The Break Breakdown: A Podcast from Queens Bird Films

The big goal for many indie filmmakers is a theatrical release. But when you are self-distributing your own feature film, is a theatrical release possible? For director, actor, and executive producer Scott Monahan, it was. With an acting resume and a background in devised theatrical work, Scott's debut feature film Anchorage came together one intuitive step at a time. Benjy and Courtney speak...

Can you really launch a film career with a microbudget feature? The short answer is yes, and Joshua Caldwell has done it. Joshua shares his insights on winning the MTV Movie Award, the jobs he took in LA to make connections in the industry, his writing process, how he approached his self-produced $6k microbudget feature The Layover by flipping the traditional approach, and how it all led to his la...

Web series production is not one size fits all. Some indie filmmakers may start with web series distribution. Others could start with a web series script they are itching to write. And then some might start on a whim while traveling, and spin one simple idea into an epic documentary series made up of 70 short films, shot across 3 continents, over the course of one decade. That's what filmmaker...

[BONUS EPISODE] Hot take: you don't need piles of cash and limitless free time to make a feature film. You can make a feature film with no crew, write as you go, edit you as you go, shoot on weekends, and in less than a year, have a feature film in the can and ready for distribution. This is exactly what filmmaker Noam Kroll did with his film Disappearing Boy . Noam is a vertiable fount of wis...

Over the course of two years, we made a web series. And in that time, writer/director Courtney Romano recorded moments of the process — from self-reflection to directing actors to producer's meetings. In today's episode, we piece together a two year process through those BTS audio clips and commentary. Hopefully they give you a feel for the process as a whole. And hopefully, their inherent...

Color is emotional. And while you might not be consciously aware of the importance of color in film, once you start noticing color's effect on your feelings, you can't unsee it. In this week's episode, Kinsley Vs. colorist Marika Litz talks with Courtney and Benjy about the psychology of color in film, how a colorist and a director work together to find a common color language, they br...

One of the biggest components of film post production is music. Music for tv and film can affect the whole mood of the piece. It can create comedy, drama, or urgency. It's another character in the film or series. In this week's episode, Benjy talks with Courtney and Kinsley Vs. music composer, Match Zimmerman. They talk about how to begin a musical collaboration, how to produce music for f...

They say a film gets made three times — once when it's written, once when it's filmed, and once when it's edited. The filmmaker may see all three versions, but the audience will ever just see one: the edited movie. So whether you're the film's editor, director, or producer, the post production steps are arguably the most important part of your indie filmmaking process. In this...

As you're beginning the process of indie filmmaking, you can answer "what makes a good web series?" a hundred different ways. But one way to ensure success is the relationship between director and cinematographer. It's this dynamic that creates the footage that eventually becomes your indie film or web series. And the dynamic you create in the behind the scenes of the filmmaking...

What happens on a film set? The answer is: anything and everything. From managing full company moves between locations, to making sure everyone is fed, to running behind on time, to straying from the script, the energy of a film set can be (at times) overwhelming. Each time you "make your day" can feel like a miracle. Executive Producer Benjy Shaw joins Courtney today to talk through the big lesso...

Low budget indie films usually require lots of cutting corners. So why is costume design important? How can you get visual bang for your microbudget filmmaking buck? And what is the one department you really can't live without? Costume designer and producer Allison Koehler joins Courtney today to answer those questions and more. From costume design as character analysis to pulling off slick, aesth...

You've got the script. You've got the team. But how do you get the money? Before you can raise a dime, you have to understand the importance of budgeting in film production and the basic strategies behind raising money for your indie film project. In this week's episode, Courtney is joined by Kinsley Vs. actor and producer Sara States to talk about budgeting in pre-production, and how to raise mon...

The beginning stages of self-producing indie art can be messy. But we have to start the process to actually produce. Whether you want to figure out how to break into tv and film, make your own web series, or give yourself an acting job, self-producing — and the process it requires — can feel impossible. In today's episode, host Courtney Romano (writer/director of Kinsley Vs.) and guest Benjamin Sh...

How do you make something out of nothing? As independent artists, we face the same questions with each new project: how do I do this? What comes next? What if it's not good? Join the team behind Kinsley Vs., a 7-episode digital series, as we break down the indie filmmaking process that took us from script to screen. Beginning February 1st.   Host: Courtney Romano  Executive Producer: Ben...

Rashad Chambers has made quantum leaps and giant strides by leveraging every move — one step at a time. After earning his law degree in Ohio, Rashad found himself in New York City, getting into producing, becoming a talent manager, then co-producing American Son starring Kerry Washington and earning a Tony award nomination for producing Ain't Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations. He d...

Lauren Karaman is an absolute joy. She's also an actor, a plus size model, a Project Runway alum, and the founder and creative director of the 36-24-36 Project. In this episode, Lauren tells the story of why she decided to pursue a career in the arts, the toxic diet culture implicit in so many theatre programs, and how leaning into who she is (instead of disowning it) paved the way for her big bre...

We set out looking for our big break. We hope for it, we strategize for it, and we obsess over it. But there’s something that’s more in our control, and perhaps more impactful to our overall trajectory: the decisive moment. In this week’s episode, we unpack what the decisive moment is, how it propels you forward, and how you’ll know what to do once you’re in one.  Follow @queensbirdfilms and...

One of the most elusive and nebulous parts of the filmmaking process is THE PITCH. What needs to be in it? How do you get people in the room? What do you do once you get people in the room? The truth is, there are lots of ways to answer those questions, and the answer will change from project to project. But the one thing you can have control over in every single pitch is you. So how do you become...

Because he's an actor, voice actor, comedian, puppeteer, writer, facilitator and more, Joseph Lymous can simply be called a world builder. What started out as building a world for himself under the marriage of self-liberation and comedy, has now turned into a legitimate breakthrough moment. Joseph's online content, from comedy sketches to music and movement, have become his calling card — even Bey...

The idea for Kelly Murtagh's screenplay began 11 years ago, and this year her feature film of that screenplay will debut as a world premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival . In this episode, Kelly breaks down the pivotal moments that helped her transform her personal journey with bulimia into a feature film premiering at one of the most renowned festivals in the country. She discuss...

Tia DeShazor is digging into every inch of her career. She's an actor, and also a lyricist & librettist, she founded BOLD , and she's a creative coach helping folks to live their best creative lives. In this episode, Tia talks about her experience advocating for herself during an important career milestone at BMI, how her own experiences as an actor on the road helped create BOLD, an organizat...

Actor and activist Joanna Carpenter knows it's not just what we say, but how we say it. In this episode, Joanna walks us through what it means to decolonize language and how she is working to do so with her organization 86 the Barrier . She breaks down why language matters so much in the hospitality industry, but more broadly, she explains how we can make language more equitable in whatever indust...

I was standing behind the bar at the restaurant where I worked, waiting to hear if I booked a show after a callback, missing my husband who was away performing at a Shakespeare festival for a year, not wanting to go back to my apartment which had no heat in the dead of winter, when a seemingly happy family sauntered in and sat down in the dining room, and I thought:  How am I ever going to be...

Years ago I read an essay in the New York Times on the premise that humans never know how write the end of a story, a book, a movie, etc. because we haven't experienced "The End" ourselves. That might be true. But in studying dramatic structure, as taught by playwright and filmmaker David Mamet, there does seem to be one way to get to a good ending. And that is: the three uses of the knife. In thi...

Indie music artist Jared Mancuso is not having it with capitalism. In this episode, we went deep into politics and indie art, and how the two intersect. Jared talks about the insufficiency of celebrity cancel culture, the mindset you have to start with to begin an independent career, and where the seat of power actually resides in a capitalist culture. As a musician, Jared has come head to head wi...