The No Film School Podcast

Sam Hargrave is an award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator, second unit director for films like Suicide Squad and Avengers:Endgame, and director of the film Extraction. His second feature film, Extraction 2, is available on Netflix, June 16.  In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Sam Hargrave discuss: The transition from stunt performing to directing What a “stunt vis” is...

Heat is important to your film career. It means that you and your work are gaining attention and recognition, which can lead to more opportunities in the future. So how can you generate and navigate heat at an industry level? What contributes to “positive heat” or “negative heat?”  In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman speak with Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis D...

How do you build a career as a cinematographer when the odds are against you? How do you create opportunities for yourself, when dealing with rejection, financial barriers, and prejudice? Is it possible to pursue your dream without conforming and becoming someone you are not?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with cinematographers Bruce Cole and Alejandro Mejía to discuss:  B...

The small decisions that you make at the beginning of your project, can cause headaches later on. If you want to avoid tech issues in post, then you need to set up your project correctly from the start. Speaking of doing things right from the start, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach your interviews. How should you prepare for your next interview to make sure it doesn’t bomb? In toda...

Should you hire an intimacy coordinator for your next project? What exactly does an intimacy coordinator do? Does having this person on set ruin spontaneity? How can having more structure around intimate scenes, actually encourage freedom and creativity during the storytelling process?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Jamie Monahan, and Renata...

You are still a legitimate filmmaker even if you don’t own any gear. Most filmmakers actually don’t own the gear they use and for good reason. And speaking of gear, what movies geared you toward the path of filmmaking?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss: Buying gear or renting gear - which is better? When you should justify buying gear Real...

Who says making a movie requires expensive equipment, a large crew, and a script? Maybe creating a film can be a creative experiment between a couple of friends who are excited about the uncertainty of the journey that awaits. This was the realization Pete Ohs had when he recognized that the typical approach to filmmaking was not for him. In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with...

Getting your script into the hands of the right people is extremely difficult. What is a desperate screenwriter to do if they seek feedback on their screenplay? Are script coverage services helpful or just another cog profiting from an emerging filmmaker’s hope?  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss: Recalling memories from March 2020 when the...

If you want to succeed with fantasy and make it a transformative experience, you have to create real characters. To convey realness, you have to go beyond the “good versus evil” narrative of traditional fantasy movies. You have to create duality. In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, to discuss: Why Juan Carlos became a filmmaker The complica...

Regardless if you are new to filmmaking or you have years of experience, you must be strategic about managing your career in film. This includes setting goals, constantly building your portfolio, and knowing how to financially support yourself between paid projects. In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss: At what point you should show your film...

What does it look like to advocate for yourself as a creator? Well, it starts with understanding your value and knowing where you can serve. Then, you have to develop the courage to articulate and offer your expertise. This is exactly what Shakina did to land the role of executive story editor on the NBC series, Quantum Leap. In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with multihyphena...

With the rise of AI, will Hollywood begin to neuter your voice? While AI isn’t creating anything original, the immediate convenience of this tool is already impacting our industry. Artificial intelligence is being applied to creative arts, so filmmakers need to understand how it can affect their careers.  In today’s episode, No Film School’s Jason Hellerman speaks with acquisition executive and sc...

If you are at square one in your filmmaking journey, you are probably confused about where to start. You’re not sure how you are going to pay the bills, let alone finance your projects. You’re also worried about the state of the industry and wondering if you have a shot at success. Our guest, Ana Liza Muravina, believes that if you’re serious about filmmaking, “it’s your responsibility to understa...

There’s a very important lesson can we learn from films like 28 Days Later, which is not available in physical format or on streamer. It’s hard to believe a film starring award-winning talent like Cillian Murphy, who is nominated for an Oscar this year, is not commercially available to audiences. Let’s find out how you can make sure your movie doesn’t succumb to the same fate.  In today’s episode,...

Weak Layers is Katie Burrell’s feature film, which she not only directed but co-wrote and acted in. The film invites us to truly understand ski culture, unlike many unrealistic ski movies of the past. With this film, Katie proves that a novice director can stay true to their vision while also leading with transparency, humility, and positivity along the way. In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG...

If you’re anything like us, we only watch the Super Bowl for the awesome commercials, but sadly this year’s ads leave much to be desired. While we are disappointed by the Super Bowl commercials, we are happily surprised by two major announcements in the filmmaking space. One announcement comes from The Academy Awards, and the other announcement comes from Kodak. In today’s episode, No Film School’...

Every year at Sundance, we aim to speak with indie filmmaking teams who have collaborated on some of our favorite movies. Learning from these successful collaborations can help us in our own future projects. Let’s take a look at the collaboration between filmmakers Francesca Silvestri and Laura Chinn, and how their undeniable chemistry helped them in the production of the film, Suncoast.  In today...

Matthew Vaughn, known for films like Snatch, Kick-Ass, and the Kingsman franchise, didn’t actually think he would become a director when he started working in film. Vaughn first became a producer and then transitioned to directing - and are we glad he did! His recent film, Argylle, is a star-packed, action-comedy that you don’t want to miss! In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Jason H...

How do we deal with losing someone we love? Is it even possible to move on? These questions are explored in Handling the Undead, a film that meditates on topics such as grief and loss and the impossible wish of wanting the past to become the present. Handling the Undead, which is based on the best-selling Norwegian novel of the same name, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In today’s ep...

Let’s say you’re an indie filmmaker and Nicole Kidman asks you to direct her tv show. You say “hell yeah” right? Well, that wasn’t Lulu Wang’s first response when she was approached to direct the Amazon Prime limited series, Expats. In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, speaks with Director Lulu Wang to discuss: Why Lulu originally rejected Nicole Kidman’s proposal to direct the show Ho...

Are the Oscars the leading edge of culture, or are they trailing behind? While some of this year's nominations happily surprised us, other nominations have left us wondering if the academy is just voting for what’s familiar. Also, what’s up with big films skipping a theatrical release and going straight to streaming? In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerm...

Not all documentary filmmakers planned to be in the documentary space. Some didn’t even know they would be in the film industry to begin with. This is what we talked about in our round table discussion at Sundance, with a group of documentary film directors. Each of these award-winning directors have decades of experience in filmmaking.  In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, speaks with...

Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross are the creative minds behind the documentary, Seeking Mavis Beacon. The feature, which premiered at Sundance 2024, investigates the disappearance and reexamines the legacy of one of the most influential Black women in technology. The documentary also explores topics like ethics, consent, and having a healthy relationship with technology.  In today’s episode, N...

At No Film School, we enjoy diving into both the hard skills and soft skills required to be successful in this industry. For example, we enjoy the technical talk of cinematography. We also like diving into things like leadership skills, collaboration decisions, and how to hire or fire. These are some of the things we discuss with a roundtable of cinematographers whose films premiered at Sundance a...

Molly Manning Walker is the Writer-Director of How to Have Sex. The story follows three British teen girls who find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent, and self-discovery while on holiday in Greece. The film has won awards across various film festivals, including British Independent Film Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival, and others. It premiered...