The No Film School Podcast

Joel Potrykus, DP Adam J. Minnick, and actors Joshua Burge and Andre Hyland sit down with us to explain how they became collaborators, how they made Relaxer, and why making films for yourself is the only way to go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The No Film School Podcast, Editor-in-Chief George Edelman joins host Charles Haine talk about news from Apple about their laptops, a Panasonic firmware update, editing John Wick 3, plus tech news and "ask No Film School" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The No Film School Podcast, Editor-in-Chief George Edelman joins host Charles Haine talk about tech news, a feel-good distribution story for an indie filmmaker, reimbursements on set, and most importantly, Superman's facial hair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shane Hurlbut and our host Charles Haine talk about the Hurlbut Academy, how Shane got started, and what he's been busy with lately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's safe to say that legendary auteur Jim Jarmusch has a talented roster of actors at his disposal. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Tilda Swinton are just a few of the names that would rush to the director's beck and call if summoned. But this fact is not solely due to the director's uniquely wry vision and radiant cool, it's because Jarmusch has never taken the actor for granted. The relationship between the actor and the director is a collaboration as important, if not more important, than any other on set and some director's seem to forget just how hard the actor's job is. Not Jarmusch. He takes the time to sit down with the actor, recognize their needs, and identify how he can best serve them to get the type of performance they both crave.  It's true that over time he's built a shorthand with the actors he's worked with through multiple films (to the point he's even written dialogue with them specifically in mind) but at its root, the basis of their relationship remains the same. Respect. Respect seems to be the through line in our conversation today. Jim's latest film "The Dead Don't Die", is yes a zombie movie, but also a plea for humanity to begin respecting one another and the earth on which they call home. In it, the peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves: a result of reckless fracking which has thrown the planet off its axis. Even more so, it's evident how much Jarmusch, a true cinematic chameleon in his own right, respects the medium of film and would like emerging filmmakers to do the same. We talk the director's earliest influences, how music and sound effect every aspect of his production and how keeping empathy and an open mind are the two most important qualities a director can possess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The No Film School Podcast, our resident tech-expert Charles Haine and Editor-in-Chief George Edelman chat about a new HBO show everyone loves and what makes it such a must-watch, a teenager who won Tribeca with a movie he shot in three weeks, that Apple monitor that is driving people a little nuts, plus Charles' unique way of using his computer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the No Film School Podcast, Host Charles Haine and NFS Editor-in-Chief George Edelman talk tech. They discuss Apple's new Mac Pro, unveiled on Monday, which features a completely overhauled design, a massive 32-inch Retina 6K display, and internal specs that will certainly pique the interest of pros. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is a very special episode of The No Film School Podcast and perhaps a momentous occasion in the history of the universe itself. The very balance of the cosmos hangs at a thread as Academy Award Nominated screenwriter John Fusco and former No Film School Producer Jon Fusco finally meet to discuss their craft. John Fusco is, of course, the legendary screenwriter who dropped out of high school at age 16 to travel the south as a blues musician before returning to the Northeast and attending Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He later went on to write such hit films as Young Guns, Hidalgo, and most recently Netflilx's The Highway Men, which made its debut at 2019's edition of the SXSW film festival. The man has been writing films for over thirty years and has a wealth of knowledge to share with us all including practices on how to become disciplined (and stay that way), getting yourself into the screenwriting zone, and ways to retain control of your script once it hits the production stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Egypt Mortimer's latest feature, like many others currently on the festival circuit, is the result of an enormous amount of careful planning and obsessing over details. About thirty-two pages or so's worth to be precise. In pre-production for Daniel Isn't Real Mortimer created what he calls a "style guide", which is essentially a heavily detailed look book that breaks down every single aspect of production for the key members of his crew. This includes not only notes on how the film should look aesthetically, but also the reasoning behind the choice of gear for each shot and how each scene relates thematically to the broader arc of the story. The guide played an essential role in both keeping the crew on the same page and allowing key production members to keep Mortimer on track if they saw him straying from the mission. The mission, in this case, was to convey the harrowing story of a troubled college freshman named Luke who, after undergoing a violent family trauma, resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope. The film features a few young members of Hollywood royalty in it's cast with both Patrick Schwarzenneger and Miles Robbins playing the schizophrenic duo. NFS sat down with Mortimer for a case study of sorts back at SXSW. We discuss the process and components involved in creating the perfect look book, using his own work as a guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The No Film School Podcast is a weekly show devoted to catching you up on all the notable things you may have missed while you were making films. Host Charles Haine and NFS Editor-in-Chief George Edelman discuss the myriad flaws and wonders of the ‘Game of Thrones’ finale (is Drogon smarter than we think?) and how Verve made a crucial move in the WGA vs. ATA battle. They also go over some exciting gear news: the MicroFogger blasting onto the scene, DJI taking on GoPro, and why normal-speed scenes in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ might be shot at 48 fps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices