The days of selling naked specs are over. It’s now the filmmaker's job to understand how to package their projects. While many were opposed to packaging in the past, there are effective ways to approach the process that will leave you feeling empowered.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• The benefits and drawbacks of packaging
• Why Hollywood is risk averse right now
• Packaging through the eyes of a writer or director
• Naked specs - what are they?
• What the packaging process looks like
• Writing specs that can realistically be created
• Why AI will not eliminate the need for skilled creatives
• Collaborating with others so they feel comfortable and seen 
• The problems of measuring stardom

Memorable Quotes

• “Your script has to be perfect by the time you turn it in. Nobody wants to develop anything anymore.” [7:48]
• “It’s the job of a filmmaker to bend reality as far as you possibly can.” [15:16]
• “AI often gives people the heebie jeebies.” [24:15]
• “Every measurement tool we have is gibberish.” [27:20]

Mentioned:

Movies & TV How To Survive Until 2025 For Filmmakers

Scriptnotes Podcast - Ep 639 Intrinsic Motivation

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We had the chance to speak to Grant Petty of Blackmagic Design at this year’s NAB conference. It was as much of a conversation about technology and innovation as it was a conversation about human nature. 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Jourdan Aldredge speaks with Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty to discuss: 

• Developing the URSA Cine with a post-production mindset
• Zero-cost options from Blackmagic for beginners
• Why Grant doesn’t like to compete with others
• PYXIS camera and its features
• Creating products that lend to an efficient post-production workflow
• Exciting new changes and updates to DaVinci Resolve 19
• Grant’s opinion on AI and the future of editing 
• The moment he fell in love with color correction
• Feeling lonely and misunderstood
• Why you have to be a ruthless, yet empathetic product engineer

Memorable Quotes

• “Business people are some of the stupidest people in the world.” [22:25]
• “A lot of this technology is just shit. It’s not very reliable.” [29:11]
• “If it gets too smart, it’s just another species to kill. Humans are fantastic at killing everything. We just gotta go hunting computers.” [30:45]
• “With creativity comes great loneliness.” [47:58]
• “You got to be simultaneously ruthless and simultaneously full of empathy.” [50:00]

Mentioned:

A First-Hand Look at the New Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K at NAB 2024 

Check out Jourdan's article 

Blackmagic URSA Cine

Blackmagic PYXIS

DaVinci Resolve 19   

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Erick Sasso is a multi-hyphenate creative and the editor of the film, Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, which documents the life of Tyler Perry. Erick compares the making of documentaries to the making of a meal. You need to use the right ingredients…not too much, not too little. And everyone at the table has to enjoy it.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with filmmaker Erick Sasso to discuss: 

• Making music videos with his friends in high school
• Realizing you can reverse engineer in the edit
• The importance of charging adequately for your services
• How he landed the editing job on Maxine’s Baby
• What it looks like to fall in love with the subject
• Navigating topics such as abuse and childhood trauma 
• What it was like seeing emotional reactions from the audience
• Important lessons he has learned about being a filmmaker
• Setting up projects in Adobe Premiere
• Overcoming tech fears and looking forward to new updates
• Why editors make the best directors
• Focusing on development and learning from others

Memorable Quotes

• “Usually you are not charging enough. Usually, you are charging way less than industry standard.” [12:38]
• “When you edit a lot, it’s really creepy when you meet people.” [32:59]
• “You may think you are a hard worker until you meet someone who is doing 10x your output.” [35:09]
• “You need to become a pro at uncertainty.” [60:24]

Mentioned:

Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story

Erick's website

Connect with Erick on IG

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Rod Blackhurst and Noah Lang are the dynamic duo behind the film Blood for Dust, starring Kit Harington, Scooty McNairy, and Josh Lucas. These filmmakers share why leading with honesty, openness, and enthusiasm is the key to building strong relationships and creating successful films. You don’t have to be cutthroat in this industry in order to achieve your filmmaking dreams.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with director Rod Blackhurst and producer Noah Lang to discuss: 

• How Rod and Noah began working together
• Why you should lead with honesty and enthusiasm
• Making movies with the same people over and over again
• Understanding what you have agency over in your career
• How Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington came onto the project
• How meeting David Gordon Green in 2012 eventually led to the making of Blood for Dust
• The power of self-awareness and being a kind filmmaker
• The vibe on set - having fun amid stress
• What it looks like to make an honest living in filmmaking 

Memorable Quotes

• “You can meet someone on the internet and become homies.” [3:27]
• “You don’t need everyone to want to be on your team. You just need some of the right people.” [38:55]
• “Being a good person and doing good work matters. It does result in good things happening.” [43:02]
• “We’re rowing upstream, going against the grain. We’re out there believing in what we have. Wrestling with our choices, behaviors, actions, our own struggles, and darkness.” [50:44]

Mentioned:

Blood for Dust 

Here Alone

Connect with Rod on IG

Connect with Noah on IG

Witchcraft (Rod & Noah’s production company)

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Nina Ognjanovic is the director of the film, Where the Road Leads, which won Best Narrative Feature at Slamdance 2023. Nina and her passionate team prove you can successfully market a foreign, indie film on a limited budget and still win at major festivals in the US and worldwide.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Nina Ognjanovic, David Jovanovic, and Jana Bjelica to discuss: 

• Their experience traveling from Serbia to the United States for Slamdance
• Marketing the film using scrappy, creative methods
• Their approach to casting and shooting
• What it was like to act on multiple projects at the same time
• How they handled shooting in an isolated location without cell service
• Building trust with the cast, crew, and locals
• The Slamdance experience and the reaction of the audience
• The first shot of the film - finding a unique solution to a challenge
• Setting the production schedule based on the weather conditions 
• The magic they experienced during production
• Why you need to fail and experiment before doing a feature 

Memorable Quotes

• “It’s hard, but when you love your job, everything is possible” [9:23]
• “I was freaking out day after day…my hair started falling off.” [21:35]
• “Manage your expectations. Don’t write something you know you can’t deliver.” [30:58]

Mentioned:

Where the Road Leads on TikTok 

Where the Road Leads on Instagram 

Pointless Films Production House

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Were you hoping work would pick back up after last year’s strikes? Unfortunately, work is epically slow, and 2024 is a rough year for the film industry. But just because Hollywood is slowing down, doesn’t mean you have to.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• The industry post-strike
• How higher interest rates are affecting streamers
• The unpredictability of a career in film
• Accepting the things out of your control
• Living with family or friends to lower expenses
• The unattainable “American Dream” 
• Staying creative during this slow year
• How famine years can have their benefits
• An example of finding career success outside of Hollywood

Memorable Quotes

• “Work is epically slow and it’s terrifying.” [3:44]
• “If you don’t have three months of cash cushion in your bank account, do not feel bad.” [19:40]
• “I don’t think we need to build our identity on outside markers of financial success.” [28:21]
• “If you can’t be investing money, you can be investing your energy and creativity into your future career.” [32:52]

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Sam Hargrave is an award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator, second unit director for films like Suicide Squad and Avengers:Endgame, and director of the film Extraction. His second feature film, Extraction 2, is available on Netflix, June 16. 

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Sam Hargrave discuss:

• The transition from stunt performing to directing
• What a “stunt vis” is and why it's important for efficiency and safety on set
• How directing a film is like being a switchboard operator
• Why filming Extraction 2 was more challenging than the first film
• Wanting to give the audience more the second time around
• The specifics to the casting process
• Operating the camera on the more dangerous scenes 
• Landing a helicopter onto a moving train
• Making others feel invested in your project
• Sam’s approach to emailing those he works with

Memorable Quotes

• “I was young and flexible and really wanted to be Jackie Chan.” [4:06]
• “There’s so many questions that come the way of the director. It feels like you are a switchboard operator on methamphetamines.” [10:07]
• “Communication with other departments is one of the most important things in filmmaking.” [11:50]
• “Each movie…is its own unique puzzle. It’s a labyrinth that you and the crew have to work your way through.” [14:34]
• “When you can do something practically, always do it.” [23:12]

Resources:

Extraction 2 trailer

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Heat is important to your film career. It means that you and your work are gaining attention and recognition, which can lead to more opportunities in the future. So how can you generate and navigate heat at an industry level? What contributes to “positive heat” or “negative heat?” 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman speak with Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile to discuss: 

• How Chris, Katie, and Dennis entered the industry and how they met
• Why you need to promote yourself and your work
• The One Moore Hollywood Podcast and the topics they discuss
• The difference between “in the business heat” and “out of the business heat”
• Seeing big corporations gravitating toward original ideas
• How audiences decide whether they will watch a movie or not
• Getting feedback on your ideas
• Why your idea may be better suited for a different medium
• Good Will Hunting - Generating authentic heat with the script
• When you realize a script isn’t working 
• How your attitude and behavior affect the type of heat you generate
• Sensing tension of the cast and crew while watching a movie

Memorable Quotes

• “It’s like surfing. The best thing to do in your career is to read what’s happening around you and take the wave where it’s taking you.” [4:22]
• “You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas. You can’t just operate in a vacuum and expect somebody to discover you.” [16:12 ]
• “Go out and make something you think you would pay for.” [52:12]
• “What’s the commercial version of your weirdness?” [1:01:28]
• “Heat will come back to you. It will tell you if your shit is good. If you can’t generate any heat, that means your shit is not good.” [1:07:17]

Mentioned:

Follow Chris on IG

Follow Dennis on IG 

Follow Katie on IG 

One Moore Hollywood Podcast on IG

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How do you build a career as a cinematographer when the odds are against you? How do you create opportunities for yourself, when dealing with rejection, financial barriers, and prejudice? Is it possible to pursue your dream without conforming and becoming someone you are not? 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with cinematographers Bruce Cole and Alejandro Mejía to discuss: 

• Being drawn to visual art from a young age
• The people who encouraged and inspired their creative dreams
• Feeling motivated by rejection 
• Why New York is a great place to start a film career
• The importance of having mentors in your career journey
• Stigmas they experience in the industry as minorities
• Why we need to stop glamorizing film careers
• How to maintain balance during long, tedious projects
• Cultivating yourself and embracing who you are
• Having another creative form of expression outside of film

Memorable Quotes

• “I want to do this. I want to travel the world and know the world with a camera.” [14:25]
• “New York is probably the best starter city for young filmmakers from all walks of life.” [40:09]
• “This is not a speed race. This is a marathon. We are long-distance runners.” [71:28]
• “We’re losing that artistry because we are so focused on being someone else.” [79:10]

Mentioned:

From Landing the Job to Boosting Morale: Sundance DP Roundtable Dives into Filters & More

More about Bruce

More about Alejandro

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The small decisions that you make at the beginning of your project, can cause headaches later on. If you want to avoid tech issues in post, then you need to set up your project correctly from the start. Speaking of doing things right from the start, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach your interviews. How should you prepare for your next interview to make sure it doesn’t bomb?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• Bombing interviews in Hollywood
• What not to do during an interview
• Going to interviews as a slightly fancier version of yourself 
• How to respond when someone doesn’t read your script
• Feeling guilty for not reading other people’s scripts
• Career errors we have learned from
• The helpless feeling you get when troubleshooting tech problems 
• Media management issues in post-production
• Sorting through the timeline and looking for weird shots
• Why it’s worth bringing on subject matter experts early

Memorable Quotes

• “Over-researching is never a mistake when you are given an opportunity.” [2:09]
• “Everyone I know has made huge, catastrophic career mistakes and we’ve all kept going.” [9:00]
• “Setting up things right from the start makes your life so much easier.” [30:29]
• “God bless people in post-production. The most patient humans in the world.” [35:48]

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Should you hire an intimacy coordinator for your next project? What exactly does an intimacy coordinator do? Does having this person on set ruin spontaneity? How can having more structure around intimate scenes, actually encourage freedom and creativity during the storytelling process? 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Jamie Monahan, and Renata Soares to discuss:

• The role of an intimacy coordinator
• What led Lisa, Jamie, and Renata to become intimacy coordinators
• Wanting to advocate for actors and their boundaries
• How detailed screenwriters should be when writing intimate scenes
• Knowing the intention behind sex scenes
• How to choreograph and rehearse intimate scenes
• Being hired as an “insurance policy” to protect production
• What it looks like to be actively pursuing a safe space
• Having a consent - forward mentality on set
• The types of conversations an intimacy coordinator should have with cast and crew
• How to redirect a situation that is not working
• Why art doesn’t require graphic nudity to be amazing
• How to become an intimacy coordinator

Memorable Quotes

• “If you’re thinking of safety protocols for staged violence, why are we not doing the same for intimacy scenes?” [13:21]
• “I love thinking about art and intimacy in a way that can move storytelling forward.” [19:10]
• “The creative vision of the scene doesn’t come from the intimacy coordinator…we are there to facilitate the vision to become reality.” [30:04]
• “We are there to make everyone more comfortable in telling that story.” [56:26]

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