The cast of "Spotlight" didn’t have to endure extreme weather conditions, there are no big action setpieces in the film, and it isn’t presented in 70mm. Instead, much of the drama revolves around making phone calls, going to the library, cross-referencing indexes and working sources. Yet there is no moment in the 128 minutes of Tom McCarthy‘s journalism procedural that isn’t wholly gripping —the picture is a focused look at the roll-your-sleeves up work that seems to be fading in the era of #hottakes and news updated by-the-moment, rather than observed, studied and contextualized.
That’s a long preamble to say that McCarthy’s film is very much in the Oscar race, and this fall, McCarthy sat down for a Q&A with Jonathan Levine ("The Night Before," "50/50") to talk about the making of "Spotlight." The discussion goes into the director’s process, which includes thorough rehearsal. McCarthy also talks about the problems with making your first day of shooting on location at Boston’s Fenway Park during a baseball game, and much more. It’s nice look into the making the movie, so give it watch below.