The No Film School Podcast

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The DGA Deal Point Everyone Should Be Talking About, Plus Strike Updates Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

While most of us are focused on the current WGA and SAG strikes, the DGA has some internal issues it is working on fixing. Currently, DGA members who have to take time off to care for their newborn children, are being penalized for it. These members are working to get the DGA to change their policies in order to have a more equitable and just industry.

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

The reason Jessica started the DGA Parenthood Penalty campaign
The changes the DGA is making to their contracts
Why you should be active in your guild
Realizing the DGA wasn’t asking their members for feedback
Recent strike updates
How creatives take big risks just like the studios do
Pressure testing your script by anonymously submitting for feedback
Finding out how much money your film will cost to make
Supporting films with big marketing budgets

Memorable Quotes

“What’s astounding to me, is that these battles had to be fought in 2017 and not 1977.” [6:33]
“Unions and guilds set their policy based on the will of their membership.” [15:59]
“It shouldn’t be surprising that people have children…People are going to have families.” [21:38]
“The first thing you should be doing is writing 6 more feature scripts.” [42:44]

Resources:

DGA Parenthood Penalty Campaign

What Lessons Should Hollywood Learn From Barbenheimer?

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"Plan C" Editor Reveals the Skill Every Creative Should Foster Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

How does one balance their wellbeing while also working 16 hours a day? How do you sift through 300 hours of documentary film footage in an efficient manner? What type of people skills and character traits are necessary if you are thinking of becoming an editor?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Yaro Altunin and Editor Meredith Rathiel Perry

discuss:

The film, Plan C, and what it was like to create such a timely documentary
Working remotely from a 28 acre farm in Washington
Why Meredith was excited to work on this particular documentary
Feeling retraumatized over and over again when editing documentaries
What is was like to manage 300 hours of footage
Cool tricks for keyboard shortcuts
Why ripple deleting is so satisfying
Helping directors through the birthing process of their films
What really makes you a good editor
Remembering to be excited about the things that are working

Memorable Quotes

“You’ve been working 16 hour days for a month and you’re like ‘what am I doing with my life, I am so tired.’” [16:02]
“With docs you are shaping the story whereas a narrative has a script.” [29:18]
“I am a really visual screenwriter. I can see what I’m writing.” [30:40]

Resources:

Plan C

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Read the SAG Deal and See the Basic Needs the AMPTP Rejected

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Your Double Strike Questions Answered: Waivers, Indies, Subscriptions and More Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

As of June 13, SAG joined the writers union and is now on strike. This is the first time, since 1960, that the WGA and SAG have been on strike against the AMPTP. So what is the strike about, why isn’t the DGA also on strike, and can we simultaneously support the strike while also continuing to work in film?

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

Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) - why it’s so important
Why arguing only about AI is not effective for the strike
Our thoughts on the DGA not striking
Knocking over food delivery robots in Los Angeles
Writers coming out and discussing how poor the pay is
Why you should not do cosplay at Comic Con this year
Why boycotting subscription services won’t actually help
Physically supporting people on the picket line
Why indie filmmakers should seek waivers from unions
Our theories on how long the SAG strike will last
Why new filmmakers should be excited this is going on right now
How you can avoid working for an AMPTP company

Memorable Quotes

“What you want to be negotiating on is as many fronts you can possibly, emotionally sustain. Because that is how you actually win these battles.” [4:19]
“It’s very rare you win battles by picking a single subject.” [4:27]
“We will see this golden, indie surge afterwards. We are going to see a lot of amazing films coming out of this. ” [39:15]
“This industry isn’t done. We care about the future of the industry and we want to set it up properly to thrive way into the future.” [42:53]

Resources:

SAG-AFTRA Strike Rules for Creators and Indie Producers

Strong Asian Lead - Artist Directory

Strong Asian Lead - Free Asian American movies to watch

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Why You Shouldn't Choose a Lane as a Filmmaker Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

So you’re a beginner filmmaker who isn’t sure what path to take. Do you focus on commercials, television, documentaries, or feature films? Well, who says you have to pick just one lane and stick to it?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Natalia Leite discuss:

Natalia’s path to writing and directing
Why she is so grateful she started her career in documentaries
Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to break script
Being belittled on set of her first feature film and standing up for herself
Why she doesn’t like to physically rehearse the script
What is was like to prepare actors for sexual assault scenes in her second feature
How vulnerable it is to be an actor
The benefits of approaching different formats as a director
How she likes to shotlist the edit
Allowing yourself the learning curve in your film career

Memorable Quotes

“I just love that mish-mash of stuff of how to blur the lines of what’s real and what’s not.” [8:39]
“I love working with actors and I always try to connect with them on a deep, vulnerable level.” [15:40]
“There’s so much to be had in collaborating and fulfilling someone else’s vision.” [32:46]

Resources:

Natalia’s Instagram

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What Indie Filmmakers Can Learn From ‘Indiana Jones’ Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

What can we, as independent filmmakers, learn from movie franchises with big legacies? How is AI affecting the careers of writers and actors? What is the best way to properly insure film equipment in the event it gets stolen?

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

Box Office numbers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
The Blumhouse model versus the studio model
The lack of spark and zest in legacy films
Weird pacing in big studio movies that confuse us
Lessons indie filmmakers can take from the Indiana Jones franchise
The crazy TikTok “teenage filter”
Using AI to alter acting performances in post production
Why insuring your film gear is extremely important
Whether or not your homeowners policy will cover your film gear
Voluntary parting - is it considered theft or fraud

Memorable Quotes

“That 300 million dollar movie that you think is a safe bet, often isn’t.” [3:34]
“Writers and actors are facing huge, catastrophic changes based on A.I.” [29:42]
“Unity is everything here. Unity is the only thing we have to try and exert any power.” [31:39]

Resources:

Her Arts Lab in Italy

Asteroid City

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You Feeling This Podcast trailer

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What Podcasters and TV Writers Can Learn From Each Other Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

What are the similarities and differences when it comes to working in film versus working in podcasting? What lessons can we take from filmmaking into the audio space, and vice versa?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, Andrew Barbot, Joanna Hausmann, and Marcus Thorne Bagalà discuss:

The inspiration behind this roundtable discussion
Starting in TV and moving into podcasting
Opportunities for experimenting and world building
Hijacking listeners imaginations through podcasting
The differences in casting for podcast shows versus tv shows
The challenges involved in scripted podcasts
Using sound design to avoid exposition
Grounding your podcast in specificity
Being much more aware of sound and audio
People getting into the space that don’t understand it

Memorable Quotes

“Maybe I forgot about it because I just blacked it all out.” [11:49]
“You have flexibility in audio that you don’t have in tv and film.” [19:19]
“Is this something you want to spend hours of your week doing, not because an audience will like it, but because it will come naturally to you.” [39:54]

Resources:

Andrew’s work

Follow Andrew on Twitter

Joanna’s work

Follow Joanna on Instagram

Marcus’ work

Follow Marcus on Twitter

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The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend

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The Boundary-Pushing Tech at Cine Gear and Tribeca Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Immersive gaming, augmented reality, and new camera technology. We experienced all of this and more at the 2023 Cine Gear Expo and the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Yaro Altunin discuss:

The immersive gaming floor at Tribeca
How important it is to lean into the format you are using to tell a story
Using AI to craft art, not generate it
The similarities of cameras at the Cine Gear Expo
Explaining what an ND filter is
Reading scripts on a tablet
Why you need to properly slate every shot
Where we get our clapper boards
The movies we are excited to see this summer
What scares us about streaming services

Memorable Quotes

“This really did feel like it was a storytelling setting with an escape room experience.” [3:17]
“The gaming world is exploding as the filmmaking world is in a less than stable place.” [8:16]
“You can go to any company and pick up any camera, and shoot an incredible movie with it.” [21:12]
“It’s a pivotal moment that transforms a set into a scene.” [33:13]

Resources:

Tribeca Festival

Cine Gear Expo

Monstrorama

In Search of Time

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What Can Tribeca Doc Editors Teach Us About Tools, Tone and Working Remote? Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

How do you figure out your film’s story in the edit, when your story has no script at all? The skill of editing is absolutely critical to the filmmaking and storytelling process.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and editors, Kelly Kendrick and Jamie Boyle discuss:

Their experiences at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival
The similarities between the documentaries
How to tell a story with multiple characters
Balancing the dark moments and joyous moments by toggling between the characters
The challenges in portraying well-intentioned, yet flawed characters
What the collaborative process looked like during editing
Receiving feedback and taking in the essence of the notes being given
Integrating text and print into the documentaries
Favorite editing tools and hacks

Memorable Quotes

“We didn’t want to try to tell people how to feel about the stories.” [19:18]
“You kind of become a middle man and you don’t even know what’s been communicated to everybody.” [40:18]
“I don’t think there really is an unhelpful note, it’s more so just getting to the seed of what they’re needing.” [43:27]
“It’s so satisfying to make a scene shine before you’re sending it out to festivals or directors.” [52:19]

Resources:

Tribeca Film Festival

Every Body

Breaking the News

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How To Sell Your TV Show Plus a Sundance Episodic Darling Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

So you have written a tv show that you want to sell, but how do you do it? How do you get people to become intrigued and vested in your idea? How much should you practice your pitch, and can you use gimmicks in the pitch meeting to grab attention?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, Jason Hellerman and the team behind the show, Chanshi discuss:

Defining what an “If Come” is
Realizing that the showrunner must have past experience on other other tv shows
Answering the ‘why now’ and ‘why you’ in a pitch meeting
How to not feel icky when selling an idea
Evaluating agents and managers just like they evaluate you
Using unique gimmicks and stunts when pitching
Chanshi - a hilarious, heartfelt, yet dark tv show filmed in Israel
Why they didn’t write the main character as ‘more likable’
Difficulty casting American actors in Israel
What it was like having two directors on set for the show

Memorable Quotes

“Your excitement for the idea will be contagious.” [13:10]
“When you’re selling anything, you’re not just looking to sell it. You’re looking to find the right partner.” [14:02]
“You cannot practice your pitch enough.” [27:09]
“We both hated writing. That’s what brought us together.” [51:25]
“Finish on time or we’re going to shut your cameras off.” [60:00]

Resources:

Chanshi

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