision 18:00 - Reverse Colorization of films 22:11 - Directors that changed Edward’s impression of color 25:47 - Megan’s film upbringings 29:55 - Megan’s move from working in front of to behind the camera 33:41 - Megan’s experiences from working at Rouge Trip and Truth About Murder 38:03 - Megan editing herself in Diary of a Teenage Zealot 45:18 - Megan’s experiences working at a rental house 49:44 - Megan’s perspective on filmmaking in Minnesota 54:07 - Megan Liz Smith’s recommendations: Turtles Can Fly and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 55:39 - Concluding Thought: Edward’s experiences with performing and theatre Episode Notes: Why There Are So Many Black and White Movies in 2021 by Alissa Wilkinson Diary of a Teenage Zealot Info Page Procession Trailer Megan Liz Smith’s website