The No Film School Podcast

We had some of the biggest directors of the year on the show in 2018 and this batch of best ofs proves it. Yorogs Lanthimos, Debra Granik, Jeremy Saulnier, and the legendary Mike Leigh all make an appearance as does Denis Villeneuve and Steve McQueen's go-to-editor, Joe Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Nord, Erik Luers, Charles Haine and (kind of) Jon Fusco are all together for the last time on this special, final episode of our long-running independent film news series Indie Film Weekly. There are three years worth of huge industry and gear stories to remember, but on this show, we identify a few that stand out that will forever change the future of filmmaking. We look back at some of our favorite films and directors from the show's lifetime, as well as a few movies that we're most excited to see in 2019. Finally, we share the best advice we could possibly think of and try to finally answer that perennial question once and for all: is going to film school really worth it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Depending on what stage of your career you’re at, you can learn as much from someone who's gotten a couple shorts into some major festivals as you can from a director like Yorgos Lanthimos. It’s in this realization where The No Film School Podcast really shines. For that reason, we treat our guests with the same level of respect across all boards, no matter who they are or how prestigious their film may be. Let’s face it, we are all filmmakers who have made, or are trying to make movies under difficult circumstances. And one of the best ways to learn how to do that is by listening to the stories of those who have struggled through both success and failure. For a true artist both experiences hold immense value. Our countdown this year features just as many big names as it does incredible advice. Over the next three weeks, you’ll hear from the likes of Lanthimos, Jeremy Saulnier, Mike Leigh, Steve Yeun, Debra Granik and more. I’ll be leading you through some of our best clips of 2018, so if you haven’t heard all of our interview podcasts, these episodes will be a great overview of those pearls of advice that may end up helping you down the road. This week's features guests Claudette Godfrey (SXSW Programmer), Jim Cummings (Thunder Road), Kirsten Lepore (Hi Stranger), Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (DANIELS) and Sam Morill (Vimeo). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is with a heavy heart that today we are announcing that Indie Film Weekly will be entering an indefinite hiatus in 2019. We will have one final show airing Thursday, January 9th with the whole gang back together for the last time. There is a distinct possibility that the show will return in some form later on, but for now, it’s time to say goodbye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are back together for the final show of 2018. It was an amazing year for film, but a recent study found that there was one key ingredient for the biggest box office successes. And yes, that ingredient may surprise you. Plus how MoviePass may be making a come back and the Oscars are off to a horrible start. Charles Haine joins us for gear news where he breaks down what's been a busy month in codec. On Ask No Film School - how do you build your filmmaking network online? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey didn’t discover until she was in film school herself that her great-grandfather had invented the iconic Bolex 16mm camera. She spent the next decade-plus researching her enigmatic ancestor and interviewing several influential filmmakers who used his cameras, including Barbara Hammer, Wim Wenders, and Jonas Mekas, for a film called BEYOND THE BOLEX. Bolsey and the film’s producer and DP, Camilo Lara Jr., join No Film School’s Liz Nord to discuss why the Bolex is such an enduring and beloved camera that is still used today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sundance's own Liz Nord joins the show to give Jon Fusco and Erik Luers the down and dirty on all Sundance's Feature and Shorts selections for 2019 and what they could mean for future filmmakers. Plus what Lars Von Trier has done to upset the entire MPAA. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he gives us his full thoughts on Blackmagic's new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. In what was a busy week for cameras, he also previews a new RED camera that will be hitting rental houses and stores shortly. On Ask No Film School - do you really need a follow focus anymore? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Cristina Gallego was busy working as a producer on her partner Ciro Guerra's magnificent film "Embrace of the Serpent", she caught wind of a story from one of the many indigenous non-actors onset. That story was one that perhaps many of us have heard before, a Colombian man finds partners in America that he can sell drugs to, becomes fantastically wealthy and ends up abandoning his morals as a result. Except "Birds of Passage" is so much more. With Gallego and Guerra at the helm, we get a glimpse at a side of this much-glamorized Narcos-era that we've never seen before. The film presents the narrative from an indigenous Colombian perspective, full of magical realism steering from traditions that go back hundreds of years and is perhaps the most authentic story concerning its subject matter of all time. Think of it as a thrilling mixture of The Godfather and One Hundred Years of Solitude, where we watch the entire history of two families whose native ways are slowly brought to a halt as they engage in the burgeoning drug trafficking business. Eventually, it brings a war to control the business that ends up destroying both their lives and their culture. There is no other pair of directors in the world that could've told this story, and for her part, Gallego switched from a lifetime of producing to the role of co-director in order to more clearly communicate her vision. I sat down with her at TIFF to talk about what that transition was like, working with Ciro Guerra, and finding the stories that stem from your own history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are here to catch you up on all the stuff you missed while in a tryptophan coma last week. Believe it or not, awards season has officially begun and we have a full report on what could be the year's top contenders. Plus the perennial riddle of how to best shoot sex on film may be closer to being solved. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he discusses some rumors surrounding new cameras from Canon and Sony. On Ask No Film School - what program should you use for editing on an older computer? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've seen any of Yorgos Lanthimos' films, then you know the Greek director isn't afraid to put anything on the screen. Like many famous surrealists, Lanthimos isn't interested in exploring stories where things go right, he wants his audience to see what's wrong in the world. To him, nothing is off limits and any dark side of the human psyche is worth exploring. In surrealist film, any image can be too much or too little. It's a delicate balance, but one that Lanthimos has truly mastered with his latest film The Favourite. A period piece set in early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne Olivia Colman, occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, however, her charm endears her to Sarah and a competition to be the queens favorite emerges. In this interview, Lanthimos is joined by screenwriter Tony McNamara to discuss how commercial work early in his career ended up steering him in the complete opposite direction, not conforming to filmic norms, and breaking every possible rule you can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices