Ross Morin

Filmmaking Unpacked

Tv EN ↓ 26 episodes

A guide to the toughest psychological, philosophical, and practical questions we face as filmmakers and creators of any type. Filmmaking Unpacked is part textbook, part self-help book, part philosophical essay collection, and part memoir. It is written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin, delivered in 26 chapters (roughly the amount of classes in a college semester). It can be used for free, in high school, college, and graduate level courses. It is particularly designed for those who haven't gone to college, won't go to college, or, if they did go to college, they didn't get the film educa...

Author

Ross Morin

Episodes

Ch 26. What Was the Point of this Podcast? 27.04.2026 53:35

Zen and the art of filmmaking. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 25. Does My Identity Impact What I Can (and Can't) Say? 20.04.2026 48:09

The entire podcast has been building to this question. Let's get to work. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 24. Why Do the Representations in My One Film Matter? 13.04.2026 46:01

It's just one little film - what difference does it make? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 23. Should I Be Authentic in my Creative Work? 06.04.2026 1:05:33

Maybe I shouldn't be true to myself after all... Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Guest: Dr. Simon Feldman, author of Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn't be Yourself. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the proj...

Ch 22. Am I Being Truer to Myself by Holding On or Moving On? 30.03.2026 42:27

Am I betraying myself by revising my work? This episode would not exist without the collaborative input and writing of Dr. Simon Feldman. Check out his book, Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn't be Yourself ahead of next week's episode. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non...

Ch 21. My Film Is "Offensive" - Now What Do I Do? 23.03.2026 40:53

Oops, I committed a moral wrong with my film. I think... Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 20. Should We Value Creative Intent? (part two) 02.03.2026 31:28

Wait, that's not what I meant... Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 19. Should We Value Creative Intent? (part one) 23.02.2026 31:57

It's about what I say it's about - right? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 18. How Can I Productively Make the Most of Feedback? 16.02.2026 32:20

You mean there's still MORE to do? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 17. Can I Make a Movie Just for Me? 09.02.2026 27:19

Just let me cook, baby! Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 16. Should I Aim to Be a Perfectionist? 02.02.2026 34:02

Why settle for anything less? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 15. Should I Listen to This Podcast? (Welcome to Season 2) 26.01.2026 32:02

After all, there sure is a lot of content out there... Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 14. Why Should I Make a Film? 05.05.2025 28:53

It's so easy to forget. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 13. When is it a Good Thing to Leave Things Open Ended? 28.04.2025 34:00

It’s good to ambiguous. … Or is it? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 12. How Can I Give Feedback More Effectively? 21.04.2025 30:58

We don’t need to be jerks in order to be honest. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 11. Is Any Reaction a Good Reaction? 14.04.2025 29:52

It’s no big deal to get a big reaction - if all you want to do is get a big reaction. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 10. How Do I Know If I Have a Good Idea? 07.04.2025 33:15

As the seeds blow across the terrain, let's see if any take root. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 9. Should I Have a Brand or Production Company? 31.03.2025 33:53

I mean, it certainly seems cool, right? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 8. Why Does My Film Have "Politics"? 24.03.2025 37:48

Our choices leave us no other option. Author’s note: This episode concludes a mini-arc of episodes starting with episode 4. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out...

Ch 7. Why is My Film Biased (Even if I Don’t Want it To Be)? 03.03.2025 28:49

Description: One lens. One whiteboard marker. What’s objectivity anyway? Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 6. What Do We Mean When We Talk About a Film’s “Politics”? 24.02.2025 31:27

Let’s disentangle some controversial buzzwords. Shownote: Oxford Languages defines “politics” as: “The assumptions or principles relating to or inherent in a sphere, theory, or thing, especially when concerned with power and status in a society.” Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribut...

Ch 5. How Can I Better Respond to Critique? 17.02.2025 29:33

We don't have to be monsters. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 4. Why Am I So Defensive About a Critique of My Film's Values? 10.02.2025 26:15

Let's accept our emotional reactions first; then we can act rationally. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 3. Should I Write What I Know? 03.02.2025 26:52

Let's see what we can take away from this common piece of advice. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .

Ch 2. How Do I Know if I'm Overthinking Something? 27.01.2025 21:13

Let's start off with a question we can apply to all the episodes that follow. Written, performed, and produced by Ross Morin. Music by Sean Morin. Filmmaking Unpacked © 2026 by Ross Morin is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 For more information, including how you can support the project, check out FilmmakingUnpacked.com .