The Filmmakers Podcast

In this regular festive episode of The Filmmakers Podcast, the hosts and guests engage in light-hearted banter, share personal updates, and discuss the joys and challenges of filmmaking, the TOP TEN podcast episodes of the year AND they compete in the ANNUAL QUIZ! Who will win (again?) Our hosts are: Giles Alderson, Dom Lenoir, Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar, Phil Hawkins, Stephen Follows, Tobias Vees and Matthew Butler-Hart who all share their experiences and insights, highlighting the collaborative nature of the film industry and the importance of community among filmmakers. As they reflect on their projects and future plans, the episode captures the essence of creativity and camaraderie in the filmmaking world. In this engaging conversation, the hosts reflect on the past year in filmmaking, sharing insights from their experiences and the lessons learned through their podcast. They discuss the importance of perseverance, finding a supportive community, and the joy of creating films. The conversation also touches on market trends for 2026 and the future of filmmaking, emphasizing the need for originality and creativity in a changing industry. The episode features a fun Christmas quiz, adding a light-hearted element to the discussion. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the evolving landscape of film funding, the challenges faced in casting and securing equity investment, and the importance of passion in filmmaking. They explore how the indie film industry is adapting to new financing strategies and the growing significance of genre films in attracting investors. In this engaging conversation, the hosts delve into various aspects of filmmaking. We reflect on the importance of storytelling, the challenges faced in the film industry, and share personal insights and advice for aspiring filmmakers. Thank you for listening. Have a wonderful XMAS and see you in the NEW YEAR! Links FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE. A documentary exploring the rapid growth and uptake of the veganlifestyle around the world. – And if you enjoyed the film, please take amoment to share & rate it on your favourite platforms. Every review& every comment helps us share the film’s important message withmore people. Your support makes a difference! Help us out and Subscribe, listen and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts but more importantly, tell your pals about this podcast. Thank you! PODCAST MERCH Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, on-set water bottles, mugs and more MERCH. https://my-store-11604768.creator-spring.com/   COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/   PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on filmmaking? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides, and feedback on your film projects!   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com   CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is written, produced and edited by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filmmakers, we have the creators of the biggest show on the planet. The masterminds who took 80s nostalgia, Dungeons & Dragons, and a group of kids on bikes, and turned it into a global empire. I am talking, of course, about Matt and Ross Duffer—The Duffer Brothers! Now, you know them as the creators of Stranger Things, the show that literally breaks the internet every time a new season drops. But what we love about this conversation is that we go right back to the start. We talk about their 2015 low-budget horror thriller, Hidden—a film that got caught in studio limbo but taught them the vital lessons of directing and how they pitched Stranger Things around various studios and TV execs getting rejections along the way. We dive into how they work as a duo, how they pitch to networks (and deal with rejection!), and the absolute mountain of work it takes to land the final season of the most popular show in the world. From the Upside Down to the top of Hollywood, this is a masterclass in long-form storytelling and sticking to your vision. Grab your Eggos and turn up the volume. Let’s welcome... The Duffer Brothers!" STRANGER THINGS s5 is OUT NOW on NETFLIX! Links FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE. A documentary exploring the rapid growth and uptake of the veganlifestyle around the world. – And if you enjoyed the film, please take amoment to share & rate it on your favourite platforms. Every review& every comment helps us share the film’s important message withmore people. Your support makes a difference! Help us out and Subscribe, listen and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts but more importantly, tell your pals about this podcast. Thank you! PODCAST MERCH Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, on-set water bottles, mugs and more MERCH. https://my-store-11604768.creator-spring.com/   COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/   PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on filmmaking? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides, and feedback on your film projects!   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com   CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is written and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Edited by @tobiasvees Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are joined this week by Mark Hampton, who has not only written, produced, directed and edited his British Independent Boxing Drama Thriller (described as "Rocky meets Wall Street") but starred in it too. Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir sit and chat with Mark about how he made Unlicensed. How he raised the money, sales and distribution, why you have to push your own film out in the world. How he had been burnt and learnt from it, how he wrangled locations, worked with his great DP and crew and crew, why it so difficult for indie filmmakers and how the film went from concept to wrapping principal photography in an unusually fast three months. Unlicensed is about a disgraced, white-collar ex-con and former City broker, Danny Goode (played by Mark Hampton), is unable to return to his old life. Struggling with a secret gambling addiction and trying to reconnect with his estranged wife and son, he seeks a quick cash fix by entering an unlicensed, high-stakes boxing match. Unlicensed won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the London Independent Film Festival. Unlicensed is now available in the UK and Ireland on  Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0FSC43MVK/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_rhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0FSC43MVK/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r AppleTV:https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/unlicensed/umc.cmc.56mt07mknw8lwaikymxif3sz7 And youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgJ3UVtZDcw Links FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE. A documentary exploring the rapid growth and uptake of the veganlifestyle around the world. – And if you enjoyed the film, please take amoment to share & rate it on your favourite platforms. Every review& every comment helps us share the film’s important message withmore people. Your support makes a difference! Help us out and Subscribe, listen and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts but more importantly, tell your pals about this podcast. Thank you! PODCAST MERCH Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, on-set water bottles, mugs and more MERCH. https://my-store-11604768.creator-spring.com/   COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/   PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on filmmaking? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides, and feedback on your film projects!   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com   CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is written and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Edited by @tobiasvees Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are joined by Sales Agent Itzchak Maghen! Itzchak has works on indie gems to studio movies including THE ABSENCE OF EDEN starring Zoë Saldana and Adria Arjona, DREAMIN' WILD with Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel, THE CUT featuring Orlando Bloom and John Turturro, and MASERATI: THE BROTHERS with Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Alba. He talks to Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir about why he picks projects, what filmmakers should do when speaking to sales agents. They also talk: Does your project suck? Industry Changes. Ask and Takes. Sales Estimates. If concept art and promos are good (or not). His consulting AND working in Cannes with 'Quantify'. Why you should ask questions to your sales agent before signing. Why 'networking' is building friendships. Itchak Maghen can be contacted for consultancy work here https://www.consultingim.com FILM FORGE FILM COURSES info here. SUPPORT new indie film Fairy Dust's crowdfunder here. Stage32 CANNES info here. —- FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it HERE. A documentary exploring the rapid growth and uptake of the vegan lifestyle around the world.  And if you enjoyed the film, please take a moment to share & rateit on your favourite platforms. Every review & every comment helpsus share the film’s important message with more people. Your supporttruly makes a difference! PODCAST MERCH Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, onset water bottles, mugs and more MERCH. https://my-store-11604768.creator-spring.com/   COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/   PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on film-making? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides, and feedback on your film projects!   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com   CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is written, edited and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir sit down with writer/director (and actor) Kristen Stewart and actor Imogen Poots to discuss Kristen's highly anticipated feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water. The director, acclaimed for her Oscar-nominated role in Spencer, breaks down the challenge of adapting Lidia Yuknavitch's raw memoir and her choice to shoot on 16mm film. Imogen Poots (The Father, Vivarium) shares her actor's process for embodying the difficult role and how the unique Stewart-Poots collaboration helped bring this complex, emotional story to life. A must-listen masterclass on craft, vulnerability, and the transition from actor to director. Kristen, known for the Twilight films who became the first American actress to win a French César Award and earned an Oscar nomination for Spencer, makes her highly anticipated feature directorial debut with The Chronology of Water. This is an emotionally fearless, non-linear look at the trauma and ultimate triumph of writer Lidia Yuknavitch, a film that blew up at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a huge ovation. Joining her is the incredible Imogen Poots—a chameleon of the screen, known for her intense work in films like The Father, Green Room, All of You and Vivarium. As Lidia, Imogen carries the immense weight of this memoir, earning massive praise for her raw, committed performance. We’re going to dive deep into The Chronology of Water's production: the 8-year journey to bring this 'unadaptable' memoir to the screen, and the unique, vulnerable challenge of an actor-turned-director working with her lead star. This is a must-listen on resilience, adaptation, and finding your voice in cinema. Let’s welcome Kristen Stewart and Imogen Poots! The Chronology of Water is playing in select theatres before it's release early next year. Links FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE. A documentary exploring the rapid growth and uptake of the veganlifestyle around the world. – And if you enjoyed the film, please take amoment to share & rate it on your favourite platforms. Every review& every comment helps us share the film’s important message withmore people. Your support makes a difference! Help us out and Subscribe, listen and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts but more importantly, tell your pals about this podcast. Thank you! PODCAST MERCH Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, on-set water bottles, mugs and more MERCH. https://my-store-11604768.creator-spring.com/   COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/   PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on filmmaking? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides, and feedback on your film projects!   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com   CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is written and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Edited by @tobiasvees Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices