Barely Living The Dream

We do a little time travel on this one, as the bulk of it was recorded back in February while Chris and Mel were driving through Kentucky and Tennessee. There's some complaining, some catching up, some real talk, and some staring into the abyss (which of course, also stares back into us). So...pretty much business as usual. Check out the Oceans of Slumber videos we did here: https://oceansofslumbe...

At long last, we have the lovely, wonderful, legendary Debbie Rochon on the podcast! Debbie and Mel have collaborated many times (with many more on the horizon). Deb takes the time to catch us up on her last few projects, including her directorial debut MODEL HUNGER, her upcoming second film as director, and her recent time on the set of Troma's SHAKESPEARE'S SHITSTORM. She also talks a little abo...

The BLTD podcast returns with our friend Yousef Abu-Taleb in the passenger car! We worked with Yousef on WEST OF HELL (formerly COLD DESCENT, and before that, LAZARUS), which is currently available in Redbox. We discuss everything from Yousef's beginnings as one of the first YouTube stars on lonelygirl15, to his (sadly too short) stint as a rapper, to working with Tony Todd, Michael Eklund, et al...

Jeff Caudill (frontman for prominent Southern California rock band Gameface) joins us to discuss his latest solo EP, "Reset The Sun" and the five (!) videos that Mel/Upstart Filmworks produced to accompany the release. The relationship was definitely mutually beneficial, as you'll soon hear (note the clever wordplay in the podcast title). Jeff also discusses his "day job" - designing industry key...

Quick update from Mel on what he's got going on (videos for Jeff Caudill's RESET THE SUN & the SEQUENCE BREAK World Premiere at the Chattanooga Film Festival on 4/6)and then we catch up with Brittany, Chris, and special guest Ken Whiting "The Gaffing Wizard" who are all currently on-set in Colorado.

Remember that promo we cut where we (mostly me) read hatemail? Here's the uncut recording session, which makes a pretty compelling listen on its own. Beyond "bad reviews"...these selections are mainly personal attacks or fallout from bad deals, shadiness, etc. It was actually kind of fun to revisit this stuff because 1) none of it ended up mattering and 2) I've become something akin to a Highlande...

Promo for the podcast. It will run on other B&E Network podcasts. http://www.bmoviesandebooks.com/

In this feature-length episode, Mel is the sin-eater (for once) as Brittany, Chris, and guest Justin Powers spend an hour and a half going off about about their last "shitshow" experience. If you're wondering why we don't do much "local" work anymore, this pretty much sums it up, as the issues seem to be endemic at this point. Not to say that working elsewhere isn't crazy (we're all on-set in Neva...

Nickie Morgan, Mandi LeBlanc, and William Basinger join Mel as they reminisce about his first movie, FADE TO BLACK (which they are all in). Well, as much as can be remembered, anyway. The discussion starts at FADE and covers everything from PLACEHOLDERS to the Muskogee Castle to Nickie having to deal with the fact that Mel was editing sleazy adult films in the next room when they lived together. @...

Lance "Fever" Myers has been a professional animator for over twenty years. His work can be seen in the feature films SPACE JAM, ANASTASIA, and Richard Linklater's A SCANNER DARKLY; as well as in over twenty-five successful video game titles, including Turok Evolution, NBA Jam, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Myers has written and directed twelve animated shorts, many of which have shown on HBO,...

In which Mel discusses how Las Vegas, one of its most prominent magicians, rock supergroups, a Wayans brother, and horror genre illuminati have all recently been a huge part of his filmmaking landscape. It's basically a quick little update episode to let you all know what's going on in Upstart Filmworks Cinema-land! There's a reason while we've been on a bit of a podcast hiatus. Fear not, for ther...

Mel welcomes guest (and recent on-set collaborator) Graham Skipper to the podcast. Graham is probably best known for essaying the role of Herbert West in REANIMATOR: THE MUSICAL…however, he's steadily been making a name for himself on the independent horror circuit with acclaimed turns in features like ALMOST HUMAN, BEYOND THE GATES, and THE MIND'S EYE, among many others. Most recently, Graham has...

Mel rolls solo on this one again, pulling back the curtain even further on how he's managed to "barely live the dream" for the last couple years. Lots of candid talk regarding movie gigs, pre-production gigs, side gigs, part time jobs, being bi-coastal (or perhaps just bi-coastally curious), and how they all ultimately affect the bottom line. Additionally, we present our first "audience participat...

This summer (technically spring/summer), Mel landed to back-to-back gigs on California-lensed genre features. Both were in the A.D. department…and if you're a fan of the podcast you might know that Mel has had some recent "issues" with that type of work. As such, it was definitely poised to be an interesting several weeks. He thought it might be a good idea to keep an audio diary during the shoot....

Mel, Chris, and Brittany are all in the same room once again, and this episode basically is a "debriefing" of the past couple months of production work in California. Which essentially means that Brittany ends up being our cinematic sin-eater. The upside is that, for once, Chris is WAY more frustrated and angry than Mel. The student truly has surpassed the teacher. On a more positive note, this ep...

Tim Wrobel, script supervisor and one-time star of the longest running direct-to-video horror franchise ever, drops by and gives us some sage advice from the scripty side of the monitor. What does a Script Supervisor do? Do we really need one on set? Should you listen to them because you're paying them to do a job and back you up? The answers to all this (and more) lie within. Enjoy the first epis...

Things get serious as we speak with our guest, actress Melanie Donihoo (Mel's wife) about performance anxiety, stage fright, and what to do when you hate doing something that you're really good at. Lately, Mel has found himself in that situation amidst a bunch of Assistant Director gig offers, so we all ponder what to do in light of Mel either 1) losing his mind or 2) committing mass murder. Or ma...

Lisa Wilcox returns in this installment (much like she did in the Nightmare series) to discuss the impact and usage of social media in today's independent filmmaking landscape. We also get to do a bit of "Viewer Mail" from folks that checked out the previous episode with Lisa. Lisa Wilcox on the web: http://lisaewilcox.com/ Scream Magazine: http://www.screamhorrormag.com/

Lisa Wilcox from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4 & 5 joins us on this episode to talk about her particular journey in the industry...from General Hospital to Springwood to the Enterprise to raising a family and back again. Mel tries not to sound like a 12 year old fanboy. We also debut a new recurring feature: "Greenlit or Bulls**t?" Lisa's website: http://lisaewilcox.com Lisa on Twitter: @LisaWil...

This episode is more or less the Chris Warren show, as Chris relates his most recent on-set experiences. Basically , Chris turned a whole production around and got them back on track...again. Aspiring AD's, this one's for you. Lots of great info within including the non-creative details/pitfalls of working with children (more stuff that no one seems to take into account) and how it feels to have S...

Brittany and Mel discuss distribution issues, crowdfunding complaints, what happens when people who theoretically should support you don't....and the difficulties faced when attempting to deposit that paycheck you made working on an adult film. Also, Mel invites his enemies to the podcast - which includes pitching a TV collaboration with the Witchcraft 13 guys. More on Operation Chokepoint here: h...

This week, Mel takes the podcast in a different direction, talking "film fallout" with his oldest friend Domingo, and his wife Melanie. And his daughter, Regan, of course. (Also: I promise I only recorded in the car for the first three minutes). Special shoutout to the band Sense Field, who inspired the title/direction. R.I.P. Jon Bunch. http://www.ocweekly.com/music/jon-bunch-memorial-concert-bri...

Brittany gets ripped off! (probably) Mel gets ripped off! (two possibles, one definite) Chris says something about a time machine! We also talk about approaching investors and what to tell them if you want their money, but most importantly...what to tell them if you want to be honest. Follow, like, share, rate! @upstartfilm @chriswarr54 https://www.facebook.com/moviemonsterhouston

We bring Brittany Miles (producer of the film 869) into the fold, and get her origin story, some on-set Charlie Foxtrot anecdotes, and discuss her writing and directing a Placeholders episode. Then Mel discusses his "lists" and Chris talks about allowing your talent to make the choice to kick a box. Find Brittany's movie 869 here: http://www.amazon.com/869-Unavailable/dp/B00WGYXUNC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=U...

Jumping backwards in time with this super-sized (feature length!) episode: during the first, pre-Xmas return trip from the WICKED TRICKS shoot, Mel and Chris discussed their approaches to scriptwriting. We also dug into the collaborative process on the IMAGO/IN THE BLOOD script (which was a first for both of us). After that, Mel goes on a Axel Foley/Ellen Ripley/Shining rant. As per usual.