Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

In this episode, I'm joined by writer-director-actor Cory Thibert to talk about his debut feature Mild Life, a coming-of-age film that premiered at Woodstock Film Festival and went on to win Best Canadian Feature at the Victoria Film Festival.

Mild Life follows Lawrence, a drummer whose world gets thrown off beat when his girlfriend wants to leave their hometown just as he's stepping into a caregiver role for his parents, who both live with cerebral palsy. The story is drawn directly from Cory's own life - both of his parents have cerebral palsy, and he cast actors with cerebral palsy to play the parents for authentic representation.

Throughout the inteview we discuss the challenges of going this personal with your work, why "the more specific you are, the more universal you are" advice is true, and how to mine your own experience to create more meaningful stories.

We also break down his 14 day shoot, 98 page script, 5 person skeleton crew, and the 2 camera / always-rolling coverage strategy that helped him reach the finish line.

Topics covered include:
Finding a personal way into your stories - and how to avoid self-indulgence
Authentic disability representation on screen and casting actors with cerebral palsy
Coming up as a filmmaker without family money or a financial safety net
Making a feature between two kids' births while holding down a day job
Running a five-person skeleton crew and shooting two cameras at all times
Directing and starring at once - how to balance wearing multiple hats
The Canada Council grant that funded post after the shoot wrapped
Approaching distribution with a tiered strategy (Crave, Hoopla, Kanopy)
Much more
Links from the show:

Mild Life - Website

Mild Life - Instagram

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In this episode, I'm joined by filmmaker and graphic artist Jason Laurits to talk about his debut feature Love's Company (starring Rachel Dratch), and the unique two-decade creative journey that led him to directing his first feature in his 40s.

Jason breaks down how the film started with a single absurd thought ("what would happen if you actually kidnapped a celebrity?") and grew out of his love for Misery, Sunset Boulevard, and Ruthless People.

He shares how he taught himself to edit in order to cut a proof-of-concept teaser that he used to raise money, attract a team, and ultimately land his cast.We also get into the realities of shooting a 95-page feature in just 15 days on a micro-budget in Louisiana, how his line producer helped him build a crew from scratch in New Orleans, landing Rachel Dratch through a single well-placed connection, and the constant on-set math of combining and cutting shots to never once go over schedule.

Topics covered include:
Using a teaser, poster & pitch deck to raise money for a feature film
How to shoot a 95-page feature in just 15 days
Combining and cutting shots on the fly to never go over schedule
What 20+ years running his brand Paste taught him about filmmaking
Why getting into directing in your 40s can be an advantage
The "step-by-step vs. chasing the clouds" philosophy
Trusting your voice and letting go of fleeting external goals
Much More!
Links from the show:

Love's Company - Trailer

Love's Company - Instagram

Jason's Brand - Paste

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In this episode I'm joined by filmmaker Nick Toti - one half of the DIY filmmaking duo behind the viral 80-second short Dead Grandma, the TIFF Midnight Madness sensation It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, and the upcoming feature Homebody.

Throughout the episode Nick breaks down the decade-long origin story of Dead Grandma, from an improvised game he invented while working as a nursery school teacher in Austin to a 35mm short film that blew up in Variety and landed him on this podcast.

We also discuss how his $5,000 found footage feature It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This unexpectedly landed in TIFF's Midnight Madness, the unconventional theatrical-only release strategy he's used to screen it across multiple continents without a distributor, and why Nick is now trying to convince A24 or Blumhouse to fund a studio remake of Homebody.

Topics covered include:
The real-life origin of Dead Grandma and how it developed over a deade
Co-directing with his wife and creative partner Rachel Kempf
Shooting on 35mm film - and everything that went wrong before they even rolled
How It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This got into TIFF Midnight Madness
The aesthetic of Homebody: making a movie that feels like a lo-fi demo tape
Actively pursuing failure as a creative strategy - and why it eventually worked
Nick's 25-hour real-time experimental documentary project
Die Die Books - the horror film criticism press Nick and Rachel run
Much more!
Links from the show:

Dead Grandma Short Film

Homebody Trailer

Die Die Books

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In this episode, I'm joined by actor, filmmaker, and musician Nathan Xia to talk about his unconventional path into the industry - from making YouTube sketches with a flip camera to acting in studio projects, getting repped as both an actor and writer-director, and developing his deeply personal feature Adam's Song.

Throughout the conversation Nathan shares how he fell into acting out of necessity while co-directing a scrappy COVID road trip feature with his roommates, and how that unexpected pivot eventually led to representation, festival success, and a role in Danny Madden's Downbeat.

He also breaks down the relentless hustle behind landing his producer at Vanishing Angle, getting into the Blacklist Project Lab after 14 rejections, and signing with management company M88 - all before turning 26.

Topics covered include:
How Nathan discovered filmmaking through a flip camera and YouTube sketches
Making a $2,000 road trip feature across six states during COVID
Falling into acting out of necessity - and finding it on the festival circuit
Cold-emailing his way to representation at Momentum Talent Agency
How attending festivals (not just submitting) changed his career
Landing veteran indie producer Benjamin Wiesner through responsiveness and rewrites
Going 0-for-14 on labs and fellowships before getting into the Blacklist Project Lab
Developing the feature version of Adam's Song and scouting in West Texas
Why being a writer-director-actor gives him a unique advantage in attaching talent
Much more!
Follow Nathan on Instagram

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In this episode, I’m joined by filmmaker and YouTuber Blake Calhoun to talk about his new feature film Casey Makes A Mixtape, his long-running channel iPhoneographers, and his highly entrepreneurial approach to building a sustainable filmmaking career.

Throughout the interview Blake shares how he got his start selling work to Warner Bros. after finding an audience on YouTube, and why he believes every filmmaker should consider having a YouTube channel - even if they don’t want to become a “YouTuber.”We also dig into the making of Casey Makes A Mixtape, a 1981-set coming-of-age feature that Blake made on a micro-budget.

He breaks down how he wrote the script around resources he already had access to, directed and DP’d the film himself, used a small crew, incorporated iPhone footage alongside RED Komodo, and even licensed well-known songs on a tight indie budget.

Topics covered include:
Why indie filmmakers are inherently entrepreneurs
Blake’s early success in web series and selling a show to Warner Bros.
How YouTube has changed since the early days of online video
How Casey Makes A Mixtape evolved from an iPhone-shot short film
Making a period piece on a low budget
Directing and DP’ing your own feature
Working with a small crew of roughly 10 people
Licensing famous songs for an indie film
Much More!
Links from the show:

Casey Makes A Mixtape - Film

Casey Makes A Mixtape - Trailer

iPhoneographers - YouTube

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