Interview: Ann Dowd on 'Mass' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' and staying humble when the offers come.

by Nathaniel R

As Ann Dowd and I sat down to talk about Mass, we talked briefly about some work she'd been doing with acting students (not as much as she'd like) and reminisced briefly about the time she guest blogged for The Film Experience seven years ago. In one piece she wrote for the site she doled out advice for young actors about "attending to your life" as she puts it and seeking help if it's needed rather than purposefully 'Suffering for Art'. I reminded her of her own words:

You need an understanding of suffering and pain but you do not need to spend your life doing that to make the work good! 

This advice seems especially relevant today given the heavy themes of her current drama Mass which is about two married couples meeting for the first time years after a tragic school shooting has permanently altered their lives. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]...

Click to read more ...

SAG Nominations – TV

By Abe Friedtanzer

While there are surely more impactful surprises to discuss on the film side of things today, it’s great to see an interesting list of television options honored too. Once again, however, so few series are actually included on the slate. There are only five drama series and six comedy series honored in any category (aside from stunts), while the limited series races managed to get seven with just two categories. That’s pretty much on par with last year. There are a number of snubs and a few unexpected inclusions, but more of the former. Let’s dive in…

Click to read more ...

Emmy Category Review: Outstanding Drama Series

By Abe Friedtanzer

Last year, Succession was pretty far out front, and it feels like this year’s juggernaut, The Crown, has just as easy a path to victory. But this category does include a varied slate, welcoming back two past nominees, two freshman series, one sophomore show, and a handful of extremely high nominations totals. It’s worth looking a bit more closely at each of the top-tier nominees, many of which we’ve covered extensively in our category-by-category analysis. 

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles...

Click to read more ...

Category Analysis: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

 Team Experience is discussing all of the main Emmy categories

The 7 actresses with costars nominated don't really appear in scenes together, so here's an extra photo of the only one who is solely representing her show!

By Abe Friedtanzer

This category includes eight actresses from just three shows, which surely doesn’t represent the vast array of talented actress out there, like the 280 other eligible women who didn’t make the cut. Though it’s not exactly spreading the wealth, the nominees here are all fine actresses who do great work on television, including in this past season. There’s one clear frontrunner but it’s a formidable list, with two-time defending champ Julia Garner out of the running since Ozark, like so many other shows, didn’t release new episodes this season.

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee… 

Click to read more ...

Category Analysis: Three Outstanding Editing Emmys

by Juan Carlos Ojano

I really loved my experience writing about the Best Film Editing category at the 92nd Academy Awards. I had edited all of my short films when I was in film school, was an assistant editor for a feature-length film once, and continue to edit videos for my podcast. Rarely do I get the opportunity to talk about the craft itself. It is daunting to even try to verbalize it. As an editor, editing is about abiding by the rules and theories but also making choices that just feel right or, even more interestingly, that feel wrong and right at the same time. As a viewer, the impact of good editing is not just about the cuts but also the lack of them. This temporal aspect of storytelling is essential and what makes film and television distinct from other forms of art.

So let's talk about three Emmy categories for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing. I will try to be as candid as I can with my observations and musings per episode submission. Some are even harder to discuss because of shows nabbing multiple spots (hello, The Mandalorian and Hacks), but let’s see how we do...

Click to read more ...