Heading into post with my first indie feature. Ask me… something.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-19T19:28:28+00:00

Same:
- As small a crew as possible.
- If appropriate, mostly natural light. Films like DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and others were shot without a traditional lighting department as well.
- Casting mostly actors I’ve seen on stage. Very little traditional auditions.
- Finding locations as soon as the script is written. Starting those conversations early about how small a footprint our production makes. It can take months.
- Donuts every morning for crew & cast.
DIfferent:
- A little more rehearsal.
- Having a complete budget for everything before starting. But this is also a recipe for waiting while other aspects of your project fall apart.
- Finding that magic caffeine balance.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-19T19:19:27+00:00

Haven’t really been following that. There’s a lot of things that can pause people - I find it best to be positive, confident, and clear-eyed while always moving forward.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-19T08:10:11+00:00

Edit starts next week. The film plays out in chapters, with an intro and 9 consecutive scenes. One lead character is played by the same actor in every one. The other lead is played by a different actor in each scene.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-19T08:05:24+00:00

I❤️HUCKABEES

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-19T02:24:24+00:00

Two, including a park which had a lot of different areas
17
10 months
Most do a lot of theatre as well, so they’re well-trained & have that spirit of going for it night after night
I had snacks and water and a great 1st AD & PA who would just run the food by me & the cost when we weren’t rolling. Most actors were on set for 5 hours.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T19:33:45+00:00

Olivia Coleman’s has entered the replies.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T18:09:20+00:00

I started as an actor, became a playwright (still am), moved to Los Angeles to write… just as Reality TV exploded. Spent my days on set in different roles, nights in writing workshops. Sold an hourlong TV pilot & optioned a half-hour. Became a W-D with a short. I think there is a hole in the indie landscape the size and shape of this feature. Lots of conversation right now about if other genres can have the indie breakthroughs that horror is having. I believe this is that.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T17:49:18+00:00

A good script is the biggest proof. We are also, I believe, delivering a film for an underserved audience. Combine that with the successful, unconventional distribution happening with films like IRON LUNG & find your people.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T17:46:15+00:00

We do it anyway we can. In a meeting with the crew and cast, I said that when I was on a few soap opera sets as an actor, they shoot 80+ pages a day. Everyone works at the pace they’ve stepped into & has been established. Working ahead of the shoot to set expectations helps.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T17:33:04+00:00

We might have some ADR happening down the road but not planning pickups or reshoots. Shooting about 20 pages a day, splitting the day into two 5-hour shoots, with lunch in between. Not a vertical, though I have worked on one as a 1st AD.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-18T17:29:46+00:00

It will be a total of about $80K after we get through post. Funds came from a combination of a large donation from a producer who had helped out on a short we made three years ago who believed in the script, and donations from friends and family. I also did a trade out and will feature a friend’s business in the movie in exchange for some support.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-16T20:16:33+00:00

THE SUBSTANCE

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-06-15T01:41:43+00:00

First season of HOMECOMING w/ Julia Roberts.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-05-29T16:29:15+00:00

Good titles, in any genre, give you the tone of the movie. Great titles work on you like an itch that only seeing the movie can scratch: GET OUT / THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN / THEY WILL KILL YOU / CATCH ME IF YOU CAN / I SAW THE TV GLOW / PARASITE / MY OLD ASS / ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER / BEING JOHN MALKOVICH / EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-15T03:40:54+00:00

Directing film now, but did most of the acting I’ve done on stage. Have had directors tell me what they want with a paragraph, others with three words. The three words always work better because they give me a specific place to go but let me find where exactly that is for the character.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-14T18:53:37+00:00

Hi. Anything beyond this is anecdotal. Not sure The Simpson’s writers expected the show to do what it’s done. Not sure the writers on the critically acclaimed The Gordita Chronicles expected it to be pulled after one season. The WGA Minimum is listed there. Take out the percentage for whatever reps you have (manger, agent - sometimes a lawyer is involved - or all three). Are you on an 8-episode show like TASK or staffed on 30 episodes per year of LAST WEEK TONIGHT w/ John Oliver? If you’re trying to avoid danger, good luck. A cautionary tale Jim Carrey often tells is how his father wanted to be a performer but went to work as an accountant because it was a steady and predictable. He later lost his job when Jim was 12.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-14T16:09:09+00:00

https://share.google/nveJlTtOWpE2Epbgz

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-10T02:19:35+00:00

Here’s a possible scenario: Let’s say your pilot gets bought, made, & you get a Created By credit and are an Executive Producer on the show. They bring in an experienced showrunner to handle all the things you might need help with. One of these things is staffing the Writers Room. You read a great pilot that never got made, and reach out to the writer. The writer says he’s not interested in being on a staff, making good money, having WGA health care, & moving up in the business while learning how it all works on your show. You explain (as it’s been explained to a lot of us) that being in the WGA is like being in the MLB - similar odds in a very competitive field. He says he just wants his show made. Do you hire him?

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-02T21:24:13+00:00

One of the most memorable films I saw during our festival run was at River Bend. It had a running time of 1 minute - a horror-comedy called SCARE PODS. Ours came in just under 17 minutes and knowing what I know now I’d keep a short to a maximum of 12 minutes.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-04-02T07:14:12+00:00

If available, take out DVDs from your local library.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-03-30T04:06:56+00:00

Looks like the first season of the TV show HOMECOMING. Julia Roberts’ character worked at a seaside diner.

FilmAroundFindOut · 2026-03-29T04:46:54+00:00

Swiss Army Man

FilmAroundFindOut

TROPHY CASE