Today I am thrilled to have acclaimed DP Oren Soffer on to talk about his recent work on The Creator, and all other things cinematography. Oren is of course known for his brilliant camera work on countless narrative, commercial, and music…
In this episode I am very excited to share my interview with the amazing Barbara Crampton – Known for her iconic genre films like Re-Animator, Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh, and countless others. After recently working with Barbara on our…
Recently I shared this thought on building a career as a filmmaker: It’s critical for every working filmmaker today to understand each of these realities. Everyone has a brilliant concept The only thing worse than having no idea of what…
Of any film that has attempted to shoot using day for night tactics, none pulled it off better than NOPE. But director Jordan Peele and DP Hoyte van Hoytema had to use some incredibly innovative techniques to get there. If you’re not…
In this episode, I share a breakdown of some amazing and unconventional lens choices on the feature film Poor Things. While many lenses were used throughout production, there were 4 in particular that I believe contributed most critically…
In the last year… 17,000+ films were submitted to Sundance. 100,000+ new films were produced or released. 1,000,000+ filmmakers actively worked on original material. And in the next few years these numbers will only grow exponentially.…
In this episode I am joined by DIY filmmaker Marty McGowan, who recently completed his feature film Ava on a budget of just $200! Throughout the episode, we unpack Marty’s creative process, how he pulled off a feature with a 2 person crew,…
In recent years, Hollywood has become more open minded to unconventional creative choices – whether in regards to aspect ratios, coverage style, or glass. As part of this trend, we’ve seen many older / obscure lenses (including vintage…
There are countless reasons why filmmakers quit. But perhaps the most common culprit is rejection. All filmmakers face pushback when trying to build a career. Whether it’s a well meaning parent suggesting a more “stable” job, or an envious…
Poor Things is an amazing feature film that achieves beautiful visuals through unconventional lens choices. In this article, we will explore four of the lenses used to create this signature look. Before we unpack each lens, it’s worth…
In this new solo episode, I break down these 8 common issues that can kill your indie film: Throughout the show I take a deep dive into the root cause of each of these issues, along with practical solutions for working around them. This is…
Last week I got a chance to shoot on the new Kodak Super 8 camera on a new short film. Below, I share a quick behind the scenes look into this project and my experience with the camera. In the next few weeks, I will be sharing a more…
There are a thousand reasons why a film might fail, which is why they say “any completed film is a miracle.” But some issues are more prevalent than others. And it’s always important to avoid falling into these common traps – 1. Big egos…
Over the past week we’ve seen a ton of AI-generated videos made by Sora – the new platform by Open AI. While Sora is not yet publicly available, the company has been releasing dozens of sample clips made with it. Many of which are hard to…
In this episode, I am joined by filmmaker Steven Pierce to talk all about his latest feature film Herd. The film follows a woman that ends up trapped between a zombie outbreak and warring militia groups while trying to outrun her past. An…
Using a non-standard aspect ratio is one of the most effective ways to subtly shift the tone of your film. In this post, I’ve highlighted some contemporary movies that benefitted from non-standard (often vintage) aspect ratio choices. I’ve…
In this new solo episode, I compare and contrast my experience directing and DP’ing two separate feature films, and share tips for other filmmakers looking to do the same. Throughout the episode we cover everything from camera & lens…
I just finished directing & DPing my latest feature film, and wanted to share some thoughts on the process. Hopefully this post can help some of you who are looking to juggle both roles on projects of your own. Before we get into some of…
Today I am joined by writer / director Benjamin Epstein to talk about his acclaimed feature film Buck Alamo, which stars Bruce Dern, Sonny Carl Davis, Lorelei Linklater, and premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival. Throughout the episode…
Recently I heard a quote by Jeff Bezos (of all people) that resonated with me as a filmmaker. Drawing from his experience growing Amazon into one of the biggest companies on earth, he said: “We need to be stubborn on the vision, but…
After taking a brief hiatus while in production for our new feature Teacher’s Pet, I am thrilled to return to the show! Before sharing a slew of new interviews with you, I wanted to first publish this solo episode to give you a behind the…
Last week we officially wrapped production on our new feature film Teacher’s Pet, which has been in the works for well over a year. This production was among the best I’ve ever been a part of, and truly exceeded my expectations in every…
In this episode I am excited to be joined by acclaimed DP Danny Ruhlmann, whose latest feature film Anyone But You (starring Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell) is out in theaters today. Throughout the episode Danny generously shares his wealth…
This week we did a pre-shoot for our upcoming feature – a one day production that took place a month ahead of the main schedule. I’ve never done this before, but it was hugely beneficial from a creative perspective… Originally I was simply…
There is so much noise out there about what it takes to be a working filmmaker. Everyone has a book you need to read, an event you have to attend, or a movie you should be studying. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. Except that it…
Today I am joined by filmmaker, director, and actor Scott Monahan to talk all about his brand new feature film Anchorage. Anchorage was shot in just 5 days on a budget of barely over $50,000, but that didn’t stop the film from landing a…
When I first started as a filmmaker, I wasted so much time thinking about the “right” way to do things. Before long, it was clear that there was no such thing as the right way. No matter what you may be measuring – There is no right way to…
Adding film grain to your project in post is one of the best ways to create a unique finishing touch and add polish to your visuals. However, in many cases, filmmakers struggle to achieve strong results due to three primary issues. It’s…
Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Tom DeLonge of blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, and To The Stars, here to talk all about his debut feature film Monsters Of California. As a longtime fan of Tom’s, it was a treat to host this conversation…
In this episode I am joined by writer / director Bishal Dutta to talk all about his debut feature film It Lives Inside. After making dozens of short films, Bishal leveraged his impressive body of work to develop an amazing feature film…