
605 episodes

The No Film School Podcast No Film School
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- TV & Film
A podcast about how to build a career in filmmaking. No Film School shares the latest opportunities and trends for anyone working in film and TV. We break news on cameras, lighting, and apps. We interview leaders in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and producing. And we answer your questions! We are dedicated to sharing knowledge with filmmakers around the globe, “no film school” required.
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Live From Sundance: Festival Favorites, Acquisitions, and the Good/Bad/Ugly of Networking
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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Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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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
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.
Full transcript available here.
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.
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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Live from Sundance, plus Powderkeg Media’s Head of Development Approaches the Fest in a Time of Pure Flux
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
Adobe
Alyssa Miller
GG Hawkins
Ryan Koo
Powderkeg
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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Facebook
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YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool
Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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What We Wish We Knew About Film Festivals When We Were Younger
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
Artists Fight A.I in New Class Action Lawsuit
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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YouTube
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https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool
Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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What is the 'Secret Sauce' of a Great Film? Oscar-Winning Editor Lee Smith Helps Us Find Out
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
Empire of Light is in theaters
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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Facebook
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Twitter
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YouTube
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Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool
Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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Why is Francis Ford Coppola Losing His Crew?
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
Is Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ in Trouble?
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
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Facebook
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Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!
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