The No Film School Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How To Keep Your Production Running Smoothly Across Every Medium Sep 18, 2017

Show notes

Why do theater when you can do film? Why do film when you can do theater? Why do one when you can do both? Why do both when you can do VR? Director Dan Hasse and director/actor Taylor Myers are an ambitious pair of artists based in New York City who grappled with these pressing questions at length before finally coming to a conclusion. The answer? Just do all three. The duo went abroad earlier this year after conceiving the idea to fly to Ireland, rent a castle, and perform an immersive theater adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal play Hamlet. Then they thought, well why would we limit this experience to just a few people? So the theater makers, brought along a crew and decided to become filmmakers as well. The result is Hamlet in the Golden Vale, a feature-length film that will be appearing on the festival circuit next year. All of this output from a single independent film production is made even more impressive considering that In the process, they also managed to secure funding for a companion VR piece as well. Dan and Taylor sit down with No Film School Producer Jon Fusco to discuss their multi-pronged effort to make the most of their eleven days in Ireland and the difficulties in translating from stage to the screen in all different aspects of production. From screenwriting to acting to directing they share a few tips on how to keep things running smoothly across every medium.

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IFW 9.14.17: All Things Apple & Panasonic's Surprisingly Affordable New Camera Sep 14, 2017

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In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Charles Haine bring you a fall gear preview. We discuss all the latest gear news coming out of Amsterdam's IBC expo, including more details of Panasonic's EVA-1 and major Resolve upgrades, plus the multiple Apple announcements made at the company's annual launch event and how they affect indie filmmakers. We also cover a bevy of indie acquisition news out of TIFF, Louis CK’s top-secret DIY movie, the Creative Arts Emmys, and Disney's latest Star Wars shakeup. As always, the show also brings Ask No Film School, plus news you can use about 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. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com.

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How a 4-Day Journalism Assignment Became an Explosive Yearlong Doc Production Sep 11, 2017

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When Israeli journalist Maya Zinshtein took on a four-day assignment to cover the arrival of two foreign players to a local soccer club, she had no idea that it would turn into a year-long making of a feature documentary that dramatically reveals the skeletons in her own country’s closet. But this was no ordinary soccer team—and this is certainly not your average sports documentary. The team at the center of the film is Beitar Jerusalem, which had been historically known for the right wing politics and even racist tendencies of its fan base. In fact, It was the only team in Israel’s premier league never to sign an Arab player. When two Muslim players from Chechnya were brought onto the team, the resulting backlash exposed the ugliest parts of Israeli society, and threatened to tear the team and country apart. Rarely does a documentary—especially about something as apparently innocuous as soccer—expose so many layers of one society, from race to class to politics to economics. But it didn’t come without Zinshtein’s own battles. In her conversation with No Film School's Liz Nord, she is very candid about how she overcame the challenges she faced making the film, especially in trying to convince people to let her turn vérité cameras on them in the midst of personal and national crises.

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IFW 9.7.17: From Werner Herzog to Barry Jenkins: Best Advice from Over 50 Filmmaker Interviews Sep 07, 2017

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In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Emily Buder jump into fall festival season with reports from Venice, Telluride, and TIFF. We also share some positive financial news for indies against the backdrop of the summer blockbuster fail. For her very last episode ever, Emily shares a compendium of all the best filmmaking advice she's received from dozens of interviews with groundbreaking filmmakers. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, including the world's highest capacity microSD card, and answers a pressing Ask No Film School question about lens adapters and flange focal distance. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com.

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'Expect That Everything Will Go Wrong': How to Ensure Your First Short Film is the Best it Can Be Sep 04, 2017

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Making a short should be an easy thing, right? That’s what No Film School Producer/Editor Jon Fusco thought when he decided he would finally shoot his own. He was wrong. Making any film, no matter the length is certain to be an ordeal. In both pre-production and on set, many more things are bound to go wrong than right. Fusco sits down with award-winning short director Hughes William Thompson to discuss some of the more common struggles first-time filmmakers face and the steps that you can take to ensure your production goes as smooth as possible.

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IFW 8.31.17: The Best Way to Choose an Anamorphic Lens & Who Rules the Indie Box Office? Aug 31, 2017

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In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Charles Haine reveal the best anamorphic lens test we've ever seen and ponder the future of indie stalwart Fox Searchlight. We also discuss how one actor is proving that Hollywood really can change how it does casting, and say a sad goodbye to influential horror director Tobe Hooper. In gear news, we discuss ShareGrid's comprehensive new anamorphic lens test, and Charles answers an Ask No Film School question about how to best pull off a multi-user workflow in post-production. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com.

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What to Do When You've Lost All Hope for Your Film Aug 28, 2017

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Director Janicza Bravo and actor Brett Gelman were 'covered in blood' while trying to get their film ‘LEMON’ made, but now it's theatrically released by Magnolia Pictures. The pair are rising stars in both TV and independent film—she directed a Sundance-winning short and an episode of Emmy-winning ‘Atlanta’ and he has appeared in dozens of shows and his own Adult Swim comedy specials—but ‘LEMON’ was born out of the same creative frustrations and anxiety that plague the rest of us. The real-life married couple co-wrote the film, which Janicza directed. In it, Brett plays Isaac, a bit of an unlikable sad sack in the middle of one of life’s downward spirals. In this episode, No Film School’s Liz Nord sits down with the couple on the night before the film's New York premiere, and they share very candid details about the six-year struggle to get the film made, how they overcame each hurdle, and how the industry actually works.

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IFW 8.24.17: The Death of Final Cut 7 & Indie Film's Sex Abuse Scandal Aug 24, 2017

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In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Emily Buder discuss the CineFamily controversy that's shaking up LA's underground film scene, how much cash exactly is made by the films of top-grossing indie directors, and an update on last week's record-breaking story about whether or not MoviePass will mean the end of theater-going as we know it. We also say sad goodbyes to editor Eric Zumbrunnen, comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis, and the print edition of the Village Voice. Charles Haine joins us for gear news, including the death of Final Cut 7, and answers an Ask No Film School question about how to create a fog effect in your film. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com

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The First Family of DIY on How to ‘Make Your Own Damn Movie' Aug 21, 2017

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The reigning families of modern American movies are household names: the Coppolas, the Gyllenhaals, the Afflecks. But what about the Kaufmans? If you are a filmmaker, they have very likely affected your life. Dad is Lloyd Kaufman, creator of the Toxic Avenger and king of B-movies, whose independent studio Troma Entertainment has produced and distributed more than 1,000 films. Mom is Pat Swinney Kaufman, who was the deputy film commissioner for New York State for 20 years. Their daughter is Lisbeth Kaufman, co-founder of KitSplit, which is now the biggest online camera rental company. Liz Nord speaks with the family and between the three of them, there’s a veritable treasure trove of industry gold.

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IFW 8.17.17: 8K is a Lie & Will the Controversial Plan to Make Movies Cheap Actually Kill Them? Aug 17, 2017

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In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Emily Buder ponder whether or not cameras have reached peak resolution, and debate the merits of MoviePass’s new plan to let you see unlimited movies in theaters for $10 a month. We also discuss Facebook's aim to become the new YouTube and Apple's billion-dollar content investment. I answer an Ask No Film School question about what the heck to do with your short film once it's finished, and we hear from the Safdie Brothers about their new film ‘Good Time’, which opens in theaters this week. As always, we also bring you the latest gear news, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, new indie film releases, weekly words of industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films. You can see all the links from this show in this week’s podcast post at nofilmschool.com.

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