The No Film School Podcast

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Jason Woliner on Developing Filmmaking Stamina and Creative Confidence Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Today’s guest is director, Jason Woliner. Jason is the director of Borat 2, Nathan For You, and the latest rule breaking show, Paul T. Goldman. We chat about pushing forward on your ideas, even when receiving constant rejection.

In this episode, we talk about…

How comedy has evolved to include real people in real life situations
People thinking Paul’s story is completely fake and that he is just an actor
Allowing Paul to make decisions and follow his lead
Finally selling the show after getting over a hundred rejections
The role timing plays in getting projects made
Marveling at the decisions Paul’s mind made in writing the script

Memorable Quotes

“I feel like there’s been this shift where real life is just crazier and funnier than anything that is just purely written.” [3:28]
“The richness of life is so much weirder, funnier, more interesting than most written content.” [4:31]
“Yes, it’s unpolished and it sounds different, but it’s a real person expressing their version of their life.” [15:34]
“Most of my career has been spent trying and failing to get things made.” [23:22]

Mentioned:

Paul T. Goldman

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Nate Hurtsellers Instagram

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For These DP's Connecting with Story and Storytellers Prevents Burnout Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

In today’s episode, we host a roundtable discussion with cinematographers of four different Sundance films. We chat about problem solving on set, collaborating with directors, creative lighting solutions, protecting your energy for the stories you love, and finding the silver lining in the less than ideal projects.

In this episode, we talk about…

Four different Sundance films and what they are about
How these DP’s booked their jobs
Using a single camera versus two cameras
Implementing unique lighting techniques
Having longer takes with minimal camera movement
Working as a gaffer versus working as a DP
Finding the community you love and holding onto it
Recognizing the opportunity cost when you take a film just to shoot something

Memorable Quotes

“I feel like I have a connection to all these films because I’ve lived in New York, I have multigenerational family drama, I didn’t join a satanic cult, but I did go to theater camp.” [3:37]
“An intense amount of prep and being as prepared as possible with a detailed shot list, floor plans and photo boards.” [24:23]
“There is so much value in working on sets in other roles.” [43:13]
“You kill yourself for a movie and you don’t want to kill yourself for a bad one.” [46:08]

Mentioned:

Nate Hurtsellers - Theater Camp

Dan Adlerstein - Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Dan Adlerstein Instagram

Scott Miller - A Little Prayer

Scott Miller Instagram

Zach Kuperstein - Power Signal

Zach Kuperstein Instagram

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Live From Sundance: Festival Favorites, Acquisitions, and the Good/Bad/Ugly of Networking Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, No Film School founder Ryan Koo, writer Alyssa Miller, and podcast co-host GG Hawkins discuss their favorite aspects of Sundance 2023. They discuss the most impactful films they watched, the nature of networking at the festival, and the exciting film acquisitions that occurred.

In this episode, we talk about…

Sundance films that we loved
Mutual exhaustion and excitement everyone experienced at Sundance
Understanding the currency of human emotion
How, without Sundance, it would be difficult for certain films to be made
Why you don't need a full scale production to make a brilliant film
Having to navigate relationships in the industry with a guard up
The value in making connections in such a concentrated amount of time
Multiple $20 million acquisitions for independent filmmakers

Memorable Quotes

“Diversity in emotion. The entirety of the human experience is found in this slate.” [1:32]
“The currency of human emotion…will probably be one of the hardest things for A.I. to define.” [10:20]
“Wow! Movies are so alive and well. Independent film is so alive and well.” [29:21]
“You really bond when you’re freezing.” [30:26]
“You are your own business as a filmmaker, and you have to be making these connections.” [37:50]

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Full transcript available here.

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“Don’t Follow the Rules, Rewrite the Rules” — Sundance Director Alison O'Daniel on Slow Burn Filmmaking by Design, Weaving Captioning into Film Narrative Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Recently we were honored to interview the director of Sundance film, The Tuba Thieves, Alison O’Daniel. She shares what it was like to create a film that focused primarily on sound oversight. The Tuba Thieves not only challenges the rules of filmmaking, but it revolutionizes the way we do captioning.

In this episode, we talk about:

A film 11 years in the making. Slow burn by design…
The future of captioning and O'Daniel's How to Caption resource
Breaking the rules of filmmaking
Finding the champions of your project—both with labs and grants, and without ‘em
Patient, piecemeal filmmaking

No Film School's coverage of Sundance 2023 is brought to you by Adobe.

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Live from Sundance, plus Powderkeg Media’s Head of Development Approaches the Fest in a Time of Pure Flux Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

No Film School writers, Alyssa Miller, GG Hawkins, and Ryan Koo discuss the opening weekend of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

We share why it has been so great to be back at Sundance in person. Also, we speak to a Powderkeg development executive about the future of indie films.

In this episode, we talk about…

The difficulty in choosing what to go to due to all the options
Approaching your Sundance experience as if you are a character in a script
Sharing our various objectives and goals for the festival
Theories on the budget cuts Sundance has made
The lack of distribution of the films at the festival
Appreciating the happy energy of filmmakers at Sundance
Powderkeg’s purpose for going to the festival
How important it is to build relationships in this industry
Staying true to your voice by not chasing mandates

We also discuss the following Sundance films:

Birth/rebirth
In My Mother’s Skin
Cassandro
Claudio’s Song
Chanshi
Fantastic Machine
Magazine Dreams

Memorable Quotes

“It’s so hard to watch a movie in the middle of your work day and feel like you’re actually at a festival.” [0:50]
“Part of the filmmaker experience at Sundance is knowing where you sit in the pecking order.” [4:30]
“Even if you have a film in the festival, it doesn’t mean you’re getting into the party.” [8:07]
“The reality of Sundance is ditch or be ditched. And it’s gonna happen to you and you just have to accept it and go with the flow.” [8:19]
“Be honest, be authentic and put yourself out there.” [35:05]

Mentioned

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Artists Fight A.I in New Class Action Lawsuit

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What We Wish We Knew About Film Festivals When We Were Younger Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

In today’s episode, we offer our suggestions for how to have a successful Sundance experience. Also, we chat about having our film gear robbed from our cars, and we share our thoughts on a recent lawsuit against A.I.

In this episode, we talk about…

How people, who live in the same city, will make plans to hang out at a film festival in a different state
Why you need to volunteer or attend Sundance regularly
Getting over your ego and letting people think something was their idea
How to avoid buying stolen gear
Why we are worried about a particular A.I. lawsuit
Figuring out how to wield the A.I. sword in the future

Memorable Quotes

“You start getting stuff into Sundance, five years after you go regularly.” [9:51]
“You learn so much about whether or not you even have a chance.” [12:12]
“My job is to make you think it’s your idea.” [27:07]
“You’re a nerd. I can rent to you.” [36:56]
“There’s so much happening underneath the surface that we don’t know about.” [45:53]

Mentioned

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Empire of Light is in theaters

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What is the 'Secret Sauce' of a Great Film? Oscar-Winning Editor Lee Smith Helps Us Find Out Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Today’s guest is Editor Lee Smith, editor of 'The Dark Knight', 'Dunkirk', '1917' and recently 'Empire of Light'. We chat with Lee and find out more about this invisible art. He also describes what it was like working on the recent film, Empire of Light, now in theaters.

In this episode, we talk about…

Comparing Empire of Light to other films he has done in the past
The difficulty in choosing takes when working with great actors
Knowing how things will work in post production
Solving rubik's cube situations in the edit
Trusting your own instincts
What Lee thinks is the secret sauce to a good film
The defining film of his career
Pacing and rhythm of a film

Memorable Quotes

“It’s the same kind of thing as cutting a bigger film, just in a shorter amount of time and with obviously less complexity in the visual world.” [4:50]
“There’s a million things in editing that you can do to tweak anything.” [8:30]
“I am a lover of most films. There are very few films I won’t watch.” [13:18]

Mentioned

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Is Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ in Trouble?

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Why is Francis Ford Coppola Losing His Crew? Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

In today’s episode, we discuss the importance and benefits of diversity in filmmaking. Also, we chat about the problems with how the industry handles VFX work, and we discuss a big dilemma Francis Ford Coppola is now facing.

In this episode, we talk about…

The Golden Globes problem with diversity
Proactively diversifying our teams
The clique-like nature of filmmaking
How the industry doesn’t want to acknowledge good VFX work
Our theories about Francis Ford Coppola losing his entire crew
Why you should never self finance a movie

Memorable Quotes

“More diverse teams yield better products,stories, and films.” [5:53]
“Culture fit tends to become this blanket term of something that’s hard to overcome.” [8:35]
“Making conscious effort to find new collaborators is an exciting thing that should be pursued” [10:45]
“There’s a danger in brushing aside the labor that goes into it.” [21:27]

Mentioned

Golden Globe winners

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