Today, we welcome director & editor Roger Nygard to the show! His long list of credits includes Trekkies (1997), The Office (2006), The Truth about Marriage (2018), Grey’s Anatomy (2018), Who is America (2018), Veep (2016), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2007), and many, many more. Roger chatted with our host, Giles Alderson, about how he got into editing in the first place, how he directs and edits documentaries and how he raises money for his films, his pitching strategies, and his famous documentary T...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 276
Today on the show, we welcome writer/director Lisa Azuelos! You may know her from LOL (2012) starring Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore or Lost in the Disco (2020). Today, she is here to talk about her latest feature film, I love America, which is out now on Amazon Prime! Lisa sat down and chatted with our hosts, Giles Alderson and Tobias Vees, all about her filmmaking journey: How she got started in the finance world and realised that she wanted to become a filmmaker. She talks about her beginnings in...
May 02, 2022•59 min•Ep. 275
Today, we welcome writer/director Kate Dolan to the show to tell us all about her highly successful and inspiring filmmaking journey that lead her to make her debut feature, You Are Not My Mother (2022). Kate chats with our host, Giles Alderson, about how she started out as an art director and learned from others on set. She talks about what she learned from directing children, how making short films and screening them at festivals – including Berlinale – got her an agent, and whether she thinks...
Apr 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 274
Yes, it’s Friday – but here we are with a bonus episode. Our hosts, Giles Alderson & Phil Hawkins, sat down and chatted about filmmaking! They talk quite openly about Phil's latest feature film, casting and directing children, directing animals, Cannes, what it’s like to direct a studio movie, and much more! This chat would have been a Patreon exclusive, but we wanted to give you a little teaser. Subscribe to our Patreon to find more bonus content like this and to support this Podcast. But for n...
Apr 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 273
Today on the show, we welcome the one and only Peter Phok, the legendary horror film producer of films and TV shows like The House of the Devil (2009), The Innkeepers (2011), V/H/S (2012), Deadwax (2018), A24’s X (2022), and many, many more. He came to talk with our hosts, Giles Alderson and Phil Hawkins, all about his long and amazing filmmaking career: How he started out in film school, how he met Ti West, the director of X, and many of the other collaborators with whom he works to this day. H...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 272
Today, we welcome the amazing Sonja O’Hara to the podcast! Her writing & directing credits include Mid-Century & Root Letter, which will be out soon, and the indie TV show Doomsday (2016-2022). She’s here to talk with our hosts Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir about her inspirations, her start in the film industry, the female gaze, and how she sold her eggs – YES, HER EGGS – to make her first feature film at the age of 25. She also discusses how to find and speak to investors as a first-time filmma...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 271
Today, we welcome the brilliant team behind the new indie horror feature film, The Last Rite (2021), writer/director Leroy Kincaide & producer Chloe Chudasama. They chat with our host, Giles Alderson, about how their debut feature film came about, what it’s like to work as a couple, budgeting, location, and collaborating with lens companies. Leroy also talks about his shooting process, what it’s like working in a crew of four, storyboarding, directing actors, and the importance of being mentally...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 270
In this week’s episode, we welcome back the amazing Shakespeare Sisters, Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare & Hillary Shakespeare. They chat with our hosts, Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir, all about what’s happened in their filmmaking careers since the last time they had been on the podcast (in the sweet summer of 2019). They talk all about the cinema & festival run of their films Soundtrack to Sixteen (2020) & Much Ado (2022) and what they have learned from it, how to network, and the tasks of a produce...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 269
On today’s show, we welcome the producer couple Tracy Jarvis & Steve Jarvis. Their credits include the BAFTA-nominated Anna & the Apocalypse (2017), A Christmas Gift from Bob (2020), The Kindred (2021), Followers (2021) & A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2022). With our host Giles Alderson, they not only chatted about why they decided to become filmmakers when they both had “normal” jobs, but also about what it was like to produce their first feature film and the difficulties of that. They also discus...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 268
Today, we have another special episode for you. Giles swapped places with Dustin Curtis Murphy, the festival director of Kino Short Film, who interviewed him live at a Kino event. They are joined by director Jennifer Sheridan, who is known for her film Rose (2020) and the TV shows Rules of the Game (2022) & The Snow Spider (2020). Dustin interviews Jennifer & Giles about their journey as a director, their stories behind their first feature films, how they raised the money and how they spoke to d...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 267
On today’s show, we welcome the incredible writer-director- actor -VFX Nicholas Ashe Bateman to talk about his debut film, The Wanting Mare! His VFX credits include films such as A24’s The Green Knight (2021), Breaking Bread (2020), Free Solo (2018), and many more. He chatted with our hosts Giles Alderson & Dom Lenoir about how he got started in this crazy business, how he got into VFX, dodgy producers, and how he made his first short films. He also talks about mental health, how he pushed throu...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 266
Today on the show, we have the fantastic team behind The Duke, producer Nicky Bentham and the screenwriting duo Richard Bean & Clive Coleman. The Duke is directed by the late Roger Michell, who sadly passed away last year, starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Heather Craney, Stephen Rashbrook and many more. Nicky chatted with our host Dom Lenoir about her journey into producing, developing a script that is based on a true story, finding the right cast and what it’s like to produce a big film su...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 265
Today, we have the second part of our Cyrano (2022) interviews, featuring Peter Dinklage and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Kelvin is known for The Trial of The Chicago 7 (2020), Waves (2019), Godfather of Harlem (2019), and It Comes at Night (2017) to name a few. He talks with our hosts Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir about how he prepares for a role, finding characters, blocking, what he looks for in a role and working with Joe Wright, the director of Cyrano. Peter is obviously known for playing one of the...
Feb 22, 2022•48 min•Ep. 264
Joining the show today is the producer of Blood Red Sky (2021), the most popular non-English speaking film on Netflix, Benjamin Munz. He is also known for films such as Polar (2019), Stung (2015), and the short film The Night Father Christmas Died, which was nominated for a Student Oscars. Ben talks with our hosts Giles Alderson & Tobias Vees all about his filmmaking journey: How he started out in Germany where hardly anyone was interested in making films, how he slowly transitioned into paid jo...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 263
Today is the day, dear listener. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Tori Butler-Hart and Matt Butler-Hart welcome the one and only Sir Ian McKellen to the show. Yes, THE Ian McKellen. You probably know him from films like The Lord of the Rings series, the X-Men series, Mr Holmes (2015), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021) by Matt & Tori, and many, many more. Giles, Tori and Matt sat down with Sir Ian at his wonderful home to dive deep into his long acting career: Ian talks about w...
Feb 08, 2022•56 min•Ep. 262
Today on the show, our hosts Giles Alderson, Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar & Andrew Rodger welcome the brilliant writer-director David Beton, who’s known for films and TV shows like I am Soldier (2014), The Hatton Garden Job (2017), and EastEnders (2021), to talk about their latest feature film Confession (2022), which is out now! David, Lucinda and Andrew dive deep into the making of Confession: David talks about writing exposition, POV, tone, and the difference between writing a big film vs writing a...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 261
On today’s show, Giles Alderson welcomes writer-director Lauren Hadaway to chat about her brilliant feature debut, The Novice (2021), starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, Dilone and many more. They dive deep into her filmmaking career: How she got started in sound as a supervising ADR editor and dialogue editor, working on films like Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015), Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (2014) or Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) to name a few. Lauren also talks about how...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 260
Today on the show, Giles Alderson and fellow host Dom Lenoir welcome the team behind the incredible and hugely important film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain that is based on the true story of the events leading up to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.: Writer-director-producer David Midell and actor-producer Enrico Natale. They dive deep into the making of their feature film: How they found the story, how they reached out not only to the Kenneth Chamberlain’s family but also to the police,...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 259
Today, Giles Alderson and co-host Dom Lenoir welcome not one but two amazing guests to this very special episode. First, they talk to the one and only Joe Wright! Yes, that’s right, Joe Wright, the director of films such as Pride & Prejudice (2005), Hanna (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), Darkest Hour (2017), and The Woman in the Window (2021). But today he’s here to talk about his latest film, Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and many more. He talks about how he g...
Jan 11, 2022•52 min•Ep. 258
Welcome to 2022, dear listener out there! We hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Eve! Join us today for our LIVE recording from AFM: Giles Alderson and co-host Ian Sharp chatted with the brilliant writer-producer Gemma Hurley & the fantastic writer-director-producer, Jed Shepherd. You might know them from the horror-hit of 2020, Host. Both of them have been on the podcast before, but today they talk all about how a movie actually comes about. Where do good ideas come from? They discuss the diffe...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 257
Today on the show, Giles Alderson welcomes the fantastic team behind Krays – Code of Silence (2021), produced by our co-host Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar, director Ben Mole & screenwriter Luke Bailey. Together, they dive deep into the making of the feature film about the Krays and give an honest look at the writer-director-producer relationship and its dynamic in the different stages of production. Luke talks all about his writing process, how he worked with Ben, why writing a treatment is important &...
Dec 28, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 256
It’s Christmas! That’s why we have another special episode for you! Our Christmas present for you, so to speak, lovely listener. Take it – we’re not taking it back. We brought (most of) our hosts together to take part in our annual Movie Quiz! Who will claim Giles’ fancy prize? And we look back on 2021: We not only talk about our favourite films of the year, the most successful episodes on the podcast, but also about the current state of the film industry, keeping focus in difficult times, and m...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 255
Today, Giles Alderson and co-host Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar welcome the incredible Philip Barantini! He is the writer-director-producer of the Indie One-Take Film Boiling Point (2021), which won multiple BIFA awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress, Best Casting, Best Sound, & and Phil was also nominated for Best Director! Phil dives deep into his filmmaking career: He talks about how he started out as an actor, how he slowly shifted into directing and into the mindset of a d...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 254
On today’s show, Giles Alderson and co-host Christian James welcome the fantastic director Mike Rohl. He’s known for films & TV shows like Shadowhunters (2017-2019), Smallville (2006-2011), Supernatural (2006-2012), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) and the feature films The Princess Switch, of which The Princess Switch 3 (2021) is out now on Netflix. Mike dives deep into this long filmmaking career that began in the 80s: He talks all about his beginnings, his first features films a...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 253
On today’s show, Giles Alderson welcomes not one, not two, but THREE great filmmakers of the fantastic historical drama Lapwing (2021): Writer Laura Turner, director Philip Stevens and leading actress Hannah Douglas. They dive deep into the making of their feature film: Laura talks about how the film came about, what her writing process was like, and how they turned an initial short film idea into a feature script. Hannah talks about collaboration, how she approaches a role, what it was like on ...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 252
Today on the show, Giles Alderson and co-host Tobias Vees welcome 3-time Emmy-winning writer & producer Michael Price. His long lists of credits include The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie (2007), several Lego Star Wars Specials, F is for Family and many more! Mike dives deep into his writing career, how he got his first jobs, how he deals with rejection, and how he was hired to write for The Simpsons. He also discusses where his ideas come from, pitching and what it takes to write comedy. Aaaand h...
Nov 30, 2021•59 min•Ep. 251
Hello and welcome to episode 250 of The Filmmaker’s Podcast! Another very, very special one for you lovely listeners. 250 episodes!! Today, WE talk filmmaking! In OUR VERY, VERY HUMBLE OPINION! For this special episode, our hosts Giles Alderson, Phil Hawkins, Christian James, Dom Lenoir & Tobias Vees sat down to talk about THEIR filmmaking tips and tricks. They discuss how to build good working relationships, how to approach producers with your script, and what a good pitch deck looks like. They...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 250
Today, we have another special episode for you lovely listeners! REPEAT (2021) is finally OUT! REPEAT (2021) is finally OUT! – The Si-Fi-Thriller that host Giles Alderson and co-host Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar have produced during lockdown. Together, they welcome writer-director Richard Miller and lead actors Charlotte Ritchie & Tom England! Richard dives deep into his filmmaking career, what he learned from making his first feature, how Repeat came about, how he brought Giles on board by sending hi...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 249
Today, in this special episode, Dom Lenoir welcomes the wonderful actress Alice Eve to chat about her latest film Si-Fi feature film Warning (2021), which is out now! She is known for films like Men in Black 3 (2012), Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), She’s out of my League (2010), Bombshell (2019), and The Stolen (2017), to name a few. Dom and Alice sat down to talk about the deeper themes of Warning and Si-Fi as a reflection on current issues. Alice also discusses downtime between projects, how...
Nov 12, 2021•55 min•Ep. 248
Today on the show, Giles Alderson and co-host Tobias Vees welcome the amazing writer-director JP Watts to talk about his debut feature film, The War Below (2021). During World War I, a group of British miners are recruited to tunnel underneath no man’s land and set bombs from below the German front in hopes of breaking the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines. JP talks about how the movie came about, how he co-wrote the film, how he got producers on board, and why connections in the film i...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 247
