If you have ever been interested in directing television or a series on Netflix then this is the episode for you. Today on the show we have legendary television director Dan Attias.

Dan has worked as a director in the film and television industry for 37 years. As a director of series television he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing. He continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including Homeland, The Americans, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Billions, and The Boys.

Previously he has directed The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, True Blood, Entourage, The Killing, The Walking Dead, True Detective, Ray Donovan, Bloodline, Friday Night Lights, Northern Exposure, House, Lost, Alias, among many others. His first professional directing assignment was the feature film, Stephen King’s Silver Bullet, produced by Dino DeLaurentiis. Dan started his career studying acting, then worked as an assistant director under Steen Spielberg on E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Airplane!, One From the Heart and several other feature films.

He has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States, and has appeared as a guest speaker at festivals in Italy, Brazil, Greece, Mexico and Canada. Before working in the film and television industry, Dan was enrolled in a Ph.D. program in English literature at U.C.L.A., then transferred to the Theater Arts Department where he earned an M.F.A. in film production.

His new book Directing Great Television: Inside TV’s New Golden Age dives deep into his career, techniques and amazing behind the scenes stories of some of the best television shows in history.

Sharing his own process honed over a decades-long career, Emmy-nominated director Dan Attias brings you into the actual experience of directing series television. Whether it’s the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute problem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your teeth, Attias brings you right into the director’s chair, sharing his knowledge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time.

Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, how to “speak” through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small. Directing Great Television is a fascinating window into television’s best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike.

Attias’s book transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.

Enjoy my conversation with Dan Attias.

IFH 515: How to Direct Great Television with Dan Attias

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

Inside the Spec Script Market with Agent David Boxerbaum
SPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast

We all have heard about screenwriter selling a spec script for seven figures (see Max Landis) but who is the power brokers who are helping that process along? Enter Paradigm Literary Agent David Boxerbaum.

David is a senior agent at Paradigm, and his impressive client roster includes the likes of David Guggenheim, writer of Safehouse; Ken Marino, writer/producer of Wanderlust and writer of Role Models; Maria Maggenti, writer of MTV’s Finding Carter; and Ransom Riggs, writer/co-executive producer of the upcoming supernatural horror thriller, Black River.

At the age of 26, David was listed as one of the Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Generation 35 Under 35,” making him one of the youngest people ever to make the list. He is known for his impeccable taste and his strong industry relationships which help him garner six- and seven-figure sales for his clients in a shrinking spec marketplace.

What is an agent like David Boxerbaum looking for in a screenwriter? How does an agent work with a client to build a career? How do you approach a Literary Agent? All will be answered in this episode. Enjoy!

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 Festival | Filmmaking Podcasts I Moviemaker

IFH 131: Inside the Spec Script Market with Agent David Boxerbaum

Rebel in the Rye & How to Become a Producer with Jason Shuman

SPECIAL SUNDANCE EDITION of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast

Every once in a while we get a real Hollywood producer on the show. Jason Shuman is a producer and director, known for Lone Survivor (2013), Role Models (2008) and Bangkok Dangerous (2008) and this year's Sundance hit Rebel in the Rye (2017), written and directed by Danny Strong. Now not only is Jason a very accomplished producer but man is he a nice guy.

He was so generous with his time and knowledge. He was dropping knowledge bombs left and right. Jason Shuman started producing with indie films like one of my faves, Comic Book Villains (2002) and moved quickly up to studio films with horror classic Darkness Falls (2003) (based on a short film).

IFH 132: Rebel in the Rye & How to Become a Producer with Jason Shuman

I ran into many filmmakers while fighting the blizzard at this year’s Sundance Film Festival but one of the most impressive of the bunch was director Sydney Freeland. Sydney has had a challenging journey to become a director and her story is inspiring, to say the least.

Prior to making her first feature-length film, Sundance darling Drunktown’s Finest, Sydney Freeland previously worked as a production assistant, as a writer, and as a camera intern. Freeland worked in a number of areas, including; National Geographic, Walt Disney, The Food Network and Comedy Central. Freeland garnered her first taste of success with the six-minute short film, Hoverboard, utilizing Kickstarter to help fund the short. The film was inspired by her love of Back to the Future Part II.

Drunktown’s Finest is her second venture into filmmaking. The 95-minute long film is a coming-of-age story about the complex issues surrounding identity and the struggles faced by Native American people. The film’s name is inspired by a controversial 20/20 segment on ABC News, which branded the town of Gallup, New Mexico as “Drunk Town, USA“, after the increase of instances of alcoholism on the border of the Navajo Nation.

Freeland wrote, directed Drunktown’s Finest as means to combat the negative stereotype of her home community. Sydney Freeland, who is herself a transgender woman, is also directing a digital series about queer and trans women called Her Story.


Photo by: Netflix
At this year’s Sundance Film Festival Sydney Freeland is premiering her latest film Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, which was financed completely by Netflix. Two teenage sisters start robbing trains to make ends meet after their single mother’s emotional meltdown in an electronics store lands her in jail. Coming to Netflix March 17. Here’s the trailer.



We sit down and discuss how it was like to work with Netflix, if the rumors of creative freedom are true and what Sundance has done for her career.

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

IFH 133: Sydney Freeland: Working with Netflix & Maintaining Creative Freedom

The Filmmakers Podcast meets the Indie Film Hustle !!
Giles Alderson (The Dare) and Alex Ferrari (This Is Meg) chat together about making indie films, podcasting and how Alex made his latest film On The Corner of Ego and Desire at the Sundance Film Festival when the festival was in full swing right under the noses of the every day public and staff.
We start at the beginning though and how Alex got started in film-making and his ups and downs before he finally made his first feature film This is Meg.

Alex discusses how being the problem as a first timer filmmaker/director and being the issue is one of the reasons why your film might not get made but sometimes it's good not to happen too early or he would have self imploded and destroyed himself with all that came with it.

Being so close before it gets taken away is brutal and devastating.

How he went after his dream and made This Is Meg. and wrote the Scriptment with the star of the film Jill-Michele Melean .

He decided to do what he preaches about and went out and made a movie. "Just do it. Find the resources you know and make it happen". and How he put it out on various platforms including Hulu.

People always think your first film has to be a breakthrough hit . It doesn’t. Just make a film and learn from your failings

Making On The Corner of Ego and Desire, a feature film at the Sundance Film Festival during the festival was a challenge but he made it happen. Getting the cast and crew together and making the ‘director’ role a female. Wanted to make a movie about trying to sell a movie at Sundance. A this is Spinal Tap for the movie makers

How people at teh festival were happy to help out. Managed to shoot in amazing places, Molly’s, outside nightclubs, on buses and Sundance head quarters without getting kicked out.

The only issue was the party scene they had at their own Sundance party were people were having too much fun to care about someone making a movie.

But Alex tells us how making the whole movie was like improvisation Jazz. It’s emotional and semi autobiographical

Distribution side of things . Going to see where the festivals takes it.

“Get out of your own way, stop being afraid and get out and do it. Don't wait for it to be perfect”

Fail as often as you can so you can get down to the work

You have to love this,

Not only does Alex run the Indie Film Hustle podcast and website but also now hosts the Bullet proof screenwriters podcast

Links
www.Bulletproofscreenwriters.com
www.Indiefilmhustle.com
https://indiefilmhustle.com/egoanddesire/
BUY This is Meg https://www.amazon.com/This-Meg-Jill-Michele-Mele%C3%A1n/dp/B074DQQN1M
Twitter @indiefilmhustle @IamAlexFerrari

WATCH World of Darkness documentary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Darkness-Documentary-Kevin-Lee/dp/B07BS35KQ2
Follow us at www.thefilmmakerspodcast.com
T @filmmakerspod @gilesalderson

The Filmmakers Podcast

Ep 54 HOW TO MAKE AN INDIEFILM AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL with Alex Ferrari

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 515: How to Direct Great Television with Dan Attias

IFH Filmmaking & Screenwriting Podcast Network

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