The Filmmakers Podcast The Reality of Low-Budget Filmmaking: Making "A Gangster's Life" with Tony Cook & Zak Fenning
In this special episode, host (and Executive Producer!) Giles Alderson sits down with actor/producer Tony Cook (Dune: Part Two) and director Zak Fenning to break down the making of their new British crime-comedy, A Gangster's Life.
Joined by fellow filmmakers Dom Lenoir the team reveals exactly how they pulled off a low-budget feature film that spans two countries (London and Greece) without breaking the bank. They discuss the "hustle" behind casting rising stars like Jonny Weldon (One Day, House of the Dragon) and Rina Lipa (in her feature debut), and the challenges of self-distributing a genre film in 2026.
We discuss:
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The "Two-Country" Shoot: Logistics of moving a low-budget crew from London to Greece.
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Casting Coups: How to attach big names (Rina Lipa, Jonny Weldon) to an indie project.
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Actor to Producer: Tony Cook on taking lessons from the set of Dune: Part Two into indie producing.
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Visual Style: How Zak used his background as a DoP to give the film a "high budget" look.
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The Reality of Release: Navigating the UK digital market and finding an audience.
A Gangster's Life is out now on Digital Platforms.
Links
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The Filmmakers Podcast is written, produced and edited by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson
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