SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking

Episode 166 was recorded November 19, 2023. In episode 166, I open my heart to you with a message I hope reaches you when you need it and where you need it.  Listen thru to the end for a personal message from me to you. In this episode: Filmmakers, writers, artists, writers, performers, actors, photographers and musicians, etc. are artists Experienced filmmaker versus the novice using smartphone c...

Episode 165 is our bi-weekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded November 8, 2023. Break out your notebooks! Come back to this episode when you’re ready to make your feature film. We’re walking you through each step during pre-production of a mobile feature film. What we discuss: First meeting with key crew members Casting calls, when to secure your principal actors Locations and shot list...

Episode 164 is our bi-weekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded October 25, 2023. Happy Halloween! Tonight the spooks are the vibe. We share insights into some topics around the scary movie genre and making smartphone films. What we discuss: Scary music and music for effects Light and shadows for scary movies Levi shares how he shot a spooky scene for Paralysis The panelists share persona...

In episode 163 I chat with producer and director Steve Weiss, one of the founders of Zacuto based in Chicago, Illinois.  Steve and I get into the weeds about filmmaking and storytelling. Steve and his founding partner, Cinematographer Jens Bogehegn have worked together for many years in the industry. The duo created Zacuto and design products together. 

Smart Z-Finder is a smartphone film industr...

Episode 162 is our bi-weekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded October 11, 2023. We sing, we laugh…I almost cry at the end, it’s a jam-packed special birthday episode and we want you to celebrate with us. Grab some cake and join the party.  What we discuss: Why and how our podcast began Making the best from attending film festivals How Joey and his team created a YouTube channel using a...

In episode 161 I have the honor to chat one-on-one with my friend Ant Pruitt, a host of the TWIT.TV Network's TWIG (This Week In Google) show. We chat about the art and storytelling in photography and I ask him to share his perspective on a few things as a well-informed professional in the tech industry and as a photographer.  “If you can go back and look at those old images and feel something, yo...

Episode 160 is our bi-weekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded September 27, 2023. The iPhone 15 Pro has features that can help you meet the criteria to qualify getting your feature film into Netflix, and maybe win an Oscars. The new Blackmagic Camera free app is packed with features but I lament it’s not available for Android smartphone filmmakers. We talk about Joey’s awesome sound des...

Episode 159 of the SBP Podcast is jam-packed with tips. I had the privilege to speak to our friend in Moscow, Arthur Mikheev. Arthur won the First Prize Award with his short film, War is Not A Game in San Diego’s International Mobile Film Festival’s 2021 edition. Arthur teaches smartphone filmmaking with his school, Pocket Film. Just last week, he shot a video that shows the beautiful potential of...

Episode 158 is our bi-weekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded September 13, 2023. If you’re interested in film, you’ve heard that filmmaking is storytelling. But what if your film doesn’t end up seeing the light of day after all? What if years or months later, you still want to bring awareness to your project? The Fade In To Film panel has a heart-to-heart discussion on how to achieve t...

In episode 157 of the SBP Podcast I ask you to to tell me more about you and to tell me what I can do in my podcast to help you more. This episode is just you and me. It’s like a one-on-one and I invite you to join me. I share some insights into documentary filmmaking and how smartphone cameras can benefit you so that you can make high quality documentaries with your phone. I also mention why mobi...

Episode 156 is our biweekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded August 30, 2023. We tackle a few topics with our panelists, but we begin with Levi’s well informed message, as a union member, about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and how they affect indie filmmakers. We discuss what self branding implies and the shift it’s taken for creators, artists and filmmakers during the popularity of so...

Episode 155 is our biweekly panel discussion. This episode was recorded August 16, 2023. Susy and the panelists discuss film versus product. Art versus commercialization. How we make films and how the perception of what we create matters, or does it? Does smartphone filmmaking give you more freedom to be creative? We also discuss funding your projects. Panelists in this episode: Ryan McDonald, Lev...

Episode 154 with Joshua R. Lastine of Lastine Entertainment Law PC in Beverly Hills, will hopefully provide you with some of the assurance you need to create films you can distribute, and help keep you out of legal trouble. Many smartphone filmmakers and indie filmmakers may not be aware of the obstacles that can come along with trying to get your films distributed into film festivals and streamin...

Recorded August 2, 2023 Episode 153 of the SBP Podcast is the latest Fade In To Film panel discussion! Susy and the panelists discuss if we are going to mentor AI over humans. If now is a good time for actors to make their own mobile films, and cast themselves. And has the definition of what Indie film is changed over time.  Panelists in this episode: Ryan McDonald, Jason Rivera, Erica “ET” Taylor...

In episode 152 we bring back Brionne Olsen in South Africa. Brionne is a sound engineer, filmmaker and storyteller. He’s been inspired to create smartphone videos and films since 2020. Brionne made a short film this year with the Elements Of Moment Dance Studio. The film is a beautiful dance performance choreographed by Ashley-Jade Miranda. Brionne asked for a performance that expressed women empo...

Episode 151 was recorded July 19, 2023. Fade In To Film panelists discuss current topics in the minds of smartphone and indie filmmakers, artists, and content creators.  Topics discussed: AI pro’s and con’s and how AI affects storytelling, art, and film Do you need a new smartphone camera to make a better film? Which genres benefit the most from smartphone filmmaking This week, Jason Rivera joins...

In episode 150 we introduce you to Fade In To Film. FITF is a Bi-Weekly Panel Discussion covering topics of interest affecting the filmmaking and mobile filmmaking community jointly, with a foundation in storytelling through film. The program discusses current events and news of interest to both communities, with an effort to solidify the connection between them. Host and moderator for the ongoing...

Filmmaking is storytelling, and music can bring your story to the next level. Jason Rivera has been writing and making music since he was four years old. In episode 149, Jason is going to share valuable insights into his world of music from the perspective of a storyteller.  We have a fascinating discussion about the importance of film directors to work think about the film score and bring a good...

Erica “ET” Taylor spent years getting a master’s degree and instructing video production, mainly for sports. She’s a video producer who shoots and edits on her iPhone. Most recently, she shot a short film, Coming Home and it made it into the Rookie Award category in San Diego’s International Mobile Film Festival. Episode 148 is a conversation about ET’s filmmaking experience, video production busi...

Ten years old making movies and winning awards, inspired by her award winning filmmaker Dad Ryan McDonald, Sophia McDonald writes, directs and stars in her short film The Sister Sister Jinx shot with an iPhone. Episode 147 is Sophia’s podcast debut. The film is roughly 2 and half minutes long and was a family project with the participation of Dad, sister Alyssa as her co-star. There is even an app...

Monique Lea-Gall has earned many television credits as an actor. Her journey as a dancer on TV Awards shows with celebrities like Will Smith, Gwen Stefani, Diddi, and many more, moved into television shows like Law & Order, American Horror Story and currently on SWAT. She’s also worked on feature films. Monique and her husband Rome Gall produced a short film, Me vs Me which screened at this year’s...

Jed Brophy is an Honorary Ambassador for the IMFF, where all films are shot with smartphone cameras, and has been a recurring judge in the short film competition. Episode 145 is a bit of a first bringing you a part of our in-person film festival with Jed's presentation. Since 2020, Jed has been trying to make his way to our film festival in San Diego. Of course, we all know what happened in 2020 b...

Levi Austin Morris won the Best Feature film Award for Paralysis at this year’s International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego, California. The entire film was shot with two iPhones.  Paralysis is a horror film of about an hour 47 or so minutes long. Levi and I discuss the intricate details that went into making the film and the reactions it received at the festival. We discuss the impressive exp...

It was September 11, 2001 and my experience that day sparked a vision of the future that lasted for years. Eight years later, from that vision, I launched a film festival where all the films only qualified if they were shot with a cell phone camera. It was before the iPhone 4 launched introducing me to smartphones. You can read and listen to the original audio story with it’s full description: htt...

Our guest in episode 142 is Luis Fernandez who is an actor, filmmaker and live performer. His feature film, Desconocidas (Unknowns) is screening during San Diego’s International Mobile Film Festival in its 12th edition April 28-30.  Luis shares the story behind a filmmaking experience which is pretty mind-blowing. Filming during the pandemic was already challenging, but when each actor was in anot...