Alex Winter on his HBO documentary Showbiz Kids, experience as a child actor, moving from acting to directing, The Lost Boys, The Idiot Box, Freaked, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Zappa, and more

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 84: Alex Winter Many people know
Alex Winter as the iconic character Bill S. Preston, Esq. from the
hit Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequels, but over
the past few decades, Alex has become a prolific director of
several TV, film and documentary projects. Alex was a child actor,
with roles on Broadway, film and television, shooting his own
projects on a wind-up 16 mm Bolex camera in his spare time. As a
young actor, he followed cinematographer Michael Chapman (Jaws,
Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) around on the set of The Lost Boys
whenever he had downtime. After graduating from NYU film school,
Alex and creative partners Tom Stern and Tim Burns created The
Idiot Box, a sketch comedy show for MTV. They had creative control
but not much money, so Alex, Stern and Burns moved on, making their
own comedic film, Freaked, which has become a cult favorite. Alex
went on to shoot and direct several music videos for bands like The
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Helmet. For his most recent documentary
film, Showbiz Kids, Alex found his personal experience and
sensitivity as a fellow child actor immensely helpful for
interviewing his subjects. The film profiles actors Evan Rachel
Wood, Wil Wheaton, Henry Thomas, Mara Wilson, Todd Bridges, Milla
Jovovich, Jada Pinkett Smith, the late Cameron Boyce and Diana
Serra Cary (“Baby Peggy”) who tell their own stories and Hollywood
experiences, bad and good, of growing up as child actors. The doc
also follows two aspiring child stars as they try to break into the
business or further their careers. For his upcoming documentary
Zappa, Alex wanted to tell the definitive story of Frank Zappa's
life and work. With the cooperation of the Zappa family, he had
unprecedented access to Frank Zappa's home movies and recordings.
Alex will also be seen acting once again as Bill with buddy Keanu
Reeves in Bill & Ted Face The Music, as soon as a release date
is set. Find Alex Winter: http://alexwinter.com/ Instagram:
@alxwinter Twitter: @Winter See Showbiz Kids on HBO:
https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/showbiz-kids Zappa, coming soon:
http://www.zappamovie.com/about Find out even more about this
episode, with extensive show notes and links:
http://camnoir.com/ep84/ Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras:
www.hotrodcameras.com Website: www.camnoir.com Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz