Subscribe to Our Craft Newsletter: This Week’s Giddyup ‘Ponies’

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the snowy Top of the Line newsletter from New York City. While we respect the excitement of Oscar season, which has hit its first major peak just before the upcoming nomination announcements next week, there’s some fantastic television this week that we absolutely need to discuss.

“The Pitt” Season 2is fighting against injuries, artificial intelligence, and the passage of time.The Knight of the Seven Kingdomshas enough bathroom humor that it ultimately makes me care about the world of “Game of Thrones.” The ruthless financial world of”Industry”Has made a comeback in Season 4 with even more criticism of the British class structure, and (somehow) even more impressive coats. Then there’s “Ponies,” the latest ’70s spy romantic adventure created by David Iserson and Susanna Fogel, featuring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson.

I am not permitted to insert theGordon Ramsay memeincluding great food in the body of the newsletter, but that’s how I truly feel in my heart about this show. It! Has! Everything! A very sharp structure, the most enjoyable and humorous song selections this side of “Reservation Dogs”– incredibly well-researched, creatively designed costumes, and set design that brings a refreshing change to the spy genre, and serve as perfect Trojan Horses (Pony Pun Count: 1) for intelligent, character-driven storytelling.

The craft doesn’t need to be noticed – aside from the fun screen wipes in the edit, which are a joy and more people should incorporate them – but it’s still exceptionally well-crafted, and I’ll have some pieces next week discussing the work that went into the production design, costumes, and really smart camera perspective. And Emilia Clarke is so funny, y’all. It’s a sign of how much society has deteriorated, and a reflection of living in a broken world, that it’s taken this long for a project to truly capitalize on Emilia Clarke being genuinely funny. The newsletter’s Call To Action™ is to get excited (Pony Pun Count: 2) and go watch “Ponies” on Peacock.

Aside from my fascination with tonally playful TV and wine-friend spies, there have been some engaging stories in the Craft section this week. The talented Chris O’Falt is covering “Industry’s” latest plots in London, including a new Toolkit interview with the creators.Mickey Downs and Konrad Kay. I particularly enjoyed learning about the different methods they used to introduce a fresh type of humor through the “Tender” team without needing to go to Silicon Valley, since why would you when you can steer clear? We’ve also had some extra”Marty Supreme” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash”coverage, as Jim Hemphill and I are unable to control it (Pony Pun Count: 3).

One of my most cherished recent Toolkit experiences is the opportunity to listen todirector Park Chan-wooktalk about “No Other Choice,” which might be the movie from last year that I left the theater thinking the most about,Ultimately, some decent food.We have another article from that discussion, focusing on the design of the house that Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is prepared to kill for. There’s intriguing background information regarding the Korean middle class integrated—literally—into the concrete exterior and the structure of the greenhouse, which undergoes a significant change throughout Man-su’s attempt to challenge the hiring process. Definitely suggest you take a look at it.

The upcoming week looks promising, with the buildup to Sundance and our yearly camera survey. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the findings – the directors of photography who participate often provide more than just the decision to use an Alexa 35, and if you have any interest in cinematography, there’s plenty to learn from it. Take care in the meantime, everyone.