Get Real: Indie Filmmakers

Indie director William Dickerson joins us to talk about directing a 90s period piece: his new feature film 'No Alternative' starring Kathryn Erbe. William teaches at New York Film Academy, and previously directed the indie suspense film 'Detour.' GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and filmmaker Forris Day, Jr. Show Not...

Jeffrey returns from Switzerland, and Ken Lee joins us from Michael Wiese Books to reveal a big meetup in Minneapolis for filmmakers and screenwriters in July -- a chance to meet your favorite MW authors. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and filmmaker Forris Day, Jr. Show Notes: Minneapolis meet link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/th...

Today we are joined by directing coach Peter D. Marshall, author of 'Making the Magic Happen,' to talk about how directors can manage those tough casting choices. Peter has worked in the motion picture and TV industry for 40 years as a director, TV producer, 1stAD, and TV-series creative consultant. His directorial credits include over 30 episodes of TV drama such as 'Once a Thief,&#39...

Linda Seger is one of the world's foremost script consultants, best known for contributions to films like 'Braindead' and 'Universal Soldier.' Linda wrote several books on screenwriting, including Making a Good Script Great: A Guide for Writing & Rewriting , Creating Unforgettable Characters: Practical Guide to Character Development in Films, TV Series, Advertisements, Nove...

Confused about indie film distribution in 2019? We are joined by the "Self Distribution Guy" to demystify the current film distribution marketplace. Jason Brubaker of Filmmaking Stuff and Filmmaking Stuff HQ is a motion picture executive in Los Angeles and an expert in digital VOD distribution. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com...

James Forsher, author of 'Stock Footage,' served as a consultant for ABC News and PBS Marketplace, and was a content producer at Person and Allyn & Bacon. His TV programs include Discovery's 'Hollywood Chronicles,' PBS' 'Lost Warriors,' and well as programs for Encore, A&E, and The Movie Channel. His own personal archive houses several thousand titles of Ame...

Jason Kolinsky and Bob McFarlane join us from the 'Save the Cat!' team to introduce their newest screenwriting software which now includes tools for TV series and novel writers.  Jason is Chief Marketing Officer and Bob is Lead Software Engineer, and 'Save the Cat! Story Structure Software 4.0' is now available at savethecat.com. NOTE: Not a paid endorsement. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CA...

Tom Malloy is an award-winning actor, producer, public speaker, and has raised over $25 million for indie film projects so far.  He wrote the book "Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films" which is considered the gold standard of film finance books. As an actor, Tom has worked with Oliver Stone and most recently starred in the film "#Screamers." GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST...

Morrie Warshawski joins us with specific steps on raising your film financing through house parties.  Morrie wrote two books on fundraising: "Shaking the Money Tree" and "The Fundraising Houseparty." GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and filmmaker Forris Day, Jr. Show Notes: 1. Morrie's website: http://www.warshaw...

Marketing is the thing indie filmmakers tend to be afraid of or don't fully understand, so they procrastinate.  Sundance rebel Diane Bell says hiring a Producer of Marketing and Distribution (PMD) early in the development process is the key to success. Diane wrote 'Shoot From the Heart: Successful Filmmaking from a Sundance Rebel' and offers classes online. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is...

Mythologist John Bucher joins us to talk about storytelling in the modern era, how new media formats effect the length and style of story.  He is author of 'Master of the Cinematic Universe' and teacher at Studio School in LA.  John is also hosting a Facebook live stream Friday Feb 22: the Pre-Award Live Stream Bash from Studio School about the upcoming Academy Awards. GET REAL INDIE FILM[...

We talk with journalist Katie Kilkenny of The Hollywood Reporter about the phenomenon of film industry professionals living in their vans in Los Angeles.  It's more common than you might think, and is apparently on the rise.  Are they doing it by choice or necessity? GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and filmmaker Forris Day, Jr....

Film scholar Lester D. Friedman chats with us about Clint Eastwood as a filmmaker.  He edited the new book of academic essays, "Tough Ain't Enough: New Perspectives on the Films of Clint Eastwood." Lester D. Friedman is the Senior Scholar-in-Residence in the Media and Society Programme at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His other books include Citizen Spielberg, Cultural Sutures: Me...

Film & TV Producer Rona Edwards brings us real, concrete festival tips, including her 5 mistakes filmmakers tend to make.  She has produced for NBC, USA, SyFi, ABC, VH1, Sat.1/Studio Hamburg, Warner Bros, Lifetime Movie Network, and is always developing books, screenplays, feature films and TV projects. Rona co-wrote two books: "The Complete Filmmakers Guide to Film Festivals" and &#34...

Producer Mara Lesemann returns with advice on r ecognizing when you need to fire someone, and then having the confidence to actually carry it out. Mara wrote and produced two feature films: 'Surviving Family' and 'Detours.' She is a script consultant and has written numerous plays for the NYC stage. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (w...

Morgan Sandler joins us to discuss visual storytelling, plus we have an update on the Apu controversy and script contest winner. Morgan Sandler, author of 'Visual Storytelling: How to Speak to the Audience Without Saying a Word,' has a Master of Fine Arts from California State, currently Assistant Professor at the University of LaVerne. Before that he was head of cinematography at Los Ange...

[Halloween Edition] We are joined by forensic specialist, screenwriter, speaker, and author Jennifer Dornbush. Because her father was a medical examiner, she grew up with human skeletons in her house, leading her to one day write the quintessential book for writers: "Forensic Speak: How to Write Realistic Crime Dramas." When you need to get the science right in your crime story, this is th...

Producer Mara Lesemann joins us with detailed advice on getting stars attached to indie films. Mara has written two feature screenplays that became successful films: 'Surviving Family' and 'Detours.' She served as a script consultant for the award-winning feature 'Available: A Modern Fairy Tale.' Mara has also written numerous plays that have been produced on the NYC stage....

Emmy Award winner Barbara Multer-Wellin is known as the "Docu-Diva," a documentary writer/producer for HBO, Showtime, Lifetime, TLC, The Discovery Channel, UPN, Lifetime, TBS, PBS, and HGTV. Barbara wrote and produced two films for PBS: “TAKE THE HEAT: The First Women Firefighters of New York City,” a documentary narrated by Susan Sarandon, and “PAUL CONRAD: Drawing Fire,” narrated by Tom...

Indie director, author, radio producer, and "Hitchcock Whisperer" Jeffrey Michael Bays talks about creating gripping moments for all genres of film. He produced the SiriusXM radio production 'Not From Space,' winner of the Mark Time and Communicator awards, and directed the suspense film 'Offing David.' Jeffrey is an adjuct instructor at Lights Film School, and travels the...

Indie director, screenwriter, and Sundance rebel Diane Bell says it's time to stop waiting around for someone else you produce your script. Her new book 'Shoot From the Heart: Successful Filmmaking from a Sundance Rebel' gives you all the info you need to get started, the rebel way. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and f...

Crowdfunding zen manager John Trigonis (the guy with the hat) returns with more insights on building a fan base prior to a campaign, and how to convince friends/family to donate early. John worked at Indiegogo for five years and wrote the quintessential book 'Crowdfunding for Filmmakers' now in its 2nd edition. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bay...

Jeffrey returns from his Atlanta film shoot and reveals how one person's blunder could cost the production a lot of money. Is a reshoot needed or can it be fixed in post? Plus, Ken Lee of Michael Wiese Books joins us to talk about new filmmaking books coming in the second half of 2018. GET REAL INDIE FILM[CAST] is hosted by filmmaker and author Jeffrey Michael Bays (www.borgus.com), and filmma...

Kathie Fong-Yoneda joins us to reveal the immense power of web series as a career builder for actors, writers, and filmmakers. Kathie is a script consultant with 30 years of experience in film & TV, including executive positions at Disney, Touchstone, Island Pictures, and Walt Disney TV Animation.  She is the author of "The Script Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider's Look at Getting You...

Steve Kaplan, Hollywood's most sought-after expert in comedy writing, joins us to talk about how comedy writers can succeed, what has changed in today's smartphone era, and the effects of what he calls the "outrage industry." Steve weighs in on the recent Rosanne controversy, how George Carlin would react today, and why comedy feature films are harder to market. Steve wrote the qui...