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

I'm always looking for indie filmmaking models to study. I like to analyze how other filmmakers make successful indie films while doing through a new DIY method, self distributing their film or achieving critical and fan respect for their work.Well I found a film that checks all the boxes, For Lovers Only create by the Polish Brothers, Michael and Mark Polish (more on that film later). These filmmakers have been making films, on their terms, for over a decade now.Since premiering at Sundance with their debut feature, 1999's Twin Falls Idaho, the brothers have remained steadfast in their commitment to creating personal, character-driven films.How does one make money shooting a feature film on a DSLR? The film in question came from a screenplay that Mark Polish wrote more than a decade ago called For Lovers Only, about an American photographer who runs into an old flame while on assignment in Paris. The film follows the rekindled lovers around Paris, France in a series of quiet vignettes that gradually reveal m

Do You Need a Movie Star to Sell Your Indie Film?Being in post production for over 20 years, many films have walked through my doors. Some with huge movie stars that go nowhere and other with no stars that win Sundance.The question is do you really need a movie star in your independent film to be able to sell it? The answer is yes...and no. I layout specifics on when and if you need star power in your film and I discuss what the new definition of star power is today.The times they are a changing my indie film hustlers and if you don't change with them you'll be left behind. Take a listen and let me know what you thin in the comments below.

Submitting to film festivals is a torture. Did I get in? Did the programmer watch it yet? When will I know? How much to submit? You wait by your email to see if Sundance or SXSW accepted you? Wouldn't be amazing if you had some insight to the film festival process? Maybe even some torture Film Festival Secrets?On the show today I have one of the leading authorities on film festivals, Chris Holland from Film Festival Secrets.com. The man literally wrote the book on the subject, Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook For Independent Filmmakers.So enjoy my conversation with Chris Holland.

This is a question I've been asked many times."What is an Independent Film?"Is George Lucas an independent filmmaker? He did make all his films outside the studio system and paid for them all out of his pocket. Is the $8000 horror feature created to with the sole purpose to be sold an independent film? Is the five million dollar film starring a major movie star that worked for scale an independent film?Take a listen

What can I say about Lloyd Kaufman? Director. Writer. Producer. Indie Filmmaker. Innovator. Nice guy. Pain in the ass of main stream media. I believe all of those statements are true and then some. Lloyd Kaufman is one the original indie filmmakers going back to the 1970's. The Troma Universe was born in 1974 with a series of highly original, raunchy comedies such as Squeeze Play!, Stuck On You!, Waitress!, and other film titles ending with an exclamation point.In my favorite decade, the 80's, is where Lloyd Kaufman really made a name for himself. His 1984 sleeper hit The Toxic Avenger launched his career and his production company Troma Entertainment. Creating his own brand of independent films, Lloyd Kaufman discovered there was a market for his "unique type" of films. The success of The Toxic Avenger was followed by a string of commercial and artistic triumphs in a similar vein, blending fantasy, comedy, bad ass action, and a bit of eroticism in a style that can only be described as “Tromatic”.To say this

No One Gives a CRAP What You Shoot Your Film On!OK, so before I get bombarded with hate email please hear me out. I was speaking to my filmmaker inner circle the other day and the topic of format and camera came up. I'm a huge tech head. I love gear as much as the next filmmaker.Hell, you can't make movies without gear. Advances in filmmaking technology has liberated a generation of storytellers, filmmakers and content creators. Now does the audience give a SH*T about what camera you used to make your movie...NO!If you want to know what it really takes to be a successful filmmaker in today's world take a listen to this short podcast.

IFH 063: The Walking Dead - Working on the Dead SetIf you are a Walking Dead fan you are going to LOVE this episode. If you ever wanted to know what an assistant director does on set you are going to LOVE this episode. On today's episode we have a long time friend Vince Gonzales. Vince has been working in the film industry for over top decades. His IMDB page is pretty crazy. He's worked on 90 classics like The Sandlot, Speed and What Dreams May Come. Now after 2000 his credits start to heat up: Pearl Harbor, Six Feet Under, Charmed, Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, Transformers: Age of Extinction and of course The Walking Dead. I wanted to bring Vince on the show to discuss his time on The Walking Dead but also what it takes to be an assistant director on both small and "monstrous" sets. Don't listen to this episode in the dark. 

Top 5 Film Festival SCAMS Filmmakers Need to Be Aware Of!I've been at a fair share of film festivals in my life and I've submitted to many more than I've been accepts to. With that said I have seen many less than honorable film festival organizers throughout the process. Now not all film festivals are run by grifters and con men but you need to be aware of the signs that a film festival you are submitting to may just be in existence to remove you from you hard earned cash and not to celebrate amazing independent film and filmmakers. I put together a few warning signs you should look out for when submitting to film festivals. Stay safe out there everyone!

If you have seen Star Wars then you know Joseph Campbell's work. If you ever have seen The Lion King then you have seen one of Campbell's best student's, Chris Vogler, work.Chris Vogler wrote the game changing book  The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. I read this book over 20 years ago and it changed the way I look at story. Chris studied the work and principles of the late master Joseph Campbell. His book The Hero with a Thousand Faces was the bases for Star Wars as well as almost every other Hollywood feature film in the past 60 years. What Chris Vogler did so well is that he translated Campbell's work and applied it to movies. The Writer's Journey explores the powerful relationship between mythology and storytelling in a clear, concise style that's made it required reading for movie executives, screenwriters, playwrights, scholars, and fans of pop culture all over the world. He has influenced the screenplays of movies from THE LION KING to FIGHT CLUB to BLACK SWAN to NOAH."I teach sometimes,

A Indie Film Hustle Tribe member recently asked me"Should You Work for Deferred Payment or Back End Points?"Believe it or not I get this question A LOT! So I decided to dedicate a podcast episode to the question. There are times I would say yes definitely work for deferred payment or back end points. I heard a story of a screenwriter that was asked to do a rush job, write an entire screenplay in two week over Christmas vacation. He really didn't want to do it but the agent said he could get him paid and get him back end points. The screenwriter took the gig, the producer love the script and the movie went on to gross $500,000,000 world wide. He took home over $20 million. Not bad.So yes there is a time to make that deal but alas there are times you should never work for deferred. Take a listen to when to and when not to work for deferred payments or back end points. 

Every once in a while I get sent a story that blows my mind. They story is a 17 year old 1st time director shoot and sells her first feature film (that was shot on 16mm) right out of the gate.How that hell does that happen? Well may I introduce you to Kansas Bowling, the director of the feature film B.C. Butcher. Inspired by the likes of Russ Meyer, Annette Funicello, and Roger Corman, Kansas and her friend Kenzie began writing a script in high school about a tribe of cavewomen being stalked by a prehistoric monster.Thus, the first prehistoric slasher was born! At only 17, Kansas directed, co-wrote, and funded her own feature film, entirely shot on 16mm, called “B.C. Butcher”.The film is unique in many ways, being a horror flick and a comedy, featuring live music, gore, gags, and campy historical inaccuracy. Because of this, immediately after shooting, “B.C. Butcher” caught the eye of Lloyd Kaufman (who will be a guest on the podcast in a few weeks), legendary producer/director and founder of Troma Entertainm

Working with a professional colorist can be intimating if you haven't done it before. I've been a colorist for over 12 years and have spent my fair share of time in a color grading suite.I decided to put together a few tips on how filmmakers and directors should work with a colorist. I also included a few videos to help you along on your post adventures.

Have you ever wanted to know what really happens behind the scenes at a top level film festival like the HollyShorts Film Festival? Well this week I kidnapped co-founder and film festival programmer Daniel Sol, tied him up in a darken warehouse and shine a bright light on his face to get the truth out of him. The interview might not have been that dramatic but Daniel laid down a ton of behind the scenes knowledge bombs you all you Indie Film Hustlers out there. HollyShorts! and I go way back. My first short film BROKEN played at the very first HollyShorts Film Festival over a decade ago and I've been friends with Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont (co-founders) ever since. They truly care about filmmakers and were name one of the Top 25 film festivals in the world worth the submission fee by Filmmaker Magazine. Enjoy my candid chat with Daniel Sol from the HollyShorts! Film Festival.

Is an agent or talent agency needed to make it in Hollywood? Well it helps! Seriously, this is a question I get asked all the time.In this episode I go over what you need to do to get an agent and also help you figure out if you need one right now. Below are the seven major talent agencies in Hollywood.APA Talent AgencySize: 3,400 clients; 325 employees (210 agents, 15 managing partners); offices in Los Angeles, New York and NashvilleOrigin story: Founded in 1962 by former MCA agents David Baumgarten, Roger Vorce and Harvey Litwin.CAA Talent AgencySize: About 5,000 clients; 1,500+ employees; 11 offices worldwide, including in ChinaOrigin story: Founded in 1975 by William Morris agents Mike Rosenfeld, Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, Bill Haber and Rowland Perkins.GERSH Talent AgencySize: About 2,000 clients; 175 employees (75 agents, 16 partners); offices in L.A. and New YorkOrigin story: Founded in 1949 by Phil Gersh.ICM PARTNERS Talent AgencySize: 4,500+ clients; 400+ employees (200+ agents and execs, 40 partners)

Michael Hauge - Writing a Screenplay That SellsYou are in for a treat. This week's guest, MICHAEL HAUGE has been one of Hollywood’s top script consultants, story experts and authors for more than 30 years. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, professional speakers, internet marketers and corporate leaders, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. Michael has consulted on films starring – among many others - Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman, and has presented lectures and workshops to more than 70,000 participants worldwide. He is the best selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell (now in its 20th Anniversary Edition), and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.” - Will SmithAfter our interview Mi

Over the years I've seen many of my fellow indie filmmakers get completely ripped off when they entered the post production process.So many promises are given and the rates they charge are criminal. I wanted to put together a podcast to pull the curtain back on the "true" pricing of post production services.Now this is based on my experience working in Los Angeles so the prices might differ depending where you are in the country or the world.I hope this episode provides a great amount of value and that it saves you your hard earned cash while making your next indie film. Enjoy!

Film distribution in a mystery to most indie filmmakers. It is filled with deception, scams, mis-information and straight out LIES! I wanted to put together an episode spotlighting the five major lies filmmakers hear about film distribution.Like many truths in the world these might not be easy to swallow but there is hope. If you have a plan "BEFORE YOU SHOOT YOUR FILM" your odds of success go up greatly.I see so many indie filmmakers killing themselves to make their films but have no idea how to recoup their money or actually make a living doing what they love to do. I hope this podcast helps.Insider View of Creating an Indie Feature Film - FULL ACCESS MEMBERSHIP

So the question of the moment is"Why are the Oscars® so white again? #OscarsSoWhiteThe 88th Annual Academy Awards haven’t even aired yet, and there is a hurricane of drama surrounding Hollywood’s most exciting night. Celebrities like Spike Lee and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have called for a boycott due to a lack of minority nominees.If you look at the graphic below (Courtesy of www.mirror.co.uk) you see the Acadamy doesn't have a firm foundation to stand on.Courtesy of www.mirror.co.ukI usually don't discuss topics like this on Indie Film Hustle but when the opportunity to have a sit-down with RB Botto from Stage32.com and talk all things Oscar I jumped at the chance.Related: Filmmaking Hacks: How to Shoot and Market Your Indie FilmWe discuss not only "Why are the Oscars® so white again? #OscarsSoWhite" but we discuss this year's Oscar races, surprises, snubs and we talk about the current state of the film business. Take a listen!

Stephanie Palmer - How to Pitch Your Film Like a ProEver wanted to learn the dark craft of being able to pitch your story idea successfully? Stephanie Palmer has made it her life's mission to help people do just that. Stephanie Palmer is a former MGM Pictures executive and best-selling author of the book "Good in a Room: How To Sell Yourself (And Your Ideas) And Win Over Any Audience"She has heard thousands of pitches. She know how to and how not to pitch your screenplay or story idea. She worked on films like Legally Blonde, Armageddon, Con Air and was even on an intern on Titanic, there's a very inserting story there.Learn how to pitch your screenplay like a pro with Stephanie Palmer.