The No Film School Podcast No Film School

We had the chance to speak to Grant Petty of Blackmagic Design at this year’s NAB conference. It was as much of a conversation about technology and innovation as it was a conversation about human nature. 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Jourdan Aldredge speaks with Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty to discuss: 

Developing the URSA Cine with a post-production mindset

Zero-cost options from Blackmagic for beginners

Why Grant doesn’t like to compete with others

PYXIS camera and its features

Creating products that lend to an efficient post-production workflow

Exciting new changes and updates to DaVinci Resolve 19

Grant’s opinion on AI and the future of editing 

The moment he fell in love with color correction

Feeling lonely and misunderstood

Why you have to be a ruthless, yet empathetic product engineer



Memorable Quotes

“Business people are some of the stupidest people in the world.” [22:25]

“A lot of this technology is just shit. It’s not very reliable.” [29:11]

“If it gets too smart, it’s just another species to kill. Humans are fantastic at killing everything. We just gotta go hunting computers.” [30:45]

“With creativity comes great loneliness.” [47:58]

“You got to be simultaneously ruthless and simultaneously full of empathy.” [50:00]


Mentioned:
A First-Hand Look at the New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K at NAB 2024 

Check out Jourdan's article 

Blackmagic URSA Cine

Blackmagic PYXIS

DaVinci Resolve 19   




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Erick Sasso is a multi-hyphenate creative and the editor of the film, Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, which documents the life of Tyler Perry. Erick compares the making of documentaries to the making of a meal. You need to use the right ingredients…not too much, not too little. And everyone at the table has to enjoy it.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with filmmaker Erick Sasso to discuss: 

Making music videos with his friends in high school

Realizing you can reverse engineer in the edit

The importance of charging adequately for your services

How he landed the editing job on Maxine’s Baby


What it looks like to fall in love with the subject

Navigating topics such as abuse and childhood trauma 

What it was like seeing emotional reactions from the audience

Important lessons he has learned about being a filmmaker

Setting up projects in Adobe Premiere

Overcoming tech fears and looking forward to new updates

Why editors make the best directors

Focusing on development and learning from others


Memorable Quotes

“Usually you are not charging enough. Usually, you are charging way less than industry standard.” [12:38]

“When you edit a lot, it’s really creepy when you meet people.” [32:59]

“You may think you are a hard worker until you meet someone who is doing 10x your output.” [35:09]

“You need to become a pro at uncertainty.” [60:24]



Mentioned:
Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story

Erick's website

Connect with Erick on IG


Find No Film School everywhere:

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Rod Blackhurst and Noah Lang are the dynamic duo behind the film Blood for Dust, starring Kit Harington, Scooty McNairy, and Josh Lucas. These filmmakers share why leading with honesty, openness, and enthusiasm is the key to building strong relationships and creating successful films. You don’t have to be cutthroat in this industry in order to achieve your filmmaking dreams.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with director Rod Blackhurst and producer Noah Lang to discuss: 

How Rod and Noah began working together

Why you should lead with honesty and enthusiasm

Making movies with the same people over and over again

Understanding what you have agency over in your career

How Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington came onto the project

How meeting David Gordon Green in 2012 eventually led to the making of Blood for Dust


The power of self-awareness and being a kind filmmaker

The vibe on set - having fun amid stress

What it looks like to make an honest living in filmmaking 



Memorable Quotes

“You can meet someone on the internet and become homies.” [3:27]

“You don’t need everyone to want to be on your team. You just need some of the right people.” [38:55]

“Being a good person and doing good work matters. It does result in good things happening.” [43:02]

“We’re rowing upstream, going against the grain. We’re out there believing in what we have. Wrestling with our choices, behaviors, actions, our own struggles, and darkness.” [50:44]



Mentioned:
Blood for Dust 

Here Alone

Connect with Rod on IG

Connect with Noah on IG

Witchcraft (Rod & Noah’s production company)


Find No Film School everywhere:

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https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool

Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com!
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Nina Ognjanovic is the director of the film, Where the Road Leads, which won Best Narrative Feature at Slamdance 2023. Nina and her passionate team prove you can successfully market a foreign, indie film on a limited budget and still win at major festivals in the US and worldwide.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Nina Ognjanovic, David Jovanovic, and Jana Bjelica to discuss: 

Their experience traveling from Serbia to the United States for Slamdance

Marketing the film using scrappy, creative methods

Their approach to casting and shooting

What it was like to act on multiple projects at the same time

How they handled shooting in an isolated location without cell service

Building trust with the cast, crew, and locals

The Slamdance experience and the reaction of the audience

The first shot of the film - finding a unique solution to a challenge

Setting the production schedule based on the weather conditions 

The magic they experienced during production

Why you need to fail and experiment before doing a feature 



Memorable Quotes

“It’s hard, but when you love your job, everything is possible” [9:23]

“I was freaking out day after day…my hair started falling off.” [21:35]

“Manage your expectations. Don’t write something you know you can’t deliver.” [30:58]



Mentioned:
Where the Road Leads on TikTok 

Where the Road Leads on Instagram 

Pointless Films Production House


Find No Film School everywhere:

On the Web
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Facebook 
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Twitter 
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YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool

Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com!
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Were you hoping work would pick back up after last year’s strikes? Unfortunately, work is epically slow, and 2024 is a rough year for the film industry. But just because Hollywood is slowing down, doesn’t mean you have to.

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

The industry post-strike

How higher interest rates are affecting streamers

The unpredictability of a career in film

Accepting the things out of your control

Living with family or friends to lower expenses

The unattainable “American Dream” 

Staying creative during this slow year

How famine years can have their benefits

An example of finding career success outside of Hollywood



Memorable Quotes

“Work is epically slow and it’s terrifying.” [3:44]

“If you don’t have three months of cash cushion in your bank account, do not feel bad.” [19:40]

“I don’t think we need to build our identity on outside markers of financial success.” [28:21]

“If you can’t be investing money, you can be investing your energy and creativity into your future career.” [32:52]



Find No Film School everywhere:
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YouTube 
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Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com!
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Sam Hargrave is an award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator, second unit director for films like Suicide Squad and Avengers:Endgame, and director of the film Extraction. His second feature film, Extraction 2, is available on Netflix, June 16. 

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Sam Hargrave discuss:

The transition from stunt performing to directing

What a “stunt vis” is and why it's important for efficiency and safety on set

How directing a film is like being a switchboard operator

Why filming Extraction 2 was more challenging than the first film

Wanting to give the audience more the second time around

The specifics to the casting process

Operating the camera on the more dangerous scenes 

Landing a helicopter onto a moving train

Making others feel invested in your project

Sam’s approach to emailing those he works with



Memorable Quotes

“I was young and flexible and really wanted to be Jackie Chan.” [4:06]

“There’s so many questions that come the way of the director. It feels like you are a switchboard operator on methamphetamines.” [10:07]

“Communication with other departments is one of the most important things in filmmaking.” [11:50]

“Each movie…is its own unique puzzle. It’s a labyrinth that you and the crew have to work your way through.” [14:34]

“When you can do something practically, always do it.” [23:12]


Resources:
Extraction 2 trailer


Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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Facebook 
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YouTube 
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Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com!
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