The No Film School Podcast

This week on the No Film School Podcast, TCM resists cancel culture and instead encourages discussion of problematic classic movies. As theaters begin to open up around the US, IMAX announces hopeful predictions for a blockbuster Summer 2021. Jean-Luc Godard, at age 90, announces retirement after two more films. Pretty ambitious, no? In Tech News, a remote workflow solution from Arriflex and what...

Mark Ruffalo served as the Executive Producer on this film which charts the battle to defend nature's rights. It's a novel concept that has major legal implications, not to mention factors heavily into our own survival. What does it mean? How does it manifest? How did co-directors Josh Pribanic and Melissa Troutman film it? How the hell did they get Mark Ruffalo involved? All that and more in the...

This week we take a deep dive into the man, the myth, and the undeniable influence of George Lucas who may be returning to the Star Wars universe to draft a couple of episodes of Andor. In Tech News, DJI unveils an astonishing first-person drone. And for Ask No Film School, we tackle the issue of soundproofing your own house to be a better shooting location. Please email us any questions at ask@no...

The many answers are the keys to the content kingdom. Producer Shivani Rawat has racked up some great credits in a very short period of time. She tells us how she did that, what she's looking for in scripts, and how she gets stuff made.  Check out our interview with Writer/Director of Wander Darkly Tara Miele, which Shivani produced, and our talk with DP Phedon Papamichael who shot another film Sh...

This week on the No Film School Podcast: a recent report reveals that the HPFA has zero black members. Meanwhile, Amazon announces they are no longer accepting short films or documentaries for their Prime Video Direct service. We discuss! In Tech News, two new cinema cameras compete with each other: the Blackmagic Pocket 6k and the Sony FX3. And for Ask No Film School, we tackle the complexities o...

We don't get to see or talk about features shot on good old 35mm as much as we'd like to so this was a treat. Andrew Dunn expands on why film was the only medium choice for awards contender The United States vs. Billie Holiday, he reveals what he learned working with legend Robert Altman. He also divulges a lesser-known story about shooting the unforgettable Whitney Houston performance for The Bod...

Joined this week on the No Film School Podcast by Katherine Tolentino and Michelle DeLateur: Gina Carano finds herself out of a very high-profile job after sharing some controversial views on social media. We take a look at the Oscar shortlists and attempt to answer the age-old question: does winning an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film actually affect your career? In Tech News, we marvel at F...

Schliessler has lensed many major blockbusters, collaborating with directors Peter Berg, Bill Condon, and Ava Duvernay on a variety of scales and genres. What's the throughline? An ability to take it slow, develop his abilities, and constantly learn from his collaborators. But for all the fun details you have to hear it from him. Want to watch the amazing scene Schliessler discussed shooting in de...

This week on the No Film School Podcast with guest-co-host Katherine Tolentino, we discuss Sweden's Göteborg Film Festival which has some delightfully unconventional ways of doing a COVID-era festival. In Tech News: Nanlite takes its cues from internet complains and delivers with their new bi-color LED light, the Forza 300B. And last but not least, we chat with Matt Ritter, a Black List screenwrit...

Kevin Macdonald started out in the Documentary world and reached dizzying heights (quite literally) with his Oscar-winning film 'Touching the Void'. When the chance came to try narrative on 'The Last King of Scotland' he proved he had all kinds of chops. Now he's back with 'The Marautinian' based on a harrowing true story. He tells us how his love of studying film helped him build his voice and co...

This week on The No Film School Podcast, we are joined by Oakley Anderson-Moore who gives us the lowdown on Sundance 2021 and its virtual experience, as well as her favorite films of the fest -- and of course the record-breaking sale of 'CODA'. We discuss how PA-level crew members are now COVID compliance officers, giving this important task to folks who are unfortunately at the bottom of the film...

Nestled among Jonathan Furmanksi's advice is another particularly useful tidbit; be someone people want to work with again.  Seems obvious, right? At the same time, it's often overlooked or sidestepped in the name of so many other priorities.  But it's actually the reason you'll get hired and keep earning a living. Jonathan expands upon this and other ideas in our interview with him. Search Party...

This week on The No Film School Podcast, we are joined by Jo Light and Katherine Tolentino to discuss what the post-pandemic Sundance is looking like and why it may be an improvement on the old model. (By the way, Boots Riley has some great advice on how to get the most out of Sundance 2021.) Also, the CEO of AMC takes a major risk on the future of theatrical, which leads us to a vital question: w...

Directing Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself brought Oz back to his creative anarchist roots. It's hard to put Frank Oz and Derek Delgaudio's In & Of Itself into words. That's how they wanted it. It's something that must be seen to be... not believed? We keep the interview spoiler-free, diving into what inspired this anarchy, what moved Oz and DelGaudio to build something new, and break things in th...

This week on The No Film School Podcast: Twitter gets testy about Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World... but Russell Crowe fights back. The Amazon series The Boys takes on the superhero genre (successfully) and we discuss how trying your hand at the genre is may not be the worst idea. Also: did Chinese producers rip off IP with the recent The Fault In Our Stars knockoff that conquered...

Howard Barish formed the production company Kandoo Films in 1992 and he gave Ava DuVernay her start, executive producing her first narrative features. He then went on to produce the acclaimed documentary 13th with her as well. This process inspired Barish's right hand man, Michael Nell to write a feature called Blindfire. Nell's script tackles the murky intersection of race and police with the sto...

This week on the No Film School Podcast: HBO Max's strange new way of handling residuals, Tarantino's rallying cry to screenwriters to stop worrying about getting staffed on TV shows and write more specs, and the NFL's new adoption of "indie" camera setups. In Tech News, we discuss Sony's innovative entrée into the drone market.  For Ask No Film School, what advice do we have on crowdfunding? (Ple...

Kirsten Johnson is a filmmaker who is pushing the limits of the form. Her latest feature, Dick Johnson Is Dead, is a documentary/experimental film about her father's struggle with dementia and his imminent demise. Our talk with Kirsten is wide-ranging and she is quick to turn the tables on the interview and talk about George. But we promise you this is no self-indulgent therapy session, it's a tho...

This week on the No Film School Podcast, we talk about Patty Jenkin's comments on the first Wonder Woman film, and we have thoughts about it. Joined this week by Katherine Tolentino, we also discuss the Golden Globes' regulations that are preventing Minari from getting the recognition and press it deserves. Plus, a few Tech News bits and we talk about a new film showcase of Bay Area filmmakers co-...

Meet Julie Christeas and Jonny Blitstein, leaders of the independent film studio Tandem Pictures whose most recent success story is the genre-bending Black Bear, starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbot. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2020 and it is out now on streaming platforms everywhere. We talk about their "Sundance or bust" strategy and why it's important to not only have a...

Tara Miele had a student film project premiere at Slamdance twenty years ago... and she's had a long and fascinating road to get to Sundance in 2020 with her feature Wander Darkly, starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna. We talk about how Time's Up and Me Too saved her life, allowing her to be accepted in the industry as a professional filmmaker. She's juggled her family life with her career and ma...

Have you ever thought 'Gee, I have this great script but it's impossible to get agents, managers and producers to read the damn thing'? Well, so have the brains behind the new online service ScriptHop. On this podcast episode, we welcome Script Hop co-founders Brian Austin and Scott Foster as well as casting director Jory Weitz who serves as Director of Industry Relations. The team details their i...

For this week on the No Film School Podcast: the uncanny, performative nature of Tom Cruise as evidenced by his controversial on-set rant about breaking COVID regulations. Also, how the acclaimed second season finale of 'The Mandalorian' circumvented the perils of fan service. In Tech News, RED offers new firmware that enables autofocus for the Komodo. And for Ask No Film School, how to light dark...

This week on the No Film School Podcast: Disney unveils its new slate of upcoming shows and we discuss the importance of sound in honor of Sound Week here at NoFilmSchool.com. In Tech News, Xelmus announces new, notably eye-catching anamorphic primes. And for Ask No Film School, we answer a question about when and when not to curb your ambitious screenplay idea for consideration of production. Enj...

Have you ever wondered what a supervising sound editor is? What their job is and how they pull it off? Let one of the masters of the profession explain. Mark Mangini is the maestro behind films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner 2049, Aladdin, Gremlins, several Star Trek films and many, many others. He's a veteran in the field, starting with cartoons and working his way to winning an Oscar, and...