Film Riot

filmmaking

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

Emotionally Impactful Cinematography w/ Jody Lee Lipes

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Jody Lee Lipes

As the cinematographer for such beautiful work as A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manchester by the Sea, and I Know This Much is True, Jody Lee Lipes brings an emotional honesty to all his work.

Of course, every element within the filmmaking process is a part of delivering on that honesty, with arguably two of the most important aspects being the performance and cinematography. Those two elements work together in a creative dance – if one is out of step with the other, the intention won’t land and the emotional impact would be lost. Imagine the scene in Contagion where Matt Damon’s character learns his wife has died, but with constant dolly moves and lens flares.

That emotional honesty is something that Jody pulls off with ease. Today he and Ryan chat about leaning into that meaning and honesty, working with technically difficult scenes (like the twinning in his latest HBO show), and what made him want to be a filmmaker.

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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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Edited by Emily Connolly

Writing for Film and Television

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Dayna Lynne North

What is “your voice”? Should you start with theme, character, a concept? So many questions flood your brain when you sit down to write, especially when first starting out.

Today Ryan chats with the incredible Dayna Lynne North (Writer, Showrunner, and Executive Producer for properties like Veronica Mars, and most recently Insecure for HBO). Ryan and Dayna dive into what your voice is, how she gets started on a project, and what guides her through the writing process.

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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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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 32 – Yolanda T. Cochran, P.G.A.

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What the hell does a producer do? When every production can have five different versions of them, it’s no wonder this is a recurring question. Well, today we have the definitive answer as Ryan “sits down” with Yolanda T. Cochran, VP Production, Walt Disney Television/Freeform.

Yolanda brings nearly two and a half decades of knowledge from her work on such films a “Book of Eli,” “The Blind Side,” and “Point Break.” She and Ryan chat about the various roles of the producer, why writers aren’t usually on set, how a budget is pulled together, and the current state of the industry amidst COVID-19.

 

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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CREDITS

 

 

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.

 

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PODCAST: EPISODE 30 – Scott Glassgold

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Scott Glassgold is a Manager and Producer with well over a decade of experience. After getting his start at New Line Cinema and Disney, Scott Founded Ground Control, an innovative Management and Production company. From there he’s gone on to nurture several short films and initial ideas to final feature films – such as Prospect, The Beyond, and his latest sale to Paramount, The Follower.

Recently, Scott has partnered with Screen Gems to produce horror proof of concepts with an eye towards developing them into feature films. The program is called Scream Gems and aims to collaborate with up-and-coming filmmakers to produce horror shorts with the primary goal of developing new, original content into feature films. Follow Ground Control on twitter for updates!

 

TODAY’S SPONSOR

Go behind the scenes of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, with this official three-part companion podcast from Netflix.

Each Episode features interviews with cast and crew, including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

The first episode of Behind the Irishman will be available Monday, December 2nd, with new episodes released every Monday.

But be wary of spoilers! Watch The Irishman on Netflix before you listen to the podcast.

Search for Behind The Irishman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocketcasts or wherever else you listen to podcasts.

 

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PODCAST: EPISODE 29 – CASSANDRA EBNER

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Cassandra Ebner is a truly wonderful filmmaker and human. She’s a writer, producer, actor, and stuntwoman. Her career spans over 6 years in the industry and on some of the biggest production around, like Game of Thrones, War for the Planet of the Apes, Shazam!, Arrow, and The Flash. Most recently Cassandra has written, produced, and starred in her web series, LifeXP.

 

Go behind the scenes of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, with this official three-part companion podcast from Netflix.

Each Episode features interviews with cast and crew, including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

The first episode of Behind the Irishman will be available Monday, December 2nd, with new episodes released every Monday.

But be wary of spoilers! Watch The Irishman on Netflix before you listen to the podcast.

Search for Behind The Irishman on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocketcasts or wherever else you listen to podcasts.

 

Connect with Cassandra:
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Cassandra on YouTube
Cassandra’s Website

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