Indie Film Hustle® Podcast: Filmmaking | Screenwriting | Cinematography | Film School | Film Production | Independent Film

Today on the show I bring you one of the most influential and iconic filmmakers in the history of cinema, three-time Oscar® winner Oliver Stone. Throughout his legendary career, Oliver Stone has served as director, writer, and producer on a variety of films, documentaries, and television movies. His films have been nominated for forthy two Oscars® and have won twelve.I hope this conversation inspires filmmakers and screenwriters to never give up. Oliver struggled for years taking jobs as a production assistant, cab driver, office assistant, and any other gig he could find to help him survive while he was chasing his dream. He wrote and wrote, meeting his goal of one to two screenplays a year, no matter what. Never give up, never surrender. Enjoy my epic conversation with Oliver Stone.

CHRISTMAS THROWBACK: I'm here to finally put to rest one of the greatest cinematic arguments of all time, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? I thought I'd tackle this epic question with my good friend Stephen Follows. In this Special Christmas Edition of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast Stephen and I use data to finally put this debate to rest.I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Stephen is not so sure so we go to the data to find out. Stephen wrote an EPIC article about this a while ago where he does what only Stephen does. Below are some of the graphs he created for his dissection of this issue.From google trends to actual frames from the film that we see actual Christmas references. We leave no stone unturned in this debate. I promise you after this episode you will be armed to debate and film nerd at the next Christmas party. I wanted to create a fun episode for all the film geeks out there.Enjoy my ridiculous and entertaining conversation with Stephen

So many IFH Tribe members have reached out to me to ask if I could help or guide them on how to shoot an indie feature film or series during COVID-19. So I decided to release a series of interviews with filmmakers who have done just that.First up is filmmaker Austin Williams. Austin was shooting his new feature Red Stone in the middle of COVID before anyone in our business knew what to do. The film had a respectable $500,000 budget.In this conversation, we discuss the methods he used to keep everyone safe on set, how he dealt with SAG, and the costs associated with dealing with COVID safety measures. Enjoy my conversation with Austin Williams.

Today on the show I have a good friend and fellow podcaster, Giles Alderson. Giles is not only a podcaster but a successful filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. I've been on The Filmmaker's Podcast a couple of times now and I just love talking shop with him.  One day we got to talking and he told me the crazy story of his debut film Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot, which cost over a million dollars.He also directed, written & produced the psychological horror feature film ‘The Dare’ made for Nu-Image (Expendables, Hellboy) and B2Y Productions starring Richard Brake (31, Batman Begins), Alexandra Evans ((Redistributors), Bart Edwards (Fantastic Beasts), Richard Short (Vinyl, Public Enemies), Robert Maaser (M.I 5 Rogue Nation)I had to have him on the show to share his misadventures in making a million-dollar debut feature film. Get ready for one whale of a tale.  Enjoy my conversation with Giles Alderson.

Today on the show we have returning champion film producer and distributor Shaked Berenson. Shaked has been on the show a few times now and each time he brings a wealth of knowledge bombs to the tribe. Shaked launched his new company called The Horror Collective, whose mission is to foster a community of independent horror filmmakers and connect their films to fans, all done transparently and fairly. We provide direct distribution combined with a cost-effective, high-impact festival, marketing, and release strategy. The Horror Collective aims to bring your film to the right audience.Shaked Berenson produced, and executive produced 22 features and two television series including many horror and cult favorites such as TURBO KID (2015), BIG ASS SPIDER! (2013), THE AGGRESSION SCALE (2012) and most recently, THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT (2019), EXTRA ORDINARY (2019), PRETENDING I’M A SUPERMAN - THE TONY HAWK VIDEO GAME STORY (2020), and THE LODGERS (2018).In this episode, Shaked and I discuss the

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Today on the show we have Slamdance Grand Jury winning filmmaker Hasan Oswald. Hasan's story is pretty inspiring. He did exactly what I preach all the time, he picked up a camera and began to tell his story. He made his first short film that was later tweeted by Stephen Fry, and the National Geographic came calling to work on their film Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS. He has since covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, drug trafficking, and homelessness in Philadelphia. He quickly established a unique ability to capture the human experience through "cinema verité."  His unfettered access to and intimacy with his characters creates a seamless veneer between the filmmaker and subject.After getting much need experience in the field he decided it was time to tell larger stories. His first outing as a feature film director, Higher Love, won him the top award at the Slamdance Film Festival. To finance his film he pulled a page out of Robert Rodriguez's playbook and sold his blood plasma

Today on the show we have maniac writers/directors The Nelms Brothers, and I say maniacs in the best possible way. Ian and Eshom Nelms, grew up in central California waging two hundred man G.I. Joe wars and dreaming in John Ford landscapes. They have written and directed numerous award-winning and critically- acclaimed films.The brothers are known for their unique ability to traverse from one genre to another, seamlessly and successfully, from drama to comedy to thrillers. Their film, LOST ON PURPOSE (2013), was a heartfelt coming-of-age love letter to their small hometown.From there, the siblings wrote and directed WAFFLE STREET (2015), a comedic turn based on an autobiographical memoir about a billion-dollar hedge-fund manager turned waffle house server. Their film, SMALL TOWN CRIME (2018) is a crime thriller that premiered at SXSW and BFI London Film Festival and received positive reviews by top critics upon its theatrical release.We are here today to discuss their latest opus, FATMAN starring Mel Gibson,

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

I can't be more excited to bring you this episode. On today's show, we have the legendary writer/director Alex Proyas, the filmmaker behind The Crow, Dark City, The Knowing, Gods of Egypt, and I, Robot.Alex Proyas had a huge influence on my filmmaking life. The Crow was one of those films I watch a thousand times, in the theater, when I was in film school. He began his filmmaking career working in music videos with the likes of Sting, INXS, and Fleetwood Mac before getting the opportunity to direct The Crow. That film was one of the first modern comic adaptations but as Alex puts it..."The Crow was my anti-comic book movie." - Alex ProyasBoth The Crow and Dark City had such a HUGE influence on films and filmmakers for years after their initial releases.Alex's films are visually dazzling and have the voice of a true artist. You can see a direct line from his genre-defining work to films like The Matrix, Alita: Battle Angel, Equilibrium, Underworld, The Dark Knight, Inception, and many others.I feel Alex's cont

Today on the show we have veteran cinematographer Jayson Crothers. Jayson had shot two dozen independent features before he joined the NBCUniversal hit show Chicago Fire in 2013.  After serving as the 2nd unit DoP for 38 episodes during seasons 2 & 3 he was asked to helm the show.  Serving as the sole DoP from seasons 4 to 6, he shot 74 episodes of the series for Dick Wolf. He also did additional photography for the backdoor pilot of Chicago Med.In 2019 Jayson photographed three features - the World War 2 true story drama Axis Sally, directed by Michael Polish, starring Al Pacino and Mitch Pileggi, the romantic comedy The Thing About Harry, directed by Peter Paige, and the hurricane action film Force of Nature, also directed by Michael Polish, starring Mel Gibson, Emile Hirsch, and Kate Bosworth.In between these films he also shot additional photography for the Starz series P-Valley as well as 2nd Unit for the Netflix feature Malibu Rescue - The Next Wave.In addition to his work being seen theatrically an

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Today on the show we have filmmaker and Filmtrepreneur J. Horton. Jason has been in the film industry for as long as I have and has been making movies ever since. What sets him apart from other filmmakers is that he actually makes a living making his films.Jason figured out the formula that would allow him to make a living doing what he loves to do. He produces low budget feature films and uploads them to Amazon Prime. He collects TVOD and SVOD revenue. His key is volume. This year alone he produced 14 feature films.We discuss how he chooses his niche audience, how he shifted from only narrative films to directing niche-focused documentaries, and how he's able to produce so much content.Enjoy my conversation with J. Horton.

I'm so excited to bring this episode to the IFH Tribe. Today we have legendary screenwriter James V. Hart. James is the screenwriter behind some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters like HOOK, directed by Steven Spielberg based on an idea by Hart’s then 6-year-old son, Jake, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND, directed by Brian Henson, and CONTACT, directed by Robert Zemeckis. MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN, TUCK EVERLASTING,  SAHARA, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE, AUGUST RUSH and many more.“No one has a job in our business until you type ‘the end’.” — James V. HartDracula has a special place in my heart as it is one of the major influences that made me become a filmmaker.James has served on the faculty of the Columbia University Graduate Film program. Served as mentor and advisor at the Austin Writer’s Ranch, Sundance Film Labs, and the Equinoxe-Europe Writing Workshops for over 20 years in 11 countries. Hart has also conducted the Puglia Experience for

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Filmmaking during these crazy times is tough, if not impossible in some areas. Imagine acting on a set in the age of COVID-19. I wanted to bring a veteran actor on the show to discuss how these insane times are affecting actors and I could think of no better person than 25+ year acting vet Joseph Reitman. Many of you might recognize him as the co-star of my first feature film This is Meg. Joe is best known for playing the villain in Happy!, Money Monster, Lady in the Water', Clueless, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and The Perfect Storm. We sit down in this episode and discuss how SAG is handling COVID-19, what it's like being on set, and what the future holds for film production as we know it. This is a very entertaining and informative show.Enjoy my conversation with Joseph Reitman.

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

The pandemic has upended the film industries in a way we will be feeling for years to come. Not only are film festivals in limbo and scrambling to figure out how to move forward but film markets like Cannes and Berlin are as well. Today on the show we welcome back to the show Jonathan Wolf, Executive Vice President of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA®) and Managing Director of the American Film Market (AFM).The American Film Market is the most efficient film acquisition, development, and networking event in the world. Unlike a film festival, AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. More than US$1 billion in deals are sealed every year — on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production.Over 7,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries converge in Santa Monica every November. They include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissione

What if indie filmmakers could access the same virtual production systems used on the hit Disney+ show The Mandalorian? What if you could use that same technology at home for your productions? What if it cost less than most RED Camera packages? Today's guest wants to do exactly that. Rene Amador is the co-founder and CEO of the virtual production tech company ARWall.Rene boasts 24 years of working with 16 startups, starting young working for his parent’s startups in silicon valley. He’s also directed over 350 commercials, short films, and pilots. Most recently as co-founder at ARwall, Rene won the SXSW Accelerator 2018 AR/VR category pitch, has been acknowledged as a top AR tech evangelist in Hollywood and designed the first ARwall Lab in Burbank.Rene and his team have developed a professional virtual production system that filmmakers can use at home powered by the most powerful real-time graphic engine on the market. How does this all work you may ask? ARFX requires a tracker and at least two sensors install