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

Micah Van Hove and Ryan Koo are live from NAB 2016 in Las Vegas where they give a summary of some the best new technology they've seen over the past week. 

While it may not have been as flashy of a year at NAB in terms of hardware, it's clear that companies are focusing more than ever on taking their existing products and making them as good as they can be for the filmmakers who own them. This, for those of us who can't afford to be dropping 10k+ a year on new equipment, is highly comforting.

Indie Film Weekly 4.21.16: Why This Year's NAB is the Most 'Comforting' for Filmmakers Yet

Last week,&nbsp;Producer/Editor Jon Fusco&nbsp;sat down with several of the impressive line-up of genre directors from the new horror anthology film&nbsp;Holidays,&nbsp;during its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Joining him on the podcast are Sarah Adina Smith (The&nbsp;Midnight Swim), Nicholas McCarthy (​The Pact,&nbsp;At The Devil's Door),&nbsp;Dracula Untold&nbsp;director Gary Shore&nbsp;and&nbsp;the man in charge of piecing the whole thing together&nbsp;director/producer&nbsp;Adam Egypt Mortimer.&nbsp;
The discussion ranges from Shore's (somewhat easy) decision to go from directing a studio blockbuster back to indie shorts, respecting (or ignoring) influences in filmic history, and how challenges on set end up benefitting your creative drive.&nbsp;

Tribeca 2016: How the Filmmakers Behind Horror Anthology 'Holidays' Use Genre to Thwart Expectations

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

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

Nicolas Norena's Album

TELE-VISION JAN 5 2016

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]

Today is a very special episode of The No Film School Podcast and perhaps a momentous occasion in the history of the universe itself. The very balance of the cosmos hangs at a thread as Academy Award Nominated screenwriter John Fusco and former No Film School Producer Jon Fusco finally meet to discuss their craft.

John Fusco is, of course, the legendary screenwriter who dropped out of high school at age 16 to travel the south as a blues musician before returning to the Northeast and attending Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He later went on to write such hit films as Young Guns, Hidalgo, and most recently Netflilx's The Highway Men, which made its debut at 2019's edition of the SXSW film festival. 

The man has been writing films for over thirty years and has a wealth of knowledge to share with us all including practices on how to become disciplined (and stay that way), getting yourself into the screenwriting zone, and ways to retain control of your script once it hits the production stage.

The Ultimate Screenwriting Masterclass with John Fusco and Jon Fusco

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?

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?

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?

***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.

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

No Film School

Related tracks