The No Film School Podcast

Erik Luers and Liz Nord are together again to discuss the state of the movie industry as we near the end of 2018 and how it could lead to a downward trend we'd all be happy to see take place. Plus there may be a new place on the map to move if you want to make movies, and it's not New York or LA. Charles Haine joins us for gear news and dishes on not one, not two, but twelve new lenses you may want to keep an eye on. In Ask No Film School - how the hell do you get a documentary funded anyway? 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

Hayley Pappas (Head of RYOT Films), Caroline von Kuhn (Director of Artist Development at SFFILM), and Leah Giblin (Head of Grants at Cinereach) are responsible for getting millions of dollars to independent filmmakers each year through grants and financing. They join No Film School’s Liz Nord to discuss the many ways independent films are being funded today, and how you can access these various funding sources for your films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erik Luers, and Liz Nord get together this week to discuss two of their favorite things: movies and words. They also address some pretty spooky rumors that George Romero may soon be rising from the dead. Charles Haine joins them to discuss a new camera from his favorite camera company as well as new software from Mocha, Pomfort and Baselight that may end up greatly enhancing your workflow. And in Ask No Film School - what kind of background audio can you use in your short? 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

Not many people with an interest in film have the direction to start pursuing sound at an early point in their career. It seems, rather, that through working on various projects they come to realize how powerful a tool sound really is and fall head over heels in love. If it's early enough in their career, there's plenty of work to be found and no turning back. For Milly Iatrou Morgan and Ai-Ling Lee, this was certainly the case. All it took was a simple choice followed by years of dedication to find their way as two of the biggest sound designers in the industry today. Their latest collaboration is Damien Chazelle's 'First Man', one of the biggest movies of the year in both popularity and scale. The film, which tells the story of Neil Armstrong's ascent to the moon, is densely layered with filmic tricks that when combined together create a wholly immersive experience for the audience. And while much fuss has been made over the project's expansive visuals, it would truly be nothing without the genius sound work of these two individuals. No Film School's Jon Fusco sat down with the pair at TIFF to discuss how they first decided to enter the business, gathering libraries of sound over the years and their collaboration in post with director and composer on what will surely go down in history as one of cinema's greatest space stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Fusco and Erik Luers buckle down and get serious this week to discuss one of the single biggest hacking controversies of our generation and what it could mean for Marvel's box office returns. There will only be one group of people to blame if Venom flops this weekend, and it's Lady Gaga fans. Also in the news, do people who play video games for ten hours or more a week somehow end up having more disposable income? Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he details RED's massive new monochrome sensor and a new monitor that'll have you drooling. In Ask No Film School, he ponders whether living life as a freelancer is absolutely essential for directors looking to breakthrough. 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

Jeremy Saulnier has carved out his own little place in film history. His second feature film Blue Ruin was the first of its kind in many ways, an artful genre thriller that is a spectacle to behold and shot on a shoestring budget. His next film, Green Room, cemented his place as one of today's most talented thriller auteurs. And it all stems back from blowing shit up as an eight-year-old in his backyard. There wasn't really a time when Saulnier's life didn't revolve around the camera. From making zombie flicks as a teen to starting a film collective in high school to making his way up the film ladder as a cinematographer, his experiences have been a constant education on the ways of film. And while he swears his days as a DP were "more fun", his artful visual touch is still very much present as a director. The latest film on his resume, the Netflix produced Hold The Dark, is further evidence of his unique ability to tell suspenseful stories from behind the lens of a camera. In it, Jeffery Wright plays a writer named Russel Core who, after the deaths of three children suspected to be killed by wolves, is hired by the mother of a missing six-year-old boy to track down and locate their son in the Alaskan wilderness. I sat down with Saulnier to discuss getting your hands dirty on production, keeping that enthusiasm going, and not being afraid to ask for what your narrative demands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like the Toronto International Film Festival just wrapped up but Jon Fusco, Erik Luers and Liz Nord are all back together this week to preview the Fall's next big one, The 56th Annual New York Film Festival. The team drops some clues on what to look out for in addition to highlighting their most anticipated films at the fest. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where Panasonic shocked the camera world with yet another full-frame mirrorless camera that may end up competing with their very own GH5. And on Ask No Film School, the crucial matter of handling animals on film is addressed. 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

When Fabrice Aragno went to film school, he was written off as a creator of meaningless images. What was the point of his thesis picture? Where was the emotion? These questions, however, didn't matter much to him, so he ignored them. What mattered was assembling work that he felt was sincere. In Aragno's opinion, cinema doesn't need an explanation. There is no objective. Don't explain it, just embrace it. Fortunately, that philosophy ended up aligning closely with another filmmaker some of you may have heard of - a man named Jean Luc Godard. Admittedly, Aragno wasn't terribly influenced by the French New Wave master's work. As a student, he was more interested in Felinni and others associated with Italian Neo-Realism. So when he got a phone call asking if he'd like to work with Godard on "Goodbye to Language", he was nervous to meet with the director who had a reputation of being obstinately difficult to work with. Yet when they met, he found the mythic figure to be just a man, a man who would soon become a collaborator. Their most recent film "The Image Book" picks up where "Goodbye to Language" left off. It is a collage of sound and picture that may be better described as a cinematic experience than a movie. NFS Producer Jon Fusco down with Aragno, who edited and shot the film (which conversely features mostly found footage) at the Toronto International Film festival. Listening to this interview is a bit like watching the film itself. Aragno weaves in and out of the French language, jumps around topics, and drops many obscure references as we talk about the genesis of their collaboration and gain fascinating insights into Jean Luc Godard's creative process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jon Fusco and Erik Luers talk TIFF takeaways, a successor to MoviePass that could actually work out and the Emmys' failures to get with the times. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, talking two of the biggest mirrorless cameras to come out this year and an exciting new pair of Cooke lenses. On Ask No Film School - some thoughts on how advertising could end up hurting your short film. 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

Steve McQueen has made some great movies. So has Denis Villeneuve. So what do Hunger, Sicario, Shame, Blade Runner 2049, 12 Years a Slave and Arrival have in common? They were all edited by Joe Walker. McQueen and Walker's latest collaboration, Widows, made its world premiere to a sold-out crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival last week. It's the Academy Award winner's most accessible feature, a blockbuster heist movie with a stellar cast including Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluya and Elizabeth Dobecki. It's almost a certainty that McQueen and Walker will have another hit on their hands upon the film's wide release this Fall. In an interview with No Film School Producer Jon Fusco, Joe Walker breaks down the keys to his successes, common mistakes he sees among young editors, and his workflow with two of the best directors in the industry. It's an especially useful conversation for those of you currently bogged down in the throes of post-production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices