Returning to the show this week is Alex Ferrari of the Indie Film Hustle podcast. Alex has been educating filmmakers for years through a multitude of platforms, and has just written a new book that truly takes things to the next level: Rise of the Filmtrepreneur. The film industry has gone through a massive change over the past few years and most filmmakers are not prepared to make a living with their work in this new ecosystem. Alex's new book brilliantly outlines an approach and system that ca...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr 32 min
This week, my guest is Brad Raider - a fellow LA based filmmaker who made his debut feature Kensho at the Bedfellow on a budget of $250,000. Over the course of our chat, Brad speaks at length about his fundraising process which uniquely leveraged his meditation community to bring his vision to life. We also talk about his challenging production process that spanned 30 locations and 29 shooting days. Other topics covered include: The importance of creating space for your creativity, distribution ...
Oct 31, 2019•1 hr 22 min
This week, I’m joined by Alrik Bursell - co-host of the very popular Making Movies Is Hard Podcast. Alrik is currently in the midst of fundraising for his upcoming feature film - The Alternate - an ambitious sci-fi film he’s been developing for 5 years. Over the course of our interview, Alrik and I talk about the fundraising process at length. Topics covered include: Securing initial seed money, approaching investors, attending film markets, crowdfunding and much more. This is a must listen for ...
Oct 25, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Most indie filmmakers are guilty of overlooking the importance of sound, but my guest this week - Woody Woodhall - is here to change that. Woody is an acclaimed post-audio engineer, owner of LAPPG and Allied Post, and has played an instrumental role in hundreds of television and film projects. Over the course of our discussion, Woody outlines the most pressing sound-related issues known to plague independent filmmakers, and shares insight on how to avoid them entirely. We also touch on a whole h...
Oct 10, 2019•51 min
This week my guest is Zach Lipovsky, the co-director of the theatrically released feature film Freaks, which stars Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern. Zach and his partner Adam were able to successfully raise financing for their script, attach A-list actors, land a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and sell their movie for $2,000,000. Over the course of this episode, we walk through the A to Z of this process - from the beginning stages of raising private equity to production, film f...
Sep 26, 2019•1 hr 9 min
One of the most prolific indie filmmakers in recent years is undoubtedly Joe Swanberg. He’s best known for his feature film Drinking Buddies, but has made dozens of other features - including a string of 7 that he produced and directed in just one year. Back in 2016 Joe delivered an amazing Keynote at SXSW that focuses on the business of making and selling truly independent feature films. In this week’s episode, I distilled my 8 biggest takeaways from his keynote and shared some of my own though...
Sep 19, 2019•27 min
More feature films are being made than ever before, and as a result the market is completely saturated with content. This has made it harder than ever for indie filmmakers to make a living with their work, or to turn any sort of profit... But with the right approach to the process - specifically during pre-production - you can lay the groundwork for a more sellable and marketable film, which will ultimately translate to financial success. In this episode, I address this challenge at length, shar...
Sep 12, 2019•21 min
This week, writer/director Joshua Caldwell returns with a follow up to his interview back on Episode 71. In 2014 Josh achieved breakout success with his $6000 micro-budget film Layover, which paved the way for a directing gig for Hulu, and several feature films - including his most recent film (Southland) with Bella Thorne. Over the course of our discussion, Josh picks up where we left off on part 1, outlining his career path after achieving success with his debut feature. We talk about his expe...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 31 min
Today I address one of the most common questions asked by filmmakers - How do you make a living in the film business in 2019? While it may not be easy, building a long-term sustainable career as a filmmaker is absolutely possible. Over the course of this episode, I outline some of the most crucial variables that play into the success of any filmmaker, and can serve as a foundation for any aspiring artist. Topics covered include: diversifying your efforts, the importance of specialization, creati...
Aug 29, 2019•30 min
There’s no denying that building an audience is an essential part of success for working filmmakers today. Gaining a following through a blog, YouTube channel or social platform is arguably the most effective step filmmakers can take to make a living through their artwork. Speaking on the subject of audience building this week is none other than David Cogen. While he isn't a filmmaker in the traditional sense, David has been creating content for years under the company name The Unlockr. With a f...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr 15 min
After a brief hiatus, Show Don’t Tell returns this week with our amazing guest Lawrence Jordan. If you’re a fan of movies, chances are you’ve seen some of Lawrence’s work. His career began as an assistant on iconic feature films like Back To The Future and Terms of Endearment, before editing countless features like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalo, Riding In Cards With Boys and 50 Shades of Black, just to name a few. Throughout this interview Lawrence shares key lessons he’s learned over the past few ...
Aug 15, 2019•1 hr 37 min
This week, I’m joined by Adriaan Kirchner - an incredibly accomplished LA-based cinematographer with a truly stunning body of work. Adriaan has shot projects for celebrities like Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, amazing narrative films like “The Lima” (which premiered at Tribeca film festival), and has worked with countless high profile brands on commercial and branded content. During our discussion, Adriaan shares his wealth of knowledge on the craft and business of working as a full time DP. We trac...
Jun 13, 2019•58 min
There is perhaps no greater asset for any filmmaker to possess than a mastery of the craft of screenwriting. And joining me today to discuss all things screenwriting, is none other than Bryan Hill - An incredibly accomplished & superbly talented writer who has worked not only in Film & Television, but in the world of comic books as well. Some highlights of Bryan's TV & Film career include: ASH vs. THE EVIL DEAD and TITANS, as well as comics like BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS, MICHAEL CRAY...
May 30, 2019•1 hr 53 min
No camera manufacturer has been more innovative or disruptive in recent years as Blackmagic Design. Since 2013 they have been challenging the status quo, putting out cameras like their original 2.5K Cinema Camera, the Pocket Camera, and most recently their URSA Mini Pro G2 - Each of which have given low-budget filmmakers the ability to achieve high production value like never before. Here with me this week to discuss all things Blackmagic is Dan May, President of Blackmagic Design. While I’ve ha...
May 23, 2019•1 hr 8 min
This week, for the first time I am doing a crossover episode! And it’s with none other than the Just Shoot It Podcast… I was really excited to sit down with hosts Oren Kaplan and Matt Enlow, as they’ve not only built an amazing podcast, but are also incredibly talented filmmakers in their own right. Both Matt and Oren work professionally as directors on commercials, branded content, and narrative films right here in Los Angeles. Throughout our discussion, we talk about what it takes to become a ...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 28 min
This week on the show, I change up the format to have an in-depth conversation with California based filmmaker Wes Anthony. Rather than simply interviewing Wes about his career history, we decided to chat at length about the business of filmmaking in 2019, letting the audience be a fly on the wall. We tackle the film vs. digital debate, finding a balance between being technical and creative filmmaking, the future of low budget producing, advice for aspiring directors and DPs, and even a little g...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 53 min
This week on the show, my guest is none other than Joshua Caldwell. While Josh has been working on some higher profile projects over the past few years - including his upcoming feature Southland (starring Bella Thorne) and his 2017 feature Negative - his success began with a simple $6000 micro-budget indie, titled Layover. Over the course of our discussion, Josh outlines why he chose to take the DIY path, and how he broke with convention to make his micro-budget debut stand out from the crowd. H...
May 02, 2019•1 hr 41 min
On this week’s episode, I am joined by Cory Reeder of Renaissance Man Productions. Cory’s path is unlike any other filmmaker I have met - After building a successful career in Orange County working in the music scene, he moved to Los Angeles and started over from scratch. This meant taking work as a PA before he could climb his way back up to the role of director & producer full time. Cory’s tenacity has led him to find amazing success with his work, which has involved creating music video c...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 12 min
For this week’s interview, I am joined by Josh Stifter - An incredibly talented, multi-faceted filmmaker who recently appeared on Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without A Crew Series. As part of the show, Josh was given $7000 and 14 days to make a feature film with no crew… And he pulled it off. Over the course of our discussion, Josh outlines his experience making his movie under such unusual circumstances, and the many lessons learned along the way. From there, we discuss the importance of embracing...
Apr 18, 2019•1 hr 27 min
If you work in post-production (or just love great movies), chances are you've come across Vashi Nedomansky's work. He an acclaimed ACE editor who has not only cut 11 feature films, but was also tasked with creating the post workflows for Deadpool and David Fincher's Gone Girl. Throughout our conversation, Vashi and I cover a whole lot of ground - Starting from the very first few jobs he booked after retiring from professional hockey, all the way through to lessons learned after two decades in t...
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 24 min
Filmmakers often ask me how to get a competitive edge with their freelancing career or production business, and I almost always give them the same advice: It's not about the gear you have or how big your client list is. It's not even really about your demo reel. Those things may get your foot in the door, but what builds long lasting careers is the client experience. If you can get that right, business growth and opportunity tends to take care of itself. This and much more covered in today's sho...
Mar 21, 2019•24 min
Many filmmakers were told early on in their careers to specialize in only one field and to master a single skill. But as the landscape of content creation continues to evolve, creative generalists - especially those who emphasize post production - are proving that this theory may no longer hold the same weight. In this episode, I make a case for embracing a generalist approach to filmmaking, outlining how it allows DIY filmmakers to make better movies for less money, and in less time than ever b...
Mar 14, 2019•37 min
This week, I’m excited to have Alex Ferrari of Indie Film Hustle back on the show. Alex was last on the podcast back on Episode 44, when we chatted about his film This Is Meg, and his process developing and producing his DIY film which eventually sold to Hulu. Today, Alex has returned to chat about his latest book: Shooting For The Mob. The book is based on Alex’s real life experience getting hired by the mob at age 26 to make a movie for them. He outlines the story behind the story, how he adap...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 41 min
On this week’s episode, I interview two amazing filmmakers - Hannah Black and Megan Petersen - who are in post-production for their $50K micro-budget feature Drought. Having never made a feature before, they were able to write an incredible script, raise $25K in crowdfunding through Seed & Spark, and an additional $25K through the Duplass Brothers who are Executive Producers on the project. Over the course of the interview we cover their entire process from A to Z - From the development of t...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 9 min
In this episode, I sit down with Matteo Bertoli - the incredibly talented DP who shot my latest feature film White Crow. Despite working under tremendous time constraints, Matteo, myself, and the rest of our team were able to shoot nearly 90 pages of script in only 9 days. Over the course of our chat, we explain how we pulled it off without sacrificing quality. Other topics covered include: Camera choice, shooting minimal coverage, the importance of prep, developing a visual style, finding syner...
Feb 15, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Many filmmakers fall into the freelancing trap - They develop a relatively specialized skill, get great at their craft, gain lots of clients, but inevitably find themselves buried in work. Ultimately, this leaves them unable to focus on their passion projects (such as original feature films or new business ventures), as they are anchored to their client work day in and day out. Some people find themselves stuck in this situation for their entire careers, but all of us have the ability to choose ...
Feb 07, 2019•32 min
Over the years, I've learned that having too much time to work on any creative project can be a bad thing, but that having too little time can actually be helpful in some ways... So naturally, when it came time to edit my latest feature film (White Crow) I decided to give myself only 3 weeks to edit down a 23+ hour mountain of footage into a 90 minute assembly. While it may seem counter-intuitive to work this quickly, in my case it was actually a huge asset to the process. In this episode, I out...
Jan 18, 2019•26 min
In today’s episode, I interview Gabe Reiter - an incredibly accomplished commercial producer who has now entered the world of independent content creation with his new series “Bunkheads”. The series (which is now available on Amazon Prime) is a hilarious sitcom set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, following four survivors as they not only attempt to survive the zombies outside, but also eachother. Coming from a background in high end commercial production, Gabe has produced million d...
Jan 10, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Succeeding in film takes far more than a basic understanding of the craft. While technical skills are undeniably important for any filmmaker to master, they alone will not equate to any type of artistic or commercial success. The degree to which any filmmaker succeeds has far more to do with their psychology and tenacity than it does their skill... For instance - Many of us understand the importance of goal setting and strategizing for our film careers, but few of us are able to actually follow ...
Jan 03, 2019•26 min
Filmmakers are commonly taught to focus on story structure, plot, and formula while screenwriting, with scene writing usually falling into the background of the discussion. This lack of attention can lead to scenes that are underwritten or underdeveloped, and that ultimately won’t serve the story as a whole. In this weeks episode, we shift the focus away from general screenwriting theory, and discuss the granular principles of scene writing - Constructs that are not only designed to push the sto...
Oct 04, 2018•29 min
