Chief of War: The Black Desert | Talk Story Ep. 9

Pa‘a Sibbett sits down with producer and waterman Brian Keaulana to talk story about Episode 9: The Black Desert. They reflect on reshaping the show’s arc, the weight of leadership and kuleana, and the balance of authenticity and scale—whether filming with 300 crew across five units, capturing Kalapana while the volcano erupted, or holding ceremony behind the scenes. From Tony and Ka‘iana’s arc to Jason Momoa’s vision as a director, Brian shares how Chief of War weaves pono, pain, and power into story, reminding us that the finale is not an end, but a beginning. --- 0:00 Intro 0:36 Welina 1:11 Spolier Alert 1:29 Restructuring the Show Whether There Was a Season 2 or Not 2:49 Tony and Ka‘iana 7:06 Leadership, Kamehameha, Kū 8:49 Background on the Actual Ki‘i 11:57 Enjoy the Story 13:12 Kuleana and Pono Throughout the Process 15:47 Hawai‘i's Gift and Encouraging Others 18:04 Developing Our Ability to Do More 19:31 Jason as a Director 23:10 Kalapana Was a Must 24:47 300 People, 5 Units 29:54 Balancing It All Out 32:58 Warriors Working Through Pain 36:07 Fake Hollywood and Reality 36:40 The Volcano Actually is Erupting 39:21 Becoming and Holding Ceremony 41:39 Impactful Behind the Scenes 42:23 The Finale is Just the Beginning --- Watch Chief of War on Apple TV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/chief-of... Dive deeper into more episodes of Hu‘e Kaona: Chief of War Talk Story Sessions at https://www.kanaeokana.net/chiefofwar Like and subscribe: youtube.com/kanaeokana?sub_confirmati... --- Find learning resources and links at https://kanaeokana.net/chiefofwar Learn more about the Hawai‘i Film Alliance: https://hawaiifilmalliance.org/