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

Today on the show we have writer/director Josh Stifter. Josh was chosen as one of the directors to attempt to make a $7000 feature film using the El Mariachi style made famous by legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. The show was called Rebel Without a Crew: The Series and it premiered on Robert's network El Rey.Josh and I talk indie film shop, what it was like working with Robert Rodriguez and his adventures making a $7000 indie film while cameras were capturing every single second of on-set action.Enjoy my conversation with Josh Stifter.

Partnering with an honest film distributor can be a great part of any Filmtrepreneurial Blueprint. The problem is finding said "honest" distributor can be challenging. Finding an honest film distributor is like finding a unicorn, I know they are out there but they are rare. Yes, I know unicorns don't exist but you get what I'm trying to say.By design, the world of film distribution is shrouded in mystery. The key to the continued success of predatory film distributors is the silence of filmmakers and keeping "real" numbers behind lock and key. Today on the show we have two filmmakers who decided to come forward to break the silence.Kerry Carlock & Nick Lund-Ulrich are the filmmakers behind ARMSTRONG, which is about a rookie EMT and her partner pick up a wounded superhero and are pulled into his mission to save Los Angeles from a sinister organization.These brave filmmakers break down the numbers, the creative challenges of working with a distributor and much more. You can see a major difference in the art

I've spoken about predatory film distributors before on the show (The Dark Underbelly of Predatory Film Distributors – BEWARE!) but I just discovered how some of these scumbags have figured out how to absolutely screw over filmmakers using a legal loophole. It's called the Bankrupt Reboot Distribution Scam.Here's how they do it. A predatory film distributor will prey on desperate indie filmmakers and will try to obtain the rights to as many low budget indie films as they can, usually for no money upfront in a short period of time. Let's say 1-2 years, if not faster. During that time they sell-off the rights in one big transaction to a bunch of different platforms, outlets, streaming, foreign agents, etc.Now here's the rub, rather than actually paying filmmakers what they are owed, the distributor files for bankruptcy protection, which is extremely easy to do in the United States. So you must be asking"If the distributor goes bankrupt, what happened to the rights of all those films?"Glad you asked. These botto

I don't know if something is in the air but things are getting rougher for indie filmmakers every day. I received a call today from a few filmmakers who are having major issues with the on-demand theatrical booking company TUGG, Inc. It seems that the company has shut its doors and left filmmakers in the dark.If you have read my new book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur®: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business, you know that I wrote an entire chapter highlighting TUGG and the amazing case study of the film Touch the Wall. These filmmakers made over $700K using Tugg. They have been working well with the independent film community for years so this call was a bit surprising.While speaking to a friend of the show and producer of Chris Sharpe, I started digging to see what I could find out. After doing some searches I found out that all of Tugg's social media accounts had been closed but their website is still up but so was Distribber's if you remember. I called their 866 customer support number but on

Today on the show we have Sundance-winning producer Jonathan Baker. His new film Sylvie's Love is the talk of Sundance 2020. Sylvie's Love is an upcoming American drama film, written and directed by Eugene Ashe. It stars Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Regé-Jean Page, Aja Naomi King, and Eva Longoria. It will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020.Jonathan is a wealth of information. In the episode, I pick his brain on what it was like winning the audience award at Sundance, how the indie film market place is changing, and much more. His last Sundance-winning film was Crown Heights which was later sold to Amazon Studios.Enjoy my conversation with Jonathan Baker.

In today's new film economy it is getting tougher and tougher for independent filmmakers to make a living with their films. The entire industry is changing faster than anyone can keep track of. Even film distribution companies are struggling to make sense of the new world. The traditional golden gooses of DVD, Blu-Ray, foreign sales, and big upfront guarantees are dying a slow and miserable death.And if that wasn't tough enough internet pirates are bootlegging indie films as fast as they are released. My latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire was on the pirate boards within hours of its release. I didn't even think of looking for this because I never thought in a million years pirates would be interested in an indie film that cost $3000, was extremely niche and had no star power at all. I was very wrong. Here's what I learned.

After months of the IFH Tribe asking me, I finally finished the audiobook version of Shooting for the Mob. It was a tough project to finish but I knew I had to get it to you guys. As a gift for being so patient, I am releasing four chapters of the book for FREE for your listening pleasure. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Shooting for the Mob read below.A bipolar gangster, a naive, young film director, and Batman. What could go wrong? Alex Ferrari is a first-time film director who just got hired to direct a $20 million feature film, the only problem is the film is about Jimmy, an egomaniacal gangster who wants the film to be about his life in the mob. From the backwater towns of Louisiana to the Hollywood Hills, Alex is taken on a crazy misadventure through the world of the mafia and Hollywood. Huge movie stars, billion-dollar producers, studio heads and, of course, a few gangsters, populate this unbelievable journey down the rabbit hole of chasing your dream. Would you sell your soul to the devil to m

I've been working on this for a long time guys and here it is. The Make Your Movie Bootcamp! I wanted to bring my 25+ years of experience to a live Bootcamp experience. This Two-Day Bootcamp will be held March 28-29, 2020 in Burbank, CA at the Hilton Garden Suites in Downtown Burbank.Who is the Make Your Movie Bootcamp for?A filmmaker wanting to make the leap to making their first feature filmAn established filmmaker who wants to learn the "Dark Arts" of micro-budget filmmakingScreenwriters who want to finally produce that screenplay that has been sitting on their desktopAny filmmaker who wants to learn how to generate revenue with their feature film or video contentHere are some of the things you will learn at the Make Your Movie Bootcamp>> Ideas:Learn how to flesh out your ideas into a marketable film project.>> Screenwriting Process:We go over the basics of screenwriting and discuss alternative methods of writing like scriptments and improv.>> Finding Money:Alternate ways to raise money for your film.>> Di

Today guest is the legendary writer and educator Judith Weston. Her book Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & TelevisionandThe Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques is a must-read for any film director.Judith consults one-on-one with directors and writer-directors of film and television as they prepare to bring their projects to life. Some of her students include Alejandro Iñárritu, director of The Revenant, Academy Award winner for Best Director, and Birdman, Academy Award winner for Best Picture and Best Director; Ava DuVernay, nominated for 16 Emmys and six Critics Choice Awards, and Selma, nominated for Best Picture Oscar; Steve McQueen, director of Best Picture Academy Award winner12 Years a Slave; Taika Waititi, writer-director of Jojo Rabbit, Thor Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and many more.Literally thousands of film and television directors, screenwriters, writer-directors, and actors around the world have attended Judith's workshops or

I can't believe another year has gone by. 2019 was one for the record books. So many things happened to me and to the IFH Tribe this year. In this episode, I breakdown this past year IFH style and also give you a large dose of TOUGH LOVE to get you revved up for 2020.Don’t wake up Dec 31, 2020, and say"Damn I just lost another year."Don’t let anything stop you from making your dream come true. Don’t let people tell you you can’t do it. People told me I was crazy for jumping into this business. Be smart, educate yourself as much as humanly possible and go for it. Don’t be that angry and bitter filmmaker. Don’t wake up when you are 70 and wished you would’ve taken a shot and your dream. Why haven’t you taken the steps needed to make your dream come true? Let 2020 be the YEAR OF THE FILMTREPRENEUR. Take the power back. Take control of your own destiny and make it happen for yourself.I also go over what to expect from all the companies from IFH Industries. IFH, IFHTV, Bulletproof Screenwriting, and Filmtrepreneur

Today on the show we have minimalist filmmaking guru Matt D'Avella. I had the pleasure of being on Matt's podcast The GroundUp Show back in 2017 when he was still a young and up and coming podcaster.One day I turned around and saw that Matt had built a following of over 2 million followers on Youtube. It was official, he was a Youtube star.  Matt was able to build this business using his filmmaking toolbox. Before his Youtube fame, he directed an amazing documentary called Minimalism. That film went onto to run on Netflix and was sold around the world.Matt and I discuss his filmmaking, building and marketing his Youtube channel and what it's like being a minimalist filmmaker. Enjoy my minimal but EPIC conversation with Matt D'Avella.

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 Follows. And don't fo

Well, it's that time of year again when filmmakers around the world get that dreaded rejection letter from the Sundance Film Festival. Did you read that, 14,200 submissions? Getting into Sundance is a lottery ticket for sure but it isn't as important as it used to be. Here's what Mark Duplass wrote about it:Annual Sundance Film Festival rejection reminder: Sundance is awesome, but Sundance is not everything. So many incredible films don't make the cut. Don't let it get you down. If you believe in your film, keep pushing forward. There are so many new ways to get it there. Good luck! - Mark DuplassMy indie films have played in over 500 international film festivals around the world and it has been a great experience and I've even been to a few big festivals like Raindance and Cinequest. I've also been rejected by EVERY major film festival in the world. SXSW, Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, AFI and the list goes on.Film festivals are great. I loved them so much my recent film, which got that Sundance rejection email,  

The streaming wars have their first casualties and of course, it is indie filmmakers. Amazon announces that they would drop their already low per hour streaming rate from .06¢ to .01¢ in North America. When this news hit the indie film world went nuts. Why would Amazon punish creators like this?Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is Amazon dropped their per hour streaming rate from .06¢ to .01¢ but the good news is they raise the maximum possible rate to .12¢ per hour. Check out the chart belowAmazon did this to weed out all the low-quality content that is uploaded tot he platform. The higher quality content will be rewarded while the lower is punished. This is the way Amazon wants to proceed. As I stated in my book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur®: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business, "If you play in someone else's sandbox you need to play by their rules."This is why it's more important than ever to control your own revenue streams. In this episode,​ I go into detail on why Amaz

The day is finally here. My new book Rise of the Filmtrepreneur®: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business is finally out. I'm so excited to share this with you, the IFH Tribe. I've been working for months to make this happen. I wanted to give you a sneak peek at the book so in this episode, I'll be releasing the first two chapters of the audiobook for your listening pleasure. These two chapters set the tone for the book. In the episode, I even show you a way to download the entire book for free.Here's a bit of what Rise of the Filmtrepreneur has to offer:It’s harder today than ever before for independent filmmakers to make money with their films. From predatory film distributors ripping them off to huckster film aggregators who prey upon them, the odds are stacked against the indie filmmaker. The old distribution model for making money with indie film is broken and there needs to be a change. The future of independent filmmaking is the entrepreneurial filmmaker or the Filmtrepreneur®. In Rise

Today's episode is a big one guys. You need to brace yourself. The film marketplace is going through a major shift. It is as big as when we went from Black and white films to color or adding sound to movies. Movies industry is changing from a product-based business (DVDs, Blu-Rays) to a service-based business (streaming services). Spotify and other music streaming services have devalued music down to basically worthless. What used to cost you $17.99 for one album of 1 or 2 hits and a bunch of songs you didn’t want now cost fractions of a penny from your monthly membership.On Spotify, an artist needs around 337,000 plays to earn $1472 a month (the monthly minimum wage. Amazon Prime pays .6¢ per hour viewed. Streaming platforms are paying less and less and the indie budget seems to be going up and up. This business model is not sustainable.Companies like Disney, Amazon, and Apple have a business model that will ensure their survival in the new film economy. Because their main business is not making movies. They

I know the title of this show is bold but in the course of this podcast I will explain what I see happening in the traditional film distribution model. My trip to this year to the American Film Market was extremely educational. I met some amazing people, industry insiders, and tribe members. I did, however, spoke to many film distributors and sales agents and discover a truth that I had suspected for a long time now, traditional film distribution is dying.Film distributors are having as hard of a time trying to generate revenue with their film libraries as filmmakers are getting their films sold. The world is changing. Many filmmakers are producing films for the 90’s and early 2000’s marketplace. Both filmmakers and distributors have little or no understanding of what today’s customer wants or how to get it to them while still making money.In this episode I discuss:• The DVD/Home Video Crash• The Streaming Wars• AVOD• How film distributors are becoming more predatory out of desperation• The world of data/nich

Today on the show we have the legendary indie film champion, Chris Gore. Chris is the founder of Film Threat, a magazine that's mission is to champion indie filmmakers while giving the middle finger to the Hollywood establishment. In this episode, Chris and I speak about the glorious 90's indie film scene, his time being a part of the geek channel G4, his new documentary Attack of the Doc and the state of indie film today.I've been a fan of Chris' for years. I even ran into him on my first trip to Sundance back in 2005. Chris also wrote the guerrilla guide to marketing and selling an indie film, Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 4th edition: The Essential Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers.If you love indie films then you will love this episode. Enjoy my conversation with Chris Gore.

Today on the show we have Jonathan Wolf, the managing director of the American Film Market or AFM as it's known. The AFM has gone through many changes over the years. In recent years the world of film distribution has been turned upside down and AFM has been changing along with it. I have the honor to be moderating a panel on Micro-Budget Filmmaking at this year's AFM. The times they are a-changing​. I sit down at talk Netflix, streaming, OTT, self-distribution and how you can screen your film to hundreds of potential buyers at the AFM.Jonathan Wolf is Executive Vice President of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA®) and Managing Director of the American Film Market® (AFM®). The Independent Film & Television Alliance is the global trade association of independent producers and distributors of motion picture and television programming. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization represents and provides significant entertainment industry services to 125 member companies from 20 countries

Today on the show we have filmmaker Cody Meirick. Cody is the director of the documentary Scary Stories, based on the wildly popular book series Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark. We discuss how he leveraged an underserved niche audience, how he piggy-backed off the major studio release of the narrative version and how he was able to get access to the key players in this niche.Enjoy my "scary" conversation with Cody Meirick.