The First Step in Making a Movie

Before you sign that distribution deal, hit play. In this episode, I break down the three red flags that can wreck your film’s future — unfair splits, crazy-long contract terms, and inflated marketing expenses. Learn how to spot them early, protect your movie, and secure a deal t ... Show More

In this episode, we break down three essential mindset shifts every filmmaker needs before raising money for a movie: getting the right budget, building a valuable project, and developing market awareness. These aren’t just theories — they’re the difference between chasing invest ... Show More

In this episode, we break down what happens after a sales agent signs your independent film. From preparing artwork and trailers to pitching buyers at major film markets like AFM and EFM, you’ll learn how deals are initiated and why the screener is the key to closing. Plus, we ta ... Show More

Today we speak to Matthew Gentile and Matt Allen about the process of filming and editing the film, American Murderer. Matthew met Matt in film school, and invited him to collaborate on his first feature film. American Murderer is now available on Amazon Prime. In this episode, ... Show More

<p>What is your dream? If you know what your dream is, have you taken the first step to get there? See, most people know what they want but they never take the first step. They scare themselves out of, or talk themselves out of, making that first step towards their goals. In this ... Show More

There's no better feeling than completing a project you’ve been working on for, what feels like, forever. On one hand, you’re relieved but you're also anxious to figure out what to work on next. How do you decide what your new project will be, and what is the most efficient strat ... Show More

Mar. 8, 2022 For our 100th episode we revisit our first question pondered; What makes for a good movie?<p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href= ... Show More

What are the secrets of successful independent budget film making, and if you're not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, how do you take your fledgling film to the next level? Simon Smith is joined by film makers Dominic Brunt, Marc Price and Chris Jones, who share their expe ... Show More

Here's Episode One of our new podcast series The First Feature. This is a step-by-step guide on how to get your first feature made, using Ryan Koo's new Netflix Original Film AMATEUR as a case study. In this episode, we get into: The three questions you can ask yourself to help ... Show More

Learn how to talk about a movie you saw last night - what it was about, where it was filmed, some adjectives to describe the plot, the way in which it was filmed - it's all in this lesson. If you haven't seen a particular movie, study the questions you'll need to put to someone w ... Show More

Cinematographer Bianca Cline explains how she shot the feature film Marcel The Shell With His Shoes On which is now playing in theaters. In this episode, we talk about… The necessities that stop motion needs Using a rotating camera around the subject Incorporating stop motion ... Show More