"Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It" Director Paris Barclay & Editor Scott D. Hanson on Making the Documentary

In this episode, we welcome director Paris Barclay and editor Scott D. Hanson. Paris is an Emmy Award–winning director whose work spans series such as The West Wing, Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment, and Monster, and Scott is an Emmy-nominated editor with projects including Dolemite is My Name, McMillions, and Born to Bowl. In our conversation, they share their journeys into the industry, how they developed their craft, and dive into the making of the documentary Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It. They also reflect on key moments from their careers and share thoughtful insights for the next generation of filmmakers.“The Making Of” is presented by AJA:MeyerPro bridges long-distance signal transport with AJAGo behind-the-scenes of MeyerPro’s Microsoft Ignite live event production with Broadcast Engineer Cole Miller. Explore how he used AJA conversion, frame sync, and recording technology to facilitate seamless production on- and off-site, ensuring smooth signal transmission, support for multiple formats, and high-quality event recordings. Read the full interview.Upcoming Event: Eurocine | May 8-9 | BudapestThis celebration of the moving image unites industry pros from cinematography to VFX. Free to attend — including expos, seminars, workshops, & networking. Visit www.euro-cine.com for the full program.Turn Your Spare NVMe into a Blazing-Fast Production DriveAlready have NVMe SSDs from a recent upgrade? Put them back to work with the OWC Express 1M2 80G enclosure. Simply install your existing M.2 drive and unlock next-gen performance—over 6000MB/s with USB4 and Thunderbolt 5 compatibility. It’s a smart, cost-effective way for editors and creators to maximize the storage they already own.Learn more hereZEISS Aatma – Contemporary Full Frame Primes with a Soulful Legacy LookZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes (18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm) designed to marry the benefits of modern optical design with the nostalgic image characteristics that are popular today. Drawing inspiration from some of the most beloved ZEISS lenses of the 20th century, Aatma combines an emotion-driven look with the mechanical reliability, data integration, and workflow compatibility that’s expected for current production. Visit hereMeet the Elgato Prompter XLThe Elgato Prompter XL is an all-in-one studio teleprompter designed for larger, more professional setups, featuring a 15.6” removable display and an extended reading range of up to 15 feet so talent can stay on script even at a distance. With ultra-wide compatibility, simple USB 3.2 connectivity, and included software, it easily integrates into multi-camera productions, live shows, and content creation workflows—while also doubling as a secondary monitor between shoots. Available at Videoguys.com, call us at 800-323-2325 for more information.Take a look herePodcast Rewind:April 2026 - Ep. 130.Partner with The Making Of:Advertise in The Making Of and reach 250,000 film and TV industry pros and content creators each week. To learn more, please email mvalinsky@me.com Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe