Respect The Process

Cinematographer Julian Whatley  proudly proclaims he's never had a bad day at work. He loves filmmaking and attacks every gig with 100% of his heart and soul. Coming up through the ranks of the camera department, learning from masters like Bob Richardson, John Toll and Harris Savides, he carries on the discipline and artistry he was taught. But stresses adaptability. I'm lucky to have Julian as an...

What's comforting about filming with Laura Gels , Senior Art Director at Northlich , is having her gives me a second pair of eyes, scrutinizing the details in order to make the work great. We've collaborated on three spots, and she's a director's dream to work with. I grabbed Laura from her print shoot and we chat about the various phases of joy that come with the process. This is the third interv...

Group Creative Director Kerry Broderick shares with us the joy of teaming up a great art director with a talented copywriter, like she did on my gig with her. She leads the creative team at the  Northlich Agency  - who birthed my beloved Scooter The Neutered Cat for GiveThemTen.org and the caring folks of the wonderful Joanie Bernard Foundation. This is my second interview of three with the creati...

The immensely creative folks at the Northlich ad agency birthed one of the most fun, silly and effective campaigns I've been blessed to shoot. Yes, Scooter The Neutered Cat  and GiveThemTen.org  - from the caring folks of the wonderful Joanie Bernard Foundation . Over the next three episodes you'll meet the creatives that spawned these spirited spots. Senior Copywriter Terry Dillon, Senior Art Dir...

Hip Hop impresario Amerigo Gazaway  is one of my favorite music producers. He reworks samples and records so that his songs transcend both original recordings. Furthermore, an Amerigo Gazaway albums tell a story, like LP's did back in the vinyl days. Moreover, it's his love for his source material and his authenticity that resinates with listeners. Bombarded with cease-and-desist letters for sampl...

I've known Jennifer Rawlings  since our days playing the comedy clubs around Los Angeles in 80's. She always captivated the crowd with her funny perspective, so I'm not surprised she's become an accomplished filmmaker. It's her unusual journey that intrigues me.  "Forgotten Voices: Woman in Bosnia"  is her first film, and a must see. Made with a camcorder and the desire to expose the world to thes...

Thank you to everyone that participated in my presentation "Confessions of a Commercial Filmmaker" this week on StageIt.com. If you have feedback, I'm curious as to how I may improve the forum. Great questions in the Q&A!!  Feel free to email me anytime at RespectTheProcessPodcast@gmail.com and askk away. This is super short, cuz i literally landed from an cross country flight.    Thank you, Jorda...

After I interviewed Ryan Berman , I found his blog post called "Comedy on a Commercial Production."  I agree with most everything he says, and probably explains why we are friends and have shot together a bunch. Ryan is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of i.d.e.a., a great advertising agency in San Diego. We chat about creating a fun culture, staying one step ahead of the trends, and why San Die...

Veteran Gaffer Pat Grosswendt has taught me so much about lighting. We've made dozens of commercials together. (Click his name for credits like "Cabin Boy, "Gosford Park" & "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") Have a listen and you will learn the history, the mindset and key technical aspects of being the one on set that shapes the light. Pat gives his take on the changes in the technology, but ex...

I met commerical and feature Director Kevin Donovan  at a Christmas party and we hit it off. A former agency creative, Kevin learned so much on set, working with great directors like Mark Story and the incomparable Joe Pytka. He's learned to create a nice creative space for himself to deliver the best work, and we discuss balancing serving the agency agenda, while remaining creatively stingy for t...

I got a sneak peek at Deon Taylor's new film "Supremacy" starring Danny Glover, Joe Anderson, and Dawn Olivieri ("House of Lies"). It's about a white supremacist just out of the clink. He shoots a cop, goes on the lamb, and invades Danny Glover's house. Drama and self-examination ensue. Really well-made film, regardless of just a one million dollar budget. Deon shares his approach, choices and pas...

Mark Nickelsburg made a great short film, "Harry Grows Up" and we chat about how he did it. Originally part of last week's interview, the tapes were lost for weeks. Here's that conversation. Buy your tickets now for my live web presentation February 10th at 6pm West Coast, "Confessions of a Commercial Filmmaker"  on StageIt.com now. It's an intro to commercial filmmaking with my live Q&A. It will...

Mark Nickelsburg  shall forever live in my heart for dubbing “Respect The Process with Jordan Brady” as the “Rosetta Stone of Filmmaking.” Got to love that. More importantly, Mark has successfully transitioned from the editor’s chair to the director’s monitor. What are benefits and surprises on set, after years of editorial wisdom? I think it’s very interesting path, and thanks Mark. We both had s...

The last of my mini-podcast trilogy, here are three secret tips that I believe will make you a better filmmaker. Certainly a smarter, more effective director of commercials. If you're in any leaderhsip position, I imagine that these tips apply to your gig too.  Let me know. Oh, and please share the podcast with a loved one who might care. Thank you, Jordan

As I am prepping a shoot, I had to make this one short and sweet. But it's not the size of the podcast, but the punch it packs. These are my Top 5 things to do when making a spec commercial. If you're trying to break into the game of commercial filmmaking, you want to heed my sage-like words. This epidode is a short 4 minutes. Please do rate us on iTunes.  Thanks, Jordan

Happy New Year, Okay. Now let's make some plans to make some fun stuff. A short film? Feature? Finish that script? A new spec commercial for the reel? Whatever personal project you want to do, first you must set a date and write that date down in your calendar.  There are many great filmmaking podcasts and blogs that you probably know. So here are a few links I use that inspire me to get stuff don...

Mr. Larry Jordan is the one person that has always been there for me, to answer every production question. His 35 years plus of experience are readily found whenever you google a question about directing, editing, shooting, lighting, audio, and his courses cover the gamut of production, post and theory. Please check them out if you're serious about upping your game. His podcast " 2 Reel Guys " is...

Who's lap is your kid sitting on? "I Am Santa Claus" is a wonderful documentary that answers that very question. From an queenly bear Santa, to WWE Champion wrestler Mick Foley, Santa's come from varied backgrounds. My chat with Director/Producer Tommy Avallone is like two old friends gabbing about filmmaking, despite having just met online. We discuss research, how to choose who to follow, fundin...

Doug Lussenhop is an editor, writer, performer and hip hop sensation. He cut his teeth editing shorts, tv shows and feature films for Tim & Eric (aka Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim), Portlandia, and Funny or Die. Along with Tim & Eric, plus movie star John C. Reilly, Doug toured this summer with a live show, and it was an absurdist's wet dream.   Doug and I chat about odd timing, developing his o...

Playwright, comedian, writer, producer. Scott Carter is all of those things plus Executive Producer of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher". He's also one of the smartest guys I've ever hung out with. A great storyteller, he mixes fun facts into his tales, and delivers them in a riveting fashion. You'll love this peek behind the curtain of one of my favorite shows. Big thanks to Michael Addis for int...

"Remote Area Medical" is a compassionate documentary about Americans in need of help.  Watch the trailer and you can see how filmmakers Jeff and Farihah treat their subjects with such dignity and respect.     During a three-day clinic held at Tennessee's Bristol Motor Speedway, some of the country’s sickest individuals finally received free health care from an all-volunteer force of doctors, denti...

I met Radu Olievschi, a wonderful agency producer at Saacthi & Saatchi NYC, this summer and was intrigued with not just his journey to America, but his immense passion for filmmaking. Growing up in communist Romania did not lend itself to to becoming a filmmaker, let alone a producer at an ad agency (especially unlikely since the one hour of State-run tv had no advertising), but Radu knew early on...

Moments after we wrapped on Friday, I grabbed Drew Wright and Nick Marine for a mini-interview. Both are Associate Creative Directors at Doner Detroit. They're a newly conjoined creative team, and it's already crystal clear that it's a great fit, given the way they crank out quality scripts that sell. I'm grateful for their oddball minds as well as their friendship.   Please help comedian Margaret...

I got to edit with  Tessa Davis  earlier this year at Cosmo Street, and she had all the best takes picked out & finessed into a perfect cut, long before I could park the car. Editors have expressed the shortened turnaround time and she explains how she's adapted.  And after all the versions, which one ends up on air? You may be surprised. We also chat about the Glamour Magazine short films done by...

The Production Designer runs the Art Department, and is responsible for fabricating the Director's dream into a physical world to be filmed. Top Production Designer  Evan Rohde  does this magically, and it's a privilege to work with him. We chat right after wrapping a long day. He explains his dual roles as both a creative collaborator and fiscally responsible department head. I marvel at Evan's c...