IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

Eric Heisserer talks about adapting Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" -- a short story many thought was un-adoptable for the big screen.

Eggers on how he blended genre and history to create the best horror film of the year and why he's remaking “Nosferatu.”

The great director talks about his new film "Elle," Isabelle Huppert and how his career as Hollywood director ("Showgirls," Starship Troopers," "Robocop") is starting to be reconsidered.

Ezra Edelman discusses how he used the story of OJ Simpson to explore race in American.

Writer/Director Barry Jenkins discusses "Moonlight," his second feature and easily one of the best films of the year. Then IndieWire's Kate Erbland stops by to talk about "Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk" and how shooting at 120 frames per second alters movie watching and movie making.

Gianfranco's Rosi is one best filmmakers we aren't paying enough attention to here in the US, but that's about to change as his new film "Fire at Sea" is considered a frontrunner for an Oscar nomination. The film, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, is a look at a small Italian island caught in the middle of Europe's refugee crisis.

Kelly Reichardt talks about her new film "Certain Women," starring Kristen Stewart and Michelle Williams.

One of the big premieres at this year's New York Film Festival is "Hamilton's America," a behind-the-scenes look at Lin Manuel Miranda's search for the history behind his hit musical. Director Alex Horwitz stops by to talk about shadowing Miranda from mixtape to superstar. Afterwards we visit with NYFF's Dennis Lim to discuss Jacques Rivette and the discovery of three of his first shorts, which are playing at the fest. Finally, a recommendation for a new movie every filmmaker should see.

Director Andrea Arnold ("Fish Tank") discusses making her new film "American Honey."

The HBO mini-series "The Night Of" is a near perfect use of location shooting. This week we talk to location manager Shane Haden about working with creator Steven Zaillian to create this unique portrait of New York City and the criminal justice system. Shane also brings us behind the scenes of what's involved with being a location manager, the challenges of shooting in NYC and how he got his start.

Kirsten Johnson talks about what she's learned from shooting some of the best nonfiction films of the last 25 years while working with directors like Laura Poitras and Michael Moore. We also discuss her new film "Cameraperson," which uses previously unseen footage from those films to create what IndieWire's Eric Kohn called, "A transcendent documentary experience. Truly original. There's never been a memoir quite like this one."

The "Kate Plays Christine" director talks about how nonfiction filmmaking can be a cinematic form of self-expression, how his Sundance hit blurs the lines between fiction and reality, and what he's learned becoming a professor at the University of Missouri.

"Eastsiders" star and creator Kit Williamson shares his insight on how to launch a successful web series. IndieWire's Digital Media Critic Jude Dry stops by to share her insights on some of her favorite series.

Director Ira Sachs talks about writing his new film "Little Men," not rehearsing actors and why the Queer/Film/Art community he's built has been so important to his career.