Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking

This week Alrik and Liz talk with writer director Derek Presley and producer Jason Starne about the making of their latest feature film Red Stone, starring Neal McDonough during the global pandemic back in June 2020. They tell us how they were the first SAG film to get greenlit during the pandemic and how they managed their set to keep everyone safe. They also talk about how Red Stone laid to their third feature which they went to shoot in Washington in the fall. Alrik and Liz also answer a listener question about when it’s the right time to send a script to a mentor.

This week Liz and Alrik welcome long time listener and documentary filmmaker Taylor Morden on the show to talk about his latest film The Last Blockbuster which is dropping on VOD and digital on Tuesday December 15th! We also talk to Taylor about his amazingly crazy and endearing film project, Project 88: Back to the Future Too in which he wrangled filmmakers and fans from all over the world to recreate Back to the Future 2 during the early days of the pandemic! We also have filmmaker Brittany Synman on the show to talk about her short film Goodbye which spurs a very constructive conversation!

On this week's episode Liz and Alrik chat with Director April Mullen about directing her latest film Wander starring Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart! April talks about how she pulled the project together from nothing, how long it took her and her team to get the film made and after eight features and dozens of episodes of TV this was her hardest project yet! We also have filmmaker Paul Notice on the show to talk about his first feature film Willow, which he is currently raising funds for on Seed and Spark!

This week Liz and Alrik welcome writer/director and filmmaking Wunderkin, Emily Hagins on the show to talk about directing the segment ‘Cold Open’ for the new horror anthology Scare Package which is out now on Shudder! Emily, Liz and Alrik have a classic filmmakers conversation, covering how Emily got started, what it was like to have your third feature film accepted into SXSW at age 17 and how Emily is still dealing with ageism and sexism ten years later. This conversation is on the longer side so pull up a chair and join in on this open and honest filmmaking discussion! Filmmaker, writer, actor and director Rakefet Abergel also joins the show to talk about her short film, Boo!, another must see short film, which Alrik and Liz both loved discussing!

This week Liz and Alrik talk with indie filmmaker Aleem Hossain about the process of making his first feature film, After We Leave, which he shot across over eight years and made it on a budget under $50k. Aleem talks about his decision to make his film over a long period of time, not rush the process and make sure he got each frame just the way he wanted. This is a great episode just to show that there are more options to tackling your first feature than trying to get it shot in as little time as possible. They also have short filmmaker Kate McCoid on the show to talk about her film ‘It’s Not Custard’ which Liz is a big fan of.

This week we have a very exciting episode featuring development executive and Senior Vice President of Film/TV at EA. Our special guest joins Liz and Alrik to talk about what her job entails, what she looks for in a project and how she likes to work with up and coming writers and directors. She also talks about her day to day and how that has all changed with the pandemic! If you want to learn more about how filmmaking works on a studio level, this is the episode for you! Also, Liz and Alrik answer a listener question and read a new itunes review!

 Oh do we have a special episode for you! This week Liz and Alrik invite legendary film critic, film aficionado and Drive-In movie specialist Joe Bob Briggs to talk about all things genre filmmaking! Joe Bob talks about the rants on his show ‘The Last Drive In’, the mistakes young filmmakers make and what kind of movies he would love to see more of in the world of low budget genre filmmaking! Alrik and Liz loved talking to Joe Bob so much that they had an extra post show wrap up talk so once Joe Bob logs off stick around for more fun!

This week Alrik and Liz welcome writers and directors Jeff Kerr and Ray Spivey to talk about the making of their brand new feature film, Writers Block which comes out on VOD, Itunes and Amazon on November 3rd! Jeff and Ray talk about reconnecting after thirty years since they knew each other in high school, starting to collaborating together and what it was like to write, direct and produce their first feature later in life. This episode truly proves that it's never too late to follow your dreams! We also have filmmaker Michael Groves on the show to share his short film Left Behind!Where to Find Michael Groves, Jeff Kerr and Ray Spivey!Watch Writer's Block Now!Jeff Kerr's WebsiteRay Spivey on IMDBMichael Grove's On YoutubeContact Liz & Alrik Send us an emailYou can find Liz Manashil @ www.lizmanashil.comYou can find Alrik @ www.alrikbursell.comMMIH is now in video and on Youtube @ www.youtube.com/c/MakingMoviesisHARDPodcast

 This week Alrik and Liz welcome writer and director Oz Rodriguez on the show to talk about the making of his latest film Vampires vs. The Bronx which is now streaming on Netflix! Oz also talks about how he came up in the world of comedy, how he made it as a director on SNL and taking the leap from directing television to telling a story that is very important to him and that captures his vision start to finish. We also have a new get shorty segment featuring friend of the show Dave Bundtzen's horror short 'The Devil's Passenger' and we have a Soapdish segment from filmmaker and author Sarah Moshman!

This week Alrik and Liz welcome San Francisco Bay Area Filmmaker and Writer Jonathan Kiefer onto the show to talk about his process in collaborating on making and writing his first feature film, Around The Sun. Jonathan talks about how he and the director collaborated on the film, where the concept came from and the steps he took in writing the project. We also talk about being a filmmaker in these crazy times and the artistic motivations to decide if you should write or direct a certain project! Liz and Alrik also answer a listener question and talk about their all time favorite episodes of the podcast!Where to Find Jonathan Kiefer!Watch Around The Sun Now!Jonathan Kiefer's Website!Jonathan Kiefer on IMDB!Contact Liz & Alrik Send us an emailYou can find Liz Manashil @ www.lizmanashil.comYou can find Alrik @ www.alrikbursell.comMMIH is now in video and on Youtube @ www.youtube.com/c/MakingMoviesisHARDPodcastYou can now find MMIH @ mmihpodcast on instagram!Find us on our Facebook Community PageContact us on Twitter and Facebook