Indie Film Hustle® - A Filmmaking Podcast

I am a huge fan of today’s guest. Since seeing one of her first documentaries, I was transfixed by her power of storytelling. Our guest is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker, Lynn Novick---a formidable and respected PBS documentary filmmaker with thirty-plus years of experience in the business.Her archival mini and docu-series documentaries bring historically true events to the big screen alongside her filmmaking partner, Ken Burns. You’ve most likely seen some of her landmark documentary films. The likes of Vietnam (2017), TV Mini-Series documentary The Civil War (1990), College Behind Bars (2019), eighteen hours mini-series, Baseball (2010), and many more.Just this year, the pair premiered their latest co-produced and co-directed three parts documentary on PBD---recapitulating the life, loves, and labors of Ernest Hemingway. The series explores the painstaking process through which Hemingway created some of the most important works of fiction in American letters. Novick is an experienced-learned documentary filmmaker. In the mid-1980s, she applied to film school but did not pursue that lane when she couldn’t find a documentary filmmaking-specific program. Instead, she sought out apprenticeships. Starting at the PBS station in New York City WNET, for six months. And then worked for Bill Moyers as an assistant producer on a series of projects, including her debut production in 1994 with Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, followed by A World of Ideas with Bill Moyers, etc. The Civil War is a comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.Novick’s decades-long collaboration with Ken Burns emerged in 1989 and has led to the co-production of a number of renowned docu-series.  First, there was the highly acclaimed ‘The Civil War’ which traced the course of the U.S. Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all the major battles to the death of President Lincoln and the beginnings of Reconstruction.Her vast experience as a researcher comes in handy on these kinds of projects, she explains during our convo. She won an Emmy Award in 1994 for producing the Baseball documentary and won a Peabody Award in 1998 for her co-directing and co-producing of Frank Lloyd Wright's documentary. Baseball covers the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations, and the resilience of the game.Other must mention include multi-Emmy nominations documentary ‘Prohibition’, The Vietnam War, Jazz, and Novick’s first solo directing, College Behind Bars (2019). College Behind Bars explores urgent questions like What is the essence of prisons? Who in America has access to educational opportunities? Six years in the making, the series immerses viewers in the inspiring and transformational journey of a small group of incarcerated men and women serving time for serious crimes, as they try to earn college degrees in one of the most rigorous prison education programs in America – the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)Novick is one of those filmmakers who have combed through an obscene amount of knowledge and understanding of documentary films. I have a feeling you will enjoy this chat as much as I did.Enjoy my conversation with Lynn Novick.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

I have been a fan of today’s guest since I first saw his mind-blowing film, Night Watch years ago. Timur Bekmambetov is an established director, producer, and writer who has built a name for himself both in his home country, Russia, and here in the U.S., making films, music videos, and commercials. At first glance at his film, I became obsessed with Timur’s work and his filmmaking style.He is the producer and director of Day Watch (2006), Wanted (2008), Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012), Profile ( 2021) and many many more.Timur is a jack of all trade. His journey in the industry started with theater production design and soon he got the directing bug. While honing his directing skills, he took up producing which then led to movie production.  One of my favorite of his films is the genre bending Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McCovey and Morgan Freeman.Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. After his estranged father is murdered, he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), who recruits him into the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley to tap into dormant powers. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.Abraham Lincoln is reinvented as a vampire-killing president in this Timur Bekmambetov-directed action picture starring Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, and Dominic Cooper. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith adapts his own book for 20th Century Fox. Tim Burton produces alongside Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley.Timur's latest project is Profile. The film was initially released in Russia in 2018 and is set to be released in the US on May 14, 2021.Based on Anna Erelle's non-fiction book, In The Skin of a Jihadist, the film contextualizes our digital life and fears. It explores the role of digital spaces in the recruitment of young European Women by ISIS. British journalist, Amy Whittaker sets on this investigation by creating a Facebook profile under the alias of Melody Nelson along with a persona online of a woman who has recently converted to Islam. The results are thrilling and eye-opening.Profile was shot in a new film language called Screenlife.What is Screenlife?Screenlife is a new format of visual content that has grown from independent projects to full-length, world-renowned films, documentaries and TV shows. Its main idea is that everything that the viewer sees happens on the computer, tablet or smartphone screen. All the events unfold directly on the screen of your device. Instead of film set — there’s a desktop, instead of protagonist’s actions — a cursor.If you are involved in video production, cinema or even video games, Screenlife is a new expressive environment for you, the potential of which is yet to be discovered. Before your eyes, there will be new tools to work with, such as the screenlife recorder.Bekmambetov produced the Screenlife film Unfriended, in which the action takes place on the screens of protagonists’ computers. With a budget of only $1 million, the movie raised $64 million at the box office worldwide. This new film language is extremely exciting. Timur and I discuss Screenlife, his visual style, his directing process, Hollywood politics and much more.Enjoy my conversation with Timur Bekmambetov.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Today’s guest on the show is Scottish award-winning filmmaker, and writer, Ben Sharrock, known for his Cannes Official Selection 2020 feature film, Limbo, and Pikadero, among others. Ben’s unique visually captivating films are inspired by middle eastern and northern European cinema. Interpreting middle eastern character in his films as he does in some of his recent work stems from an academic background in Middle East Cinema, Fine Arts, and working advertising in Dubai. The rooted connection --- learning and understanding these cultures carved a for Ben, a unique cinematic voice in the industry.Sharrock and his producing and life partner, Irune Gurtubai founded their production company, Caravan Cinemas under which they premiered their first film, Pikadero at the 2015 San Sebastian International Film Festival. A penniless, young couple has trouble consummating their fledgling relationship in their parents' homes, forcing their relationship into question as they try to break free from the shackles of a crumbling economy.The film which had initially gone by Patata Tortilla was Sharrock and Gurtubai’s Screen Academy Scotland graduation film. They won two awards at the Zurich Film Festival in 2015, Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2016, and two BAFTA awards that year for new Talent Best Drama and Best Screenplay.The recognition of Pikadero made it easier to get funding to write the screenplay for Limbo which came out in 2020.Ben directed and wrote the original screenplay for Limbo---a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience which follows Omar, a promising musician and Syrian refugee who is separated from his family, stuck on a remote Scottish island awaiting the fate of his asylum request. Ben approaches the sensitive issues of refugees' dehumanization and orientalism in this film with absurd humor and honesty. The film was nominated at this year’s BAFTA for Best British Film, Best debut and best international Feature Film for the GoldenEye.I truly had a fun time geeking out on a tandem with Ben about film lenses, and cameras and learning of his film influences and transferred skills from his career in advertising to filmmaking. Enjoy my conversation with Ben Sharrock.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

There are performers that impact your life without you even knowing it and today's guest fits that bill. On the show we have comedic genius, multi-award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, and television host, Billy Crystal. We’ve seen Billy’s versatile work across all areas in the entertainment world, stand-up, improv, Broadway, behind and in front of the camera, feature films, television, live stages like SNL, and animated movies. It's fascinating how much the man has done over the span of his career---and his lengthy IMDB page is only the tip of the iceberg.Billy’s career took off for his role in the 70's sitcom SOAP, where he played a gay character, Jodie Dallas. This launched him into box office hits such as When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Analyze This and the kids favorite, Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. just to name a few. Aside from hosting the Oscars® a record nine times and being only one step away from an EGOT, he’s a philanthropist. Billy, along with Whoopi Goldberg and the late Robin Williams created the annual fundraiser stand-up comedy show, Comic Relief, in 1986 that has over the years, raised over $60 million to support the homeless. The late 80s and early 90s were a really magical time for Billy's career. He had the box office hits Running Scared and Throw Momma from the Train. He had scene stealing parts in the classics This is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride. There’s the 1989 box office smash hit When Harry Met Sally, starring Billy alongside Meg Ryan and Carrie Fisher. The story follows Harry and Sally who had known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.You can’t talk about Billy Crystal classics without mentioning City Slickers for which he won a Golden Globes award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy. On the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest.Billy's interest in entertainment started way before college. But his decision to go to NYU put some goals into place for him. He was a member of an improv/comedy group at college and soon he started to host solo standup shows. By 1978, he landed his first starring feature film role in Rabbit Test in which he starred with Joan Rivers. Towards the end of the 90s, Billy joined iconic Robert De Niro and Lisa Kudrow in the box blockbuster hit Analyze This and its sequel to the Analyze That.Billy’s work transcend generations and Gen Z is his newest fandom; distinctively for his role in Monster Inc. and Monsters University, Mike Wazowski. Monsters University revisits the relationship between Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sully" Sullivan during their days at Monsters University, when they weren't necessarily the best of friends.Billy will reprise his role as Mike Wazowski in the Monsters at Work Disney+ series that is set for release later this year.One defining element of Billy’s work, be it writing, acting or directing is that the pulls from real-life experiences and balances funny and hard conversations effortlessly. Having started out in the business since he was 20 years old, it is absolutely thrilling to watch how he’s knitted together diverse platforms and filed into a accomplished career. This Friday, May 7th, Billy’s newest film, in which he wrote and directed, Here Today, stars himself and the incredibly funny, Tiffany Haddish, will be released only in theaters. These two make a seamless pairing and their chemistry is oh so charming. The intergenerational teaming of Billy and Tiffany tells a love story that is of friendship, support, and empathy. I absolutely LOVED the film. Do yourself a favor and go out and catch this gem of a film. When veteran comedy writer Charlie Burnz meets New York street singer Emma Payge, they form an unlikely yet hilarious and touching friendship that kicks the generation gap aside and redefines the meaning of love and trust.Billy has always been there to make me laugh, in good times and bad. I can not tell you what and honor and thrill it was getting to sit-down and speak to a filmmaker, writer and actor that has meant so much to me in my life.Enjoy my entertaining conversation with Billy Crystal.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

We have on the show this week, film director, bestselling futurist author, speaker, and actor, David Simpson. You’ve probably stumbled upon his 1.7 million views TEDx presentation ‘Our Post-Human Future’, on Youtube. If not, no worries. This is your chance to get to know the talented storyteller that is David.  He’s written a number of brilliant sci-fi futurist books since his twenties, including the popular ‘Post-Human’ six-part book series, Dawn of the Singularity (The Singularity Saga), The A.I. Chronicles, among others.As a child, David aspired to be a novelist. So his journey led him to study creative writing at the University of British Columbia where he was exposed to screenplay writing and structure. His structural versatility can be seen so brilliantly in his work's visual and technical aesthetics.On the come up, his first short film project was a really small crew of his wife and a camera assistant, including himself. That humble start is common in our line of business---undoubtedly some of the fondest memories for indie filmmakers. David recently shifted to film with his debut feature film, Dangerous to Know (2020). It is a psychological thriller adaptation of his forthcoming novel of the same title. The film is told across the intersecting and intertwining lives of three characters, exploring mental illness and how it affects not just the sufferer, but all those that the person’s life touches as well. A troubled young woman recovers from a suicide attempt in a secluded cabin, but when a series of unexplained and terrifying incidents occur, she realizes someone-or something-has a far darker future planned for her.Meanwhile, his first film adaptation, Post Human was released in 2015. Post-Human draws back the curtain on the Post-Human world where everyone is immortal, has onboard mental "mind's eye" computers, nanotechnology can make your every dream a reality, and thanks to the magnetic targeted fusion implants every post-human has, everyone can fly.But there's a dark side to this brave new world. Surveillance. Every post-human is monitored from the inside out, and the one artificial superintelligence running the show might be on the verge of making its first big mistake.It was an absolute honor chatting it up with David and going on a tandem about 90s film gadgets.Enjoy my entertaining conversation with David Simpson.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

This week, I wanted to pick the brain of a brilliant filmmaker, Mike Dion. Mike is an award-winning filmmaker, marketing strategist, and multimedia storyteller who has made a living over the last 20+ years applying all the tools needed by a filmtrepreneur. He's found his niche creating documentaries of adventurous brevets and transcontinental cycling races across the US, Mexico, and CanadaMike has produced globally distributed feature-length projects like Hair I Go Again (2016), Inspired to Ride, Reveal The Path, Where The Yellowstone Goes, and Ride the Divide that can be streamed across major platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes. On June 7, 2014, forty-five cyclists from around the world set out on the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race, following the famed TransAmerica Trail. Their mission is to cover 4,233 miles in one enormous stage race, traversing through ten states in a transcontinental adventure of epic proportions. Inspired to Ride follows a handful of cyclists from around the world as they race unsupported in the inaugural year, with four cinematographers, cameras flying in the sky, and GoPro’s galore. Mike produced the Inspired to Ride documentary in 2015.Here's a peak of Mike's latest documentary, Hair We Go Again: Facing a midlife crossroads, two longtime friends risk everything as they set out to fulfill their dreams of achieving rock & roll stardom. The first and last chances happen only once as their improbable journey is chronicled in the feature-length documentary, Hair I Go Again.One of the reasons I invited Mike on the show was to have him share what he's doing, how he's selling content, what's making money, and what's not making money. In 2008, he created Mike Dion Productions which original content like films, strategy, and branded content for social media, marketing, etc.In 2012,  he paired with his producing partner, Hunter Weeks for his directorial debut documentary film, Reveal the Path---A genre-defying adventure film that contemplates what it means to live an inspired life using the bicycle as a mechanism to explore, dream and discover.In true Mike Dion niche-storytelling fashion, one of his first producer/editor gigs was the award-winning feature film about the Tour Divide Race in 2010 titled, Ride the Divide. The film weaves the story of three characters' experiences with immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border.The Tour Divide Race is basically a mountain bike race that traverses over 2700 miles along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.The COVID pandemic has required everyone to profoundly change how we budget, prep, and produce a feature film or television show project in order to work safely and effectively. So this is a very educational episode if you are looking to learn how to safely shoot a feature film during COVID and how to make money from it.Enjoy my informative conversation with Mike Dion.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

On the show, today is an indie film director, and CEO of Unstable Ground multi-media company, Justin McConnell.  Even though he’s known for his work in post-production, Justin has also directed and written projects like Clapboard Jungle, Skull World, Lifechangers, and Galaxy of Horrors across the sci-fi-horror and documentary genres.Justin is a man who wears many hats; his multi-media company, Unstable Ground, which he has been running successfully for the last 22 years specializes non-exclusively in film and television production. The main reason I wanted him to come on the show was to discuss his new documentary called Clapboard Jungle, which explores the painful and brutal journey of a filmmaker trying and the movie-making process. I absolutely loved the documentary. It’s in a great tradition of films about making movies sort of a love letter to independent filmmakers.Clapboard Jungle, directed by Justin in 2020, is a documentary that follows five years in the life and career of an independent filmmaker, supported by dozens of interviews, posing one question: how does an indie filmmaker survive in the current film business.Clapboard Jungle was birthed from his lacking for such resource at the start of his career in the industry and launched onto developing the project/thought after directing and writing his 2013 documentary, Skull World, which follows two years in the life of Greg Sommer, aka Skull Man, as he builds the Canadian chapter of Box Wars, an international underground movement of cardboard-based combat.Talking about horror, he wrote and directed a fantastic yet disturbing horror feature film, Lifechanger in 2018 that is about a homicidal shapeshifter who is obsessed with reconnecting with the woman he once loved. To cheat death, he leaps from one body to the next, stealing the form of his murdered victims. And with each new identity, he circles closer and closer to her, looking to wind his way back into her life and her arms, no matter the cost.Clapboard Jungle is a MUST WATCH FILM for all filmmakers. It shows you the raw truth behind the dream of being a filmmaker.Enjoy my eye-opening conversation with Justin McConnell.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Get ready to go down the rabbit hole of 80's action cinema. I sat with an iconic 80s & 90s action film director, writer, and producer this week - Sheldon Lettich brought to our screens some epic actors and fighters like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester Stallone. He’s the trailblazing director and writer of Lionheart (1990), Bloodsport (1988), Rambo III (1988), and the Cold War drama, Russkies that first introduced us to the phenomenon that is Joaquin Phoenix. An Ex-French Soldier begins participating in underground street fights in order to make money for his brother's family. Lettich’s experience as a Vietnam veteran has inspired much of his films and plays throughout his career. Paired with his academic background in photography and cinematography, he bulldozed the action film scene with other classics like The Order, Double Impact, and The Last Patrol.Between 1983 to 1987, Lettich wrote and directed a couple of short films that did not pick up as much. The following year, he wrote and the martial arts classic, Bloodsport - inspired by tall tales from Frank Dux that Lettich became a famous name in Hollywood. The film also launched Jean-Claude’s career, the star of Bloodsport who played Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.If you love Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat then you have Sheldon to thank. Bloodsport was the first time you have multiple fighters, from around the world, with unique styles fighting in a tournament.The commercial success of Bloodsport, which grossed $50 million on a $2.3 million budget catalyst more trailblazing films. Lettich signed an overall deal immediately with White Eagle Productions that led to his collaboration, co-writing Rambo III alongside Sylvester Stallone in 1988. The movie was a HIT for the Box office. It outperformed his previous project, grossing $189 million on its $63 million budget. One thing I discovered speaking to Sheldon is that Bloodsport was NOT A TRUE STORY. The person that the film was based on, Frank Dux, was apparently a brilliant storyteller. There were lawsuits, books written, just and absolute mess. Either way the film is a masterpiece of 80's action cinema.Another classic in Sheldon's canon was the highly anticipated sequel, Rambo III starring Sylvester Stallone. Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.Lettich reunited with his friend, Jean-Claude in 1990 for the fan-favorite, Lionheart. This time directing and as a co-writer. He approached the project to allow Jean-Claude to display versatility, compassion, and rises beyond the "Karate Guy", now that he had become a household name. The film made $24.3 million on a $6million budget and became popular amongst his films.The two, Lettich and Van Damme, immediately followed up with their third of several collaborations, Double Impact in 1991 with Jean-Claude playing a set of twin brothers who were separated when their parents were murdered but 25 years later they re-unite in order to avenge their parents' death.Like their initial projects, this one too became a critical and commercial hit.It was a nostalgic thrill chatting with Sheldon about these movies that are part of the beautiful tapestry that is 80's action cinema.Enjoy this throwback entertaining conversation with Sheldon Lettich.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Get ready for a crazy ride! On the show this week we have indie filmmaker and screenwriter, Kevin Lewis. He’s been active on the scene and directed several indie films between 1996 to the present. Kevin's vastest film is the trippy indie (soon to be a cult classic) feature, Willy’s Wonderland, starring the legendary Nicolas Cage. Lewis has definitely paid his dues. He started out making films in Highschool with his VHS and Super 8 comers. Between the short film releases amongst his peers earlier on, to internships at Columbia Pictures, he was in the right position to secure a scholarship into USC Film School where he graduated from. The Method, Lewis’ directorial debut was his first feature film right out of college. It is about four guys' college life centered around a theater production of a bank robbery and how to make it better.In 2003, he directed and wrote Malibu Springbreak, about two Arizonan girls who headed out to the Malibu beaches for a spring break of partying and fun in the sun.He met an actor on the set, Jeremy Daniel Davis who didn’t play a big role in the film, but Lewis stood up to producers and kept Davis scene. Fast forward to some years later, Davis joined the production team of a project he was working on at the time and the two kept in contact. The universe realigned and Davis popped up with the script of Willy’s Wonderland for Lewis out of the blue. This cosmic aligning of a movie, Willy’s Wonderland was directed by Kevin and released in Feb 2021, after his thirteen years filmmaking sabbatical.The action-comedy horror film stars Academy Award® Winner Nicolas Cage - A quiet drifter who is tricked into a janitorial job at the now condemned Willy's Wonderland. The mundane tasks suddenly become an all-out fight for survival against wave after wave of demonic animatronics. Fists fly, kicks land, titans clash -- and only one side will make it out alive.Get ready for a wild ride. Enjoy my entertaining conversation with Kevin Lewis.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.