As filmmakers, we are always trying to make people lean in, and what better way to get them to do that than engage with them emotionally. We forget that long before we were around, painters and sculptors were the ones capturing human form and stories.

In a recent interview with lawyer Mark Litwak, Backstage asked him about all his areas of expertise. As an entertainment lawyer and the founder of the Law Offices of Mark Litwak and Associates, he gave some incredible answers. 

When Burton recorded sound for Bird Box, an apocalyptic thriller starring Sandra Bullock, the mixer contended with scenes where 10 or more people spoke and cameras blocked for wide and tight shots. “You rely on the wireless lavs for the wide shots, but when the cameras move in, you bring the booms into the mix, instead of leaving it on the wires.”

Oscar-winning director, producer, and writer Peter Jackson came to worldwide fame through producing the masterful Lord of the Rings adaptations in the early 2000s. More recently, he put together a gorgeous World War I documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old.

Whether it’s used to show people breaking into someone else’s mind or to show a guy losing his own mind, Nolan knows how to play the audience. His cross-cutting is imperative to his storytelling. He loves to build the idea of multiple stories going on at once.