Mark and Joseph look at one of Hollywood’s most unique and theatrical genres in this musical special all about directors. The two pictures are a cult classic about the end of the silent era, Singin’ in the Rain, directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelley, accompanied by Damien Chazelle’s modern masterpiece, La La Land. As the creative lead for a movie, directors are at the heart and soul of our favorite films. Our hosts discuss topics like traditional and modern roles of a director, directors' shared filmography, directors' intent, and so much more! We hope you enjoy this final episode of our Elements series.

In this Christmas Special, Mark and Joseph discuss the elemental glue that holds together your favorite films. Editing, the art of shot transitions, is the penultimate step in turning a screenplay into a cinematic masterpiece. Mark and Joseph discuss the technology, philosophy, and execution of editing. The film selection for today’s episode is It’s A Wonderful Life, a Christmas staple with Hollywood’s timeless invisible editing style, pitted against the newcomer, The Holdovers, a modern movie intentionally edited to feel like a holiday classic your family has watched for many years. Thank you so much for listening, and have a merry Christmas!

In this episode, Mark and Joseph are joined by a special guest to discuss the lifeblood of film itself: the actors. They critique the progression of acting from theatrical expressiveness to understated realism by studying two iconic westerns. 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance starring the legendary John Wayne and James Stewart directed by John Ford, and the 2010 remake of True Grit with Hailee Steinfeld in a breakout role alongside Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin, and directed by the equally talented Coen brothers. Thank you so much for listening!