Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking

This week Alrik and Liz welcome writer/director Cate Devaney on the show to talk about making her first feature film, how she got attached to the film and how her career as a storyboard artist helped her get her first directing job. Also a big thank you to the Austin Film Festival for making this episode possible! After that we play another round of THE GAME and read another itunes review. Enjoy!...

This week we have a very special bonus episode brought to you all by our wonderful producer Eric Toms! Eric sits down and chats with writer/director Corey Deshon about making his first feature, Daughter, how he got the project off the ground and the challenges he faced transitioned from TV writer to feature writer/director! After that Eric and I play a round of his creation, The Game, brought on b...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome writer Saeed Crumpler on the show to talk about writing his first feature, Hip Hop Family Christmas, getting into his first writers room and how he got his overall deal with Sony! After that they play another round of The Game and read a listener email and an itunes review. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate...

This week we are doing our first ever 'Bonus Thursday Throwback Episode' featuring our conversation with acclaimed Polish Filmmaker Malgorzata Szumowska way back on episode 259 from April 13th 2020 where she talked about directing her first film in english, The Other Lamb! Malgorzata talks to us about how this film compares to her other eight or so feature films, what she learned directing the fil...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome writer/director Ceceila Miniucchi on the show to talk about her latest feature, Life Upside Down, starring Bob Odenkirk, Danny Huston and Radha Mitchell. Cecelia talks about how she got her amazing cast, how they shot the moving during the pandemic and her overall philosophy on filmmaking in general. After that we play another round of THE GAME. Enjoy! Order The Al...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome Academy Award Winning writer/director Tom Schulman. Tom is the prolific writer behind films such as Dead Poets Society, What About Bob and of course, Honey I Shrunk the Kids! We talk about directing the feature Double Down South as well as the late 1990s on the cult classic Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.ap...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome Director Roxanne Benjamin to talk about her new movie THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CHILDREN which is coming out on digital and DVD on January 17th. We chat about how she got attached to the film and how she created a sustainable career as a writer and director. After that we play another round of THE GAME and then we answer a listener question! Enjoy! Order The...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome writer Sean Collins-Smith on the show to talk about moving to LA, how he got into a writers room and what he has learned through the two rooms he has been in so far. We also play another round of THE GAME! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Go to www.thewerkingwriter.com/school to sign up...

This week we welcome producer extraordinaire Alok Mishra on the show to talk about the making of his Netflix hit 1 BR which just expanded to Tubi on January 1st! Alok talks about how he and his team raised money for the feature, how they navigated a challenging shoot and the way he masterly promoted the movie from landing at their first film festival till now! After that we play another round of T...

Happy Holidays from the Making Movies is HARD Team and we've got a very special bonus episode for you right in the middle of the holiday break to help boost your post Christmas blues! Our producer extraordinaire Eric did a solo interview with filmmakers Maria Loohufvud & Love Martinsen about their documentary Calendar Girls which played Sundance last year and had an incredible festival run, playin...

This week we welcome filmmaker Janeen Damian on the show to talk about her Netflix Christmas movie Falling for Christmas starring Lindsey Lohan, what it was like to jump into the director's chair for the first time after many years of writing/producing and how she won the trust of Lindsey Lohan on set. After that we play another round of THE GAME. Enjoy! Watch Falling for Christmas on Netflix now!...

This week we welcome first time feature filmmaker Alison Star Locke to talk about her feature The Apology which came out in theaters on Friday 12/16 and is streaming on Shudder and AMC+ right now! Alison talks about how she got the film funded, how she managed being a mom while directing the feature and how she managed to direct such a dark story. After that we play another wonderful round of THE...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome producer/director Mark Pellington on the show to talk about the re-edit of his first feature Going All the Way, why he re-edited the film 25 years later, directing music videos and what it was like to work on a Quibi show. We also play another round of THE GAME. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id16405766...

This week on our phenomenal 400th episode we welcome producer Natalie Qasabian on the show to talk about rising the ranks as a producer and she gives us a bit of a breakdown of the making of Searching 2, which is coming out in 2023! We also play another round of THE GAME and we talk about what we’ve learned across 400 (and 200) episodes of making this podcast! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes...

This week we welcome Hungarian director Orsi Nagypal on the show to talk about being hired to direct her second feature The Deal by Hollywood producer Dean Devlin! After that we play another round of the Game courtesy of listener Colin Stryker and producer Eric Toms! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Go to www.thewerking...

This week Alrik and Liz have a horror-centric episode. First we talk about our latest horrific experiences in indie film development, then we share a solo-interview Liz did with NEXT EXIT writer/director Mali Elfman, and finally we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Go to www.thewerkingwrit...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome producer, post supervisor, film accountant and all around indie film hero Mark Stolaroff on the show to talk about how he likes to work with filmmakers and what it takes to produce an indie feature. After that, we play a round of The Game presented by new listener Colin Stryker, we read a brand new iTunes review. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https:/...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome program director of the Half Initiative at Ryan Murphy TV, Shari Page. We talk with her about moving from casting to industry mentorship. We also chat about the podcast's first trip to Austin Film Festival. After that, we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Si...

This week we chat with producer Zac Hersh about how working in International Sales helped him produce his film Follower, and the sequel Followers. After that, we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Sign up for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition Today: https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/submit...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk on the show to talk about her film slash/back which won the Grand Jury prize at SXSW. We talk with Nyla about making a sci-fi alien invasion feature in a completely remote town and how it led to the funding of her 2nd feature. After that we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome producer Laura Reich on the show to talk about Liz's favorite film ALL SORTS and the path to self distribution --- After that we play another round of The Game! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Sign up for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition Today: https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/submit/...

This week, Alrik and Liz chat with marketing expert and co-founder of Smarthouse Creative, Ryan Davis. They talk about indie film marketing, how she approaches a campaign and about the power of Facebook ads. After that, they play yet another round of The Game! Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Sign up for the BlueCat Scr...

This week Alrik and Liz welcome filmmaker Braden Duemmler on the show to talk about the making of his first feature, WHAT LIES BELOW. We chat about the casting, the massive success on Netflix as well as the audience response. After that, we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Sign up for the...

This week, Alrik and Liz chat with Zoe Salnave about making her first feature, Voodoo MacBeth, along with 9 other directors as part of a graduate program at USC Film School. We also play another installment of The Game and discuss the importance of reviews after a film is released. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576609?ls=1 Sign...

This week, Alrik and Liz welcome filmmaker Jason Horton on the show to talk about how he has created a sustainable life for himself as an artist, as well as h is prolific career of making 40+, documentary feature films in the last three years or so. After that, we play another round of The Game. Enjoy! Order The Alternate on Itunes Out Now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-alternate/id1640576...