A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach

This past week focused on three aspects: the creative, the life aspect and  goodwill. In this vlog I break down each of them, starting with how Jonathan Moulton and I spent hours on a Zoom making sure we're on the same page when filming our upcoming feature film. Then I talk about my dog Chloe and how old age is catching up with her, plus the lessons from that. And finally, I discuss the Fina...

As filmmakers (I'm using the term loosely to encompass anyone making video content), we place music into your projects (TV shows, films, etc). And so why not use music as a tool during rehearsals with actors? This will give them a sense of the rhythm of the scene and allow them to more easily slip into character. That's what this episode suggests and so I invite you to try it and see how it goes....

There's a Byron Katie quote that says, "If you argue against reality you will suffer." The irony is most people argue against this reality because they cannot accept it. But when you do, it allows you to be more present and lead with love. That's what I explore in this episode, diving deep and debunking the idea that accepting reality means you have to be a nihilist or cold-hearted. Not at all. Ag...

If you're someone like me, you love to learn. But for a long time I didn't do anything with that info. I thought I was smart but really I just knew a bunch of things. I've since come to learn that info without action is meaningless. Or stated differently, knowledge is understanding something, wisdom is doing it. This is what I explore in this lesson and why it applies to your life. After listening...

There's a reason why I call myself the 360 creative coach and that's because I believe having talent and skills alone doesn't make you successful—you need to master mental fortitude. That's because every aspect of life has obstacles along the way and if you don't train yourself to overcome them, they'll topple you. And since we're about 2 months away from filming my upcoming movie, I thought it wa...

While I was in college I worked for my film professor Rob Patton-Spruill. It was for his show Garden Girl where I worked alongside several other classmates. One thing we always did at the end of each day was share out highlight/lowlights. This is different than what worked vs what could be improved because highlights/lowlights are meant to be personal and fun. And fun they were. Sharing them each...

The driving force of capitalism based on what you don't have. Let's start flipping that. Instead of defining ourselves by what we lack, let's see ourselves based on what we have. Now, on the surface of it, wanting things isn't a bad thing—it because bad when you're getting more stuff when it's not truly what you want or when you're overspending because you feel like you have to. These are some of...

To say there's a lot of things happening in the world currently is an understatement. That can feel overwhelming and force you to feel despair. But you have a different choice. That's what I discuss in this episode. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions or offer opinions of your own, whether down in the comment section or by hitting me up on social media @PhilSvitek. Lastly, for more...

This is my review of Free Guy, a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds (who also co-produced) as a bank teller who discovers he is actually a non-player character in an open-world video game and decides to become the hero of the story and save his friends from...

What a difference a day makes, right? Last week, puzzle pieces (as I like to call them) started falling into place. Part of that was because of having patience. But the other part was because of working towards that. A major part of last week was the final push on our film's crowdfund. I discuss how the campaign went, lessons learned and what's next. Other major milestones from the week include a...

Ideas come to us at any moment and if we don't capture them right away, they may leave us forever. This is why it's important to have a note taking system. But that's only step one because writing down ideas doesn't do much. You need to transfer the ideas so you take action. These two tandem notions are what I explore and explain in this episode. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions...

A core component to find success as an artist is financial literacy. I know, I know... It's not creative or sexy. Plus, when you're not making much money and struggling, why bother thinking about it since it only pains you to do so? Well, the only way towards financial freedom is to take the first steps. Understanding your finances, aka financial literacy, is part of phase one. The first step in p...

In 1992, NASA had Dr. George Land and Dr. Beth Jarman develop a test designed to identify the capacity for divergent thinking. Their findings were remarkable ( https://twentyonetoys.com/blogs/teaching-21st-century-skills/creative-genius-divergent-thinking ). At the age of five, 98% of kids tested as geniuses. By adulthood, it dropped to less than 2%. Why this drop? Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk help...

This is my review of Respect, the biographical drama film based on the life of American singer Aretha Franklin. Directed by Liesl Tommy (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay written by Tracey Scott Wilson, the film stars Jennifer Hudson as Franklin. Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate...

Last Monday, technology just didn't work the way it was supposed to and it continued all week, affecting my work computer and phone. While frustrating, I did have alternative methods to get the things I needed to done. In this vlog, I discuss how you too can have a similar approach so if things go wrong it won't be a total nightmare. Then I transition into upcoming film and how preparations contin...

There's a "game," or technique if you want to call it that, you can try during rehearsals with your actors. I call it the One Word Subtext game. How it works is every actor must say their line of dialogue using only one word. It doesn't matter if the line is short or a full monologue. They have to deduce it down to a single word. It's fun but more importantly it forces the actors to think about th...

While playing soccer, I learned very quickly that the body has more to give but our mental blocks prevent us from pushing ourselves further. This is why mental health is paramount AND why we should really be in awe of everything our physical self does for us. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions or offer opinions of your own, whether down in the comment section or by hitting me up on...

We finished my first feature film back in early March 2020, but understandably because of the pandemic, we never got a chance to watch the final product as a cast & crew. So in 2021, I made it a resolution (or goal is more apt) to have one, even if it was small and intimate. That dream came true finally. Last Thursday we finally got a chance to watch the movie together! And what an experience...

Both single cam and multi-cam filming comes with pros and cons. In this episode, I share my perspective in choosing between the two options. I provide you with plenty of examples so you can make the best decision for yourself on a case by case basis. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions or offer opinions of your own, whether down in the comment section or by hitting me up on social m...

The world isn't binary as we'd often make it out to be. This is hard to conceptualize because it requires more effort. But the truth is we live in an "and" world, not an "or" world. In this episode, I explore what that means and why it actually matters in your like AKA how it benefits you. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions or offer opinions of your own, whether down in the comment...

A preliminary filming schedule and shot list have been completed on my upcoming feature film (for more context on the project, visit https://igg.me/at/philsvitekfilm )! This is a major step as it allows the production team to have meaningful dialogue and move forward with logistics. I also talk about how it's okay for artists to have different processes in achieving results. Then I discuss the imp...

With video footage being 4K and upwards nowadays, it means file sizes are HUGE. So how does one edit with such large files. Enter proxies! Proxies are a smaller, lower resolution version of your footage used as an intermediary so you can edit smoother and faster. And Adobe's made it really easy to create them and then relink to your full resolution footage. This is a tutorial on how the process wo...

This is my review of Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain. It's a  documentary film directed and produced by Morgan Neville. The film follows the life and career of Anthony Bourdain, who died by suicide on June 8, 2018 at the age of 61 while on location in France for his CNN show Parts Unknown. The documentary features interviews with David Chang and Éric Ripert, as well as members of th...

Lots of things got accomplished in the past week on my upcoming film (for more context on the project, visit https://igg.me/at/philsvitekfilm ). A big accomplishments was that cast & crew flights were booked! That's a big step forward. Likewise, I had a 2nd solo rehearsal with the guys this week and this weekend I had my 1st solo rehearsal with the girls. Both went amazing. We're seeing the wo...

Have you ever spent so much time trying to cut out a subject from a background? No more! Photoshop made it super simple AND quick. In this tutorial I show you exactly how. After listening, kindly feel free to ask questions or offer opinions of your own, whether down in the comment section or by hitting me up on social media @PhilSvitek. Also, it'd mean the world to me if you checked out my latest...