Indie Film Hustle® - A Filmmaking Podcast

Have you always wonder what happens to indie filmmakers  who win HUGE film festivals like the SXSW Film Festival? Well wonder no more.I've invited one of my oldest friends onto the show, Brant Sersen, the writer and director of the SXSW Audience Award winning film "Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story" staring Rob Corddry.Some other films he's directed are Release, Splinterheads, and Sanatorium.Over the years I've heard Brant tell me all sorts of stories about his misadventures in Hollywood. So if you are expecting a "Entourage" style story you're on the wrong website.What I try to do with Indie Film Hustle is to give you the no BS info, stories and experiences you can only get by being in the heat of battle. Brant Sersen's story is no different.Take a listen...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

How can a VFX Supervisor make your indie film's VFX shine? I've been a VFX Supervisor on multiple feature films, shorts, commercial and music videos. My job was to get the shots the director wanted done at a high standard and on budget.I've seen many independent films come through my doors at Numb Robot with VFX dreams in their eye but also with no understanding or budget on how to achieve them, that where a good VFX Supervisor comes in.In this episode I breakdown what a VFX Supervisor does and also the things indie filmmakers need to understand before creating Jurassic World in their backyard.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

So how can a Post Production Supervisor save your butt? Well I've been a Post Production Supervisor for over 15 years and have seen a lot of indie filmmakers get beaten up, taken advantage of and just plain ripped off in the post production process.In short the Post Production Supervisor is there to protect the film or project from going over budget, ripped off and making sure everything is done on time and budget. Here is the official definition of a Post Production Supervisor:Post Production Supervisors are responsible for the post production process, during which they maintain clarity of information and good channels of communication between the producer, editor, supervising sound editor, the facilities companies (such as film labs, CGI studios and negative cutters) and the production accountant. The Post Production Supervisor has a pivotal role in ensuring that the film's post production budget is manageable and doable, and that all deadlines are met. Take a listen!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Linda Seger is a legend when it comes to screenwriting coaching and script consultanting. She's been couching for over 30 years and pretty much invented the job title. After reading her best selling book, "Making A Good Script Great" I had to have her on the show.She's  best known for her method of analyzing movie scripts, which she originally developed as her graduate school dissertation on "What Makes a Great Script." She founded the script consulting industry, becoming the first entrepreneur who saw script consulting as a business, rather than an offshoot of seminars or books.Linda Seger has consulted on over 2000 screenplays and over 100 produced films and television shows including Universal Soldier, The Neverending Story II, Luther, The Bridge (miniseries,) etc.Take a listen to this master class on screenwriting with Linda Seger and get ready to take notes!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

So you want to make music videos. Want to follow in the foot steps of David Fincher, Mark Romanek and Spike Jonez? It's not a bad plan at all. Many filmmakers start off in music videos. It's a great place to get experience, learn the tools and experiment.I've directed a few music videos in my day and have worked in some capacity on hundreds over the years. I wanted to do an episode where I breakdown my process for making a music video. The music video in question is for the band Ozomatli and the stand up comic Gabriel Iglesias aka Fluffy.Gab and I have done a few projects together over the years, two of which were music videos, Hey It's Fluffy and Stand Up Revolution.I had an absolute ball shooting both. Today we will be dissecting Stand Up Revolution, which was for his Comedy Central show "Gabriel Iglesias Presents: Stand-Up Revolution." It was a large production for me and I learn a ton.Take a listen!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Blueprint to Make it in the Film Business with Stage 32Have you ever wanted an easy blueprint to make it in the film business? I know I have. Well you are in for a treat. I had an amazing interview with Richard "RB" Botto from the online film community Stage 32.com.Stage 32 is a US-based social network and educational site for creative professionals who work in film, television and theater. Stage 32 links professionals in the entertainment industry including directors, writers, actors and entertainment staff.It caters to film industry professionals with featured bloggers, online education taught by industry professionals, news from Hollywood and filming locations around the world, Stage 32 meetups page, an online lounge and a film business jobs page that allows members to connect with others on film ventures, along with standard social media functions.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Ah, the good ol' digital vs film debate. Well you won't get any of that in the article or podcast. With Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight coming out Dec 25, 2015, and it being shot in "Glorious 70mm," there has been a lot of chatter about film again.With filmmakers like Christopher Nolan shooting 35mm and IMAX on his latest film and JJ Abrams shooting Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 35 mm, film seems to still be an art form that many filmmakers are not ready to let go of just yet.What Quentin Tarantino has done with The Hateful Eight is unique. He has brought back to life the Ultra Panavision 70 technique along with anamorphic 65mm lenses that haven't been seen since the 60's.Here are some specs:Camera: Panavision 65 HR Camera and Panavision Panaflex System 65 StudioLenses: Panavision APO PanatarFilm Stock 65mm: Kodak Vision3 200T 5213, Vision3 500T 5219Aspect Ratio: 2.75:1Listen to the episode for the rest.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

IFH 027: Kico Velarde - From Being Broke to Emmy WinnerThe Cinderella story that is Kico Velarde's life is remarkable. From being a struggling out of work editor to becoming the toast of the Cannes International Film Festival to winning an Emmy for producing Jay Leno's Garage. Crazy!!!His film PVC-1 - was accepted into the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes International Film Festival and was nominated for the Camera D' Or Award in 2007. He became the toast of the festival but barely had two cents to rub together as he spent his last cash on tickets to the festival.After the festival it took sometime to get back on his feet but then got an opportunity of a lifetime, to work as an editor on a small YouTube show about Jay Leno's Garage. Fast forward a year and he wins an Emmy for the show and the rest is history.Kico's story is truly an inspirational one. Take a listen and get ready to be inspired.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

Is Film School Really Worth the Cost?Let me start by saying that I’m a big believer in education and constant learning throughout life. I believe that the only way to truly experience the amazing things the world has to offer is by educating yourself as much as humanly possible.With that said, people who go to film schools to educate themselves about the basics of filmmaking are fools. Now full disclosure, I was one of those fools.A little about me, I’ve been in the film industry for almost twenty years. I started my filmmaking journey by attending a technical college in Orlando, FL in 1995. My first job in the industry was in the post-production world.As years went by I learned different crafts and wore different hats; I became a director, writer, producer, editor, colorist, post-production supervisor and visual effect supervisor.I’ve done pretty much almost every job imaginable in the film business. In my multicolor travels I’ve had the opportunity to work with numerous indie filmmakers, with Oscar® and Sundance winners and even a Moose Jaw Film Festival winner, so every kind of filmmaker under the sun.When I went to film school non-linear editing was just getting off the ground. No AVID, Final Cut or After Effects. No DSLRs. No RED Camera. No Mini-DV cameras. No low cost digital VFX. No YouTube. No DVDs with awesome film commentaries and by the way, the Internet was just getting started.Listen to the episode for the skinny!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

So I directed a small action short film a few years back called "BROKEN." I shot the film on MiniDV Tape (yes I'm old) on the Panasonic DVX 100a, the indie film workhorse of its day. My team and I filmed it in West Palm Beach Florida (not exactly the Mecca of the film industry) and it starred only local, non named actors. Now once the filming was over I marketed the living hell out of that little short. It went on to screen at over 250 international film festivals, win countless awards and be covered by over 300 news outlets. That little film had a life of it's own. I even got a review of legendary film critic Roger Ebert:"BROKEN is essentially a demonstration of the mastery of horror imagery and techniques. Effective and professional." - Roger EbertNow you must be asking, "But Alex how the hell did you make money with it?" Well, I knew that no one would pay real money for a 20 minute short film, shot on MiniDV, with no name actors and from a first time director to boot. So I planned to create a guerrilla indie film school with over 3 hours of footage, tutorials, commentaries and more. For the whole story take a listen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.