The MAKE IT Podcast

Chris Barkley & Nicholas Buggs
  • 5.0 (100)
  • Film Interviews
  • Updated Biweekly

MAKE IT is the film podcast that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process. We dive into indie gems, massive blockbusters, cinema history, and everything in between. If you love movies and want more than polite chit-chat, this is your spot. Stay Inspired, Chris + Nick

  1. 5d ago

    442 - Illuminai Studios Founder Jesse Weglein on Being Laid Off at Pixar, Why AI Is the Brush, Not the Artist, and Animation's Next Frontier

    This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing. Use the Discount code: NASHFILM20 for 20% off EVERYTHING at themakeitpodcast.com Hello, Hello!  In this episode, Chris, Nick, and Producer Papa Bear sit down with Jesse Weglein — 15 years at Pixar, now founder of Illuminai Studios — joining live from the foot of Mount Fuji. Jesse worked on Up, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4 before a mass layoff ended that run and pushed him into building his own studio. He's using AI as a tool, not a replacement, to make original animated films for audiences the industry keeps overlooking — including his short film Roar, which Whoopi Goldberg picked for the Tribeca Film Festival. We also talk about: The creative culture at Pixar and what makes it impossible to replicate — including how directors would skip watching their own films in theaters to study the audience's reactions insteadThe global divide on AI in animation, from China's breakneck adoption of the technology to Japan's philosophical hesitation around whether AI can carry the "soul" of an artist's visionThe economic fragility of the animation business model, including the trend of outsourcing animation overseas and how AI might offer a path to reclaiming domestic production jobsThe importance of traditional art training as the essential foundation before any aspiring animator or filmmaker touches AI tools — and why skipping that foundation produces hollow, soulless contentThe passionate debate around AI's role in filmmaking, including the social policing happening on different platforms, copyright and trademark risks when using AI-generated imagery, and the distinction between using AI to accelerate creativity versus allowing it to replace it entirely People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: People Jesse Weglein  John Lasseter Steve Jobs Ed Catmull Pete Docter Frank Oz Andrew Stanton Whoopi Goldberg Phil Tippett Tim McLaughlin  John McCarthy Akira Kurosawa Hayao Miyazaki Fritz Lang Toshiro Mifune Lionel Messi Ray Kurzweil Isaac Asimov Dario Amodei  Sam Altman  Brian Adler Barbara Lowenstein  Films & Shows Up Toy Story 3 Toy Story 4 Toy Story 5 The Incredibles ROAR  Shine (Illuminai Studios) The Color Purple  Metropolis (1927) Seven Samurai  High and Low  The Wind Rises  Spirited Away  Rashomon  Red Beard  Starship Troopers  Jumpin' Jack Flash  Sister Act  A.I. Artificial Intelligence  Disclosure Day  The Boy and the Heron  The Odyssey  Companies & Organizations Pixar Animation Studios ILLUMINAI Studios Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) Google DeepMind Tribeca Film Festival Texas A&M Visualization Anthropic OpenAI / ChatGPT Apple Technicolor Nashville Film Festival WGA Software & Technology Maya Presto (Pixar's proprietary tool) Photoshop Suno Ray tracing / render farm Websites & Social Media illuminaistudios.com nashvillefilmfestival.org Books & Products Mastering Film Marketing (ebook) Make It Academy Up Lego Set Luxo Jr. Places Emeryville, California  Lake Kawaguchi / Mount Fuji Tokyo, Japan San Francisco, California Lucas Building/Steve Jobs Building Dartmouth College / Dartmouth workshop, 1956 Other References The Dan Patrick Show The View 2026 FIFA World Cup NBA Playoffs WHALE 52 — Suite For Man, Boy, And Whale  Dear Upstairs Neighbors  Joseph McCarthy / McCarthyism We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    442 - Illuminai Studios Founder Jesse Weglein on Being Laid Off at Pixar, Why AI Is the Brush, Not the Artist, and Animation's Next Frontier

  2. Aug 4

    SUMMARIES - Actress Christine Woods - How to Walk Into Any Audition Room and Completely Flip the Power Dynamic in Your Favor

    Hello, Hello! In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness take a deep dive into the life, craft, and career philosophy of actress Christine Woods — known for her roles in HBO's Hello Ladies, ABC's Flash Forward, and The Walking Dead — exploring how a profoundly shy girl from Lake Forest, California built a sustainable, authentic acting career by rejecting Hollywood's arbitrary rules. Drawing from a wide-ranging interview hosted by Chris, he unpacks how Christine transformed her fear of failure into a powerful, service-driven approach to storytelling that flips the traditional power dynamic of the audition room on its head. From her early tap dancing days and her grandfather Sterling's love of classic movie musicals to her unconventional college path, her manager's game-changing advice, and her expanding work as a producer and director, this episode offers a masterclass in building a creative career on your own terms. We also talk about: How Christine's grandfather Sterling — a hulking, ex-military man who secretly loved classic movie musicals — introduced her to films like Meet Me in St. Louis and Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, fundamentally shaping her belief that performance is communal storytelling, not ego-driven spectacleWhy Christine chose to attend the University of Arizona on a singing and vocal jazz scholarship rather than audition for prestigious conservatories like Juilliard or Carnegie Mellon, and how she made a calculated pivot to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater to fill a critical gap in her trainingHow severe creative constraints on low-budget indie sets — such as having only one hour left at a location to capture a crucial, emotionally exhausting scene — can actually serve as a psychological gift by forcing actors entirely into the present moment and bypassing the internal criticThe fascinating physiological mechanics behind Christine's on-set habit of performing classical vocal warm-ups right before the director calls action — including how stretching the jaw and engaging the vocal cords stimulates the vagus nerve to calm the parasympathetic nervous systemChristine's expanding work behind the camera, including producing and directing experimental comedy shorts with friends, such as one brilliantly titled Finding the A*****e, as a way to tell stories on her own terms without waiting for permission from industry gatekeepers People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned: People Christine Woods (actress) Sterling Woods (Christine's grandfather) Eric Emery (Christine's first LA manager) Joe Sill  Gene Kelly Judy Garland Billy Corgan  Frank Ocean Shows, Films & Projects Hello Ladies  FlashForward  The Walking Dead Meet Me in St. Louis Stray  Finding the A*****e — experimental comedy short Schools & Programs University of Arizona Juilliard Carnegie Mellon Social Media @TrickyBear (Christine Woods' Instagram) Bands / Artists The Smashing Pumpkins Frank Ocean Places Lake Forest, California We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    SUMMARIES - Actress Christine Woods - How to Walk Into Any Audition Room and Completely Flip the Power Dynamic in Your Favor

  3. Jul 24

    441 - How YouTube Lore Is Rewriting the Hollywood Playbook, Why George Lucas Is Right, and the New Rules of the Box Office (Your Father's IP Is Dead) - Indie Talk

    This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing Hello, Hello!  In this episode, Chris and Nick reunite for an Indie Talk episode packed with film industry insights, starting with Chris's powerful experience watching the James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro and a heartfelt shoutout to Carlton Adkins and the Enlightenment Film Academy's standing-room-only student film screening in Nashville. We dive deep into the evolving box office landscape, dissecting why certain legacy IP films are underperforming while YouTube-lore-driven films like Backrooms are shattering A24 records, and what that means for the future of indie filmmaking. We close with a rich discussion on George Lucas's comments about AI and audience testing, the Warner Bros./Paramount merger controversy, and a passionate defense of the theatrical experience as a community-building institution. We also talk about: The cultural and historical significance of the deaths of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers in the 1960s, and how their simultaneous loss effectively ended a generation of Black empowerment leadershipThe nostalgia and community value of Blockbuster Video, including employee perks, the tactile VHS experience, and how video rental stores created a unique social ecosystem that streaming has failed to replicateThe philosophical tension between George Lucas's belief in pure artistic storytelling and Kevin Goetz's data-informed audience testing approach, and what each means for the future of cinemaThe proposed Warner Bros./Paramount merger, the protests and petitions against it, what it could mean for creative competition and content diversity, and parallels to Disney's acquisition of Marvel and Star WarsThe complicated cultural conversation around celebrities and public figures in the internet age, and how total transparency disabuses audiences of the idea that their heroes are perfect or infallible People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: People James Baldwin Malcolm X Martin Luther King Jr. Medgar Evers Jesse Jackson Al Sharpton John Lewis Dick Gregory T.D. Jakes Ray Charles Stevie Wonder Tom Holland Zendaya Tobey Maguire Tom Hardy Tom Brady Carlton Adkins  Kane Parsons Markiplier Kevin Goetz  George Lucas Steve Jobs R. Kelly Jean-Claude Van Damme Jason Momoa Bruce Willis Viggo Mortensen Ed Harris William Hurt John Hurt David Cronenberg Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Samuel L. Jackson Bill Maher Martin Scorsese Kiefer Sutherland Kevin Bacon Christopher Reeve Josh Plasse Tom McCullough (PB's childhood friend) Nicholas Galitzine  Sam Harris Charlamagne tha God  Immortal Technique Chris Ferguson  Arnold Schwarzenegger Films & Documentaries I Am Not Your Negro Backrooms Longlegs  The Invite  The Odyssey  Spider-Man: No Way Home The Fifth Element 12 Monkeys Moana (live action) Moana 2 Toy Story 5 Toy Story 3 Superman  Supergirl  The Mandalorian and Grogu Barbie Everything Everywhere All at Once A History of Violence Inception Iron Lung John Wick Flatliners Fatliners (NSFW) Masters of the Universe  Snakes on a Plane Mad Men Be Kind Rewind Heavy Metal  Another Version of You Companies & Organizations A24 Warner Bros. Paramount / Skydance Disney Marvel Pixar Netflix Oddfellows Pictures — THR profile National Action Network Enlightenment Film Academy Nashville Film Festival Letterboxd Blockbuster Video Music Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out  Places Belcourt Theatre  Oakland, CA South Korea Washington, D.C. Jamaica / Caribbean Websites & Platforms The MAKE IT Podcast Letterboxd NashvilleFilmFestival.org Products & Miscellaneous Callwood Family Distillery (Caribbean) Mastering Film Marketing  Make It Academy  VHS / DVD / Blu-ray IMAX Dolby Disney Movie Club We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    441 - How YouTube Lore Is Rewriting the Hollywood Playbook, Why George Lucas Is Right, and the New Rules of the Box Office (Your Father's IP Is Dead) - Indie Talk

  4. Jul 21

    SUMMARIES - Caroline Locorriere - Camera Appropriateness, Script Architecture, and the Three Pillars of Craft

    Hello, Hello! In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the remarkable journey of Caroline Locorriere, founder and lead coach of the Nashville Acting Studio, exploring how she walked away from a thriving commercial acting career in Los Angeles to discover her true calling as an acting teacher and coach. They unpack her empathy-driven teaching philosophy, which stands in direct opposition to the industry's notorious "whiplash method" of emotional terrorism, and examine how her three core pillars of acting craft — staying human on camera, accessing emotional life, and rigorous script analysis — create self-sufficient, sustainable artists. Drawing parallels far beyond the world of acting, this conversation serves as a masterclass in career self-awareness, psychological safety in creative environments, and the relentless tenacity required to survive in any subjective, competitive industry. We also talk about: Why getting a talent agent too early can permanently damage an actor's reputation with casting directors and how Caroline advises building craft first before seeking representationThe fascinating story of student Matt Williams, whose romantic performances lacked emotional depth because he had never been in love — and how Caroline's unconventional homework assignment (to go fall in love) led him to eventually get marriedThe brutal reality of casting subjectivity, illustrated through a heartbreaking story of a highly talented student who auditioned flawlessly for David Fincher's Mindhunter but lost the role to someone Caroline felt was objectively less impressive on screenThe role of tenacity over pure talent in sustaining a creative career, exemplified by former student Alan Powell, who wrote, produced, and starred in a film that reached number four on NetflixThe mystical and deeply personal story of Martha, an 80-year-old Episcopalian woman with the ability to see auras, whose unprompted words to Caroline at a crossroads moment gave her the validation she needed to trust her instincts and pursue teaching People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned: People Caroline Locorriere  Matt Williams Alan Powell  Missy (Caroline's mother) Martha (Episcopalian aura reader) Toni Morrison Shelley Duvall Bear Bryant Nick Saban Meryl Streep David Fincher Konstantin Stanislavski Shows / Films Mindhunter The Shining Institutions / Places Nashville Acting Studio Belmont University Ohio State University Platforms Netflix Concepts / Methods The Whiplash Method  Sunk Cost Fallacy "The three pillars of acting craft" — Caroline's framework "Camera appropriateness" Active listening/listening labs We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    SUMMARIES - Caroline Locorriere - Camera Appropriateness, Script Architecture, and the Three Pillars of Craft

  5. Jul 10

    440 - Nick (Goes Solo) on What Matt Damon and Oscar Boyson Can Teach Us About Making It

    This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing Hello, Hello!  In this episode, Nick flies solo — without co-host Chris Barkley or Producer Papa Bear, who are both traveling in Italy — to discuss acclaimed independent filmmaker and producer Oscar Boyson and his feature directorial debut, Our Hero Balthazar, a darkly comedic psychological drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nick shares his visceral, gut-punch reaction to watching the film, unpacking how its unflinching portrayal of online culture, performative activism, masculinity, and gun violence caught him completely off guard and forced him to confront uncomfortable realities facing young people in modern America. The episode weaves together Nick's personal reflections on the film, audience poll results about social media, Gen Z viewing habit data, filmmaker quotes from Oscar Boyson, and a closing definition of success borrowed from Matt Damon. We also talk about: How Our Hero Balthazar uses dark comedy and social satire to hold a mirror up to the uncomfortable realities of young people navigating social media, identity, and belongingNick's personal Instagram algorithm experiment — and what it revealed about how social media can trap users in a cycle of consuming the same content repeatedly, potentially shaping their identityGen Z viewing habits data from Deloitte's Digital Media Trends Study (2025–2026), including how much more time Gen Z spends on social platforms versus traditional TV and moviesWhy going to the theater is increasingly becoming an event-driven, culturally shared experience — and what independent filmmakers must do to get young audiences off their couches and into seatsMatt Damon's definition of success — "all we have as the people making it is the love of the doing it" — and how that philosophy connects directly to the spirit of the MAKE IT Podcast People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: People Oscar Boyson Noah Baumbach The Safdie Brothers Ricky Camilleri  Jaeden Martell  Noah Centineo Asa Butterfield  Chris Bauer  Matt Damon Claire Huxtable Films & TV Our Hero Balthazar Frances Ha Uncut Gems Street Fighter Festivals & Events Tribeca Film Festival Platforms & Social Media Letterboxd Postly.ai Canva Riverside.fm Research & Studies Deloitte Digital Media Trends Fandango Moviegoing Study  Organizations Water.org (Matt Damon's charity) We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    440 - Nick (Goes Solo) on What Matt Damon and Oscar Boyson Can Teach Us About Making It

  6. Jul 8 ·  Bonus

    Film Brief - Toy Story 5 - Andrew Stanton's Return: Why Pixar's Boldest Creative Bet Is a Story About Growing Up

    WHAT IS FILM BRIEF? Blending journalism with artistry, Film Brief transforms film analysis into an engaging and informative listening experience. The goal is to reveal what makes each movie or series resonate—on screen and behind the scenes. For listeners, it’s not just a review; it’s an exploration of the art of filmmaking. BRIEF: In this episode, Nick dives deep on Toy Story 5, the highly anticipated return of Pixar's beloved franchise directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris, exploring how the film tackles the timely and thought-provoking theme of childhood imagination in a screen-saturated world. The episode examines how Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang face their most contemporary challenge yet — competing with a tablet named Lily Pad that promises endless digital entertainment — while unpacking the film's deeper philosophical questions about identity, connection, and what it means to truly grow up. Nicholas reflects on the emotional resonance of experiencing the film in a theater alongside family and community, ultimately framing Toy Story 5 as a love letter to imagination, collaboration, and the irreplaceable power of human connection. TAKEAWAYS: The directorial pairing of Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris, and how their distinct backgrounds shape the film's artistic and emotional visionThe symbolic role of the Lily Pad tablet as a representation of digital culture's competition with imaginative play, rather than a traditional villainThe identity crisis sparked by an army of Buzz Lightyear action figures, and how the film uses their existence to explore what truly makes a person — or a toy — specialJessie's expanded emotional arc as she steps into the center of the story, discovering that leadership is about becoming who others need you to beThe film's connection to Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey framework, and how Toy Story 5 quietly argues that no hero — and no healing — happens in isolation MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Films / Projects Toy Story 5 Toy Story (original) Toy Story 4 Finding Nemo WALL-E Ciao Alberto  People Andrew Stanton  Kenna Harris  Randy Newman  Joseph Campbell  Characters Woody Buzz Lightyear Jessie Bonnie Technology / Products (Fictional) Lilypad (the tablet, voiced by Greta Lee) Organizations / Brands Pixar Ebook: "Mastering Film Marketing" The MAKE IT Podcast We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating us, or leaving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT All Links: https://themakeitpodcast.store Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Film Brief - Toy Story 5 - Andrew Stanton's Return: Why Pixar's Boldest Creative Bet Is a Story About Growing Up

  7. Jul 7

    SUMMARIES - Josh Bishop - Follow Your Heart, Not the Money: Jim Jarmusch's Advice That Changed Everything

    Hello, Hello! In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the archives of the MAKE IT Podcast (Episode 174) to extract the raw, unfiltered reality of indie filmmaker Josh Bishop's journey — from his punk rock-influenced teenage years in Europe to premiering his debut documentary at South by Southwest after an extraordinary 11-year production process. They explore how Josh's philosophy of film as "a window in a tunnel" shapes not only his creative vision but also the production company he co-founded with his wife, Keturah, and how advice from his idol Jim Jarmusch permanently redirected his career. The episode serves as a masterclass for any creative — filmmaker, writer, or entrepreneur — wrestling with the timeless tension between authentic artistic expression and the brutal financial realities of independent creation. We also talk about: The stark philosophical and structural differences between the European taxpayer-funded film system and the commercially driven American Hollywood machine, and what those differences mean for artistic freedomThe profound influence of old-school New York stop-motion animator and punk rock musician Jim Starace on Josh's creative DNA and his lifelong rejection of "selling out"The psychological and professional whiplash filmmakers experience when they transition from the creative grind of making an independent film to the cutthroat business reality of festival circuit sales and distribution pitchingThe radical democratization of filmmaking technology, including a local filmmaker named Kd Amond who shot an entire feature-length horror film called Faye using only an iPhone 8, and what that means for the "I don't have the right equipment" excuseJosh's deeply humble personal philosophy of holding up a mirror to society rather than preaching — including his decision to spend four straight days shooting raw documentary footage in the aftermath of a Nashville tornado without any commercial agenda People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned: People Josh Bishop  Jim Starace  Jim Jarmusch  Keturah Bishop Tomi Fujiyama  Morgan Spurlock  Elijah Wood Stefan Pokorny  Anthony Bourdain Kd Amond Martin Scorsese  Bands & Music Puny Human  Norman Bates & The Showerheads — limited web presence; best found via Discogs The Ramones  Films & Projects Down by Law  Coffee and Cigarettes  Made in Japan The Dwarvenaut Destination Fantastic  Faye  Companies, Organizations & Platforms A Window in a Tunnel  Grand Ole Opry South by Southwest (SXSW) Dwarven Forge Kickstarter Dungeons & Dragons Legion M  iPhone 8  Cotton Bureau Places Iceland  Netherlands (Holland)  Belgium New York City  We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    SUMMARIES - Josh Bishop - Follow Your Heart, Not the Money: Jim Jarmusch's Advice That Changed Everything

  8. Jun 26

    439 - Daril Fannin - The Wild Story Behind A24's Acquisition of Undertone and the New Rules of Independent Film in 2026

    This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing Hello, Hello!  In this episode, we welcome back Daril Fannin, founder and CEO of Kino Studios, to celebrate the major milestone of his horror film Undertone being acquired by A24 and its theatrical run, which generated over $9 million in opening weekend box office on a $500,000 budget. Daril shares the journey of bringing Undertone from the Fantasia International Film Festival to Sundance and ultimately to wide release, while discussing A24's unique and authentic marketing approach that helped the film connect with audiences in a meaningful way. The conversation also dives deep into the independent film ecosystem, the economics of filmmaking, the role of social media and AI tools in modern content creation, and what it truly means to "make it" in Hollywood. We also talk about: The debate around Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic and how much critical scores actually influence moviegoers' choices, including an audience poll revealing that 56% of viewers say critics don't influence their decisions at allThe viral social media post by an art director on the film Obsession, who expressed frustration about her low pay despite the film's massive financial success, and what that reveals about systemic economic inequity in the independent film industryThe rise of Neuralink and the broader philosophical conversation about AI integration into human life, including comparisons to Brave New World, social media data harvesting, and the future of human creativity and autonomyWhy horror is the new comedy in 2026, and how films like Undertone, Obsession, Iron Lung, and Backrooms are proving that audience-first, word-of-mouth driven indie horror is the most viable path for independent filmmakers todayThe power of resilience in the creative journey, with Daril sharing personal reflections on bouncing back from failure, surrounding yourself with the right people, and the importance of not sharing your biggest ambitions with those who can't understand the artist's path People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned: Platforms, Tools & Services Claude / Claude Pro (Anthropic) Cowork (Claude's agentic desktop app) Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic IMDb Letterboxd Neuralink Gemini Collection Account Management Agreement (CAMA)  FilmChain  Films  Undertone (Kino Studios / A24)  Obsession (Curry Barker)  Iron Lung  Backrooms (Kane Parsons / A24)  The Matrix  Raiders of the Lost Ark  Gladiator  Dumb and Dumber  The Mask  Ace Ventura: Pet Detective  Malcolm & Marie  High School Musical  Sinners  Oppenheimer  Hamnet  The Deer Hunter  Nuremberg (Russell Crowe) Wedding Crashers Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episodes I–III) Creed III Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Black Phone 2 Regretting You Avengers: Endgame Spider-Man: No Way Home Project Hail Mary The Terminator Weapons (Zach Cregger) The Drama (Zendaya / Robert Pattinson) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Meet Joe Black People — Industry & Public Figures Daril Fannin (Kino CEO) Ian Tuason (director of Undertone) (see note) Nina Kiri (lead, Undertone) Rick Rubin Rainer Maria Rilke Jordan Peele Markiplier Curry Barker (Obsession) Kane Parsons (Backrooms) Sally Choi (art director, Obsession) Kevin Goetz Jim Carrey Mason Thames Zendaya Robert Pattinson Hayden Christensen Russell Crowe Harrison Ford Brad Pitt Tom Cruise Jonathan Majors Forest Whitaker Tyler Perry Ben Stiller Will Ferrell Adam Sandler Steve Martin Siskel and Ebert Peter Travers Lon Harris Cinema Joe Christopher Nolan Elon Musk Mark Zuckerberg Dick Gregory Kevin Hart Show Team (internal — no public links) Joey "Bags" von Haeger Books The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Rick Rubin) Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) The Crossroads of Should and Must (Elle Luna)  Companies & Organizations Kino Studios A24 Neon Blumhouse Village Roadshow Orion Pictures Artists Equity (see note) Anthropic DGA SAG-AFTRA IATSE Rolling Stone Fantasia International Film Festival Sundance Film Festival SXSW Alamo Drafthouse Cannes Film Festival We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.  So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    439 - Daril Fannin - The Wild Story Behind A24's Acquisition of Undertone and the New Rules of Independent Film in 2026
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5
out of 5
100 Ratings

About

MAKE IT is the film podcast that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process. We dive into indie gems, massive blockbusters, cinema history, and everything in between. If you love movies and want more than polite chit-chat, this is your spot. Stay Inspired, Chris + Nick

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Barkley & Nicholas Buggs
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    530
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Bonsai Creative Enterprises, LLC 2026
  • Show Website
    The MAKE IT Podcast

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