Dillon Freasier and Daniel Day-Lewis star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Courtesy of François Duhamel/Paramount Vantage.

I had a blast chatting with accomplished film students Calvin Steinken and Thomas Cheely about their experiences at Tribeca Flashpoint, and their process of developing their own voices as filmmakers. One tendency that often plagues the work of film students is the desire to imitate the work of a master director. Though it’s always good to take inspiration from fellow artists, it’s crucial for filmmakers to stay true to their own vision rather than replicate someone else’s. Both Steinken and Cheely cited as an influence the acclaimed filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, whose body of work brilliantly and subversively illustrates the art of homage. In this podcast, we discuss the work of Anderson, as well as an assortment of superb short subjects made by the two young directors (some of them are available on Steinken’s Vimeo page).

Steinken’s film “Who’s That Guy?” and Cheely’s film “Pressure Putt” will screen at 8pm August 24th at the AMC Village Crossing 18, 7000 Carpenter Road, Skokie.

Editor’s Note: Scheduling conflicts, partly caused by the Music Box’s 70mm screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” caused this week’s Friday podcast to be published a day late. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I promise to share my thoughts on Anderson’s latest in the near future. By the way, check out the excellent tribute to Anderson from Boston editor Paul Proulx posted below.

The program was produced at Columbia College Chicago. Technical producers were Steve Ahlman and Rebecca Nystedt. An Indie Outlook Production.