The No Film School Podcast

With the WGA being on its third week of strike, we can’t help but start to think about all the ways the industry is changing and what that looks like for us filmmakers. Will Hollywood still seek out our creative ideas, or will we be pushed to only making IP projects in order to market an existing idea? And how does this all affect brand new filmmakers who are struggling just to get their short fil...

Laurel Parmet is a director and writer who has been nominated and awarded for her shorts, Kira Burning and Spring. Kara Durrett is a producer who works in both independent film and television, producing films such as Save Yourselves! and Topside. We were honored to speak to both of them about their recent film, The Starling Girl, which made its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.  I...

The Writer’s Guild of America went on strike on May 2, 2023. The strike is more than just writers putting down their pens and picking up their picket signs, to fight for their rights. This strike also symbolizes “the beginning of a bigger conversation about morality and labor practices” throughout corporate America.  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerm...

Traci Hays is a DGA Award-nominated director, a production designer, and art director who has received numerous awards for the various shorts she has directed. Her feature directorial debut, Tangled, was named a “must-see movie” by The Hollywood Reporter. She recently directed Blood, Sweat and Cheer, her second feature, which is a dark love letter to Heathers, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, and C...

Are the best movie stars only the older ones? What’s the difference between celebrities of the past compared to today’s stars? What are some effective strategies you can use to navigate a troubled production? In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, GG Hawkins, and Yaro Altunin discuss:  Flaws from NRG’s recent study on who the biggest movie stars are Getting fatigued f...

Kelly Fremon Craig is a writer and director who has earned awards and nominations for her first feature, The Edge of Seventeen. Her second feature, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, is based on the very famous Judy Blume novel of the same name. A main theme of this film is what it’s like to undergo the complicated process of puberty, which is ironically similar to Craig’s experience with the s...

How can a truly independent film find success at the large film festivals? How does one manage to get well-known actors to star in your film? The answer is simple, yet takes effort. You need to get in the mix! In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine and GG Hawkins discuss:  The truth about getting an indie feature made Golden elevator films versus free-range films Big actors starring in...

Stephen Williams is a producer, director, and writer who has worked on popular TV shows such as Lost, Undercovers, and Watchmen. He recently directed, Chevalier, a film based on the true story of one of France’s most important composers. Chevalier is about the journey of understanding oneself better, through the trials and tribulations that life sends one’s way. In this episode, No Film School’s G...

It’s Day 2 of NAB 2023, and Tech Editor Yaroslav Altunin and NAB host Raafi Rivero sit down to share more details about the conference. Joining the episode are special guests, Haeleigh Royall and Indeana Underhill of Cinematography for Actors, and producer Ian McClellan of Coco Butter Family. We all agree the one word that comes to mind when describing NAB 2023 is “innovation.” In today’s episode,...

Tech Editor Yaroslav Altunin and NAB host Raafi Rivero sit down to discuss Day 1 of NAB 2023. So what does the most prominent tech trade show have to offer this year? How about some of the hottest pieces of kit? The duo also chat about Blackmagic Design CEO Granty Petty, filming on Fujifilm cameras with Frame.io, and what makes the community of this trade show such an essential part of the broadca...

“Your sword is sharpened by all the people around you.” If you can let go of control and allow space for playfulness and creativity on set, you will create a great movie. Also, you will become a better filmmaker in the process.  In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director of Renfield, Chris McKay, discuss: Imitating adult filmmaking techniques as a kid How the stunt coordinator helpe...

What are some ways can you support the writer’s union if they end up going on strike? What should you do when you find yourself resenting the project you are working on? What did Ray Romano learn from his directorial debut, Somewhere in Queens?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, GG Hawkins, and Yaro Altunin discuss: Why solidarity and support for the WGA is impor...

A film is like a baby, and everyone involved is a parent. How do you keep all the parents happy, calm, and on the same page?  In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director of Joyland, Saim Sadiq, discuss: The universality of the film and seeing oneself in the characters Why the Cannes Film Festival was the best place for the film to premiere People needing time to process the film afte...

In terms of diversity and inclusion, is Hollywood actually making big strides or is the industry regressing? As a writer, are you allowing yourself to be unique and original, or do you rely only on mimicking what has already been done?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Jason Hellerman, and Yaro Altunin discuss: The latest findings from the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report Why we nee...

Kabir Akhtar is an Emmy award winner who has worked on a long list of TV shows, such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls. This accomplished director-editor-producer has directed 45 episodes of TV as of today. In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Director-Editor, Kabir Akhtar, discuss: Why Kabir still uses a printed script  Moving to Los Angeles...

Should you tell others how much money you make? Should you pay for your own productions? How should you be properly allocating your money?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, GG Hawkins, and Yaro Altunin discuss: The weird social taboo of not talking about money  Publishing everyone’s day rates out in the open Advocating for yourself and valuing your work  How hav...

Have you ever thought about drawing inspiration for your characters, from your own family? How do you accomplish that in a way that protects them while also being true to the story? In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director of Wildflower, Matt Smukler, discuss: Taking a documentary piece and turning it into a narrative feature Being as authentic as possible while not losing his fam...

What does “work-life balance” mean to you? How do you come up with new ideas for projects? Can you believe Tarantino is working on his final film of all time? In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, GG Hawkins, and Yaro Altunin discuss: Freelance Brain - what it is and how to deal with it How the fear of missing out on opportunities leads us to never taking breaks The...

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with director C.J. Obasi and Cinematographer Lílis Soares about the film, Mami Wata. They explain their shared vision in creating a film about people of color. They also share how they dealt with challenges like filming the ocean at night and losing almost three weeks of shooting time. Mami Wata premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where...

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, GG Hawkins, and Yaro Altunin discuss the diversity of films at the 2023 Academy Awards. They also chat about the return of comedy, and the difficulties in receiving criticism. In this episode we talk about: The winner of Best Picture - Everything Everywhere All at Once Movies we loved that were not nominated How we are hoping for...

In wake of the 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Oscar sweep last night, we're republishing No Film School's 2+ hours of geeking out on the film. (Re-Run) Everyone once in a while a movie comes out that blows our collective hearts and minds. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is that movie, and these are the people who made it. We're blessed to have an extra-special episode this week featuring...

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with director Erica Tremblay and Co-Writer Miciana Alise about the film, Fancy Dance. They discuss what their writing collaboration looked like, as well as challenges they faced during filming. The film premiered at Sundance 2023 and will premiere at SXSW on March 10. Topics discussed: Tackling prevalent problems in indigenous communities How Eri...

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman, and GG Hawkins discuss their concerns over the insidious ways big data is affecting hollywood. They also unpack the benefits and disadvantages to entering screenwriting contests.  We discuss: The scary way big data is now being used in the industry How commerce is pushing back on creativity The best way to approach screenwriting...

If you bring your full self to a festival, to a film, to any project, whilst helping others shine in the process, you will find your place in this industry. In this episode, GG Hawkins speaks with director, Ella Glendining about her feature film, Is There Anybody Out There? She also speaks with cinematographers Lauretta Prevost and Laura Valladao on recent Sundance films they worked on. We discuss...

In today’s episode, we discuss storytelling in both the show and video game adaptation of The Last of Us. Also, we talk about Warner Bros suing South Park and how it speaks to the frustrations creatives are experiencing in the industry.  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, Jason Hellerman and GG Hawkins discuss: The things we wanted to see in a flashback episode of The Last of Us E...