Weekly filmmaking news you might have missed while you were out making films. Or videos. Or branded content. Or Instagram stories. Or...

The No Film School Podcast

The collaboration between the Cinematographer and Production Designer is what gives a film its "look" (along with the director, of course). In this episode, NFS Founder Ryan Koo talks with Cinematographer Wolfgang Held (Particle Fever, Brüno, American Teen) and production designer Darcy C. Scanlin (Final Recipe, The Presence). They discuss their collaboration to build the visual language of the Sundance 2016 premiere Sophie and the Rising Sun.

Directed by Maggie Greenwald (Songcatcher), Sophie and the Rising Sun takes place in small-town South Carolina in 1941 and profiles the relationship between a local woman and a Japanese-American man new to town. At nofilmschool.com we also publish a clip of the film for visual reference; the first email Wolfgang sent Darcy after his initial scouting trip; and the 1913 color photographs they reference in the conversation.

No Film School's podcasts from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival are sponsored by Canon and Rode Microphones.

How a Cinematographer and Production Designer Collaborate to Set a Look

This week, we get into the Tribeca Film Festival's announcement of its first slate of films for April's big event; a Wipster and Vimeo integration that helps you collaborate on videos remotely; new opportunities for female filmmakers from heavyweights like Queen Latifah, Catherine Hardwicke, YouTube and the United Nations; how the PBS series Framelines will turn you into a horror film editor; an announcement from the MacArthur Foundation that has shaken the documentary world; and a new wave of indie cinemas opening in New York City.

And, as always, we keep you on top of some of the tech and tool releases, grant and festival deadlines and other important nuggets that you may have missed while you were busy making films (for links, see our post at nofilmschool.com).

Indie Film Weekly 3.8.16: Funding, Framelines, Females, and First Tribeca Picks

Joe Berlinger has had a prolific career, making 12 feature docs that tend to cover the darker side of the human experience, like the story of a brother on trial for murdering one of his kin in Brother&rsquo;s Keeper&nbsp;or following the band Metallica down the turbulent road of group therapy in Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. His new film, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, takes a different approach. It's a celebration of the work of motivational speaker Tony Robbins through an inside look at his annual &ldquo;Date With Destiny" seminar where thousands of people flock in hopes of changing their lives.
Liz Nord sat down the day after the film&rsquo;s premiere at SXSW 2016 to discuss this new turn, plus his approach to filmmaking in general and advice to other doc makers trying to sustain a career.&nbsp;

SXSW 2016: Taking People Where They Don't Want to Go - Joe Berlinger on 'Tony Robbins'

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Canon 5D(which began shipping in August 2005), Canon&nbsp;U.S.A. hosted a&nbsp;screening and in-depth Q&amp;A fittingly titled&nbsp;"A Decade of DSLRs: Creative Minds Talk the Evolution of Hand-Held Filmmaking." As the author of The DSLR Cinematography Guide&nbsp;Ryan Koo&nbsp;was asked to host the event and we are happy to release the panel as an episode of&nbsp;The No Film School Podcast.
The event featured a who's-who of cinematographers and directors with DSLR successes under their belt, including&nbsp;Joe Passarelli (Director of Photography,&nbsp;Anomalisa),&nbsp;Bryce Fortner (Director of Photography, Too Legit, Portlandia, W/ Bob &amp; David), Lauren Greenfield (Director, The Queen of Versailles),&nbsp;Tom Hurwitz, ASC (Director of Photography, The Queen of Versailles,&nbsp;Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Our Brand Is Crisis), and Tim Smith (Senior Film and Television Advisor, Canon).

Canon Takes Us On a Whirlwind Journey Through a Decade of DSLRs

DIY filmmaking methods often yield a finished product characterized by a small number of characters in a small number of interior locations. 'Here Alone' is an exception: a genre film incorporating a mix of survival, zombie, and post-apocalyptic influences, it is set almost entirely outdoors. While the film does feature a small number of characters, it also involves action, violence, effects, and, yes, zombies (or as the filmmakers characterize the infected, "almost zombie-like"). For this episode No Film School founder Ryan Koo sits down with Director-Producer Rod Blackhurst and Producer Noah Lang just before their Tribeca Film Festival premiere. They discuss the frustration of trying to make films via established industry means, the desire to break out of that and just Do It Yourself, and the challenges encountered in the making of 'Here Alone.'

Tribeca 2016: Post-Apocalyptic DIY Flick 'Here Alone' Sells Out Screenings

The 15th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival just wrapped up, leaving us to ponder how they managed to sell out nearly every screening in a city as competitive for audience attention as New York. In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, Managing Editor Emily Buder and Multimedia Producer Jon Fusco join No Film School founder Ryan Koo and Editor-in-Chief Liz Nord to discuss the possibility that Tribeca has become the new destination for domestic premieres—second to Sundance, of course.

From groundbreaking VR (including the delightful Allumette, which lets you walk through the clouds) to mind-bending commentary on filmmaking (Actor Martinez) to exciting new international voices reminiscent of the Coen brothers (Mother) to discussions with some of our favorite directors in the world (ahem, Alfonso Cuarón) to taking a selfie with Danny DeVito, we experienced Tribeca to the fullest this year. Now, we get to tell you about it.  We also follow up last week's NAB episode with some details of our forthcoming exclusive, in-depth look video of the most groundbreaking camera to emerge in a decade, Lytro Cinema.

IFW 4.28.16: Is Tribeca the New Premiere Destination for American Movies?

Nerdland was produced by Adult Swim production powerhouse Titmouse Inc., the group of animators responsible for creating some of the most revolutionary cartoons to have been featured on television ever. These guys made the contemporary classics Black Dynamite, China, IL, Metalocalypse, Superjail! and The Venture Brothers, which everyone should check out if only for their sheer abrasive creativity. The same can be said for Nerdland; the script, penned by Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, contributes a little extra insanity. The film is certainly not for everyone (at one point you get a little too acquainted with one of the protagonist's buttholes), but it is one of the most unique films you will see all year. No Film School's Jon Fusco sat down with Mr. Walker and Chris Prynoski, head honcho at Titmouse, who was so stricken by the script that he requested to direct the film. We discussed how the director and writer's collaboration should be so seamless that the audience shouldn't be sure who's responsible for what in the final cut. 

World-Building Tips from 'Se7en' Writer Andrew Kevin Walker & 'Metalocalypse' Dir. Chris Prynoski

In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School Founder Ryan Koo and Editor-in-Chief Liz Nord wonder: are we in a new era for online video? With increased spending and more platforms represented at the digital NewFronts presentations to advertisers (including an announcement by Refinery29 of directorial debuts from Kristen Stewart and Gabourey Sidibe); a new merger between Vimeo and VHX; and over 50 film &amp; video categories in the prestigious Webby Awards, online options for filmmakers are more credible, sophisticated, and potentially lucrative than ever before. The co-hosts discuss these developments, along with a controversy at this year's HotDocs festival in Toronto and some follow-up to No Film School's NAB coverage, including our exclusive in-depth demo video of Lytro's game-changing Cinema Camera. As always, the episode includes our Ask No Film School segment, plus grant and festival deadlines, upcoming indie film releases, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

Indie Film Weekly 5.05.16: Online Video Grows Up

What makes a guerrilla film shoot guerrilla? Sure, there are the circumstances that surround the act itself; limited resources, communication breakdowns, language barriers, nowhere to get a sandwich, not to mention the personal, emotional and creative risks attached. The most important ingredient, however, is one that is almost entirely paradoxical to the word guerilla itself: sensitivity. It's the delicacy with which you navigate these obstacles—to fulfill the responsibility you owe to your film's subjects—that makes a successful venture. 

Everyone wants to travel for work, but this week's guests tell us that documentary filmmaking is no vacation. From carrying your own food into terrorist compounds to dealing with drunken, racist Serbs, No Film School’s Jon Fusco sat down with filmmakers Arianna LaPenne, Alex Mallis, and Brian Chang to get a complete rundown of the prospective challenges a filmmaker could face filming abroad.


Going Guerrilla: How to Successfully Shoot Documentary Abroad

No Film School's Emily Buder sits down with prolific indie filmmaker Nathan Silver and the stars of his latest movie, Thirst Street, Lindsay Burdge and Damien Bonnard. &nbsp;Silver has made a movie every year for the past 8 years. Last year, he had the film Actor Martinez at Tribeca. Needless to say, Silver is a staple in the New York indie film scene. In their conversation, they discuss how Silver manages to get his micro-budget projects off the ground, some tips for shooting with limited resources, Thirst Street's distinctive '70s psychodrama aesthetic, and the extreme emotional risks some of the main actors had to take for their roles.

Nathan Silver on How a Director Can Pull off Making 8 Films in 8 Years

Ruben Östlund has never been one to shy away from difficult themes. That's not to say that the themes he presents his audiences are controversial or difficult to watch. It's more that they're difficult to fully comprehend. Östlund's ability to translate his thoughts to screen, however, is unrivaled among his contemporaries. "The Square" is certainly one of these pictures. Östlund explores what exactly the concept of 'trust' means in a modern society where paranoia is the dominant human emotion and catastrophe seems to await us around every new corner. The Palmes d' Or winning film centers on Christian, a curator at a renowned modern art museum in Sweden. One day he is robbed in blind daylight and his ensuing decision to track down the thieves sets off a series of events that cause his life to descend into chaos. No Film School's Jon Fusco sat down with Östlund at the New York Film Festival to discuss his mind-bending new feature. They cover everything from how to make a two-and-a-half hour movie breeze by at a lightspeed pace to what Östlund (a teacher himself) feels is the most important part of film school.

How to Master the Art of Satire: Ruben Östlund on 'The Square'

What happens when the community you’re filming doesn’t want you there? That is exactly the dilemma that faced celebrated documentarians Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady when they embarked on their latest project, the Netflix Original film 'One of Us'. The directing duo returns to the territory that garnered them an Oscar nomination in 2007 for 'Jesus Camp': extreme religious sects in America. In 'One of Us', we travel far from the rural Evangelical Christian summer camps of Jesus Camp to a very different world: the insular Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York. The film focuses on three young people attempting to leave the community despite threats of retaliation. They are at different stages of separation but each is struggling to join mainstream America after having been raised strictly following daily religious mandates, speaking Yiddish, and with virtually no secular education. Because of sensitivities around their subjects and the community at large, Ewing, Grady and their cinematographers, Jenni Morello and Alex Takats, had to to develop all kinds of tactics and strategies for shooting very inconspicuously. Both the directors and DPs join No Film School's Liz Nord on this episode to discuss how they managed to film and craft such a sympathetic tale from within a notoriously closed community.

How To Shoot Where You're Not Allowed

Here's Episode One of our new podcast series The First Feature. This is a step-by-step guide on how to get your first feature made, using Ryan Koo's new Netflix Original Film AMATEUR as a case study.

In this episode, we get into: The three questions you can ask yourself to help decide which movie to make; when you need an agent; how Koo lied his way into MTV (and New York); Koo's DIY web series with Zack Lieberman, The West Side; how new platforms represent an opportunity because of decreased competition; how failure can be more instructive than success.

AMATEUR will premiere on Netflix on April 6, 2018.

You can find all episodes of The First Feature at nofilmschool.com/firstfeature

How Do You Know Which Idea to Pursue? The First Feature: AMATEUR [Episode 1]

We’ve discussed many different tactics for getting your short films into film festivals on this podcast, but at SXSW last month we decided to head straight for the source: the people in charge of selecting the films themselves. That’s right we’re talking about the all-powerful festival programmer. And to get the inside scope there’s no one better than SXSW Senior Film Programmer Claudette Godfrey. On today’s program, Claudette and NFS Producer Jon Fusco run through exactly what it is that attracts a festival programmer to a certain short. She also gives us a rundown of the things a filmmaker should focus on when submitting, as well as what they should attempt to avoid when working on a project they hope will be selected. Claudette makes a powerful case for the value of festivals like SXSW for all filmmakers and if you’re in the middle of planning a festival run, you better listen close.

What a Festival Programmer Looks for in a Short Film

Jim Cummings career is a case study in DIY Filmmaking. His short film Thunder Road redefined the path of a festival award winner. After earning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the short took the internet by storm, bringing Jim and his crew ample exposure and a shot to turn their project into a feature. 

One would think that having a viral, Grand Jury Prize winning short would be enough to attract the attention of major studios, but despite the fact that they had a whole fifteen minutes of the film they could show off right away, Jim and his producing partner Ben Weissner could not get any big bites from investors.

So they took matters into their own hands. The self-produced and largely crowd-funded feature version of Thunder Road premiered at SXSW earlier this year where it, guess what, won the Grand Jury Award for best feature.

Now Jim and Ben want to share the knowledge they’ve learned over the course of their experience with young filmmakers across the world and to do so they’ve launched a Short to Feature lab in Malibu. We asked them to give us a rundown of what applicants can expect as well as the skills that they think every filmmaker interested in controlling the entire life of their film should know.

How to Make the Jump from Short to Feature with Award Winning Director Jim Cummings

What is the least amount of money you think you could spend on the production of a short film from pre to post production and still get into a major festival? Well if you guessed four dollars and fifty cents, then you probably read the title of this podcast, because its a figure that’s almost unimaginable in today's crowded short landscape.

Nevertheless, performance artist/writer/actor Tony Grayson did just that back in 2017. Armed simply with his friend's old digital camcorder, he set off for his dad’s research lab in Chicago to try and shoot something. What he ended up with was "foundfootagexx100n.s.1" and its ensuing acceptance to the SXSW Film Festival. 

No Film School Producer Jon Fusco sat down with Grayson and talked about how he pulled off the shoot for such a minuscule budget, the value of casting aside preciousness in your work, and how a SXSW premiere led him to his next project, Allen Anders Live at the Comedy Castle (Circa 1987).

How to Make a Short Film for Only $4.50

Oakley Anderson Moore sits down with co directors Morgan Capps and Jilann Spitzmiller  to talk about making a documentary that captures the creative spirit of it’s subjects: “Meow Wolf: Origin Story.” With new found income at their disposal to hire more artists, the collective find themselves in a position to expand to more cities, and develop an entertainment wing that could be an amazing new opportunity for filmmakers. If you’re a filmmaker looking for a radical inclusive world to build, this could be a place you might fit right in.

'Meow Wolf': How to Build an Immersive World Through Film

A short film is a tricky thing, you don’t know how much time or money to invest in such a personal thing that nobody may even end up seeing, so a lot of people don’t even try. The point of this podcast is to get you to stop worrying and just try. 

In this episode, No Film School Producer Jon Fusco identifies the key crew you'll need to get started and how to them on your project, how to create a proper lookbook, what to plan for on a location scout, strategies in collaborating with your DP in pre-production and how to obtain the best gear for your project.

How Do You Make a Film with Zero Experience? The First Short: THE GUY [Episode 1]

It seems that many short films even after they wrap a successful shoot never end up seeing the light of day. And why is that? Because they dry up in the post-production process.

Whether it's for lack of money, lack of inspiration, lack of enthusiasm, or just plain destitution at what your footage has revealed, the sad truth is that may directors decide to leave their precious projects on the cutting room floor.  All their time and effort, wasted, for not.

On the final episode of The First Short, No Film School Producer Jon Fusco is joined by his editor Tam Le to discuss their own trying experiences over nine-months of post-production in an attempt to make sure that this will never happen to you.

They cover the ideal relationship between editor and director, why a director should attempt to edit their film, how to identify what needs to be cut, how to establish tone and pacing and more.

How Do You Know What to Cut on the Editing Floor? The First Short: THE GUY [Episode 3]

Steve McQueen has made some great movies. So has Denis Villeneuve. So what do Hunger, Sicario, Shame, Blade Runner 2049, 12 Years a Slave and Arrival have in common? They were all edited by Joe Walker.

McQueen and Walker's latest collaboration, Widows, made its world premiere to a sold-out crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival last week. It's the Academy Award winner's most accessible feature, a blockbuster heist movie with a stellar cast including Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluya and Elizabeth Dobecki. It's almost a certainty that McQueen and Walker will have another hit on their hands upon the film's wide release this Fall. 

In an interview with No Film School Producer Jon Fusco, Joe Walker breaks down the keys to his successes, common mistakes he sees among young editors, and his workflow with two of the best directors in the industry. It's an especially useful conversation for those of you currently bogged down in the throes of post-production.

'Think Slow, Act Fast': Joe Walker on Editing for Steve McQueen and Denis Villeneuve

Hayley Pappas (Head of RYOT Films), Caroline von Kuhn (Director of Artist Development at SFFILM), and Leah Giblin (Head of Grants at Cinereach) are responsible for getting millions of dollars to independent filmmakers each year through grants and financing. They join No Film School’s Liz Nord to discuss the many ways independent films are being funded today, and how you can access these various funding sources for your films.

One Hundred Different Ways to Get Your Film Funded

Irene Lusztig (‘Yours in Sisterhood’) and Dominic Gagnon (‘Going South’)—two filmmakers who edit their own films—join No Film School’s Liz Nord to make the case for editing your own work by sharing their processes and how they make the many decisions that go into an edit.

Why You Should Edit Your Own Films

If you've seen any of Yorgos Lanthimos' films, then you know the Greek director isn't afraid to put anything on the screen. Like many famous surrealists, Lanthimos isn't interested in exploring stories where things go right, he wants his audience to see what's wrong in the world. 

To him, nothing is off limits and any dark side of the human psyche is worth exploring. In surrealist film, any image can be too much or too little. It's a delicate balance, but one that Lanthimos has truly mastered with his latest film The Favourite.

A period piece set in early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne Olivia Colman, occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, however, her charm endears her to Sarah and a competition to be the queens favorite emerges.

In this interview, Lanthimos is joined by screenwriter Tony McNamara to discuss how commercial work early in his career ended up steering him in the complete opposite direction, not conforming to filmic norms, and breaking every possible rule you can.

Yorgos Lanthimos on How to Shoot Surrealist Film

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are here to catch you up on all the stuff you missed while in a tryptophan coma last week. Believe it or not, awards season has officially begun and we have a full report on what could be the year's top contenders.  Plus the perennial riddle of how to best shoot sex on film may be closer to being solved. 

Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he discusses some rumors surrounding new cameras from Canon and Sony. On Ask No Film School - what program should you use for editing on an older computer?

As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

IFW 11.29.18: The First Film Awards of the Season & How to Shoot Safe Sex

Sundance's own Liz Nord joins the show to give Jon Fusco and Erik Luers the down and dirty on all Sundance's Feature and Shorts selections for 2019 and what they could mean for future filmmakers. Plus what Lars Von Trier has done to upset the entire MPAA. 

Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he gives us his full thoughts on Blackmagic's new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. In what was a busy week for cameras, he also previews a new RED camera that will be hitting rental houses and stores shortly. On Ask No Film School - do you really need a follow focus anymore?

As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

IFW 12.6.18: Sundance Selections & Our Full Review of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Filmmaker Alyssa Bolsey didn’t discover until she was in film school herself that her great-grandfather had invented the iconic Bolex 16mm camera. She spent the next decade-plus researching her enigmatic ancestor and interviewing several influential filmmakers who used his cameras, including Barbara Hammer, Wim Wenders, and Jonas Mekas, for a film called BEYOND THE BOLEX. Bolsey and the film’s producer and DP, Camilo Lara Jr., join No Film School’s Liz Nord to discuss why the Bolex is such an enduring and beloved camera that is still used today.

Why the Bolex is the World’s Most Beloved Camera

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are back together for the final show of 2018. It was an amazing year for film, but a recent study found that there was one key ingredient for the biggest box office successes. And yes, that ingredient may surprise you. Plus how MoviePass may be making a come back and the Oscars are off to a horrible start.

Charles Haine joins us for gear news where he breaks down what's been a busy month in codec. On Ask No Film School - how do you build your filmmaking network online?

As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

IFW 12.13.18: How to Build Relationships in the Biz & 2018's Biggest Box Office Draw

Depending on what stage of your career you’re at, you can learn as much from someone who's gotten a couple shorts into some major festivals as you can from a director like Yorgos Lanthimos. It’s in this realization where The No Film School Podcast really shines.

For that reason, we treat our guests with the same level of respect across all boards, no matter who they are or how prestigious their film may be. Let’s face it, we are all filmmakers who have made, or are trying to make movies under difficult circumstances. And one of the best ways to learn how to do that is by listening to the stories of those who have struggled through both success and failure. For a true artist both experiences hold immense value.

Our countdown this year features just as many big names as it does incredible advice. Over the next three weeks, you’ll hear from the likes of Lanthimos, Jeremy Saulnier, Mike Leigh, Steve Yeun, Debra Granik and more. I’ll be leading you through some of our best clips of 2018, so if you haven’t heard all of our interview podcasts, these episodes will be a great overview of those pearls of advice that may end up helping you down the road. 

This week's features guests Claudette Godfrey (SXSW Programmer), Jim Cummings (Thunder Road), Kirsten Lepore (Hi Stranger), Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (DANIELS) and Sam Morill (Vimeo).

Best of the 2018 No Film School Podcast Interviews, Part 1

This week on the No Film School Podcast, we’re going to talk about one of the most largely undiscussed nuances of filmmaking: the portrayal of masturbation on film. Specifically, of the female kind.

'Yes, God, Yes' is a film unlike any you’ve seen before. In it, a Catholic teenager in the early aughts discovers masturbating and struggles to suppress her new urges on a religious retreat. But this ain’t no American Pie satire. Writer/Director Karen Maine (who you may know as half of the writing team from 2014’s indie hit 'Obvious Child') truly brings us inside the mind of female adolescence. 

Much of this ability is due to the fact that she lived through this experience as a teen herself. As I learned when I sat down with Maine and her cast at SXSW earlier this month, however, it was the director’s openness to collaborate with her talented young leads that truly sealed the deal.

The cast is led by a standout performance from Natalia Dyer, who shows she clearly deserves more complex roles than the likes of 'Stranger Things'’ archetypal Nancy Wheeler provides her. Dyer joins us on the show today, along with Timothy Simons (perhaps best known for his role as Jonah Ryan from 'Veep'), and talented new comers Francesca Reale, Alisha Boe and Wolfgang Novogratz. We talk about building an atmosphere on set comfortable enough to to avoid the pitfalls of the typical coming of age story and masturbation, lots of masturbation.

Masturbation on Film: Karen Maine, Natalia Dyer & More on SXSW Standout 'Yes, God, Yes'

Director of Photography Lawrence Sher takes us through his career from the early days (he calls his first day "the worst first day in the history of first days") to how he lensed the most successful R-rated movie of all time, offering insights as well as practical tools.

How Larry Sher Shot 'Joker', Built a Career, and Almost Got Fired on His First Day of Filmmaking

There may not be NAB in Vegas this week, but that didn't stop Canon from releasing several new products!  We take a look at the new cameras from Canon, chat about what film sets and filmmaking may look like when we return to work, breakdown the new update from Blackmagic, and tackle an age-old question through an Ask No Film School:  What do I do after I finish my script?

4.24.20: When Can Production Resume in the Time of Coronavirus?

Justin Roiland is best known as the co-creator and lead vocal talent behind the immensely popular show 'Rick and Morty'.  

Mike McMahan went from a 'Rick and Morty' writer's assistant to a showrunner along with Roiland. Now they've got a new show 'Solar Opposites' (May 8 on Hulu).  

We won't sugar coat it... this interview gets strange. But you should expect no less from these guys. 

After warming up a bit, we get into the conceit and intent behind 'Solar Opposites', what properties they'd both love to reboot or work with, how they got started creating things, how to keep humor fresh and edgy in an era with so many topics off-limits, and more.

'Rick and Morty' Creator Justin Roiland Gives Us a Tour of His New Show and His Twisted Mind

This week, we “Follow The Cheese” towards Netflix’s new on-set rules in the times of Covid-19, dig into Ken Burn’s burns of the Michael Jordan documentary "The Last Dance," share Frame.io’s new features, and we wonder: did Apple finally make a 13-inch laptop for filmmakers?  Plus, deep cuts!

5.8.20: How will Netflix Get Back On Set?

Our guest this week is the unique and legendary Jonathan Frakes. He was a lead on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' before he transitioned to the directing chair. To get his shot at directing he had to learn a ton from the craftspeople around him. But he also applied his history as an actor to his process, resulting in an ability to be an extremely economical actor's director.

Jonathan Frakes Shoots to Thrill

In a world full of real artists, why not create a virtual one?  We chat about CAA’s newest signing, the digital Lil Miquela, whether folks are saying Qui-bye to Quibi, and Aputure’s new 600d along with a new round of Deep Cuts.

A heads up as you dive into this week's conversation: we've been adjusting some of our sound settings and piloting our podcasting software.  Our voices may sound a little different but we swear we're still entertaining to listen to.

5.15.20: Fake Artist... Real Weirdness. What Do We Make of Lil Miquela?

This week brings a lot of questions.  Will Christopher Nolan’s 'Tenet' be movie theater's savior?  Will we adopt 8K into our workflows?  How does Red Komodo’s PDAF change the game?  And, what can we learn from the extremely talented team that wrote 'The Sopranos'?

5.26.20: Will 'Tenet' bring movie goers back to theaters?

We are living in interesting times, to say the least.

Prior generations have fought similar battles and faced similar challenges. Ashamedly, they faced this very battle time and again. But there is something very different about this time right now and it relates to you. You, the filmmaker.

6.5.20: What Is the Role of the Filmmaker in a Time of Unprecedented Upheaval?

A Christopher Nolan rumor makes us consider on-set rules and philosophies and Fuji's new update makes us ponder how this will change upcoming cameras.  Plus we time travel (not through a Nolan film) to see if we can answer a No Film School question that dates back more than 100 years ago.

7.3.20: To Sit Or Not To Sit?

It seems improbable or impossible to the more seasoned (or jaded) among us. A man, outside of the system and outside of the major cities like New York and LA, built a thriving indie production company with a full growing slate of movies and content... but that's not even the crazy part. 

The crazy part is that the stories he's telling reflect his worldview, and a specific vision for humanity and the future. It sounds as bold as it sounds unlikely. Yet it is a reality. 

BK's story is not just one of perseverance and making your own success, but it's a story of the type of self-education we love at No Film School.

It all sounds great... but how come it actually works? Listen to BK tell you in his own words.

This is How One Man Created a Thriving Indie Production Company with Hope

We’re not throwing away our shot to talk about Hamilton.
Disney+ and Hamilton change the game and the conversations around streaming platforms, Broadway musicals, and awards. Plus, this week, AMC heads to church (murch?), Zoom brings out an "Octo" monster, and...will filmmakers be "satisfied" with a recent camera announcement?

7.10.20: Revolutions, Revelations, and Resolutions

We're feeling hot, hot, hot as Canon cameras heat up and Palm Springs is a hit from the desert.  Plus, we dive into a new app with a confusing name and the newest codec on the block.

7.17.20: Is Canon feeling burned?

This week, Charles, George, and Michelle reflect on a recent conversation around terminology.  Plus, Blackmagic's big news, a case for theaters to look like the Star Wars' Galactic Senate, and we have Tenet's new release date... kind of.

7.24.20: Ks For Days

7.31.20: Did Filmmakers Finally Get What They Wanted?

Two years ago, Matt Enlow and Oren Kaplan started the Just Shoot It Podcast with a key question:  What does a director do?  Now, we come to them with our own key question in mind:  What does a director do...during a pandemic?   

Listen in as we learn more about how to use this time creatively, how to shoot in the time of COVID, and other secrets of the trade.

How Do You 'Just Shoot It' During a Pandemic?

Unlike Hamilton, Mulan will hit Disney+ VOD... at a cost. Plus, 12-bit raw is coming for the a7S III through Atomos and we answer a question about master fees and a YouTube clip.

8.6.20: Will families pay $30 for Mulan?

Back to the future...of Vertical Integration. The Paramount Decrees are officially over...so what does that mean for filmmakers?  Plus, a Deakins inspired chat about focus groups and decisions, we also talk about the new Sigma lens.

8.14.20: How will the end of the Paramount Decrees affect theaters and filmmakers?

In an informative new episode featuring guest Katherine Tolentino, we tackle the history of foreign influence in Hollywood, pay equality across departments, working overly long days, and what might be the birth of a new filmmaking manifesto á la Dogme 95. Plus, a new augmented reality software from FXhome and the pros and cons of crowdfunding.

8.20.20: A Middle-Class Moviemaking Manifesto?

***As of 2020 the No Film School Podcast is no longer hosted on Soundcloud. Please subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, or the podcast app of your choice. Thank you!*** A podcast about how to build a career in filmmaking. No Film School shares the latest opportunities and trends for anyone working in film and TV. We break news on cameras, lighting, and apps. We interview leaders in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and producing. And we answer your questions! We are dedicated to sharing knowledge with filmmakers around the globe, “no film school” required.

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