Teller: Tim's Vermeer

Teller was born to two artists who were always working on their paintings in the attic studio of his Philadelphia childhood home. Having an insight to that process certainly helped spark his fascination with magic. And deconstructing and demystifying the creative process has always been a part of Teller's work, whether it's his magic, writing, directing or comedy. His first feature as director, the documentary Tim's Vermeer, is about a scientist and inventor named Tim Jenison, obsessed with figuring out a 350-year-old mystery: how did painter Johannes Vermeer get that incredible photographic accuracy in all his paintings? This week, Teller joins Elvis Mitchell in the studio to talk about how teaching Latin in a secondary school helped him make the movie. Plus, the best lesson he ever learned about filmmaking from working with Arthur Penn.

Banner image: Tim Jenison, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics