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.
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!
Hannah Ward is an excellent actor with tons of insight. Ryan and Hannah chat about the actor/director relationship, bad experiences, and finding your voice.
Episode Sponsor:
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Avi Youabian is an editor with credits like The Walking Dead, Constantine, Frequency, The Brave, and a director with credits in The Walking Dead, Zoo, and Tainted Love. Today, Ryan talks to Avi about directing, editing, and the difference between television and film with editor/director.
Episode Sponsor:
Soundly is a fully featured sound effects platform for Mac & PC. Find your perfect sound effect in their massive cloud library, index local sounds, and share files in the Soundly Collaboration Cloud. With a wealth of features and a friendly interface, Soundly makes you a better and happier editor!
I’ve been using soundly for months now and it is a serious time saver! The organization and agility as a designer that it gives you, is worth its weight in gold! Get 10 DAYS FREE by downloading soundly at getsoundly.com and use the code filmriot.
And our second sponsor:
Our friends at Musicbed just launched their subscription option, Membership! For the first time, get unlimited access to hundreds of emerging indie artists and leading composers in a subscription format — all cleared for YouTube.
And with a Membership for every type of filmmaker, using great music in your films has never been easier or simpler.
We also collaborated with Musicbed on an upcoming video to celebrate the launch of Membership. Let’s just say there are tanks, grenades, and teddy bears involved. Check it out later this week on the Film Riot YouTube channel!
Daniel Routh talks about his experience as the cinematographer on his first feature film.
Episode Sponsor:
The folks at Westcott are the originators of the Flexible LED system and the Ice Light2, which are two pieces of gear I always find myself reaching for. Check out our full review of the two lights on Film Riot: FLEX LIGHT REVIEW
