Filmmaking (Actually)

What do you need to know if you're going to have a character using a form of sign language in your movie? As someone who uses ASL to communicate at times due to her disabilities, and when collaborating with Deaf writers and actors, Koura has directed, produced, and edited several films that have characters communicating with ASL. How does that change things like pacing, framing, camera angles,...

How Much Do You Really Need to Know as a Leader? How much do you actually need to know about the work you're doing? Isn't there a point where you can just mentally clock out and let other people worry about it? Should you even care? When you're in a position of leadership or authority, understanding your craft matters deeply. Join Koura as she breaks down: Exactly how much you need to...

Are festivals worth it? Well, how do you define "worth it"? What are you looking for or hoping to get from going to a festival? The answer isn't the same for everyone, and not everyone needs to be screened at every festival in order to find success. What do you need? Join Koura in this episode where she breaks down the questions to ask to know which festivals are right for you, and i...

"Why does it matter where I work?? Just worry about if I'm doing my job." That totally makes sense, and you'd think that is how it goes, but sadly, it is not. While this might be something more affecting business owners, it can affect filmmakers too if you're hiring people across state or country lines. What difference does it make where you live and work? Join Koura in this episode where she shar...

There are a LOT of piles of information about budgets and breakdowns and looking at genre and page count and potential minimum guarantees and bank-ability of stars and so many check box systems when it comes to putting the budget for a film together. But what does your budget actually need to cover? And can you make a film that is actually "$0"? Why or why not? How can the different departments cr...

Working in film, it is always a rush when someone says they want to give you funding for a project. But when can that first money in actually hurt the rest of your fundraising efforts? Depending on your project set up, and your business plan for your film, it isn't always good news that someone is running to write you a check, especially if they've barely talked to you about the project. W...

Working in film, it is always a rush when someone says they want to give you funding for a project. But when can that first money in actually hurt the rest of your fundraising efforts? Depending on your project set up, and your business plan for your film, it isn't always good news that someone is running to write you a check, especially if they've barely talked to you about the project. What are...

One of the biggest differences between an awesome set that is fun to be on, and one that is an episode of high school drama, is the way people deal with issues and with gossip. This goes for most places of work, but the real question is, what do you do about it, and what is the best way to deal with actual problematic situations that you see happening on set (or on any type of project)? Join Koura...

Where do you draw the line between confidence and cockiness? How do you stand on your certainty without resting on your laurels and prohibiting further learning and growth? And what does a dinner plate have to do with any of this? Join Koura in this episode where she a little philosophical, and shares how she balances perspectives while gaining decades of experience, but always staying curious, an...

Where do you draw the line between confidence and cockiness? How do you stand on your certainty without resting on your laurels and prohibiting further learning and growth? And what does a dinner plate have to do with any of this? Join Koura in this episode where she a little philosophical, and shares how she balances perspectives while gaining decades of experience, but always staying curious, an...

What happens when Koura and Spacey go in to cast a play out of talent they've never met before? What can actors keep in mind from what they found? And what can Casting Directors keep in mind from what they found...?? Join Koura in this episode where she shares what happened when auditions were done with no concept of local popularity, and it wasn't just what you'd expect! If you have a...

What happens when Koura and Spacey go in to cast a play out of talent they've never met before? What can actors keep in mind from what they found? And what can Casting Directors keep in mind from what they found...?? Join Koura in this episode where she shares what happened when auditions were done with no concept of local popularity, and it wasn't just what you'd expect! If you have any questions...

There are a lot of important things to keep in mind when networking, and a lot of ways to navigate the world of connections. But what is one thing which, when not done, can ruin a potential connection before you even connect? Join Koura in this episode where she shares an example of a networking attempt, and what can help you from the get-go every, single, time! If you have any questions or commen...

Talking to people differently isn't just a matter of how kind or respectful you are (because we all know we should be kind and respectful to people). But is there a difference in how you talk to different people? ...Should there be? Join Koura as she breaks down how she gives feedback to an unpaid intern vs a contractor vs an employee (and how you should expect people to be talking to you when...

When styling a character, what are the things you should keep in mind? What makes someone look "real" or "relatable" in a movie? Inspired by a streaming glitch when two Twilight movies auto-played out of sequence, and noticing the stark differences between how Bella is presented by different directors, join Koura as she breaks down some of the key things to keep in mind when de...

How much should you charge for your services, actually? There's a lot of different types of advice out there, including the very socially toxic "charge as much as you can get paid" (and it might be a controversial thing to say that type of pricing is toxic, but we stand by that it is totally toxic). Check out this episode where Koura dives in and goes over where you start when figuri...

Is there any difference between writing a short vs a feature (aside from the obvious page count)? Yes, yes there is! Join Koura as she breaks down some of the key things to keep in mind when developing a short film as compared to developing a feature, with a focus on how to make a short film a strong story which stands alone as its own film! If you have any questions or comments for Koura or any o...

After pitching and working on funding films for years, Koura reflects on what she's seen as far as how investors start the investment conversations and the questions they ask and yardsticks they use to measure a project. What questions are they asking? More importantly, what questions should they actually be asking? And to extrapolate from there, what questions should you be prepared to answer...

Everyone wants to work with the best, but what does that mean? And what is the best way to approach working with professionals? Join Koura in this episode where she shares why hiring professionals on a project is important, and what the difference is between working with people who are getting started, vs working with people who have years of experience... If you have any questions or comments for...

Some of the things Koura has heard as an independent filmmaker has broken her brain. Standing between film and business, she has a lot of cross conversations in business spaces and in film spaces. Imagine if the conversations filmmakers had were had with business start ups? Now imagine if filmmakers were talked to as if they were a business founder? What difference could that make? Join Koura as s...

Is Independent Filmmaking broken? Why would Koura say that?? And what can be done to fix it? Join Koura in this episode where she shares what she's observed producing dozens of films, while running Space Dream Productions and servicing clients, overseeing the editing and production of thousands of marketing videos and other content. If you have any questions or comments for Koura or any of tea...

How do you build a body of work? Does it matter? Does actually having experience add up to anything? How to do you get there? Join Koura in this episode where she shares how she produced dozens of films, received over 200 award nominations, and won over 70 awards in less than 10 years, while running Space Dream Productions and servicing clients, overseeing the editing and production of thousands o...

Welcome to Filmmaking (Actually)! What make a screenplay stand out from a pile of dozens, even hundreds and thousands? How do you balance clarity with creativity without smothering your collaborators? And what's one huge mistake that instantly makes a reader put your script down? Join Koura as she breaks down the biggest screenwriting pitfalls, and celebrates the stories that get it right. If...

Welcome to Filmmaking (Actually)! Why are companies hiring people they don't trust ? Lately, more and more businesses are running contractor work through AI detectors, tools that are known to glitch and misfire. But what if the biggest concern isn't the software...but the culture of distrust behind it? Join Koura as she digs into the rise of AI detectors, the erosion of trust in professional commu...

Welcome to Filmmaking (Actually)! Why are creatives expected to pour out ideas for free while investors sit back and pick the winners? In every other industry, research and development is a paid department. So why not in film, writing, and the arts? Tune in as we unpack the broken model, the power dynamics behind it, and whether or not it's finally time to - shocker! - normalize paying creatives f...