film podcast

Surviving the Hollywood Implosion with Scott McMahon

Is there an implosion coming to Hollywood? Film Trooper Scott McMahon thinks so and he's not alone. Think its crazy, think again. Listen to what the king of the blockbusters Steven Spielberg had to say,

“There’s going to be an implosion. Mega budget movies are going to go crashing into the ground and that’s going to change the paradigm.”

If the Hollywood implosion does come to fruition, then where do aspiring filmmakers go to make a living? Step in Film Trooper Scott McMahon. Scott created a book entitled "How to Make and Sell Your Film Online and Survive the Hollywood Implosion While Doing It."

There are a lot of books on how to make a movie and how to be part of the Hollywood machine; but this step-by-step guide will show you, the über independent filmmaker...

...how to bypass all of that and get to the heart of making and selling digital products (your film) directly to an online audience and survive the Hollywood implosion while doing it.

I've known Scott McMahon for a while now and he's a wealth of information. He's truly trying to help the "über independent filmmaker" make it in the film business. His site Film Trooper is a perfect extension of his mission.

IFH 037: Surviving the Hollywood Implosion with Scott McMahon

OK, I wanted to start off the new year on the right foot. Over the course of my career I've seen so many filmmakers obsess over film gear, to a paralyzing end. They focused so much on gear that they never make actual films.

No one is saying you shouldn't keep up to date on the latest film gear. You need gear, without it you can't make films but cameras, lenses, drones, and grip equipment are just tools.

Do you think Chris Nolan, Martin Scorsese, or Quentin Tarantino obsessed about film gear? No. They learned to tell stories first and then grabbed the tools available to them to tell those stories. Sure now they play with all the latest toys but I can guarantee you Quentin Tarantino worked on The Hateful Eight script first before he thought of shooting it on 70mm.

You can pay $1 for a hammer or $100 but both will put the nail in the wood. It’s the master carpenter who practiced and took the time to learn how to hit that nail just right, with one swing, that is the craftsman.

Don’t rely so heavilyly on film gear to tell your stories, because gear is not the storyteller, you the filmmaker are. A good filmmaker tells a story with a RED Dragon or an iPhone as this year's Sundance Film Festival Winner 'Tangerine' proved.

Don’t believe the hype from all the gear companies having you run out and upgrade your cameras or lenses everytime they release something new. Stop obsessing over gear and start making movies! Take a listen to hear my argument against this "gear porn" epidemic.

IFH 038: Stop Obsessing Over Film Gear & Start Making Movies!

We've all read in Variety or The Hollywood Reporter of some no name screenwriter selling his or her screenplay for a million bucks. Ever wonder how they did it? What structure did they use? What tricks of the trade were employed?

May I introduce Paul Castro, the writer of one of my favorite films August Rush. Paul Castro is a produced, award winning screenwriter and world-renowned screenwriting professor.

"Structure...is the canvas on which we paint with words." - Paul Castro

His project, August Rush was produced by Warner Brothers and starred the late great Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Freddie Highmore, Danny Glover, Kelsey Grammer, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The film took Paul Castro into the belly of the Hollywood beast.

IFH 039: How to Write the Million Dollar Screenplay with August Rush writer Paul Castro

So I know working in the film industry can be tough. Breaking in is even tougher. Many people tell you you have to work for free or intern somewhere to get a foot in the door. Now those people aren’t totally wrong.

The question is when do you work for free? When is trading your time, energy and effort really worth it? In this episode I break down when you should work for free or cheap and when you need to stand your ground and get paid.

This episode is not just for film students. I tell you my story of when I got to Los Angeles and what I choose to do and why even after having 10 years of experience, credits and work under my belt. Enjoy this eye opening episode.

IFH 040: Knowing When to Work for FREE in the Film Industry

The Indie Film Hustle Podcast has been around for five short months. I have not had the same guest on twice, until now. Paddy Bird from Inside the Edit. Last time he was on Paddy Bird dropped some major post production knowledge on the IFH Tribe. I had to have him back.

Just as a refresher, Paddy Bird  is one of television’s most prolific and accomplished editors. For the past fifteen years he has edited dozens of prime time documentary, entertainment and reality TV shows for British and American television. He has even worked in war zones, spending time editing news stories on location in Iraq.

He also created Inside the Edit, the world's best course on creative editing...period. You can get more info on Inside the Edit and listen to our last podcast here: IFH 013: Inside the Edit.

This time around we discuss how to build a career as an editor and a freelancer. Paddy goes into a ton of detail and as always delivers the goods. You may need to listen to this episode more than once. Enjoy my conversation with Paddy Bird!

If you're interested in checking out his master editing course click here: Inside the Edit

TO GET 10% OFF USE THE PROMO CODE: IFHCREATIVE

IFH 041: How to Craft a Freelance Career with Paddy Bird

SPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast

I wanted to do something special for the Indie Film Hustle Tribe this year. I’m in Park City, UT interview some AMAZING filmmakers, producers, agents and actors. In celebration of Sundance I’ll be releasing a podcast a day during the week.

I wanted to launch this special Sundance Film Festival series with a bang. In this episode I speak to indie film favorite and all around amazing human being Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Sin City) and his remarkable partners Josh Waller, Daniel Noah and Lisa Whalen (Company X) over at their company SpectreVision.

I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite interviews I’ve ever done. It was part filmmaking masterclass, branding lesson, James Lipton interview and party. I learned a ton from the gang and really felt the passion these friends and partners have for making the kind of films they want to see.

All of these Sundance Series episodes will be co-hosted by Sebastian Twardosz from Circus Road Films and a co-production with Media Circus PR.

Indie Film Hustle Podcast: Filmmaking | Film School | Screenwriting | Film Marketing | Independent Film | Cinematography | Film

IFH 130: Elijah Wood and the SpectreVision Team – Creating a Brand & Making Killer Films

Indie Film Hustle is dedicated to showing you how to hack filmmaking & the film business. Interviews with Acadamy Award® / Oscar nominees and industry professionals giving you the real deal from the inside with no BS, just the truth on what it takes to survive and thrive doing what you love. 

We discuss cinematography, RED Camera, Arri Alexa, Blackmagic camera, post production, color grading, filmmaking, visual effects, motion graphics, film festivals, editing, film crews, directing, producing, film business, screenwriting, movie scripts, film distribution, film marketing, VOD, VHX, iTunes distribution, DIY filmmaking stuff, short films, feature films, video training courses, web series and much more in this podcast, all in an effort for you to survive and thrive in the jungles of the film business. 

Hosted by Filmmaker Alex Ferrari 
http://www.indiefilmhustle.com

IFH 130: Elijah Wood and the SpectreVision Team – Creating a Brand & Making Killer Films

IFH Filmmaking & Screenwriting Podcast Network