We're Making a Movie

Post-production sound is HOT on our brains right now, and we're diving even deeper into the wonderful world of sound with a very special guest: OUR sound designer, Jacob Zacharia ! We're so excited to have Jake on board for Turns Out It's the Apocalypse… We Think , not only to sweeten the already pretty fantastic audio we captured on set, but to bring the world of our movie to life thr...

Sound for your films is INSANELY important. We've heard time and time again that so much can be forgiven when it comes to independent filmmaking, but terrible sound will possibly make it unwatchable. We're diving into the wonderful (and slightly overwhelming) world of sound! From capturing dialogue on set to recording ADR in post-production, there's a whole lot that goes into making a...

Stephen made his first feature film, and we’re going to find out HOW?! We’re back with another filmmaker chat, and this time we’re sitting down with writer, director, and editor Stephen Takashima to talk about his debut feature, Don't Kill My Vibe . The movie follows two estranged friends whose road trip goes off the rails when they discover they've accidentally been transporting drugs. It...

It's a filmmaking wild card episode, guys! Natalie has been on set for the last five days, Tara has been prepping and wrapping a few different projects, and we're getting all our ducks in a row for our next podcast deep dive. But before we jump into that, we wanted to take a moment to dish about all the moviemaking things we've been learning and take a breath to revel in just how far w...

What happens when a rock star scores your feature film… fricking magic! We’re so excited to introduce you to OUR composer for "Turns Out It’s the Apocalypse… We Think", Matt Sanchez! You may know Matt as a founding member of American Authors, but before the band took off, he studied film scoring at Berklee College of Music. And now he’s bringing all of that experience back around and div...

We’re not done talking about film scores yet! Next up, we're chatting with Utah-based composer Jordan Roper, and once again we have approximately one million questions about how composers do what they do. How do you figure out what a movie is supposed to sound like? What happens when a filmmaker has absolutely no musical vocabulary and starts saying things like “Can it feel a little more… lone...

Composers make movie magic happen… and, if we’re being totally honest, we have very little idea how that magic actually works. So we’re bringing in someone who does. Film composer Judith Moy joins us to talk about what actually goes into creating a score, how a composer finds the sound of a movie, and how music can completely change the way we experience a scene. Judith composed the score for And...

The score for a movie is one of the most powerful tools in the post-production process, and we are so excited to dive into the topic. Music can transform a film. Take a blah scene and really make it work. Pull emotions out of you that you didn’t even know you had. But how does a composer actually do it? When do they enter the filmmaking process? And how can the right score take a scene from “yeah,...

Fresh out of the editing bunker, we’re bringing back the director of Turns Out It’s the Apocalypse… We Think , Mike Hayhurst, to talk about what happens after you yell cut. We’re going to dig into Mike’s experience editing his second feature film, navigating notes from two very opinionated (and slightly zany) writers, and discovering how the movie continues to evolve long after production wraps. F...

We just watched our movie! For the very first time! This weekend we had the privilege of watching Turns Out It’s the Apocalypse… We Think from beginning to end and we want to share what it was like to see our very first feature film coming together. It’s still in the editing process. There are still things to tweak, shape, polish, and build as we continue through post-production. But finally getti...

Howdy Filmmakers! This week, we’re sitting down with The Plummer Brothers, Carlos and Kyle Plummer, to talk about co-directing their feature film The Strawberry, starring Mike Farrell and Doug Jones. And we’ve got about a million questions. How did they take the project from script to screen? What does co-directing a feature actually look like? How did they build their team, navigate production, a...

We're thrilled to continue our Filmmaker Chats with writer and director Rachel Israel, whose latest feature, The Floaters, is now out in the world. Rachel is no stranger to the feature filmmaking journey. With three features under her belt, she's experienced every stage of the process. We're excited to dive into the lessons she's learned along the way, how her perspective has evolved from one feat...

Welcome, Director Evan Miller, to the podcast to sit down and tell us all about his adventure making his first feature, Due West . From developing the project to bringing it across the finish line, we can't wait to dive in with another filmmaker on their process and learn as much as we can. Bonus! Due West JUST hit the streaming platforms, so not only has Evan made his first feature film, but he h...

Making your first feature film is a milestone every filmmaker dreams about. It was ours for years. Now that Turns Out It's the Apocalypse… We Think  is in the can and nearing the finish line, we wanted to take a step back and ask ourselves, "Has this experience changed us?" The answer is an “outdoor voice” YES! From seeing ourselves differently as creatives to discovering a confidence that on...

Thinking about crowdfunding your feature film? Thinking about doing a “finishing funds” campaign? Before you hit that launch button… let's have a chat. We're on the brink of launching our own crowdfunding campaign to finish the post-production of our first feature film, and we've learned a lot. This isn't our first crowdfunding campaign, but it is our first feature, and the lessons have been compl...

Building a career as an independent filmmaker? Making the leap to longer and longer projects? Where do you even start? This week, we're sitting down with Jackie Nico to find out how she’s building a career for herself. She recently executive-produced, co-wrote, and starred in the award-winning pilot “The Ballad of the Bushmare” and is currently in pre-production on two feature films, “Margot My Na...

Editing a feature film is hard enough. Editing a movie musical? That feels like a whole different level of filmmaking wizardry. This week we're wrapping up our deep dive into post-production editing with Alexander Jeffery, Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor of one of our favorite indie films of the past year, Peeping Todd . We're going to ask about the unique challenges of editing a musical, ho...

Natalie is in Los Angeles this week as we gear up for our post-production crowdfunding campaign and film the Sneaky Pineapple Productions portion of our pitch video. So duh! This is the perfect excuse for a true Wild Card episode. We're checking in on where we are with Turns Out It’s the Apocalypse …We Think , how we’re doing since wrapping production, what’s keeping us up at night, what we’ve lea...

Our feature film, Turns Out It’s the Apocalypse… We Think , has a first assembly. A first edit. A rough cut. For the first time, all the pieces of the puzzle are on the table and flipped over. The scenes are in order, the story exists, and we can finally start to see the movie we've spent years talking about. Which means it’s the perfect time to check back in with our Director and Editor, Mike Hay...

Editing a movie of any size is pure magic. Fight us on it. And nowhere is that magic more apparent than in the fine edit—the moment you stop assembling footage and start truly shaping the story. Performances change. Scenes evolve. Entire emotional arcs can appear out of thin air. It’s wild. To dig deeper into the process, we’re sitting down with industry veteran Brice Beckham. Brice has worn a lot...

Let’s dig in on the editing process and start talking to some real deal editors! First up to bat, we’ve got Daniel Lowman. Coming from a documentary background but with hands-on experience in narrative filmmaking, Daniel lives in the realm of taking all of the footage, performances, and chaos from production and shaping it into something that actually works on screen. We’re taking a look at the ed...

Editing your first feature film!?!? We are right there with you! We’re officially kicking off our post-production era on We’re Making a Movie, starting with breaking down the editing process—what the steps are, who’s involved when, and what actually happens between “in the can” and “picture lock.” To be clear, WE aren’t editing the movie; our amazing director has taken on that mammoth task, but we...

it'sIt'sWe’re officially wrapping up the production chapter of this filmmaking podcast and diving headfirst into post-production research. Now that the movie is “in the can,” what’s next? When will it be ready? What is taking so long??? Well, turns out that getting the green light can take years, filming happens in the blink of an eye, but post-production takes for-ev-er! (Okay, maybe not… but it...

The Gaffer is one of those film jobs most people have heard of, but very few could actually explain. And honestly, even filmmakers can get fuzzy on where the line between G&E, grip, and electric really lives. But after making our first feature, we can tell you this… a great Gaffer changes everything. We’re sitting down with our Gaffer, Shane Hunter, who worked his magic on Turns Out It’s the A...

Our Script Supervisor, Rachael Agnello, is in the hot seat this week, and we are so excited to talk to her about her experience making this feature film. Script Supervisor is one of those jobs that does so much more than people realize. They’re tracking continuity, dialogue, takes, and details for the editor, and basically helping ensure the whole movie can actually cut together when production is...