What to Ask in Crew Interviews
Job interviews are notoriously poor predictors of performance. If you're a producer who's hiring, is there anything you can ask that will cut through the noise?
A feature I’m a producer on is nearing production. And lately, our team has been doing a lot of hiring. When considering different candidates, the biggest considerations have been A) past experience, B) recommendations from people we trust, C) the ability to work locally, and D) generally good vibes.
We’re fortunate that much of the crew will be composed of people the director has worked with in the past. But everyone else, of course, has required an interview. We’ve gone into these conversations with the knowledge that job interviews are notoriously poor predictors of performance. They’re small samples and we bring all sorts of biases to them. In helping to conduct more and more of them, I’ve been thinking a lot about what they can be good for and how to get the most out of them. What should you be looking for? What should you ignore? And what are good questions to ask?
Naturally, it’s nice to hear a candidate run through their experiences and describe their working style in their own words. That process can give you a sense of whether someone knows what they’re talking about. But given all of our psychological biases and, well, the ability to exaggerate, I’m wary of putting too much weight on what someone tells me in that portion of the conversation.
Instead, I’ve come to think that interviews are most useful for two things. The first is weeding out people you don’t want to spend time with. Every so often a candidate for a given position will trigger alarm bells: Stay away! And those warning signs are probably worth heeding.
That’s rare though. Almost all of the people we’ve interviewed have seemed very cool and chill and easy to work with. The second thing I think interviews have the potential to give you a sense of, though, is a candidate’s cinematic sensibility. While it’s great for every member of a crew to bring something different, ideally you want your whole team to be rowing in the same direction and making the same movie. And that seems harder to achieve if, say, a director and editor have completely different senses of rhythm and pacing.
So, we’ve begun asking every candidate about their favorite movies. There’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer here. But the question has provided a glimpse into different peoples’ tastes and styles — and whether those tastes and styles align with the movie we’re making. For some roles, it might not matter so much if the person has the same cinematic sensibility as the director. But even in those instances, the question has been a good way to get people out of their shell and to give us a sense of their vibe.
I’m curious, though: If you’re a director or producer who has done some hiring in the past, is there a question you like to ask in every interview? You can leave a comment below or email nothingbogus1@gmail.com with your response and at some point I’ll compile it all into an article like this one and this one.
Most anticipated movies of 2025
Last week, Esquire published a list of 50 movies I’m anticipating for 2025. There are lots of big ones from established auteurs on the list. But every year I do this, I try to feature a bunch of smaller indies from rising filmmakers, too. Overall, 2025 is looking like it will probably be a horrific year for the planet and the people who occupy it, but a pretty great year for cinema. So, you know, in the words of my friend Rob, “You win some, you lose some.”
David Lynch, RIP
It’s been a while since a celebrity death has affected me like David Lynch’s this past week. Obviously, I wasn’t alone. There’s been an incredible outpouring of love, appreciation, and grief across the internet. I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said. But something that’s struck me about why his death has been felt so deeply is this: Besides losing an incredible artist, we also lost one of the few true originals out there. Lynch was so thoroughly and exclusively himself, and everything he ever made was imbued with his specific vision and sensibility. Despite being a fairly open book about his process and biography, he became a mythic figure. And artists like that — the ones who are truly irreplaceable — seem like they should live forever. Many have imitated David Lynch, and many more will continue to do so. That’s always felt like a fool’s errand to me. But if you don’t aspire to his spirit — to being original and committed and true to yourself — what’s even the point?
Anyway, cheers to one of the best to ever do it!
Listings
NYC G&Es: Chris Violette is looking for spare ND. Big pieces or nearly complete rolls. Can pay. Email chris.andrew.violette@gmail.com.
Aaron Schoonover is a Casting Director available for your short or indie feature. Able to cast remotely out of various hubs. Flex rate sliding scale for all budgets. Experience casting on studio projects and super indie projects! Email schoonovercasting@gmail.com.
Sebastian Zufelt is looking for an Art Director for an NYU Thesis Film. Filming mid/late Feb. Looking for help with fake snow. Email sebastianzufelt@gmail.com.
Applications are open for the Jerome NYC Film Production Grant. Deadline is April 3. Supports NYC-based early career filmmakers working in short or long form, experimental, narrative, animation, doc, or any combination of genres. Up to $30K available.
Life World is looking for a new location in NYC. Must be min. of 2000 sq feet, max of $10K/month, first floor access, min. 12 foot ceilings, non-residential area. DM on IG with leads.
No Film School recently published a massive list of winter film grants, labs, and fellowships. Check it out here.
If you would like to list in a future issue, either A) post in the Nothing Bogus chat thread, or B) email nothingbogus1@gmail.com with the subject “Listing.” (It’s FREE!) Include your email and all relevant details (price, dates, etc.).