SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking

Episode 216: This episode was recorded September 17, 2025 and published September 23, 2025.

Filmmaker, actor and author Miguel Lopez de Leon comes back to talk about the feature film he made, Bellow. We also talk about his IMFF 2025 short film, Inner Voices, which won best Ultimate Mobile Film Category, and what inspires him to make films. 

Miguel’s films shine a light on mental health in an entertaining and effective way. We discuss the topic of mental health as it affects filmmakers. Miguel talks about how much he got out of “the big circle” lab session during the International Mobile Film Festival 2025 in San Diego, last April, and how awesome it was for everyone who participated. We are thankful to all attending filmmakers who participated during IMFF2025.

Follow Miguel and Join him making his next film:
Website: https://www.migueldeleonart.com  
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8905409/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miguellopezdeleon1/  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miguellopezdeleon01  
YouTube®: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsLULE_YpKBaXiAMNm_vPag  

The International Mobile Film Festival is open for submissions. Feature Film Deadline is October 19.
 
SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones. 

Producer, writer, director, editor, composer, graphics and host: Susy Botello. This podcast does not use AI voices or generative AI.

Shoutout and thank you to Zacuto for sponsoring IMFF 2026!
https://zacuto.com/  

Your support means the world. Thank you! 

Join us on Patreon with bonus episodes and more! https://www.patreon.com/sbppodcast   
BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/susybotello  

Podcast Update Page: https://subscribepage.io/svpkFh  

Community resource and support:
https://subscribepage.io/mobilecommunity   

Subscribe to listen in your own app: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/kOpp1Xtzvu6l   

Thankful to our fiscal IMFF sponsor Angaelica: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/support/  

Follow Susy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susybotelloofficial/   
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susybotelloofficial   
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/susybotello.bsky.social   
Susy’s Substack: https://susybotello.substack.com   

Our Links: 
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.com   
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking    
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast        
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilefilmsd/    
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbEFUm  

© 2025 S. Botello Productions. All rights reserved.

Episode 215: This episode was recorded August 10, 2025 and published August 19, 2025.

A conversation with Justin Ho about filmmaking, art and storytelling. Justin is back for the first time since he experienced the festival in San Diego. He joins me for a passionate discussion about the message film directors George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro just shared with their fans during their panel at SDCC 2025, on July 27. Justin watched the video (link below) and I attended in person!

Star Wars creator George Lucas was at San Diego Comic-Con International for the first, time ever and Susy Botello casually stumbled into Hall H for the panel with George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro and Doug Chiang; moderated by Queen Latifah. 

We discuss the topics they discussed about mythology, storytelling, community and art. We also talk about AI in the context Guillermo del Toro discussed. The panel was an announcement about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Susy Botello was invited to participate in a panel inside the convention during Comic-Con. The panel was called “How to Bring Your Stories to Life: From Page to Live Action. I give shoutouts to co-panelists Multi-Nominated Emmy Award-Winners Mark Nazal and Sina San, Actor Earl Baylon and filmmaker Alan Chan; moderated by Author Lorran Garrison presented with Surreal Arts, Little Brainstorm & Visual Effects Society - Texas Section. Grateful to have been a part of this panel and thankful for the invitation and experience!

Justin Ho is a multi-award winning filmmaker who is using his iPhone to turn stories into film experiences. His full length feature film, “Broken Pieces” won Best Feature Film at the International Mobile Film Festival 2025 in San Diego.

The International Mobile Film Festival is open for submissions. 
 
SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones. 

Producer, writer, director, editor, composer, graphics and host: Susy Botello. This podcast does not use AI voices or generative AI.

Mentioned:

Community resource and support:
https://subscribepage.io/mobilecommunity   

SDCC Lucas Panel Video by Lucas Museum of Narrative Art:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ke3LUd2V30  

Shoutout and thank you to Zacuto for sponsoring IMFF 2026 in April! 
https://zacuto.com/  

Your support means the world. Thank you! 
BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/susybotello   
We’re on Patreon with bonus episodes and so much more! https://www.patreon.com/sbppodcast   

Podcast Update Page: https://subscribepage.io/svpkFh  

Subscribe to listen in your own app: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/kOpp1Xtzvu6l   

Thankful to IMFF fiscal sponsor Angaelica: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/support/  

Follow Justin Ho:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjho8/   
Broken Pieces Movie: https://www.instagram.com/brokenpiecesmovie/  
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3729964/   
LinkedIn: https://vimeo.com/justinjohnho  

Susy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susybotelloofficial/   
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susybotelloofficial   
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/susybotello.bsky.social   
Susy’s Substack: https://susybotello.substack.com   

Our Links: 
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.com   
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking    
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast        
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilefilmsd/    
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbEFUm  

© 2025 S. Botello Productions. All rights reserved.

Episode 214: This episode was recorded March 26, 2025 and published May 20, 2025.

Part Two of my conversation with Justin Ho, the winner of the Best Feature Film 2025 at the International Mobile Film Festival  in San Diego on April 27. Justin Ho shot “Broken Pieces” with the iPhone 14 Pro. 

In this episode we discuss his feature film which was 1 hour and 23 minutes long. Justin discusses his film, and a few other topics related to the decision to shoot a feature film with iPhones.

We discuss production gear, the app he used to shoot, and editing software. Justin gives some shout outs to the wonderful humans who worked on “Broken Pieces” and much more! 

Broken Pieces: Writer, Director & Cinematography: Justin Ho; Editor: Justin Ho; Producers: James Orfanos, Teddy Orfanos, Justin Ho; Associate Producer: John Amedro; Costume Designer: Allison Windhausen; Score: Lee Armbrust and Andrija Lazarevic
Cast: John Amedro, H. Lynn Pai, Sam Pearce, Sylvie Pratt, James Riley, Diana Salina, Joe Messina, Elisha Jachetti, Ian Allen Jones, Katherine Vollenweider, Gillian Dittmer

Listen to Part One: Episode 213: https://mobilefilmmaking.podbean.com/e/feature-film-storytelling-and-the-iphone-part-one-with-justin-ho/ 

Article on Smartphone Filmmaking publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking/feature-film-storytelling-and-the-iphone-with-justin-ho-e3721e85de2b 

Watch the Trailer for Broken Pieces: https://youtu.be/zATIJnRuZAg  

Congratulations to everyone who won an award at the festival this year and everyone who participated!

SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones. 

Producer, writer, director, editor, composer, graphics and host: Susy Botello. This podcast does not use AI voices or generative AI.

We’re on Patreon with bonus episodes and more! https://www.patreon.com/sbppodcast  

Your support means the world. Thank you! 
BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/susybotello  

Podcast Update Page: https://subscribepage.io/svpkFh 

Community resource and support:
https://subscribepage.io/mobilecommunity  

Subscribe to listen in your own app: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/kOpp1Xtzvu6l  

Thankful to our fiscal sponsor Angaelica: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/support/ 

Follow Justin Ho:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjho8/  
Broken Pieces Movie: https://www.instagram.com/brokenpiecesmovie/ 
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3729964/  
LinkedIn: https://vimeo.com/justinjohnho   

Susy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susybotelloofficial/  
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susybotelloofficial  
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/susybotello.bsky.social  
Susy’s Substack: https://susybotello.substack.com  

Our Links: 
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.com 
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking   
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast       
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilefilmsd/   
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbEFUm 

© 2025 S. Botello Productions. All rights reserved.

Episode 213: This episode was recorded March 26, 2025 and published May 13, 2025.

My guest in this episode is Justin Ho, the winner of the Best Feature Film 2025 at the International Mobile Film Festival  in San Diego on April 27. Justin shot “Broken Pieces” with the iPhone 14 Pro. 

This episode is the first of a two part interview recorded March 27. Meeting Justin in person felt like the frosting on the cake. The second part of the interview, episode 214, will be out next week. Justin goes a deeper on some topics. Including some he mentions in part one. 

In this episode we discuss his feature film which was 1 hour and 23 minutes long. Justin discusses his film, an early start with cameras, cinematography in college and for his film, and details about the making of the film, without giving away too much. Except…there’s an incredibly well shot chase scene. Find out how he pulled it off.

Broken Pieces: Writer, Director & Cinematography: Justin Ho
Editor: Justin Ho
Producers: James Orfanos, Teddy Orfanos, Justin Ho Associate Producer: John Amedro; Costume Designer: Allison Windhausen; Score: Lee Armbrust and Andrija Lazarevic
Cast: John Amedro, H. Lynn Pai, Sam Pearce, Sylvie Pratt, James Riley, Diana Salina, Joe Messina, Elisha Jachetti, Ian Allen Jones, Katherine Vollenweider, Gillian Dittmer

Synopsis:
One day in NYC the lives of five people cross paths with each other in unexpected ways, revealing the subtle yet important interconnectedness of their lives as they grapple with their own issues and try to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them. Love is a complicated and messy thing, and sometimes it takes being broken to find the pieces that fit.

Watch the Trailer for Broken Pieces: https://youtu.be/zATIJnRuZAg 

Congratulations to everyone who won an award at the festival this year and everyone who participated!  

SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones. 

Producer, writer, director, editor, composer, graphics and host: Susy Botello. This podcast does not use AI voices or generative AI.

Community resource and support:
https://subscribepage.io/mobilecommunity 

Your support means the world, thank you! 
BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/susybotello 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sbppodcast 

Podcast Update Page: https://subscribepage.io/svpkFh

Subscribe to listen in your own app: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/kOpp1Xtzvu6l 

IMFF Fiscal Sponsor Angaelica: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/support/

Follow Justin Ho:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjho8/ 
Broken Pieces Movie: https://www.instagram.com/brokenpiecesmovie/
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3729964/ 
LinkedIn: https://vimeo.com/justinjohnho  

Susy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susybotelloofficial/ 
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susybotelloofficial 
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/susybotello.bsky.social 
Susy’s Substack: https://susybotello.substack.com 

Our Links: 
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.com 
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Podcast Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast   
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast      
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilefilmsd/  
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbEFUm

© 2025 S. Botello Productions. All rights reserved.

Episode 212: This episode was recorded April 27, 2025 and published May 6, 2025.

Feels good to be back with you and publishing episodes again. The 14th Annual International Mobile Film Festival took place April 25-27 in San Diego. During the festival, we scheduled the recording of this episode with a live in-person audience. 

Jason Rivera began composing music when he was 4 years old. He’s been on the show several times, and was at the festival, where we met, in April 2023.

This recording took place in the later afternoon at the festival. We enjoyed recording with an audience. Thankful to everyone who attended our special session during the festival.

Things we discussed:

Why indie film music matters more than you may realize

How good music and audio can give your indie film an edge

Why unique music is important

EP 149 with Jason Rivera July 2023
https://mobilefilmmaking.podbean.com/e/music-in-film-tells-the-story-with-jason-rivera/

*I mentioned panelists from "Fade In To Film" and missed mentioning Erica "ET" Taylor who is my guest in Episode 211.

SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones. 

Producer, writer, director, editor, composer, graphics and host: Susy Botello. This podcast does not use AI voices or generative AI.

Community Smartphone Filmmaker Support:
https://subscribepage.io/mobilecommunity 

Your support means the world! 
BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/susybotello 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sbppodcast 

Podcast Updates Page: https://subscribepage.io/svpkFh 

Listen in your own app: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/kOpp1Xtzvu6l 

Thankful to IMFF fiscal sponsor Angaelica: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/support/

Follow Jason Rivera!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiveraJasonMusic 
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jrivera_music 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonriveramusic 
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3499481 

Susy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susybotelloofficial/ 
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@susybotelloofficial 
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/susybotello.bsky.social 
Susy’s Substack: https://susybotello.substack.com 

Our Links: 
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.com 
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Podcast Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast   
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast      
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilefilmsd/  
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3QbEFUm

© 2025 S. Botello Productions. All rights reserved.