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Making a Creature Feature

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Pierce Brothers

Brett and Drew Pierce are the writer/director team behind the new horror film THE WRETCHED, an old school creature feature with more going on under the hood than just scares.

While having a background in Hollywood productions, the brothers still approach their work with a “do-it-yourself” attitude and a complete willingness to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to make their film happen. Their infectious passion has led to them releasing their latest feature under IFC Films and will undoubtedly grant them more great features to come.

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Produced by Ron Dawson

Edited by Emily Connolly

Don’t wait for Hollywood to Make Your Film

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FAITH BASED

Make your film! That is what drives the team behind the new comedy FAITH BASED. From shooting with iPhones in their living rooms, to what it ultimately became—a full-blown feature film with an impressive cast (Jason Alexander, Lance Riddick, and David Koechner, just to name a few). Vincent Masciale, Luke Barnett, and Tanner Thomason were going to make this film, come “hell” or high water.

Now with an October 9th release date and a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, the guys have show that with a little luck and a whole lot of passion and talent, you can make your dream project happen.

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Produced by Ron Dawson

Edited by Emily Connolly

Writing & Directing Story Driven Horror

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natalie erika james

There’s perhaps no greater excitement for an aspiring filmmaker than to have their directorial debut receive mass acclaim and distribution. Relic is the directorial debut of Japanese-Australian writer/director filmmaker, Natalie Erika James. It’s a horror film anchored by its deeply emotional and honest themes, and masterfully co-written and directed by James.

Released theatrically in drive-ins, and now available across most major streaming platforms, you’d never guess that Relic is Natalie’s first outing as a feature writer/director. In the episode of the Film Riot podcast, fresh off the experience of making the film, Natalie meets with Ryan to discuss her experience as a first-time writer/director, working with actors, and why she leaned into the horror genre to tell this specific and personal story. 

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PRODUced by ron dawson

Edited by Emily Connolly

MAKING “STAR WARS: ORIGINS” – A FAN FILM

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Phil Hawkins

If you are wondering how to start making the films you love… To steal from Nike’s slogan… JUST DO IT!

That thought process seems to be behind everything Phil Hawkins does. Like a lot of us, he’s a student of Spielberg, Lucas, and the other greats of that day. Since he broke in, Phil has directed several features and worked with the likes of Al Pacino, Robert Englund, and Christopher Walken.

Today Ryan and Phil chat about how he shot an award-winning feature in just two days, making one of the biggest fan films ever made, and the importance of working with people you trust.

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PRODUced by ron dawson

Edited by Emily Connolly

Writing & Directing your First Feature

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Ricky Staub

How do you get your first feature made? It’s the question every aspiring filmmaker wants answered. Today Ryan speaks with Ricky Staub — writer, director, and entrepreneur. After coming off the success of his first narrative project, The Cage (developed in collaboration with Film Supply) Ricky connected with the producers that would help make his first feature a reality.

He and Ryan cover everything from his years working under the prolific producer Sam Mercer (on films like THE LAST AIRBENDER, DEVIL, and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN), to starting his own commercial company to hone his technical craft. They explore and dive deep into a discussion about the path and experiences of writing and directing his first feature film, starring IDRIS ELBA no less! You don’t want to miss this!

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PRODUced by ron dawson

Edited by Emily Connolly

Doc Filmmaker for Quibi, Lucas Harger

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Yesterday marked the launch of Quibi, a 2-billion dollar bet by Hollywood and tech giants Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman to change the face of content consumption on the go. There have been lots of opinions about Quibi’s viability, potential for success, and its mobile-only platform. Well, today we give you an inside peek with a filmmaker who has worked directly with one of its productions.

Lucas Harger is an Emmy award-winning editor with several docs under his belt. He was Ryan’s collaborator on both BALLiSTIC and There Comes a Knocking. Today Ryan and Lucas talk about his latest project Prodigy, a doc series for the Quibi brand. Along with discussing the ins and outs of post for this new mobile platform, the guys dive into what makes a story work and the cross over between doc and narrative.

 

 

Musicbed

Musicbed is packed with excellent music that you can license for your project. Now they have a subscription for less than $10 a month to get all the music you want and a free 30-day trial. Check it out here: MUSICBED

 

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PODCAST: EPISODE 31 – Alison James

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Alison James is an incredibly talented writer/director on the rise and headed toward her first feature film. After winning Best Narrative Short at the Austin Film Festival for her short film, Judas Collar, Alison was able to land reps at WME and has since been developing what will be her first feature film.

TODAY’S SPONSOR

RODE is The Australian pro audio powerhouse making incredible gear for podcasters, vloggers, filmmakers, musicians and audio engineers.

We recorded this latest episode on the RØDECaster Pro, the world’s first fully-integrated podcast production console. With four mic channels, eight sound pads for triggering effects and music, the ability to bring in phone and Skype calls, and powerful onboard audio processing, it’s the perfect solution whether you’re just getting into podcasting, or you’re a seasoned pro.

 

Connect with Alison:
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PODCAST: EPISODE 28 – JOE PENNA

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Joe Penna is a writer/director that got his start on YouTube. You may know him as Mystery Guitar Man, but today he is directing feature films starring massive talents like Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Kendrick, and Toni Collette.  In this episode, Ryan chats with Joe about directing his first film with a major start attached and his overall path to feature films.

Musicbed

Musicbed is packed with excellent music that you can license for your project. Now they have a subscription for less than $10 a month to get all the music you want and a free 30-day trial. Check it out here: MUSICBED

 

Connect with Joe:
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Ryan on Twitter
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PODCAST: EPISODE 26 – BRENT CHRISTY

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Brent Christy is a director and DP with a deep wealth of knowledge.  He’s worked on everything from big-budget projects to the tiny passion project and makes every one of them stand out. Today we chat about directing, cinematography, set life, and balancing all that with family.


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PODCAST: EPISODE 22 – TREVOR ADDIE

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Trevor Addie is an incredibly talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and director that has worked on some of the biggest films and TV shows out there like, War for the Planet of the Apes, Game of Thrones, Flash, BFG, Warcraft, Star Trek Beyond, Suicide Squad, Godzilla, and plenty more!  He has a unique, honest, and experienced view on the art and craft of filmmaking. Today we are talking about everything from his life as a stunt performer/coordinator to how to run a set as the director.

 

Watch the trailer for ‘LifeXP’:

Musicbed

Musicbed is packed with excellent music that you can license for your project. Now they have a subscription for less than $10 a month to get all the music you want and a free 30-day trial. Check it out here: MUSICBED

Trevor’s award winning scene from The Flash:

Trevor on the set of Predators:

 

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