PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Michael Hall: From ShowHawk Media, this is Filmmaking Footnote, with your Host, Michael Hall. You're listening to episode eight. This is the show where we give you the best filmmaking and production information so you can make the best project possible without having to spend a bunch of time or money at film school. Let's do it. What's up guys? How's everyone doing today. This is Michael Hall, your host of Filmmaking Footnote. Thank you so much for being here. Today we are talking Alan Smithee. Alan Smithee is a name that has been credited to over two dozen films as a director. Alan Smithee's first project was, Death of a Gunfighter released in 1969. His last credit appeared in the year 2000. The crazy part is that Alan Smithee is not a person. Alan Smithee does not exist. It is actually the official psydoname that was used by film directors who did not want to be associated with their films after they wrapped filming. This is the official name that … [Read more...]

Camera speeds… Sound speeds… Aaaaaand… Action! Counterintelligence has made it to production. All the work we’ve done so far has lead to this point. Production was so extensive we broke it into two episodes. Within each, you’ll hear from some collaborators from the cast and crew giving their memories of and insights from each day. They are mosaics of what life on our set was like. In Part 1, we'll cover shoot days 1-3 of 7. The first two days took place at my apartment and the second was a night shoot outside a brewery in one of Portland’s industrial districts. The voices you’ll hear belong to Location Sound Mixer Tim Kahn, Art Director/Co-Producer Andrea Tolbert, Director of Photography Mike Elliott, Actors Brian Koch, Adam Elliott Davis, and J.W. Crawford. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethismovie! As I state in the episode, production feels like an endurance sport. … [Read more...]

 PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Michael Hall: From ShoHawk Media, this is Film-Making Footnote, with your host, Michael Hall. You're listening to episode 7. This is the show where we give you the best film-making and production information, so you can make the best project possible, without having to spend a bunch of time or money at film school. Let's do it. What's up guys? Hope you're having a great day. You've got Michael Hall here. Today we are talking talent agents. Yep, talent agents. Talent agents, it's a fairly broad term, but when it comes down to it, it's a person who finds a job for an actor, an author, film director, a musician, model, film producer, sometimes professional athletes, writers, screen writers, or even broadcast journalists. These people I'm sure that you've seen a lot of examples in film and television. The one that comes to mind most often is Ari from Entourage, is the classic example. If you don't know what I'm talking about, there's a TV show called … [Read more...]

Between the Frames is a set of sub-episodes wherein Chris probes far deeper into specific facets of each filmmaking stage covered thus far. He explores some important practices, disciplines, philosophies and skills that may have been previously glossed over, under discussed, or all together undiscussed. In this inaugural Between The Frames, Chris discusses some specific pre-production topics including: Balancing Time and Money Organization Communication Negotiation Time Management Honesty He covers their importance and some best practices to get the most out of each. He also recommends a long list of tools and resources in the form of books, apps, and podcasts that serve the pre-production process, from organization to time management and communication. Here they are: Independent Ed, by Edward Burns - In this hugely inspiring chronicle, Burns recounts his rise to prominence as an independent filmmaker and actor, the career lull, and his resurgence … [Read more...]

PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Michael Hall: From ShoHawk Media, this is Filmmaking Footnote with your host Michael Hall. You're listening to episode six. This is the show where we give you the best filmmaking and production information so you can make the best project possible. Without having to spend a bunch of time or money at film school. Let's do it1 What's up guys you got Michael Hall here today we are talking additional photography. So additional photography this is a word, it's a dirty word thrown around Hollywood a lot. It's a it's a dirty word disguised as a nice word. People say additional photography when they actually mean reshoots. And some people actually like to say that a additional photography and reshoots are two different things but really when you hear a studio head talk about additional photography he's talking about a reshoot. Okay I might I might just be being a little a little callous and mean about this. Reshoots and additional photography are actually two … [Read more...]

We’ve almost made it through Pre-Production, and the hardest work is yet to come. Micro-budget independent filmmaking hurdles emerged here that taught me lasting lessons. Sometimes, filmmaking isn’t as much a creative endeavor as it is a logistical one. It can be gruelling to plot the minutia in advance and fill out mounds of paperwork, but you feel the benefits once you, the cast, and the crew set foot on set. In Part 2, we'll look at the SAG-AFTRA process, SAG Indie, Production Insurance, Payroll Services, Tactical Planning, Scheduling, and Call Sheets. We borrow Scott McMahon’s wonderful interview with Darrien Michele Gipson of SAG Indie, Location Sound Mixer Tim Kahn, and Co-Producer Andrea Tolbert. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethismovie! This week’s guide is extremely helpful! Pre-Production is difficult and confounding, but you’ll know you’re doing it right if … [Read more...]

PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Michael Hall: From ShoHawk Media this is Filmmaking Footnote with your host Michael Hall. You're listening to episode 5. This is the show where we give you the best filmmaking and production information so you can make the best project possible. Without having to spend a bunch of time or money at film school. Let's do it! Hey everyone, welcome I'm your host Michael Hall thank you so much for being here today. And today we're talking additional cameras or as some people like to call it a multiple camera setup. So I have actually been working with a lot of multiple camera setups recently. In general multiple camera setups have been a bigger and bigger ask because there's so much content that needs to be captured these days and from so many different angles. Having multiple cameras and multiple shooters on set is a really great way to to capture a lot of content in a short amount of time. And I'm seeing that more and more often where we have multiple … [Read more...]

Pre-production is the overwhelming, often monotonous, any essential part of making any film. But especially a micro-budget independent one. It requires diligent attention to detail, communication, and organization. If you pre-produce right, the rest of the process runs that much smoother. Pre-production as a whole is such a dense topic, Make This Movie will cover it in two separate episodes, outside what we've already explored. In Part 1, we'll look at nailing down locations, hiring key crew members, providing necessary contracts getting the right gear, props, and wardrobe. And that's just the half of it! We talk to location manager Rachel Meyer (heard in Episode 4), Director of Photography/Co-Producer Mike Elliott, Location Sound Mixer Tim Kahn, and Creative Director/Co-Producer Andrea Tolbert. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethismovie! This week’s guide is extremely … [Read more...]

PODCAST EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Michael Hall: From ShoHawk Media, this is Filmmaking Footnote with your host Michael Hall. You're listening to episode 4. This is the show where we give you the best filmmaking and production information so you can make the best project possible. Without having to spend a bunch of time or money at film school. Let's do it! Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Filmmaking Footnote I'm your host Michael Hall. Thanks again for joining me for another great day. Today we are talking about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A lot of you will know this by their shorthand they go by the Academy or as a lot of people like to call them the Oscars. so the Academy the Academy Awards the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a really interesting concept, and it's an interesting group of people in recent years they have had some some controversy a couple years ago. They were called out by a lot of African American actors and filmmakers for … [Read more...]

Casting is among the most important filmmaking processes, and here the window opens to its nuances. Counterintelligence's rockstar casting director Rachel Meyer takes Chris through what it took to cast this movie, and other films she's worked on. She and Chris take us from how they were put in touch initially, through her review of the script, up to audition days and locking in the film's pitch-perfect cast! The second half of the episode reveals the specific workflow Rachel uses to cast movies. She covers organization, outreach techniques, and overall efficiency practices, from working with agencies to reaching out through social media. This deep-dive presents how important and difficult a casting director's work is, and how micro-budget filmmakers and producers can replicate this work if they're strapped for cash. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethismovie! This week’s … [Read more...]