The No Film School Podcast

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Charles Haine discuss how the extension of California’s Production Tax Credits is affecting the film and TV business, and the fate of ‘Supersize Me 2’ in the wake of director Morgan Spurlock’s sexual assault accusations. We also say a sad goodbye to the journalists killed last week at the Capital Gazette newspaper. In gear news, we geek out about 10Gb ethernet. Charles answers an Ask No Film School question about how to find your perfect camera and the best way to invest your gear budget. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Debra Granik is perhaps best known for her casting and direction of Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout role in WINTER’S BONE, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture in 2011. In her latest, LEAVE NO TRACE, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is now hitting theaters, her casting is spot-on once again with a new young actress Thomasin McKenzie and actor Ben Foster of HELL OR HIGH WATER fame. In this episode, Liz Nord learned some of the secrets behind the organic feeling of her films, including fostering an environment throughout casting and production where every cast and crew member has a willingness of to be flexible and adaptive to changes in circumstance. Nord and Granik are joined by LEAVE NO TRACE producers Anne Rossellini and Anne Harrison to discuss how they cultivate this quality among their collaborators, the steps they had to take to shoot in an unpredictable outdoor environment, and lots more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Erik Luers discuss how Instagram’s new IGTV service prompted YouTube to give more benefits to video creators, and other news from the massive VidCon event. We also cover the largest addition to the Academy of Motion Pictures ever, and yet another new addition to the movie theater subscription service arena. In gear news, Charles shares some exciting news in the post-production space. We also answers an Ask No Film School question about fair use, and when you can (or can’t) use news clips in your movie. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you start out as a filmmaker, you think that all you have to do is make a great film. Unfortunately, it’s damn hard to get people to even hear about your film let alone watch it. Even if you play a prestigious festival like Sundance, for most filmmakers, the success of your film depends in large part on a well thought out and executed distribution strategy. Liz Manashil, manager of the Creative Distribution Initiative at the Sundance Institute sat down with NFS' Erik Luers and Oakley Anderson Moore to discuss some possibilities of such a strategy. From the state of distribution for indie films at this past Sundance Film Festival, to how you can get noticed by distributors at a film festival, there’s a wide parameter of useful information to prepare experienced and beginning filmmakers to maximize the life of your film after you finish it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Erik Luers discuss why a recent marketing stunt by MoviePass smells rotten, and what a major theater chain is doing to compete with the ticket subscription service. We also examine where development execs are looking (or listening) for projects today. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, including the results of our ProRes RAW testing. Charles also answers an Ask No Film School question about how to mark clips while recording without stopping your scene or interview. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Making a movie is like making a good stew. Sure, that may not be the first analogy you’d jump to while racking your filmmaking ethos, but for Robert Schwartzman director of The Unicorn, one of 2018’s best comedies, it just makes sense. Every good stew requires fresh ingredients. Your cast and crew are the meat and potatoes. But that stew can't just be about the ingredients. Without the proper mixture, it would just be a bunch of vegetables. You've got balance them out in a way so the flavors come together as a harmonious whole. And that’s the real job of the director. They’re the head chef. The captain. If you walked onto the set of a truly great chef, you'd find yourself in a sacred place that exudes the right collaborative energy. Perhaps the simplest way to achieve this is by treating everyone with the same level of respect, making sure every actor on set knows every crew member, how they contribute to the cooking process, and vice versa. Schwartzman erases the divide between the cast and crew, and focuses on the fact that everyone is just a person, working together to create something great. When you hear how Lauren Lapkus, Nick Rutherford, Maya Kazan and Darrell Britt-Gibson speak about their director in this podcast, you'll gain a better appreciation for just how important maintaining this type of atmosphere is. No Film School producer Jon Fusco sat down with them at SXSW 2018, for a conversation that is often hilarious and consistently insightful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord and Jon Fusco discuss the absurd reality that pits a film star against a TV star on the geopolitical stage, and why we will miss Anthony Bourdain. Charles Haine joins us for tech and gear news, including a move from ShareGrid that could change the gear rental market for the much, much better. Charles and Liz also answer an Ask No Film School question about what to do if you’re feeling stuck and having trouble moving forward on your films. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen R. Morse (AMANDA KNOX, EUROTRUMP) joins Liz Nord to discuss how his education at Oxford Business School changed the way he makes movies, and he breaks down some business school lessons that we can all apply to make our films in the most efficient and cost-effective ways possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Erik Luers discuss the unexpected indie hit en route to becoming Magnolia’s highest-grossing film, how cinemas may actually be doing a disservice to great cinematography, and a new platform helping filmmakers make money. Charles Haine joins us fresh off the plane from Cinegear to report on all the latest in video tech from the expo, including some big announcements from Panavision. Charles also answers an Ask No Film School question about which audio editing software to choose for a documentary.As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For "Hearts Beat Loud", Director Brett Haley wanted to tell a story about people who make music, so he asked his stars, Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons to play all the music...completely live. When it comes to actors playing musicians on screen, he made sure not to follow the conventional standard of well, having no standards. No lip synching, no dubs, no inserts of a hairy-knuckled hand double who knows how to play the guitar. Oakley Anderson Moore sat down with Haley and Offerman at Sundance to talk about the orchestration between film crew and musician that would create a set which allows his two professional actors (but amateur musicians) to do justice to both their roles and the music. For this film, the two aspects are intrinsically connected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices