The No Film School Podcast

Meet Julie Christeas and Jonny Blitstein, leaders of the independent film studio Tandem Pictures whose most recent success story is the genre-bending Black Bear, starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbot. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2020 and it is out now on streaming platforms everywhere. We talk about their "Sundance or bust" strategy and why it's important to not only have a plan B, but plans "A through J." Also, how to brave the mind-boggling puzzles of day-to-day line producing, and how it feels to have CAA embrace your film in its finished form. Enjoy this deep dive into the process of producing unique and impactful movies!*Note: we apologize for the issues in some of the audio of the episode; it was recorded remotely.* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tara Miele had a student film project premiere at Slamdance twenty years ago... and she's had a long and fascinating road to get to Sundance in 2020 with her feature Wander Darkly, starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna. We talk about how Time's Up and Me Too saved her life, allowing her to be accepted in the industry as a professional filmmaker. She's juggled her family life with her career and made great sacrifices in order to carve out time to write her films. After doing micro-budget films and directing for television, she managed to bring this very personal and inspiring story to life. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever thought 'Gee, I have this great script but it's impossible to get agents, managers and producers to read the damn thing'? Well, so have the brains behind the new online service ScriptHop.On this podcast episode, we welcome Script Hop co-founders Brian Austin and Scott Foster as well as casting director Jory Weitz who serves as Director of Industry Relations. The team details their innovative 'packet' which presents your story and script to the reader in an engaging, interactive way. It allows your work to stand out; tailored to people like agents and assistants who simply don't have time to read your script front to back.Don't dismiss this valuable tool that could get your screenplay actually read by someone that could get the movie made -- and believe us, that is one of the hardest things to accomplish in this industry. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week on the No Film School Podcast: the uncanny, performative nature of Tom Cruise as evidenced by his controversial on-set rant about breaking COVID regulations. Also, how the acclaimed second season finale of 'The Mandalorian' circumvented the perils of fan service. In Tech News, RED offers new firmware that enables autofocus for the Komodo. And for Ask No Film School, how to light dark spaces well and understand the concept of “contrast” writ large. Enjoy and happy holidays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the No Film School Podcast: Disney unveils its new slate of upcoming shows and we discuss the importance of sound in honor of Sound Week here at NoFilmSchool.com. In Tech News, Xelmus announces new, notably eye-catching anamorphic primes. And for Ask No Film School, we answer a question about when and when not to curb your ambitious screenplay idea for consideration of production. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered what a supervising sound editor is? What their job is and how they pull it off? Let one of the masters of the profession explain. Mark Mangini is the maestro behind films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner 2049, Aladdin, Gremlins, several Star Trek films and many, many others. He's a veteran in the field, starting with cartoons and working his way to winning an Oscar, and beyond.Mangini goes in depth on his craft and his experience, with great insights to share, such George Miller’s pyramid of importance for each given shot and moment. When discussing Blade Runner 2049, Mangini describes his and Denis Villeneuve’s strategy of melding the sound design and the music until they are indistinguishable from one another. If you want to take your knowledge of filmmaking to the next level, you will want to be familiar with the concepts discussed here. Don't miss out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever played a video game or watched a movie and wondered where did all these sounds come from? Well, it's not all sound libraries and foley stages. Sometimes, projects will hire a person whose sole responsibility is to go out into the world and get fresh sounds. Gunshots, cannons, engines, you name it, their job is to go out and find it and bring it back to be mixed in.Watson Wu is one of those guys, and he has hunted down sounds for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed and films like Baby Driver. He tells us stories from the front lines, like gathering firearm effects from antique weapon collectors in Florida. We also discuss Watson's role in creating Rode’s new ambisonic sound library. We talk about the insane challenges of obtaining roller coaster sounds and how the job of being a sound recordist, oddly enough, comes down to networking. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderbergh both weigh in on Warner Bros’ decision to send their entire slate to HBO Max, while Mank harkens back to the yesteryear of studio filmmaking. In Tech News, Apple offers expensive monitors and stands; Charles offers his opinions. And for Ask No Film School we tackle a simple question that is never easy to answer: how does a screenwriter get an agent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the No Film School Podcast: a COVID testing site gets shut down to make way for a Hollywood film shoot, while The Crown takes liberties fictionalizing historical events and the public must be warned accordingly. We also discuss why the New York Times’ “Greatest Actors of the 21st Century" list is somewhat problematic by nature... and let’s be honest, a bit too early to call? In Tech News: the awesome benefits of the iPhone software Filmic Pro and its new updates. For Ask No Film School: how do you convert the frame rate of your footage? Enjoy--and as always, thank you for listening!Please email us any questions at ask@nofilmschool.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If anyone on this planet is a natural born cinematographer, it might just be Chris Menges. His earthiness and pragmatism combined with his uncanny, innate sensibility for the moving image are what makes his films special: Kes, The Killing Fields and The Mission, to name just a few. If you haven’t seen them, then trust us that they are among the most beautiful movies ever made.Chris Menges has seen a lot of adventure; he's been all over the world, and he has stories. In this wide-ranging discussion we talk about the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's influence on Menges' work and the importance of "walking the streets." From his early days in documentary to his later work with directors like Neil Jordan, Stephen Frears, Stephen Daldry and Sean Penn, Menges is a true master of observation... and he's picked up a couple Oscars along the way. Pay your respects and listen to the man speak!For another conversation with a great DP, check out our recent chat with Phedon Papamichael.Please email us any questions at ask@nofilmschool.com!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices