The No Film School Podcast

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How to Safely Light Chris Hemsworth on Fire Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

Sam Hargrave is an award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator, second unit director for films like Suicide Squad and Avengers:Endgame, and director of the film Extraction. His second feature film, Extraction 2, is available on Netflix, June 16.

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Sam Hargrave discuss:

The transition from stunt performing to directing
What a “stunt vis” is and why it's important for efficiency and safety on set
How directing a film is like being a switchboard operator
Why filming Extraction 2 was more challenging than the first film
Wanting to give the audience more the second time around
The specifics to the casting process
Operating the camera on the more dangerous scenes
Landing a helicopter onto a moving train
Making others feel invested in your project
Sam’s approach to emailing those he works with

Memorable Quotes

“I was young and flexible and really wanted to be Jackie Chan.” [4:06]
“There’s so many questions that come the way of the director. It feels like you are a switchboard operator on methamphetamines.” [10:07]
“Communication with other departments is one of the most important things in filmmaking.” [11:50]
“Each movie…is its own unique puzzle. It’s a labyrinth that you and the crew have to work your way through.” [14:34]
“When you can do something practically, always do it.” [23:12]

Resources:

Extraction 2 trailer

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How Heat Shapes Your Career & the Biz Feat Oscar-Nominated Producer Chris Moore & Team Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Heat is important to your film career. It means that you and your work are gaining attention and recognition, which can lead to more opportunities in the future. So how can you generate and navigate heat at an industry level? What contributes to “positive heat” or “negative heat?”

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman speak with Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile to discuss:

How Chris, Katie, and Dennis entered the industry and how they met
Why you need to promote yourself and your work
The One Moore Hollywood Podcast and the topics they discuss
The difference between “in the business heat” and “out of the business heat”
Seeing big corporations gravitating toward original ideas
How audiences decide whether they will watch a movie or not
Getting feedback on your ideas
Why your idea may be better suited for a different medium
Good Will Hunting - Generating authentic heat with the script
When you realize a script isn’t working
How your attitude and behavior affect the type of heat you generate
Sensing tension of the cast and crew while watching a movie

Memorable Quotes

“It’s like surfing. The best thing to do in your career is to read what’s happening around you and take the wave where it’s taking you.” [4:22]
“You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas. You can’t just operate in a vacuum and expect somebody to discover you.” [16:12 ]
“Go out and make something you think you would pay for.” [52:12]
“What’s the commercial version of your weirdness?” [1:01:28]
“Heat will come back to you. It will tell you if your shit is good. If you can’t generate any heat, that means your shit is not good.” [1:07:17]

Mentioned:

Follow Chris on IG

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Follow Katie on IG

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From Landing the Job to Boosting Morale: Sundance DP Roundtable Dives into Filters & More

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Is Achieving the American Dream Possible Through Cinematography? Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

How do you build a career as a cinematographer when the odds are against you? How do you create opportunities for yourself, when dealing with rejection, financial barriers, and prejudice? Is it possible to pursue your dream without conforming and becoming someone you are not?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with cinematographers Bruce Cole and Alejandro Mejía to discuss:

Being drawn to visual art from a young age
The people who encouraged and inspired their creative dreams
Feeling motivated by rejection
Why New York is a great place to start a film career
The importance of having mentors in your career journey
Stigmas they experience in the industry as minorities
Why we need to stop glamorizing film careers
How to maintain balance during long, tedious projects
Cultivating yourself and embracing who you are
Having another creative form of expression outside of film

Memorable Quotes

“I want to do this. I want to travel the world and know the world with a camera.” [14:25]
“New York is probably the best starter city for young filmmakers from all walks of life.” [40:09]
“This is not a speed race. This is a marathon. We are long-distance runners.” [71:28]
“We’re losing that artistry because we are so focused on being someone else.” [79:10]

Mentioned:

More about Bruce

More about Alejandro

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Troubleshooting Tech for Dummies & Bombing an Interview Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

The small decisions that you make at the beginning of your project, can cause headaches later on. If you want to avoid tech issues in post, then you need to set up your project correctly from the start. Speaking of doing things right from the start, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach your interviews. How should you prepare for your next interview to make sure it doesn’t bomb?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

Bombing interviews in Hollywood
What not to do during an interview
Going to interviews as a slightly fancier version of yourself
How to respond when someone doesn’t read your script
Feeling guilty for not reading other people’s scripts
Career errors we have learned from
The helpless feeling you get when troubleshooting tech problems
Media management issues in post-production
Sorting through the timeline and looking for weird shots
Why it’s worth bringing on subject matter experts early

Memorable Quotes

“Over-researching is never a mistake when you are given an opportunity.” [2:09]
“Everyone I know has made huge, catastrophic career mistakes and we’ve all kept going.” [9:00]
“Setting up things right from the start makes your life so much easier.” [30:29]
“God bless people in post-production. The most patient humans in the world.” [35:48]

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Let’s Talk About Sex (On Screen) With a Team of Intimacy Coordinators Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

Should you hire an intimacy coordinator for your next project? What exactly does an intimacy coordinator do? Does having this person on set ruin spontaneity? How can having more structure around intimate scenes, actually encourage freedom and creativity during the storytelling process?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Jamie Monahan, and Renata Soares to discuss:

The role of an intimacy coordinator
What led Lisa, Jamie, and Renata to become intimacy coordinators
Wanting to advocate for actors and their boundaries
How detailed screenwriters should be when writing intimate scenes
Knowing the intention behind sex scenes
How to choreograph and rehearse intimate scenes
Being hired as an “insurance policy” to protect production
What it looks like to be actively pursuing a safe space
Having a consent - forward mentality on set
The types of conversations an intimacy coordinator should have with cast and crew
How to redirect a situation that is not working
Why art doesn’t require graphic nudity to be amazing
How to become an intimacy coordinator

Memorable Quotes

“If you’re thinking of safety protocols for staged violence, why are we not doing the same for intimacy scenes?” [13:21]
“I love thinking about art and intimacy in a way that can move storytelling forward.” [19:10]
“The creative vision of the scene doesn’t come from the intimacy coordinator…we are there to facilitate the vision to become reality.” [30:04]
“We are there to make everyone more comfortable in telling that story.” [56:26]

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To Rent or Buy Gear? Plus, Movies That Made Us Want To Make Movies Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

You are still a legitimate filmmaker even if you don’t own any gear. Most filmmakers actually don’t own the gear they use and for good reason. And speaking of gear, what movies geared you toward the path of filmmaking?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

Buying gear or renting gear - which is better?
When you should justify buying gear
Realizing how much work it takes to create a movie
The things that made us want to work in movies
Having fun with genre
Looking for books about the making of movies
The idea of being inserted into the story
How to influence others who don’t enjoy movies
Unpredictable twists that bail out the “bad guy”
The balance between fantasy and reality in a film

Memorable Quotes

“Most professionals rent because gear has wear and tear and you outgrow it.” [5:10]
“In the digital era, shit ages fast!” [11:13]
“I cannot imagine a human with two lungs, two ears, two eyes, and a heart not loving Tokyo Drift.” [27:01]
“I already knew I wanted to be a filmmaker before I read my first IMDb trivia page.” [18:32]

Mentioned:

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Problemista

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Pete Ohs Rethinks How We Make Movies Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

Who says making a movie requires expensive equipment, a large crew, and a script? Maybe creating a film can be a creative experiment between a couple of friends who are excited about the uncertainty of the journey that awaits. This was the realization Pete Ohs had when he recognized that the typical approach to filmmaking was not for him.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Pete Ohs, Will Madden, Frank Mosley, and Charles Watson to discuss:

Finding a location that is narratively inspiring and accessible
Thinking about the edit while directing
An extremely unique and collaborative way to develop characters
Creating a score that is not traditional to other films
Pete’s unique approach to creating movies
How Pete keeps the budget so low and why it’s important
Feeling excited by the challenge of the limited resources you have
Why the uncertainty of this style of filmmaking is exciting and magical
Their Slamdance Film Festival experience
Other festivals and what they love about them
Starting with what you have available

Memorable Quotes

“Can I make a movie the way I did when I was fifteen?” [14:27]
“It doesn’t have to cost so much money. Filmmaking can just be an activity. It can be just a hobby.” [16:19]
“Every camera that’s new is good enough. You don’t need the newest camera.” [18:09]
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t be making a movie. You can do it if you want to.” [22:26]
“The things you think you need, you probably don’t.” [40:20]

Mentioned:

LOVE AND WORK teaser

Follow Pete on Instagram

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Follow Will on Instagram

Follow Charles on Instagram

Slamdance Film Festival

Film Fort in Idaho

Side Walk Film Festival in Alabama

Overlook Film Fesitval

American Film Festival in Poland

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Heard of The New, Controversial Script Coverage Service The Gauntlet?

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How Your First Ten Pages — Or AI? — Will Determine if Someone Finishes Your Script Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Getting your script into the hands of the right people is extremely difficult. What is a desperate screenwriter to do if they seek feedback on their screenplay? Are script coverage services helpful or just another cog profiting from an emerging filmmaker’s hope?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

Recalling memories from March 2020 when the world “shut down”
Why we are surprised that Nikon bought RED
The acquisition of BorrowLenses
The importance of the first 10 pages of your script
Why the opening scene of The Godfather is so powerful
The Gauntlet - a controversial script coverage service
What infuriates us about AI script coverage
Why AI cannot evaluate creative screenwriting
Hollywood, the hope machine

Memorable Quotes

“In those first ten pages you know, what is this movie and who is it for.” [14:55]
“The idea of AI evaluating your script is fucking horseshit.” [26:08]
“We keep engaging in this fantasy that AI can think. AI cannot fucking think.” [30:52]
“That’s what Hollywood is. It’s a hope machine. You always have perpetual hope that tomorrow you can become famous.” [40:46]

Mentioned:

Lensrentals To Acquire BorrowLenses

Why All AI Script Coverage is a Scam

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‘Damsel’ Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Sets Fantasy on Fire (And It Looks Awesome) Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

If you want to succeed with fantasy and make it a transformative experience, you have to create real characters. To convey realness, you have to go beyond the “good versus evil” narrative of traditional fantasy movies. You have to create duality.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, to discuss:

Why Juan Carlos became a filmmaker
The complicated family dynamics in his film, Damsel
Why he loves portraying duality in the characters
Why you always have to have a plan, even if you don’t stick to it
How he prepares for production
A happy accident that became one of his favorite shots
The inspiration behind the violent fire in the movie
Creating a proper fire simulation
Why you have to chase your own voice

Memorable Quotes

“I thought ‘oh my god I have to make movies like this.’ ” [5:46]
“I’m much more willing to show the grey zone, because I think that takes you into the reality.” [11:35]
“You have to give space to happy accidents.” [16:26]

Mentioned:

Damsel

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