The No Film School Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Making the Move from Producer to Director: Cristina Gallego on 'Birds of Passage' Dec 03, 2018

Show notes

While Cristina Gallego was busy working as a producer on her partner Ciro Guerra's magnificent film "Embrace of the Serpent", she caught wind of a story from one of the many indigenous non-actors onset. That story was one that perhaps many of us have heard before, a Colombian man finds partners in America that he can sell drugs to, becomes fantastically wealthy and ends up abandoning his morals as a result. Except "Birds of Passage" is so much more. With Gallego and Guerra at the helm, we get a glimpse at a side of this much-glamorized Narcos-era that we've never seen before. The film presents the narrative from an indigenous Colombian perspective, full of magical realism steering from traditions that go back hundreds of years and is perhaps the most authentic story concerning its subject matter of all time. Think of it as a thrilling mixture of The Godfather and One Hundred Years of Solitude, where we watch the entire history of two families whose native ways are slowly brought to a halt as they engage in the burgeoning drug trafficking business. Eventually, it brings a war to control the business that ends up destroying both their lives and their culture. There is no other pair of directors in the world that could've told this story, and for her part, Gallego switched from a lifetime of producing to the role of co-director in order to more clearly communicate her vision. I sat down with her at TIFF to talk about what that transition was like, working with Ciro Guerra, and finding the stories that stem from your own history.

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IFW 11.29.18: The First Film Awards of the Season & How to Shoot Safe Sex Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are here to catch you up on all the stuff you missed while in a tryptophan coma last week. Believe it or not, awards season has officially begun and we have a full report on what could be the year's top contenders. Plus the perennial riddle of how to best shoot sex on film may be closer to being solved. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he discusses some rumors surrounding new cameras from Canon and Sony. On Ask No Film School - what program should you use for editing on an older computer? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

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Yorgos Lanthimos on How to Shoot Surrealist Film Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

If you've seen any of Yorgos Lanthimos' films, then you know the Greek director isn't afraid to put anything on the screen. Like many famous surrealists, Lanthimos isn't interested in exploring stories where things go right, he wants his audience to see what's wrong in the world. To him, nothing is off limits and any dark side of the human psyche is worth exploring. In surrealist film, any image can be too much or too little. It's a delicate balance, but one that Lanthimos has truly mastered with his latest film The Favourite. A period piece set in early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne Olivia Colman, occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, however, her charm endears her to Sarah and a competition to be the queens favorite emerges. In this interview, Lanthimos is joined by screenwriter Tony McNamara to discuss how commercial work early in his career ended up steering him in the complete opposite direction, not conforming to filmic norms, and breaking every possible rule you can.

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IFW 11.22.18: A Thanksgiving Miracle & Are Big Changes Coming for Final Cut? Nov 22, 2018

Show notes

Jon Fusco and Erik Luers are stranded together in Brooklyn for yet another turkey day, but a major announcement from The Criterion Collection has given them plenty to be thankful for. On the other side of the coin, we take a moment to remember one of the greatest American screenwriters of all time. Charles Haine joins us for gear news where big changes may soon be coming for Final Cut users and on Ask No Film School - how do you avoid casting shadows when setting up your lights? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

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Academy Award Winner László Nemes on Following Your Inspiration to Success Nov 19, 2018

Show notes

How we approach history and how we approach film are very similar. As László Nemes puts it, history doesn’t work the way we think it works, we think we know more about these events in our past, but there’s no way of ever knowing firsthand what the atmosphere at the time actually was. In much the same way, we can lean on popular conceptions of the way films should be made or we can question the existing language of cinema and follow our own inspiration. The truth is, you don’t have to start from ground zero. As a filmmaker, you are already taking in an enormous amount of influences, every single day. Cinema is about your adventure. It’s not about what someone tells you will work. Nemes has followed his own guiding light, despite going to film school, on every project he’s ever made. History is his muse, but his style comes from a curriculum which he’s curated himself. This is something you can do too. Nemes’ debut feature Son of Saul earned him an Academy Award, a BAFTA, several grand jury prizes at Cannes, and dozens more. His latest film, Sunset, features a stunning performance from Juli Jakab as a young milliner in Budapest before World War I, whose bent on finding out how her family lost control of their prized hat store. I sat down with both Names and Jakab at TIFF where we discussed making period films thrilling, ignoring your film school teachings and much more.

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IFW 11.15.18: Our Favorite Books on Cinema & The Death of a Real-Life Superhero Nov 15, 2018

Show notes

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are here to recap what was a truly insane week in the world, even in the film industry. They discuss an unexpected loss in the epicenter of cinema as fires continue to rage through Southern California and say goodbye to one of the world's greatest storytellers - Stan Lee. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where he reveals a major acquisition from Teradek, new features from Nikon and why RED's much-hyped Hydrogen may end up a major disappointment. On Ask No Film School, we give recommendations on a few books to check out on cinematic technique. As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

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Mike Leigh on How to Become Your Actor's Dream Director Nov 12, 2018

Show notes

Working with Mike Leigh is what you would call an actor’s dream true. Since his debut in 1972, the seventy-five-year-old legendary British director has made twenty films and consistently refined his craft to fit a process where the collaboration with actors is paramount. This is due in part to his own experiences at acting school in the 60’s, where he felt confined by rigid Shakespearian premeditation and hostile attitudes towards experimentation. Perhaps his only rule now is that he must discover what his film is through the making of it. This starts with the actors and in effect, it begins as early as the audition process. Here he negates modern methods, instead opting for one on one improvisations with those going out for the part. Later these improvisations will become the basis for building scenes throughout the production and as a result, they are stacked one upon the other to build a narrative. We sat down with Leigh at TIFF this year, where his latest film Peterloo made its North American premiere. We nail down his process with actors, from audition to production and confronting your own status quo by challenging yourself as a filmmaker with every new film make. The advice he gives is invaluable.

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IFW 11.8.18: The Greatest Foreign Films of All Time & How Much You Should Be Asking for Upfront? Nov 08, 2018

Show notes

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are here this week to reveal a few of their favorites from what BBC has labeled their one hundred greatest foreign films of all time. Is your favorite on the list? Plus should "A Star is Born" really come with a trigger warning? Charles Haine joins us for gear news, where we talk Aputure's new venture into sound with Deity microphones and a new cage that actually may be worth checking out. On Ask No Film School - how much should you ask to be paid up front for a new gig? As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

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'Diamantino': How to Make a Masterpiece Out of Your Mistakes Nov 05, 2018

Show notes

For co-directors Daniel Schmidt and Gabriel Abrantes, the making of Diamantino was just as, if not more complex, than the award-winning film's insane plot. It tells the story of Diamantino, the world's premier soccer star, who loses his special touch and ends his career in disgrace. Searching for a new purpose, the international icon sets on a delirious odyssey where he confronts neo-fascism, the refugee crisis, genetic modification, and the hunt for the source of genius. That's a whole lot of ground to cover within the confines of an hour and a half, and after seeing the first assembly of their cut, the duo was dismayed and ready to throw in the towel. Even during production, Schmidt felt as if they had bit off a little more than they could chew. Unhappy, they walked away from the project and decided to regroup at a later date. Ultimately, they came to realize that they still had a fair amount of interesting material they felt they could work with and that their failures could, through the magic of post-production, be turned into an avante-garde tour de force. Using stock imagery, frenetic archival footage and green screen wizardry they spliced together a cut worthy of Cannes, New York Film Festival, The Toronto International Film Festival and more. We sat down with Schmidt prior to Diamantino's screening at TIFF and talked about adapting to difficult circumstances, learning from mistakes, and never giving up hope on your vision.

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IFW 11.1.18: Farewell FilmStruck & Is Apple Finally Filmmaker Friendly? Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

Jon Fusco, Erik Luers, and Liz Nord are back together again, this time to mourn the loss of yet another brilliant streaming service. But while our home options dwindle, box offices around the country continue to put up big numbers. So much so that Alamo Drafthouse has given its employees half a day off...for a much-needed reason. Charles Haine joins us for gear news fresh off Apple's big event in Brooklyn where they announced a new MacBook Air and more products designed with the intention of enticing filmmakers. Are they worth the plunge? In Ask No Film School - surefire methods to achieve hard and soft qualities of light. As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.

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