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Lights, Camera, Absurdity: Decoding the Movie Business
What exactly does a best boy do? In this episode of The Absurdists, Marlo Anderson is joined by filmmaker Nolan Johnson of Quantum Digital to decode the absurd world of making movies and TV. It starts with Marlo seeing The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Las Vegas, complete with a seatmate who skipped the “obstructed view” seats that were really just part of the show.
Then they work through the end credits: best boys, key grips and gaffers, gaffer tape, why an extension cord on set is called a “stinger,” dolly grips, Foley artists making zombie sounds with jello, and the boom operators holding a microphone overhead all day. Marlo shares what continuity looked like on the movie Medora, shot partly in an old Bismarck Kmart with boxes and boxes of candles.
Then it’s the movie and TV tropes that drive us nuts: nobody says goodbye on the phone, whiskey that’s really apple juice, empty coffee cups, hacker typing, “zoom in and enhance,” nobody eating their food, the villain monologue, waking up gorgeous, running from danger in a straight line, Hallmark small towns and walking away from explosions. Plus Nolan’s most underrated movies, from Tucker and Dale vs. Evil to Hell or High Water.
The Absurdists, where logic takes a back seat. Season 2, Episode 4 with Marlo Anderson and guest Nolan Johnson.
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