Indie Film Podcast

In this IFP Review, we’re talking about our experience attending the 13th annual Sun Valley Film Festival in Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho. We reviewed the festival from the perspective of indie filmmakers who submitted a film and attended in person, looking at everything from communication and organization to the films, audiences, networking events, theater and tech, awards, location, and overall...

Is filmmaker burnout just part of the indie film grind, or is hustle culture quietly making us worse at the thing we love? In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, Victoria and Chuck talk about filmmaker hustle culture, creative burnout, and whether the pressure to constantly work, post, volunteer, network, and “keep grinding” is actually worth the cost. Using Curry Barker’s breakout success with Ob...

Can AI filmmaking actually make a good short film? We tested it. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we’re talking about AI in filmmaking after making our own AI-generated short film using AI tools for: The script, character design, voices, and video generation. Yup. All of it. And the end result? Is a little mixed…. We break down what worked, what failed spectacularly, and what indie filmmaker...

Can you actually make money as a filmmaker after quitting your job? In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we’re talking about what really happens when you leave a steady corporate job for freelance filmmaking, creative work, and the unpredictable world of self-employment in the arts. Chuck and Victoria share their very different experiences quitting their jobs, building financial runways, survivi...

Filmmaker mistakes, bad films, and learning from failure are part of becoming a better indie filmmaker. Every filmmaker has an old project that makes them cringe: A first film, student film, rushed short, failed competition project, or creative experiment that just didn’t land quite the way they’d hoped. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we talk about why embarrassing old work can be a sign o...

Film festival myths, submission strategy, and what indie filmmakers should actually know before sending their work out into the world. In this live episode of Indie Film Podcast, we sit down with Filmfort director Thomas Phillipson during Podfort at Treefort Music Fest to talk about what really happens behind the scenes at a film festival. We dig into the myths filmmakers love to panic over: Wheth...

You avoided the other six deadly sins, locked picture, and finally made your movie. But did you actually remember to tell anyone? In our final installment of the "7 Deadly Sins of Low-Budget Indie Filmmaking" series, we tackle the silent killer that leaves incredible projects dying on a hard drive: Marketing and Administration.  The harsh reality of independent film distribution is that...

It’s the ultimate post-production reality check: Editing reveals everything that production lied to you about. Welcome back to Indie Film Podcast, where we’re breaking down the Seven Deadly Sins of low-budget indie filmmaking. Today, we are tackling Sin #6: Sloppy Editing. Whether you’re staring down a massive multi-cam timeline or trying to salvage a scene where the continuity is a complete mess,...

Chuck calls bad audio the "deadliest of all the deadly sins" of low-budget filmmaking for a reason. If your actors sound like they’re talking underwater, or if you're relying too heavily on AI noise reduction tools, this episode is going to save your movie. In this episode (Part 5 of our 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Filmmaking series), we are diving into the gritty, zero-budget reality of...

Are your indie film shots looking a little more like security camera footage than cinema magic? You don't need a $10,000 lighting kit to fix it; you just need to understand shot design. In this episode (Part 4 of our 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Filmmaking series), Victoria and Chuck break down the absolute essentials of visual storytelling. We are giving you a crash course in everything from basic comp...

You can rent the most expensive camera in the world, but if you point it at a blank wall, your movie is still going to look like a student film. In Part 3 of our "7 Deadly Sins of Low-Budget Indie Filmmaking” series, we’re tackling Art Department. We break down why production design is the actual secret to making a micro-budget film look cinematic, and share scrappy, actionable secrets to dre...

If your actors look like amateurs who are actively searching their brains for their lines, you didn't save time by skipping rehearsals, you just ruined a great performance. Welcome back to Week 2 of The 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Filmmaking! Over the next seven episodes, we’re breaking down the biggest mistakes that kill micro-budget movies and how to avoid them. This week, we tackle Sin #2: Skipp...

The absolute worst reaction an audience can have to your indie film isn't hatred; it's pure indifference. If you want to stop writing "mid-tier," forgettable scripts, you need to master the science of storytelling. Don’t worry, we’re still working on it, too! Welcome to Week 1 of our brand new series: The 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Filmmaking! Over the next seven episodes, we’re brea...

How much does a “zero budget” film actually cost? We made a short film for $421, but the real cost was over $45,000. Out-of-pocket, we spent just $421. But when we broke down the true cost (including time, labor, and actual industry rates) the number jumped to over $15,000, and more than $45,000 at union scale. So what does “zero budget filmmaking” really mean? In this episode, we break down the r...

What does it actually take to finish a zero-budget indie film in just 12 days? In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we break down the reality of indie film post-production, from DIY VFX and After Effects rotoscoping to building a full musical score with no budget and almost no time. We talk about what worked, what didn’t, and the mistakes we made along the way, including: The truth behind “fix i...

We made a zero budget short film in one weekend…and yes, we made some mistakes. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we break down what actually happens on set when you’re working with limited time, limited resources, and a whole lot of ambition. From forgotten props and gear issues to last-minute pivots and unexpected wins, this is the real behind-the-scenes of indie filmmaking. If you’re makin...

Will actors really show up to an indie film set for pizza? In this episode of the Indie Film Podcast, we talk about the very real challenge of casting actors when your film budget is…basically nothing. From posting casting calls on Facebook to leaning on local film communities, we break down the scrappy strategies filmmakers use to find performers when money isn’t on the table. We also dive into t...

We challenged ourselves to make a $0 musical short film in just 28 days, for a real film festival competition. This is Part 1 of our 28-Day Musical Challenge, where we document the process of making an indie short film from scratch under extreme time pressure. In this episode, we break down: The film festival prompt and competition rules (including the “no generative AI” restriction) Why we chose...

If you’ve ever struggled to explain what you want musically on your indie film, you’re not alone. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we break down how to talk to a composer and actually get the film score you want. From spotting sessions and emotional tone to the difference between stock music vs. original score, we unpack what indie filmmakers often misunderstand about music in post-productio...

You don’t have to move to Los Angeles to build a real film career. In this special live episode of Indie Film Podcast, Chuck and Victoria host a panel of working filmmakers to talk honestly about what it takes to build a film career outside Hollywood. From ultra-low budgets and burnout, to balancing day jobs and building an audience in smaller markets, this conversation gets real about the realiti...

Why does romance in movies so often feel fake — even when everything looks right on screen? In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, Chuck and Victoria unpack why on-screen romance frequently falls flat, how filmmakers get trapped by bad movie tropes, and why intensity is so often mistaken for real intimacy. This isn’t a rom-com takedown, and it’s definitely not a “how to write romance” lecture. It’...

How do you promote your film with confidence, without letting ego get in the way? In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we explore the fine line between ego and confidence in filmmaking, and how that line can quietly impact feedback, collaboration, networking, and long-term creative growth. Indie Film Podcast | S2E06 We talk about: The difference between ego, confidence, and imposter syndrome Why...

“We’ll fix it in post.” It’s one of the most common phrases in indie filmmaking, and one of the most dangerous. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we break down the post-production mistakes that make indie films look cheap, even when everything seemed fine on set. From color grading myths and LUT culture to audio mistakes, ADR pitfalls, and disorganized edit workflows, we’re talking honestly a...

How do low budget films end up looking expensive, without spending more money? This episode breaks down the production decisions and on-set habits that actually determine whether a film looks polished or painfully cheap. Part two of our Cheap vs. Inexpensive Filmmaking series, this conversation focuses on production: Why budget doesn’t predict quality, how big-budget films still fail, and what ind...

Cheap filmmaking vs inexpensive filmmaking is one of the biggest (and most misunderstood) differences in indie film production. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we break down why so many low-budget films look cheap before the camera ever rolls. Kicking off a new series on cheap vs inexpensive filmmaking, we focus on pre-production decisions that quietly determine whether a film looks intenti...