We're Making a Movie

We are excited to have budding filmmaker Patrick Curran join us to discuss his recent adventures in filmmaking! He is currently in pre-production to direct his first feature film, and we have a ton of questions for him, especially about collaborating with his cinematographer. What to look for in a director of photography (DP) and how to find the ideal creative partner for your film? Drawing from h...

Now that we’ve talked to a few Cinematographers about the importance of a DP on your project, we want to talk to the people who hire the DP… the Director. What are they looking for? How do they collaborate? How do you know the person you're interviewing is “the one?” For an inside look into the brain of a Director on his DP, we’re bringing in friend and colleague, Jason C. Brown. Not only has Jaso...

Cinematography is one of the most important elements of your film, which is why the role of the DP is so gosh darn important. Today, we’re bringing on Cinematographer Brandon Cox to pick his brain about the best time to bring on your Director of Photography, what he’s usually working on in the early stages of making a movie, and what advice he’s got for us fledgling filmmakers. Although we’ve neve...

Are you a filmmaker wondering what a good DP actually does, or when is the right time to bring them onto your project? This is the episode for you! We are embarking on our own search for a Director of Photography to make our first feature film, but we have a lot of questions. The best way to find answers is to ask trusted sources, and for us, that is Wey Wang. We’ve known Wey for years and have wo...

We are grinding away in Development… inching ever closer to Pre Production. So what's the next step in making our first feature film? Research and conventional wisdom suggest that the next move is filling out our Core Crew, specifically, finding our Director of Photography. But why?!?? Why now??! What will they be working on while we’re still locking in investors and securing locations? Great ques...

We are back! Fresh off the heels of some film festival adventures, with some inside baseball for all you filmmakers. After years of going to, working for, and living our best festival life, we realize there’s plenty of insider info we want to share. There are many ways you can help the festival help you. Getting the word out about your film screenings, the social media push, the chances to do inte...

There are a lot of side quest adventures that pop up while you're making a feature film… and when you’re making a podcast about making a feature film. We’re taking a Wild Card episode to cover some odds and ends we just gotta talk about. Script competitions, early marketing, branding, acting in a feature, and yes… It’s never too soon to start talking about THE NEXT project. It’s crazy pants, and w...

Casting your first feature film? Thinking about casting yourself in it? You’re in the right place. We just wrapped up a series of interviews with filmmakers who’ve been there, done that—whether it was landing name talent or stepping into the lead role themselves—and we learned a ton. Now we’re pulling together the best insights into one big wrap-up episode. Tune in for our takeaways as we gear up...

Starring in the feature film you wrote and are co-producing?!?! Are we insane to do this??? There's no better person to ask than someone who just got back from where you wanna go, so we’re gonna chat with the multi-hyphenate talent behind the dark-comedy-musical Peeping Todd, Chris Alan Evans, about doing just that. What is it like to carry a film as its lead actor while also balancing the demands...

Ever wondered how indie filmmakers land name talent for their small-budget films? We're hoping our friend Chen Drachman can shine some light on that nagging question. In her short The Book of Ruth, she cast Broadway legend and Walking Dead alum Tovah Feldshuh, and for her live-action animation short, But I’m a Shoe, she brought in Janet Varney, the voice of Korra from The Legend of Korra. We’re go...

If you’re a Walking Dead fan and a filmmaker, you might find this episode extra interesting! We’re diving into what we have decided to call “Marquee Casting.” Not to be confused with stunt casting, Marquee Casting is when you find the right name talent for your indie film and are able to leverage their star power to push your project forward. Today, we’re talking to H. Nelson Tracey about his rece...

So exactly how much money do you need for your feature film!?! Well, that’s a great question. No matter what size project you’re working on, two of the bigger components will be LOCATION and NUMBER of SHOOTING DAYS. Currently, we are attempting to nail down our locations and all costs associated with that. BUT how many days will we need to shoot? How many locations? How many days will each actor b...

We’re not done figuring out how we’re going to pull together the scratch to make our first feature film but we are wrapping up this section so we can dive into the other aspects of developing a movie. Before we go, let’s recap some of the highlights and key takeaways. Plus we're gonna show a few of our cards and break down what our plan might be. Things can (and will) change as we start to knock o...

There are as many ways to fund a feature film as there are filmmakers. This week we’re going to take a look at how Writer and Director Lauren Musgrove put together the backing she needed to make her directorial debut with “Ugly Sweater.” She’s fresh off the film festival circuit where they racked up eight film festival laurels along with three wins, a major feat for any feature. Now that she’s got...

Another amazing interview ahead! Today, we’re talking to Ryan McDonough about how he funded his proof of concept short and then feature film, “Last Night in Rozzie.” We’ve known Ryan for years, and he is a riot, so we know this is going to be a good interview. Now that we’re diving into making our first feature, we gotta ask him a million questions. How did you secure your funding? What were the s...

Getting funding for your indie feature film…. the monumental task continues. While we all dream of a phone call from the big studios, you’ll probably have to find investors elsewhere. And sometimes magic strikes. We’re sitting down with Writer / Producer Hudson Phillips, who has two features under his belt. We will discuss how he obtained the money, managed those funds, and what he learned from hi...

Is crowdfunding for your indie feature film giving you minor heart palpitations? We get it! We’ve done a few ourselves, and we still think raising funds via Kickstarter sounds daunting. So we’re bringing in a pro to walk us through all the ins and outs of the successful campaigns she’s been a part of over the years. We are pleased to introduce you to Paul Rhodes. Actor, Director, Producer, Paula i...

Money makes the world go round. And it sure makes producing a feature film a whole lot easier. We are still deep in the development phase of our feature film, and we’re at a critical juncture… MONEY and BUDGETING. “Where's the money gonna come from?” Sets. Camera. Crew. Post Production. It’s all gotta be paid for, and the last time we checked our personal bank accounts, we were a few million short...

Many independent feature films are led by a director who has also penned their screenplay. So, what should you do if you have a script but aren't a director yourself? The answer is to find a director and do so early in the process. For us, a key part of building our core team was finding a director who was a good fit for “Turns Out” and our specific brand of comedy. Fortunately, we connected with...

The team! The core crew. Your closest production homies. Your filmmaking ride or dies. This week, we’re talking all about the very core team of people you bring on to walk the long trudge of making a feature film together. Making a movie is no small feat, and bringing on your Director, Producer, and Cinematographer in the development phase of the production can be crucial. But who do you need this...

How do you make your first indie feature film? H O W !?! If our years of making short films have taught us anything, it's to ask questions of those who have been where we want to go. Better yet, ask those questions of creators who are a few steps ahead of you on the journey, rather than those who are years down the road. We are thrilled to sit down with filmmaker Jenny Waldo and ask her: How did y...

We are very lucky that our feature film has an amazing producer already on board. Filmmaker friends, we are thrilled to introduce you to Allison Moy Hayhurst, producer with Evening Squire Productions. In this week’s episode, we’re going to open up the can of worms that is producing. What is a Producer? What do Producers do? And when does your project need a Producer? We hope to answer all of these...

So you gotta make a deck for your movie, and you're asking yourself, what's a deck even supposed to look like?!? Us too, friend, us too. We’ve been focused on creating a pitch deck for our feature film “Turns Out,” and after A LOT of back and forth, we’re starting to wrap our heads around what a deck really is. Never the gatekeepers, we’re excited to share everything we’ve learned and continue our...

Development!? What the F is development??? Sure, we grasp the general concept of filmmaking development, but if you asked us to create a to-do list or outline a plan for it, we would be completely lost. So, we’re gonna dive in and teach ourselves all about what happens before you even start thinking about pre-production, and we want to take you on the ride with us. Let’s do this! Watch on YouTube-...

You got your film into a film festival… Now what?!? Well, since we're coming to you LIVE from the Filmmakers Lounge at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, we have some scoop in that department- with our very first Wild Card Episode. We're thrilled to return for another year at one of our favorite festivals, where we first discovered a key strength: marketing our short films. After year...