Before a film is even written, its success can be determined by the strength of the concept alone. Without a great concept, it can be extremely difficult to attract talent, producers, or investors to your project, and just as hard to market and sell the film once its done. In many respects, the concept development phase is the single most important part of the process, and one that can never be rushed. In today's episode, I outline my entire concept development process from start to finish, usin...
Sep 13, 2018•30 min
In 2018, the art of marketing a feature film is just as critical for independent filmmakers to know as the craft itself. No one knows this better than today’s guest, Kyle Prohaska, who is not only an incredible DIY filmmaker in his own right, but also an expert on marketing independent features. Kyle and his company (Prohaska Studios) have successfully marketed countless feature films including: Asperger’s Are Us, Drive Play Sleep, Standing Firm, and Love Covers All, just to name a few. Over the...
Aug 30, 2018•1 hr 5 min
For this week's interview, Jason Brubaker of Distribber joins me to share his wealth of knowledge on all things marketing & distribution. Distribber is one of the largest and most prominent aggregators for independent films out there, giving filmmakers without traditional distribution deals the ability to sell their content globally, through iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and countless other platforms. During the interview, Jason outlines exactly what it takes to turn a profit with an indepd...
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 13 min
This week, Jim Cummings - Director of THUNDER ROAD - joins me on the show to demystify the process behind his massive success in filmmaking over the past few years. Jim won Sundance in 2016 with his short version of Thunder Road,and went on to win SXSW in 2018 with his full length feature adaptation of the film. Over the course of this hour long interview, Jim shares his creative process at length, touching on every key aspect - development, screenwriting, directing, performance, editorial, and ...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 8 min
In this week’s episode, I interview Don Hardy - an extremely accomplished documentary filmmaker whose most recent feature film, Pick Of The Litter, is being released theatrically by IFC films later this month. Don and his co-director (Dana Nachman) have an incredible track record of finding success with their feature docs, beginning with their film “Witch Hunt” in 2008 - A complete DIY project that was able to secure Sean Penn as a narrator, and premiere at the prestigious Toronto International ...
Aug 02, 2018•1 hr 20 min
One of the most essential ingredients for success in today’s filmmaking landscape, is the ability to build an online community that is supportive of your work. Many of the most successful filmmakers, artists, and other creative entrepreneurs have been able to thrive artistically and financially, simply by harnessing the power of community engagement. While building a sustainable community around your passion, interests, and abilities has never been easier, it is still no easy feat. It takes a tr...
Jul 27, 2018•32 min
Last month my feature film - Shadows On The Road premiered at Dances With Films here in Los Angeles. Using my festival experience as a case study, in this episode I detail exactly what to expect after you get your acceptance letter. Topics covered include: Deliverables, DCPs, Press Kits, Publicity/PR, Festival screenings, Distribution, and much more. For more content like this visit www.noamkroll .com
Jul 19, 2018•34 min
Filmmaking is one of the toughest businesses to work in, as there is no clear path to success and a tremendous amount of competition. The amount of turnover in the industry is staggering, and many aspiring filmmakers only make one or two films before they call it quits. In order to succeed in film, it's clear you need to play the long game. It can take years to develop the right skills, cultivate mutually beneficial relationships, and build a body of work that can ultimately serve as the foundat...
Jul 12, 2018•27 min
As a filmmaker, understanding how to find work, land bigger and better projects, and actually make a living while freelancing is as important (if not more) than learning the craft itself. No one knows that better than today’s guest - Cole Walliser - an acclaimed commercial and music video Director based in Los Angeles, who went from shooting skateboarding videos with friends to directing content for Katy Perry, Pink, Miley Cyrus, and countless other artists and brands. Over the course of the int...
May 24, 2018•1 hr 11 min
The film festival submission process can be extremely daunting for filmmakers, especially those that have no experience on the festival circuit. Many filmmakers neglect to understand what festivals are truly looking for with their submissions, and don’t give themselves the best chance possible to get programmed. In today’s episode, Karolyne Sosa, Programming Director for DTLAFF, sheds light on the programming process - sharing inside info from behind the scenes, outlining exactly what goes into ...
May 17, 2018•45 min
Micro-budget filmmakers are often far more focused on the creative aspects of their projects than the business side. This can pose challenges for those aiming to raise a substantial budget for their films, as many don’t know where to start, or simply assume crowdfunding is their only option. In today’s episode, we break down the basics of each of the major financing options indie filmmakers have at their disposal. Topics covered include: crowdfunding, private equity, foreign pre-sales, distribut...
May 10, 2018•33 min
Many filmmakers end up editing their own feature films, as low budget projects typically call for everyone on board (including the director) to wear many hats. These same filmmakers are also usually left with the responsibility of cutting their own trailers too, which can be far more challenging than feature edit itself. Trailer editing really is its own art form. Large scale feature films are almost always sent to dedicated trailer houses/trailer editors who specialize in this area, as cutting ...
Apr 26, 2018•28 min
As expected, NAB 2018 brought us some of the most exciting camera and gear announcements of the year so far, and there is a whole lot to unpack. While Blackmagic once again stole the show with their Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, many other cameras - such as the Sony FS5 II, Canon C700 FF, Fuji X-H1, and Kinefinity MAVO have been making waves too. Over the course of the episode, we delve into these cameras at length, exploring their core features, strengths, and shortcomings. We also discuss the merit...
Apr 12, 2018•42 min
On today's show we are joined by none other than Alex Ferrari, a micro-budget filmmaker and true hustler - known widely for his popular filmmaking podcast Indie Film Hustle. After 20 years in the film business, Alex turned to micro-budget filmmaking as a means to take control over his own destiny and bring his feature narrative projects to life once and for all. This has culminated in the creation of two feature films over the past two years: This Is Meg, and On The Corner Of Ego And Desire. Ove...
Apr 05, 2018•1 hr 14 min
Most filmmakers have a laundry list of excuses for why they're not making their film - They don’t have enough money, can’t find good actors, or don’t have access to the right camera package. But more often than not, these excuses are self-imposed, and it's the filmmaker themself that is holding the project back, often unwittingly creating hurdles that will prevent them from ever making thier movie. Why is this the case, though? Why do so many filmmakers create obstacles for themselves, or believ...
Mar 29, 2018•29 min
Back in episode 35, Jamie Jung was on the show to discuss his experience acting in a $7000 feature film, funded by Robert Rodriguez for his “Rebel Without A Crew” series. Today, Jamie is back on this show with his director Alejandro Montoya Marin who, as a one-man-band, directed and produced his feature film in just 14 days. Over the course of the interview, Jamie and Alejandro not only speak to what they learned from Robert Rodriguez as acted as a mentor for this film, but also share their word...
Mar 15, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Arguably the most important element to get right when producing any micro-budget film is crew size. When crew size gets out of hand, production is bound to lose efficiency and momentum, which equates to the film's limited budget getting burned through in record time. While many filmmakers and first time directors aim to work with larger crews that offer a more “traditional” setup for a feature film, there’s an argument to be made that less is more - especially on no-budget or ultra-low budget pr...
Mar 08, 2018•29 min
It’s been said that locations can play as great a role in a film as any character, and no one understands that more than today’s guest. Brian L. Tan is an action filmmaker and entrepreneur who worked at Dreamworks, Paramount, and Digital Domain, before eventually launching the prominent location booking service Wrapal. He’s also known for appearing on the most recent season of HBO’s Project Greenlight. In this episode, Brian shares his words of wisdom on the location process, explaining how to s...
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 15 min
It goes without saying that a great screenplay is the backbone of any successful film, but this sentiment is doubly true of micro-budget productions. Without spectacles, name actors, expensive visual effects, or other bells and whistles, micro-budget films are often made or broken by the quality of their underlying screenplays. With that in mind, today’s guest - Craig Walendziak - is here to share his wealth of knowledge on all things screenwriting. Craig is a punk rocker turned screenwriter by ...
Feb 22, 2018•1 hr 14 min
One of the most frequent questions I am asked by up and coming filmmakers is - “How can I make the transition to being a full time filmmaker?” Really what they are asking is how to make a living off of filmmaking, so they can focus on their artistic efforts every single day and not have to worry about paying the bills by doing work they aren’t passionate about. Over the course of this episode, we explore some actionable ways in which filmmakers can solve this issue and ultimately make the transi...
Feb 01, 2018•29 min
In recent years production value in micro-budget films has skyrocketed thanks to more affordable cinema cameras and post-production tools. Even still, one of the remaining issues that still plagues indie filmmakers with regards to production value is the musical score. For many micro-budget filmmakers getting a custom score done is prohibitively expensive, and the vast majority of affordable library music is simply not feature film caliber... That's where Matthew Lyall and his music platform Rit...
Jan 26, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Over the past few years, color correction tools have become extremely accessible, and more filmmakers than ever are now color grading their own footage - often using LUTs, or Look Up Tables. While LUTs can offer filmmakers an incredible way to improve their creative results while also dramatically reducing post-production time, they need to be used carefully and purposefully in order to achieve the best possible effect. In this episode, Noam discusses best practices for using LUTs at every stage...
Jan 18, 2018•44 min
Robert Rodriguez, the single biggest pioneer of micro-budget filmmaking, recently launched a new filmmaking initiative called Rebel Without a Crew. His goal was to give 5 filmmakers each a budget of $7000 and some guidance so they could each write and direct their own feature film. The whole process was documented as a series and will air in the near future on Robert’s own El Rey Network. On today’s show, Noam interviews Jamie Jung - one of the talented actors that was fortunate to take part in ...
Jan 04, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Every filmmaker dreams of screening their work at Sundance or Cannes, but only a select few will ever have the fortune of receiving a coveted acceptance letter from a notable festival. And while there is no denying that it is only getting harder and harder to get into any film festival with each passing year, there are countless ways in which any filmmaker can increase their chances of beating the odds. In this episode, Noam shares his opinions on film festivals from a top-level, explaining how ...
Dec 21, 2017•34 min
Productivity expert Tim Ferris often talks about the 80/20 principle, which states that 80% of our results can be attributed to just 20% of our efforts. While this principle can be applied to virtually anything - from business decisions to our personal lives - it has some uniquely poweful benefits for filmmakers that are looking to optimize their creative output and increase their income. Many filmmakers feel that they don't have enough time to get their projects off the ground, or that they are...
Dec 14, 2017•39 min
It’s always so inspiring to hear about filmmakers that are truly able to make something from nothing, and that’s very much the case with our guest today - Rebecca Weaver. With a production budget of only $11,000 and a crew of only 2 (Rebecca and her boyfriend, Chris), the filmmaking duo was able to pull off a successful feature film that spanned several months of production and later went on to tour the festival circuit. In the true spirit of micro-budget filmmaking, Rebecca not only wrote and d...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 9 min
How do you make a feature film for just $8000 in 13 days? For writer/director Joe Baddon and actress Linnea Gregg, it was all about leveraging resources, maximizing creativity, and avoiding perfectionism. With no experience directing narrative content in the past, Joe Badon was able to pull the trigger on his first feature - The God Inside My Ear - by thinking outside of the box and surrounding himself with a team of talented filmmakers and artists. One of these artists was Linnea Gregg, who bro...
Nov 17, 2017•1 hr 21 min
Micro-budget filmmakers often put a tremendous amount of effort into production and post, but tend to lose steam when it comes time to distribute their work. Unfortunately, this means that many great films never find an audience, and end up collecting dust on a shelf rather than generating income for the filmmakers behind the project. On today’s episode, Noam interviews Liz Manashil, the talented filmmaker behind the micro-budget feature film Bread and Butter. Liz is also the manager of the Crea...
Nov 09, 2017•1 hr 2 min
For the first time on the podcast, Noam takes listener questions that were sent in via e-mail and Twitter from micro-budget filmmakers looking for advice. Topics covered includes: the creative process, career advice, working with unprepared actors, abandoning projects and much more. If you would like to have your question answered on a future episode, be sure to ask Noam via twitter at www.twitter.com/noamkroll And for more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com...
Nov 02, 2017•35 min
For the past two years Timothy Plain and Alrik Bursell have interviewed countless filmmakers on their popular podcast - Making Movies Is Hard. Over the course of these interviews the filmmaking duo have benefitted from a tremendous amount of professional insight covering every stage of the process from conception to distribution. In today's episode, Timothy and Alrik generously share some of the most valuable lessons they have learned along the way, both as hosts of the MMIH podcast and as filmm...
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr 15 min
