The No Film School Podcast

This week on the No Film School Podcast, we’re going to talk about one of the most largely undiscussed nuances of filmmaking: the portrayal of masturbation on film. Specifically, of the female kind. 'Yes, God, Yes' is a film unlike any you’ve seen before. In it, a Catholic teenager in the early aughts discovers masturbating and struggles to suppress her new urges on a religious retreat. But this ain’t no American Pie satire. Writer/Director Karen Maine (who you may know as half of the writing team from 2014’s indie hit 'Obvious Child') truly brings us inside the mind of female adolescence. Much of this ability is due to the fact that she lived through this experience as a teen herself. As I learned when I sat down with Maine and her cast at SXSW earlier this month, however, it was the director’s openness to collaborate with her talented young leads that truly sealed the deal. The cast is led by a standout performance from Natalia Dyer, who shows she clearly deserves more complex roles than the likes of 'Stranger Things'’ archetypal Nancy Wheeler provides her. Dyer joins us on the show today, along with Timothy Simons (perhaps best known for his role as Jonah Ryan from 'Veep'), and talented new comers Francesca Reale, Alisha Boe and Wolfgang Novogratz. We talk about building an atmosphere on set comfortable enough to to avoid the pitfalls of the typical coming of age story and masturbation, lots of masturbation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greener Grass is a project that has been on a whirlwind path to success since the very beginning. Directors Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe's first iteration of the surreal comedy turned heads as a short film back in 2016, when it won awards at major festivals like SXSW and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. Upon its release online, it also achieved viral status and earned distinctions from Short of the Week and Vimeo. It's rare that a short finds success like that both on the festival circuit and online, but hey, when you watch Greener Grass, it's easy to see why. Though they claim to have had no intention of doing so initially, the duo expanded the short into a feature film which hit Sundance in a big way back in January. The film's meticulously crafted aesthetic places it on a level somewhere between Adult Swim and David Lynch. With the aid of talented production designers, costume designers, and a brilliantly specific script, DeBoer and Luebbe's film brings us into a candy-coated utopia that we've never seen the likes of in film before. Of course, things descend into dystopia by the time the film's through. Suburban tensions reach their boiling point after one mom willingly gives up her daughter to a friend, who I might add later goes on to give birth to a bouncing baby soccer ball. Things get weird. But not odd enough to sway IFC Midnight from purchasing the film earlier this week, or SXSW programming it into their festival to be seen in Austin later this week. Jon Fusco sat down with the directors and producer Natalie Metzger at Sundance this year to talk about using characters to build a world, hiring geniuses as collaborators and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Lee Cronin, getting to the point where he could make his debut feature "The Hole in The Ground" was like climbing a greasy pole. For every step he took upwards it always seemed like he’d have to slip down a bit as well. His three horror shorts helped to boost his leverage, especially the 2014 award winner "Ghost Train", but none seemed to elevate him to a point where he could leave commercial work behind and commit to a career as a feature filmmaker. As the director so aptly puts it in our interview today, “there’s no business like slow business.” Something in the air has seemingly changed this year, however, as that process has transformed into something like a “slow rocket.” After years of struggling, The Hole in the Ground is set for a March 1st release, by none other than family horror distributor extraordinaire, A24. The film, which made its premiere at Sundance in January, follows a woman who moves to a new town with her young son in order to escape a life of domestic abuse, only to encounter an ominous sinkhole that appears to have supernatural powers which threaten the life of her child. We sat down in Park City to discuss how horror filmmakers can follow a similar path to success by staying steady on their own course without giving up. And perhaps more importantly, Cronin gives tips on how to stay positive during the grueling journey ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn from four short filmmakers who took advantage of the Sundance Ignite Fellowship for young filmmakers. They discuss the benefits of fellowships and share strategies for being accepted into similar programs. Topics include the transformative experiences of the fellows, the role of mentors, receiving feedback and validation, networking and mentorship, and advice for young filmmakers.

Johannes Nyholm, director of Sundance standout Koko-Di Koko-Da takes the whole wearing many hats thing to a whole other dimension. If you're looking for a filmmaker who has complete command over his material, then look no further than this Swedish auteur. It would take too long to list all of his credits on this film, but how about Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Colorist, VFX Artist, and Shadow Puppet Designer/Performer for a start? Nyholm is a great believer in the "Do It Yourself" ideology and through years of hard work, he has truly taught himself the tools necessary to put it into practice. What he may have an even better knack for, however, is when to step away and let his collaborators take the wheel. It's both of these abilities combined that have garnered him a successful career in the film industry. His latest film Koko-Di Koko-Da follows a couple that goes on a camping trip to find their way back to each other, only to be haunted by a sideshow artist and his shady entourage who emerge from the woods and terrorize them, luring them deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick. Nyholm joins us on The No Film School Podcast today to discuss why working with a smaller team can be smarter than working with a large one, growing your cinematic tool kit and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In the rugged wilderness of Appalachia, the members of an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers led by Pastor Lemuel risk their lives to attest themselves before God.” This is a much different type of log-line than the others entries you’d find scrolling down the list of Dramatic Competition entries in Sundance’s program. It is the plot of Them That Follow, the feature film debut for writer/directors Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage and boy, is it a doozy. Though they didn’t have any directing credits prior to the film’s premiere, the duo had more than enough experience between them to pull off the gripping narrative. Through years of working for other studios and other directors they found themselves with the opportunity to "get in the room.” What is the room? Well and not to use a cliche lightly here, but, “the answer may surprise you.” We also talk through writing a story about a secretive community with limited access, filling in the blanks with your own personal experiences and working with an incredible cast that included Olivia Coleman, Walton Goggins, Jim Gaffigan and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The documentary cinematographer is a special kind of cinematographer. Whereas in narrative, the role is more defined, DP’s of the more truthful persuasion may find themselves piling on more hats than their fiction bound counterparts. Take it from David Paul Jacobson of Ask Dr. Ruth and Kristy Tully of Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, two Sundance caliber cinematographers who join us on today’s show. Both of their projects revolve around strong women. Ask Dr. Ruth chronicles the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Wertheimer, a Holocaust survivor, former soldier, immigrant and two-time divorcee who became the world’s most influential sex therapist. Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins memorializes the former journalist who made a name for herself as rough talkin’ six foot Texan who was quick to expose corruption wherever she found it. Together in this roundtable we talk about how to grab the most effective b-roll, the perfect kits for the job, and not overstepping boundaries with directors and editors as you must also direct and edit yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Buder, Erik Luers, George Edelman, Ryan Koo and Jon Fusco are all together again in Park City to give you a rundown of everything that happened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. It's been a crazy week full of screenings, interviews, and generally just trying to stay alive, so you best believe they've got more than a few hot takes to throw your way. In addition to sharing their favorite films and what they're sad they missed, the team identifies a few trends that could end up re-shaping the future of the industry. This is Part 2 of No Film School's live audio coverage from Sundance 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking its rightful place at the very beginning of the 2019 festival circuit, the Sundance Film Festival is often an unpredictable beast. But Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and George Edelman are live from Park City, Utah to try and make some sense of it all for you. In this special episode of The No Film School Podcast, they take an early stab at predicting what features end up as festival favorites, run down some of their most anticipated films and share some insights on how to survive the 2-week orgy of independent film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not all about big names and big projects here on the No Film School Podcast. Some of our best conversations take place with artists who are just starting to find their way in the world. Really, all of should be able to relate to these guests on a deeper level since we hear problems that many of us are still struggling with as we make our own way through the industry. On today's, final installment of the best of the No Film School Podcast we'll take a look back at some of these conversations and trace through what it can cost to make a film. Whether it be a short or a feature, documentary or narrative, you're bound to walk away with some advice that will be of aid on your future projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices