This week I'm thrilled to be joined by Emily Best, the Founder and CEO of the wildly popular crowdfunding platform Seed & Spark. As many of you know, Seed & Spark takes a very different approach to crowdfunding, one that is specifically tailored for filmmakers and content creators, which is what makes it so uniquely valuable. Over the course of our discussion, Emily outlines exactly what it takes to successfully raise funds via crowdfunding while avoiding many of the common pitfalls. We ...
Oct 23, 2020•46 min
This week I'm joined by filmmaker John Woosley, who is here to talk all about his latest short film Mason & Jay Save The World, which was shot almost entirely on an iPhone. Over the course of our chat we talk all about this unique short film, how it was pulled off from a technical perspective, and why John plans to continue shooting movies on iPhones moving ahead. John also shares best practices for other filmmakers to follow when approaching mobile filmmaking/cinematography, how mobile film...
Oct 16, 2020•42 min
My guest this week is acclaimed filmmaker Mike Pecci, who you may already know from his incredible filmmaking podcast In Love With The Process. After getting his start with silent films two decades ago, Mike went on to launch his production company which has since produced content for brands like Bose and Sam Adams, and music videos/treatments for artists like The Wu Tang Clan, Lucius, Killswitch Engage, and Meshuggah. Most recently, Mike has been focused on his narrative film endeavors, notably...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Joining me this week is David Thies - Emmy award winning producer, prolific television director, local 600 DP and one of the driving forces behind the smash indie hit The Peanut Butter Falcon. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen and Dakota Johnson, and was directed by Mike Schwartz and Tyler Nilson. Throughout our discussion, David walks us through exactly what it took to get this film made at each phase, with special attention paid to the development process. As he outlines in the inter...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Joining me this week is none other than Dan Mirvish, co-founder of the iconic Slamdance Film Festival and the director behind indie features like Open House, Between Us (Julia Stiles, Taye Diggs, Melissa George), Bernard and Huey, and 18 1/2. Throughout our discussion we get into the nitty gritty of what it takes to get an indie film made and distributed, covering everything from raising seed money and working with a casting director to landing a coveted festival slot at Slamdance. This episode ...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 19 min
Today I am thrilled to be joined by writer/director/actor Chelsea Devantez, whose 3 minute film Basic was programmed this year at SXSW, Santa Barbara International Film Festival and many others. Chelsea is a case-in-point for what's possible when you embrace your limitations to create meaningful content that can reach a wide audience. Basic may have been crafted using minimal resources, crew and gear, but that didn't stop the film from beating out thousands of others to land a coveted festival s...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Last year I had the fortune of interviewing Hannah Black & Megan Petersen all about their feature film Drought for Episode 64 of the podcast. As a refresher, this is the creative duo whose debut feature was crowdfunded on Seed & Spark before landing a $50K investment from the Duplass Bros, the film’s Executive Producers. While our first interview was centered around the origin story of this feature film, this time around we talk all about the project’s “second act.” We go into detail on ...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 1 min
My guests this week are co-directors Rebecca Kahn and Abishek Prasad, whose short film Who Among Us was programmed at SXSW 2020 and gained distribution through DUST. Over the course of our chat, we cover a lot of ground - talking all about what it takes to get a short programmed at SXSW, tips for financing and producing your next short, how to navigate feedback and post-production, and so much more. We also talk about distribution options for short films, tactics for filmmakers looking to increa...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Today I am very excited to share my interview with Stephanie Pearson, who is not only the star of my feature film Psychosynthesis, but an incredibly talented producer in her own right. Stephanie has spent years on both sides of the camera, and joins us today to share her words of wisdom on all things filmmaking. Using our recent feature film collaboration as a launching off point, we discuss the unique dynamics of an indie film set, what the challenges are from an actor's perspective, the import...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 8 min
On this episode I am joined by writer/director Rick Caplan who recently completed and released his feature film Mr. Misfortune. This micro-budget production was shot for under $10,000 in just 10 shooting days, and was brought to life in a truly unique way. As Rick outlines over the course of our chat, he had to wear a lot of hats on this production to make it a reality. Not only did he write and direct the project, but also shot the film and handled all the post-production himself - including mu...
Jul 30, 2020•58 min
Joining me this week on the show is filmmaker turned author Josh Folan. Over the course of his career, Josh has not only produced 3 micro-budget features (each of which have a budget under $250K), but most recently wrote a book about his endeavors called: Still Filmmaking The Hard Way. Over the course of our discussion, Josh outlines how any filmmaker can make their passion project a reality, without any upfront financial backing from traditional production companies or studios. He also shares a...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 4 min
To celebrate the release of my feature film PSYCHOSYNTHESIS on Amazon Prime, today I am sharing a behind the scenes look at our entire process on this micro-budget indie. The film itself was made for only $25,000 in just 9 shooting days, which resulted in a highly unconventional workflow both on set and in the editing room. Throughout the episode I outline every practical step that we took to bring this film to life - starting in the very early days of concept development, all the way through to...
Jul 17, 2020•53 min
This week, I'm honored to be joined by my guests Richard and Colleen Halsey - a prolific husband and wife editing duo who are collectively responsible for editing countless iconic feature films over the years. Their credits include movies like Edward Scissorhands, Beaches, So I Married An Axe Murderer, Sister Act and Rocky - the latter of which Richard won an Oscar for. Throughout our discussion we chat about each of these films in some detail, outlining the unique creative process behind them. ...
Jul 09, 2020•54 min
This week on the show, I'm excited to be joined by Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez - known for their awesome podcast: Femme Regard. I was fortunate enough to be a guest on their show last year and had a blast, and this time around they're joining me on Show, Don't Tell to discuss all things indie film. I really wanted to hear about Tessa and Carolina's experience building an online brand. This is a path that is becoming increasingly critical for filmmakers to explore in order to have autonomy ...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Returning to the show this week is Joshua Caldwell, here to talk all about his latest feature film INFAMOUS, which stars Bella Thorne and Jake Manley. The story follows a reckless woman and her new boyfriend as they become social media sensations when she streams their cross-country robberies online. Throughout our interview, Joshua outlines the A to Z of his journey with this feature, contrasting it to some of his earlier micro-budget productions. We talk all about the casting process, producti...
Jun 12, 2020•1 hr 55 min
Joining me this week on the show is director Josh David Jordan, here to talk all about his debut feature film This World Won’t Break. This unique DIY feature was shot on and off over the course of a year, before securing 14 festival screenings and 13 awards, including best narrative feature at the Dallas International Film Festival. Over the course of our chat, Josh walks us through the specific process that went into making this film a reality, and the unconventional production strategies that ...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 21 min
I’m very excited to be joined once again on the show by writer/director Marcus Mizelle, whose upcoming feature film Chameleon is about to be released everywhere on VOD, Cable and DVD (May 19, 2020). With a production budget of just $6800, Marcus was able to create an incredibly dynamic feature that breaks many of the rules of micro-budget filmmaking, while finding success at festivals and landing nationwide distribution. Throughout this episode, we walk through each step of the process and explo...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 5 min
To celebrate the 100th episode of Show, Don’t Tell I held my first ever live Q & A session last week on YouTube. Today, I’m republishing it here for those who didn’t catch it live. Throughout this discussion I took questions on the business aspects of filmmaking - addressing many of the most pressing issues for filmmakers looking to build long term career sustainability. Topics covered include: Getting your movie produced, building a personal brand, DIY distribution options in 2020, the impo...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 23 min
My guests this week - David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg - have an amazing track record of success with their feature length documentaries. From their debut feature The Immortalists which premiered at SXSW to their follow up feature Bill Nye: Science Guy to their latest project We Are As Gods, their films have been making a massive impact for years. Throughout our discussion, David and Jason speak to each one of these feature films in detail, outlining the specific steps they took to bring them t...
Apr 30, 2020•59 min
MUBI has quickly become one of the most popular streaming services for filmmakers and cinephiles alike, thanks to its incredibly unique collection of independent and arthouse films. Joining me this week to discuss the platform at length is Daniel Kasman, MUBI's Vice President of Content. Based out of MUBI’s New York office and one of the first to join the company over 12 years ago, Daniel spearheads MUBI’s global content acquisitions and programming. He also supports the U.S. team in developing ...
Apr 16, 2020•42 min
This week, I am joined by the filmmakers behind the 2020 SXSW Grand Jury winning documentary An Elephant In The Room. This incredible feature length doc was directed by Katrine Philp and DP'd by her husband Adam Philp, both of whom were able to take part in the discussion. Throughout our chat, Katrine and Adam share invaluable insight into the making of their award winning film - from fundraising to execution to post-production and beyond. Topics covered include: Developing the project, working ...
Apr 10, 2020•52 min
This week I’m continuing my SXSW coverage with Lynn Chen, whose debut feature film I Will Make You Mine was set to premiere at the festival this year. Over the course of the interview, we take a deep dive into the process of making this film from front to back - outlining each step Lynn took to bring her vision to life and ultimately land a coveted premiere at South By South West. We talk all about her crowdfunding success, unconventional screenwriting process, creative approach on set, editoria...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 3 min
I’m kicking off my SXSW interview series with Kevin Ford - a prolific documentary and narrative filmmaker whose latest feature film The Pushback was programmed at SXSW 2020. Kevin’s list of credits is incredibly impressive. His films have screened at major film festivals like Tribeca, Slamdance, Berlin, SXSW and even at the Nobel Peace Awards Ceremony in 2017. What’s even more impressive, is that Kevin has achieved all this success by bootstrapping his projects, and crafting them in a truly DIY ...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 11 min
In practically no time, the coronavirus has forced the world to nearly grind to a halt, and filmmakers of all types are being affected in countless ways. Whether you work as a freelancer, an employee or you own a production company, this crisis is surely already taking a toll. But despite productions shutting down left and right among other turmoil, many new opportunities are arising that we could all benefit from. Throughout the episode I expand on these potential growth areas, using new change...
Mar 19, 2020•16 min
This week, DP Evin Grant joins me on the show to discuss his cinema camera shootout - a comparison of 9 of the most prominent full frame digital cinema cameras on the market: Arri Alexa Mini LF Canon Eos C500mII Red Monstro Sigma FP Sony FX9 (S-Cinetone) Sony FX9 (S-Log3) Sony Venice Red Gemini Red Helium Over the course of our discussion, Evin details his findings at length, touching on everything from autofocus capabilities to dynamic range, color science to compression, and everything in betw...
Mar 06, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Joining me this week is fellow LA based filmmaker Marcus Mizelle, a true DIY auteur in his own right and the brains behind The Micro Film Tournament: "A 16 film, 4 round tournament dedicated to micro-budget filmmakers who’ve made the most with the least." Throughout the course of the episode, we discuss Marcus' unique career path, the benefits of working within the constraints of a micro-budget, film festival experiences, and of course his brand new tournament - which is currently open for submi...
Feb 14, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Many commercial directors want to make the leap to directing features films, but don’t know where to start. Our guest this week - Cody Stokes - successfully made that transition after raising just under $500K for his debut feature The Ghost Who Walks. Using the film as a case study, Cody walks us through every step in his process from building out the concept to fundraising to post-production and beyond. Cody’s story shows us that you don’t need industry connections or easy access to financing i...
Jan 31, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Every filmmaker dreams of submitting their indie film to Sundance, winning the festival and landing a major directing gig. Our guest this week - Carter Smith - didn’t just dream of doing it, he pulled it off. After his short film Bugcrush (2006) won the Sundance film festival, he was given the opportunity to pitch on a major Hollywood feature called The Ruins. After getting the seal of approval from Steven Spielberg himself, Carter’s debut feature film was underway. Since then, he’s returned to ...
Jan 24, 2020•1 hr 27 min
Smartphones have truly become a viable camera option for filmmakers on a budget. They provide more freedom, flexibility and anonymity than any traditional cinema camera, which gives them some major advantages… But in order to reap the rewards, you need to be able to work around some substantial technological limitations. Joining me this week to discuss all of this and more is filmmaker, colorist, and mobile cinematography expert Richard Lackey. We get in depth about the benefits and drawbacks of...
Jan 17, 2020•49 min
This week on the show, filmmaker Shaun Colón takes us on a deep dive into the world of documentary filmmaking. We chat at length about his debut documentary feature: A Fat Wreck - a 3 year long DIY project that found incredible success with film festivals and fans alike, even generating interest from the Sundance Institute. Building off of this success, Shaun moved into production on his second documentary feature (Age Of Audio), which features interviews with Kevin Smith, Ira Glass and other mo...
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 8 min
