Filmmaking Sucks

As promised, this week we watched the Koz Brothers 1988 no-budget gore fest, 555!Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us!

Hey Filmmaking Sucks fans! This week, we are giving you the first episode of our new podcast, Collection Resurrection on the feed!Filmmaking Sucks is mostly done for now, but we are keeping the feed open for whenever we do interviews, panels, or anything else we think you all may be interested in hearing. So, stay subscribed and we promise there will be new content coming eventually.In the meantime, Manny & Lindsay have gone back to their love of horror and cult cinema, and we have started a new podcast called Collection Resurrection, where we watch films form our own personal home media collection which we have not yet unsealed, and discuss the film through a series of pre-determined questions.We will drop the first few episodes on this feed weekly just to give you a taste of whats to come, but the show does have it’s own standalone RSS feed, and you can find it on any podcast host that you were able to get Filmmaking Sucks from. Join us on over there for our new venture, and bask in the cult cinema glory!The first movie up on the show is one we have both seen in the past, and thought it was also partially relevant considering the current quarantines happening: The Seventh Sign starring Demi Moore, Jurgen Prochnow, and Michael Beihn.Could we have chosen a more fitting movie? Sure, but this was on our minds, so we started here. The questions!1- What did we watch?2- What is the plot?3- First Impressions?4- What did/didn’t we like about the film?5- How long since we bought this?6- Where did we buy this?7- Why did we buy this?8- When was the first time we saw this?9- Did we enjoy it?10- Would we watch it again?

Being horror filmmakers, we like to have guests who can specifically help other horror filmmakers. Well here she is, the Events Manager and Assistant Director of the Horrorhound Film Festival, Dr. Michelle Conty!Michelle was recently in NYC to shoot interviews for her upcoming educational series, Professor Of Horror, where she will speak to numerous horror filmmakers in order to get advice, tips, and tricks on how to help you to improve your own horror film productions!Specifically this week, we discussed with her the process of submitting to Horrorhound, and how to improve your festival experience once you have been selected. How to communicate with the festival, how to promote your film at the festival, as well as some tips on what festivals are looking for, and reasons why your film may not have been selected.This coming weekend is a big one for us! We will be attending the Scares That Care Charity Film Festival in Virginia, and our new short MissUnderstood Monster will be screening Friday night there, and we will also be running their 5K Charity Run on Saturday Morning!Also this weekend, we unfortunately will not be in attendance, but Matryoshka will be screening at Midsummer Scream in LA on Saturday, and both MissUnderstood and Matryoshka will be at the Brightside Tavern Short Film Fest in Jersey City, NJ on Saturday Night as well! So, if you’re in the area, hit up one of these fests and #SupportIndieHorror!Get info on all the events here:https://scaresthatcareweekend.com/https://midsummerscream.org/http://www.brightsidetavernfilmfestival.com/

This week, we sit down with Nassau County Film Commission, director of the Long Island International Film Expo, and writer/director in her own right, Debra Markowitz and John Marean.We talk with Debra about how she helped found the Naussau County Film Commission and the Long Island International Film Expo. Delving into the history of film on Long Island, some of the do’s and don’t of festival etiquette, as well as discussing Debra’s own films, and her experiences attending festivals as a filmmaker who is also a fest director!Stories of technical mishaps, irate filmmakers, and how the hell they find time to make their own films, on top of it all. You can find more info on, and submit to the Long Island International Film Expo here: www.longislandfilm.comCatch us this weekend, Saturday June 8th, at the Art Of Brooklyn Film Festival for the premiere of our new short film, Matryoshka, in Brooklyn, NY.June 15th, will be the premiere of our new short film, MissUnderstood Monster at Happenstance Film Festival in Haverhill, MA.June 22nd, Matryoshka will be screening at Tromadance Film Fest in Brooklyn, NY.June 27-30th, Matryoshka and MissUnderstood Monster will be screening at the Boulevard Film Festival in Sunnyside, Queens, NY.Check our social media sites and calendar for more info and ticket links!

Here is part 2 of our interview with Alex Ferrari where he discusses his new book, Shooting For The Mob.Beyond just discussing hr book, we get into some of the difficult personal challenges we (and you) have to face as a filmmaker and artist; the amount of time, effort, and training that goes into your craft. We discuss how filmmakers and challenges in the modern age differ from filmmakers of the past. We talk inequality in the studio system, fighting to get a leg up in a predominantly male industry, and learning to be true to yourself in the face of adversity.This episode is very healing, therapeutic and quite cathartic at times (at least for us it was) which explains why we decided to separate it from the previous episode, besides it being extremely long (we recorded for over 2 1/2 hours).Check out Alex’s Podcast Indie Film Hustle here: http://indiefilmhustle.comYou can also buy a copy of Alex’s book, Shooting For The Mob, directly here: http://indiefilmhustle.com/mobYou can now watch our latest feature, Theta States, online! It is currently available for FREE via the Midnight Pulp app, or on their website: https://www.midnightpulp.com/video/017399v/theta-states/Watch our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, on Amazon Prime now! https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Slaughter-Massacre-Manny-Serrano/dp/B07M5ZKKGN/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Check out our film inside of BSM, The Attack Of The Brain People, on Vimeo On Demand! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attackofthebrainpeopleSubscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucksJoin the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group!Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week, we talk with Filmmaker and Podcaster Alex Ferrari, again!After a self-described brutal film festival run with his latest feature, On The Corner Of Ego And Desire, Alex talks with us about the hardships he endured, staying focused, overcoming his own personal disappointments, and how to keep moving forward in the face of adversity.On The Corner Of Ego And Desire is a narrative film, which Alex shot at the Sundance Film Festival, about a group of (fictional) filmmakers trying to sell their film to a producer at Sundance. Alex gets very personal explaining how he felt the film would be a shoe-in for most festivals, but experienced a lot of pushback from other festivals in regards to making a film about filmmakers attending Sundance.We also discuss Alex’s new subscription-based Video service, Indie Film Hustle TV.Our discussing ran so long, we decided to break it up into two parts, so this episode is part 1 of our conversation, where we talk about the film and festivals. Look for part 2 soon.Sign up for IFHTV here: https://www.indiefilmhustle.tv/Check out Alex’s Podcast Indie Film Hustle here: http://indiefilmhustle.comWatch our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, on Amazon Prime now! https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Slaughter-Massacre-Manny-Serrano/dp/B07M5ZKKGN/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Check out our film inside of BSM, The Attack Of The Brain People, on Vimeo On Demand! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attackofthebrainpeopleSubscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucksJoin the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group!Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week, we are leaving all the description to the episode, as it speaks for itself: How to use SAG on a No Budget film!On Mannys newest short film, Matryoshka, we decided to go use SAG in order to work with two actors we have wanted to work with for a long time. In this episode, we will run down the entire process we went through, and walk you through each step, what emails and paperwork we received, we break down what the forms say, and the possibilities of what to expect. This may be the most clinical of episodes we’ve ever done as we literally read all the forms and emails we have received so you know EXACTLY what you’ll be getting. So if you like, take notes!And, on a bit of a side research tangent, we talk about who on your set qualifies as Above The Line and Below The Line, where they belong in your budget, and why.This Saturday, March 13th we will be at Grindhouse Days at Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse in Dunellen, NJ for the screening of our short film, I Waited For You. Doors open at 12:30, films and performances all day long, our film screens at 6pm, and all film blocks are followed by Q&A’s.Here is the link to the Preliminary Information Sheets, choose which one your project falls under: https://www.sagaftra.org/preliminary-information-formsDay Out Of Days Sample:https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/day-out-of-days-reports-explained/Watch our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, on Amazon Prime now! https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Slaughter-Massacre-Manny-Serrano/dp/B07M5ZKKGN/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Check out our film inside of BSM, The Attack Of The Brain People, on Vimeo On Demand! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attackofthebrainpeopleSubscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucksJoin the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group!Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

In October of 2017, we had the pleasure of screening our last feature film, Theta States, at the Shawna Shea Film Festival. While there, we met UK Writer/Producers Matthew Davies and Lee Wignall of Ash Mountain Films, who were there premiering their first feature, the incredible folk-horror film Dogged. Since then, we’ve become pretty close with them and in December, Matthew happened to be in NYC, so we sat down with him to discuss the writing, crowdfunding, production, and release of Dogged, as well as their second feature, the home-invasion flick Nefarious. Ash Mountain Films successfully crowdfunded both features, and Matthew walks us through their process of hard work, dedication, and (occasionally) sheer blind luck, to get to completion. Set stories from the fun, the scary, the nightmarish, and the struggle to finish both films. You can follow Ash Mountain Films and their work here: https://twitter.com/ashmountainfilmhttps://www.facebook.com/doggedhorrormoviehttps://www.facebook.com/NefariousFilm/ Join us on Thursday, February 21st at the Stone Creek Bar & Lounge for The Big Bloody Apple: NYC Women in Horror Month Event, organized by Lindsay and CongestedCats’ Christina Raia. Films! Trivia! Candy! It's a decade of Women in Horror Month and we're throwing a WiHM celebration as only NYC can! Join us for film screenings from local horror female filmmakers, women in horror trivia from Nicole Solomon of 4MileCircus, and a lecture by the one and only Heather Buckley! Plus yes, candy! Check out the event invite at our events page, or directly here: https://www.facebook.com/events/408432156565429/ Watch our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, on Amazon Prime now! https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Slaughter-Massacre-Manny-Serrano/dp/B07M5ZKKGN/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Check out our film inside of BSM, The Attack Of The Brain People, on Vimeo On Demand! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attackofthebrainpeople Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

Well, we have returned, and we are calling this the first episode of season 3! This week, we start off a little slow, explain our sorta-new format and our new “Seasons” experiment. So, going back to our New Years episode from 2018, we review what our goals for the year were, how many of them we accomplished, and set our new goals for 2019. That’s mostly the conversation for this episode, just trying to get back into the swing of things. Along the way we discuss a bit of shooting Father of Lies, the success of Beneath, and the progress on our new short films Miss Understood Monster and Matryoshka! Join us on Thursday, February 21st at the Stone Creek Bar & Lounge for The Big Bloody Apple: NYC Women in Horror Month Event, organized by Lindsay and CongestedCats’ Christina Raia. Films! Trivia! Candy! It's a decade of Women in Horror Month and we're throwing a WiHM celebration as only NYC can! Join us for film screenings from local horror female filmmakers, women in horror trivia from Nicole Solomon of 4MileCircus, and a lecture by the one and only Heather Buckley! Plus yes, candy! Check out the event invite at our events page, or directly here: https://www.facebook.com/events/408432156565429/ Watch our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, on Amazon Prime now! https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Slaughter-Massacre-Manny-Serrano/dp/B07M5ZKKGN/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Check out our film inside of BSM, The Attack Of The Brain People, on Vimeo On Demand! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attackofthebrainpeople Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

In a conversation that many of our listeners have heard bit and pieces of over the last few episodes, we discuss what it means to us to be our own style of filmmaker.As artists, we all struggle with the push and pull of being creative and following our instincts, and wanting to sell our art and be successful. These two things are not mutually exclusive, but they certainly feel like they are, a lot of the time. So, we discuss the types of filmmakers we want to be, and talk out the struggle over time that it took to come to these realizations.There’s not much more to describe for this episode, so listen in and maybe you’ll hear something you were trying to discover in yourself as well. Being a filmmaker is still an art, and your art has to reflect a part of you, or it is simply a product to sell, not a creation to marvel at.See Beneath this weekend at Sick Chick Flicks film Festival in Cary, NC, Sunday, Sept 30th, where Lindsay will also be on the Adventures In Filmmaking panel.Tickets are available at: https://www.sickchickflicksfilmfestival.com/ticketsSee the premiere of our newest short, I Waited For You, alongside Beneath on Saturday, Oct 6th at the Shawna Shea Film Festival, as part of the Horror Shorts Block. The short film Father of Lies, and feature film Good Day, will also screen at the festival on Thursday, Oct. 4th. Last year our feature film, Theta States, won Best Director and Best Of Fest at Shawna Shea! Tickets are available here: https://filmfreeway.com/TheShawnaSheaFilmFestival/ticketsSubscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucksJoin the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group!Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week on Filmmaking Sucks, we discuss different ways how you can prepare your film for future marketing, while you are in pre and production.In the past, we have generally kept much of our production process quiet while in production; hiding fx, hiding sets and locations, etc. Making horror films, we don’t want to give anything much away. Now, moving into a comedy, the spoilers are within the scenes themselves, so making photos on set public help to get people excited in your film.Starting in pre-preduction at your films title and the script, everything you do makes a difference towards how you promote your film. Decisions made now will affect the audience you are cultivating, and the image they have of your film before they see it.Be prepared to start taking photos on set, while casting your actors or location scouting, making behind the scenes videos, and showing the world what it is you are doing to make your film. Here we discuss a few of the things you can do to improve your promotions, and get your film seen.Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucksJoin the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group!Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week, we talk to the host of the Indie Film Hustle Podcast, Alex Ferrari! Alex has created one of the most well known and helpful resources for indie filmmakers with his podcast and brand of Indie Film Hustle. Having over 20 years of experience in the industry, he has finally begun making his own feature films. Using his podcast and website to bring you along on his journey, he tells his story with a transparency that many do not have in the film business.  After releasing his first low-budget feature, This Is Meg, in 2017 to Hulu, unbeknownst to his listeners, he shot a feature film, guerrilla style, at the Sundance Film Festival called On The Corner Of Ego And Desire.  We discuss his experiences in the industry, his inspirations on why he started IFH, and when he decided it was time to just get up and make his films, his way.  You can find Alex, his network, and podcasts at IndieFilmHustle.com.  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week on Filmmaking Sucks, we bring to you an interview that Lindsay & Manny did on the JT & Big O Podcast!  This interview was originally aired on Facebook Live in June of this year, and we wanted to make sure all of our listeners had an opportunity to listen to it. We discuss our production methods, along with some of our favorite films, where we think horror is going, and even throw in a little Marvel vs DC geek-debate!  So, we hope you enjoy the show, and we'll be back with a brand new episode next week!  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

Now that we are officially wrapped and in post-production, this week we discuss the making of Lindsays new short film, Miss Understood Monster! From Pre to Post, we account the whole process of developing the visuals, writing the script, casting, getting the locations, shooting with a mostly female crew, and prepping for post-production. Along the way, Lindsay talks about where the idea for the script came from, her inspirations for the characters while writing, and watching it all come to life on set. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks “A movie is written three times: once, in the script, a second time on set, and a third in the editing room.”

We're back! Our first episode in a few months, and we get right down to it. We discuss what they've been up to, all the festivals, the panels, the screenings and shoots we've had. From the Severed Film Night and Grindhouse at Roxy & Dukes, to Tampa, Florida and Prospect Park, we've had a busy few months, and are happy to be back.  Let us catch you up with all of our goings-on and few of the lessons we learned along the way. Two of the main topics are the shoot with Rogue Chimera Films that Manny was hired to shoot in Florida, and WAVE Productions who premiered a 25 year old film at the Severed Film Night. WAVE Productions is a mail-order horror/monster movie production company who are known for shooting 2-3 feature films in a single weekend! Wrap your head around that! Full disclosure, we recorded this episode in early July, and we ended up so deep in pre-production on Miss Understood Monster, that it was never posted. Well, here it is, and here are links to some of the things we discussed on the episode! Cut Throat Women WAVE Films The JT & Big O Podcast Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com and join his Horror Genre Film Festival Billboard Facebook group! Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This past weekend, Lindsay and Manny shot a new short film, and did so with an entirely new crew than they had worked with before. First time working with a pro DP, Philip Kral who you can hear on the Cinematography Panel from Macabre Faire episode, and the 2nd time with a pro sound mixer, Brain Neris.  So, this week we discuss the shoot day, how the entire day went, how we handled new the responsibilities and delegations, and what we have left to do. In the final portion of the show, we discuss the long-term plans we have for ourselves and the importance of looking at your films as body of work, rather than attempting to pack everything you want into one film.  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

This week, we bring you the Filmmaking On A Budget panel from the Macabre Faire Film Festival, featuring indie directors Patrick Devaney, Jeremiah Kipp, and Jerry Landi.  Whether making films on the budget of a pizza dinner, two days of shooting for 10 months of post production, to working with Hollywood actors, at the end of the day the only thing that matters is finishing the film. Patrick, Jerry and Jeremiah discuss their ups and downs of producing low-budget films over the last decade and more. Scrubbing race cars out of your sound, ADR, mobile greenscreens, zombies on the beach, creature creation, artistic filmmaking, shorts vs features, making money, losing money, and everything in between. If you have the slightest inclination to make your own films, this panel proves that you CAN do it yourself!  You can find Patrick Devaney here: https://www.patrickdevaneyactor.com/ You can find Jeremiah Kipp here: http://www.kippfilms.com/main.html You can find Jerry Landi here: https://www.facebook.com/REDEYERIPS/ Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

Production management software is popping up all over, from the veterans like MovieMagic to newb's like Celtx, it's hard to decide which one is best for your needs. This week, we talk to Jim Miller & Ben Yennie, creators of ProductionNext, which is an all-in-one system, attempting to meet all of your production management needs.  Discussing with them the uses of the program, we get deep into how it can help your productions, be they 4-8 member crews with limited budgets like ours, or 100 crews with 6 figure+ budgets. Keep track of your crews inventory, create srotyboards, write and maintain a budget amongst crew members, schedule your shoot days, and keep everyone up-to-speed on the progress of the film from pre-production all the way through post. If you sign up for ProductionNext, use the link beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks to get three free months added to your service.  Ben Yennie was VP of Sales for Taal, a mobile video interview platform for the hospitality industry. He is the founder of Producer Foundry, a center for workshops, networking, and entrepreneurial training for film and video producers. Jim Miller brings a deep understanding of user experience, interaction design and development, and Internet communities from a career spent at Apple, HP Labs, Gateway, and, most recently, as an independent design and development consultant.  As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com Sign up for ProductionNext via beta.productionnext.com/filmmakingsucks

Rejection is probably the toughest part of being an artist. Peers, audiences, film festivals, distributors, everyone has an opinion on your work, and a lot of the time, it's not very positive. But, that comes with the territory and, many times, the way you deal with your rejections defines the path you will take. This week, we have a very honest discussion on many of the rejections we have received recently, how we have handled them and how we use the lessons we've learned to decide the direction we want to go in next.  As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks Join the Indie Filmmaker Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/1798997870171718/ Listen to the HorrorHappens Radio show for current news and interviews from the genre film festivals and conventions you should have on your radar: horrorhappens.com

This week, we bring you the Latino Filmmaker panel from the Macabre Faire Film Festival. Hosted by Manny Serrano, and featuring filmmakers Edwin Pagan and Christian Moran, horror super-fan and actress Ines Peek also joined us for the talk.  While much of Hollywood is currently fighting for equality of female and black filmmakers, one of the most marginalized groups in American film today are Latino and Hispanic filmmakers. Making up less than 4% of characters in films in Hollywood, the Hispanic perspective on life is one that is not told very often, and is generally overlooked.  In an eye-opening panel, we discuss the hardships Latinos face growing up in America, and not seeing themselves and their identities portrayed truthfully in American cinema.  Edwin Pagan tells about how he started the website LatinHorror.com and how it has become a central hub for a community that he, and many others, did not the extent to which it existed before the website came to be. Christian Moran talks about his career, from writing faux-sequels to films when he was young and filming them with his siblings, to his new Proxies Of Fear film series which strives to give a platform to Latino and other minority filmmakers in New Jersey. Bringing in more of a viewers perspective, Ines Peek lends her thoughts on her experiences watching horror films as a child and a teenager, and how it has fueled her love for the genre and film festivals today. She also describes how the lack of representation in films may bottle-necked the opportunities for her to follow her aspirations of becoming an actress, via the lack of roles available to audition for, to very minimal support from friends and family telling her that it was possible. You can find Edwin Pagan and follow him at LatinHorror.com. Follow Christian Moran on Facebook here: facebook.com/cmoran29/ and his new film Lets Play Dead Girl here: facebook.com/letsplaydeadgirl/ You can find Ines Peek on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/ines.kirchenko As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Happy Valentines Day everyone! We all know that just because it's a holiday (sort of) that doesn't mean the hustle ends, so here we are with some updates! At the beginning of the year, we set some 6-week goals for ourselves, and today is our progress report! Meager they may have been, the tasks of writing a script and scheduling a shoot (respectively) came with their own woes, and we're gonna confess them to you.  Over the last six weeks, we've had two major hurdles. One being compatible screenwriting software, and how do you prep for a shoot when you've never seen the location? So, we talk about the obstacles we've been dealing with lately, and then decide on what our next 6-week goal will be, and brush on what we want to do in the long term as filmmakers, and the next few months for the podcast. We also briefly discuss LUTs in this episode a bit, and we talk about in-camera LUTs, which was just used as a comparison to the in-camera color profiles. Camera profiles are not LUTs, but they are a similar concept. For a more in-depth explanation of what a LUT is, check out this article at NoFilmSchool: https://nofilmschool.com/2011/05/what-is-a-look-up-table-lut-anyway As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Happy Women In Horror Month! January 12th, 2018 was the 2nd Annual Women In Horror Panel at the Macabre Faire Film Festival in Ronkonkoma, NY. Featuring Director/Producer Lindsay Serrano, Actress/Director Angie Hansen, Director/SFX Artist Shiva Rodriguez, Cinematographer/Director Jill Poisson, and Actress/Producer Lowry B. Fawley, and hosted by Manny Serrano, the panel discusses many of the ups and downs of being a woman working in the horror industry. Covering feature filmmaking, first projects, the unbalanced amount of male directors vs female directors, female-centric tropes in horror films, female killers in films, along with many other topics.  Be a part of Women In Horror Month by using the hashtags #WiHM9 #WiHM #WomenInHorror and #WiH!  As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Producing a low-budget feature can easily be one of the most daunting undertakings you will ever experience, but also the most rewarding. The crash-course in filmmaking you receive will be unlike any other. This week on the show we talk with Writer/Producer/Director Joe Badon about his upcoming feature film "The God Inside My Ear." With a budget of $8000, and not a penny more, Joe write his script, assembled a cast & crew, and over the course of a few weeks, shot his first feature film. Starting out with how he got into filmmaking and working as a storyboard artist, and get into where he found his actors, his crew, locations, and how in the hell he managed to keep the budget so damn low! You can find Joe Badon on Facebook, and find the film here: https://www.facebook.com/thegodinsidemyear/ where you can watch the trailer and follow its progress. God Inside My Ear will be hitting festivals this year, so look out for it! As always, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks ““When I meet with recent film school graduates, I remind them that whatever happens next in the industry won’t be something my generation does. It will happen among the 20-somethings, the narrative entrepreneurs who figure out how to make the next great thing. Rather than seeking permission to work in the existing industry, they’ll make their own.”” — John August

Filmmaking is a visual medium, obviously. So it goes without saying that choosing the right cinematographer is essential in telling your story properly.  At the Macabre Faire Film Festival, Manny was lucky enough to have hosted multiple panels, one of which was The Art Of Cinematography, with two extremely talented D.P's in Phil Kral and Jill Poisson. Discussing a range of topics starting with how they became cinematographers to defining a "film look," working with multiple directors, and how to create a visual style over the span of a career.  You can find work by Phil Kral at www.philipkral.com and Jill Poisson at www.jpoisson.com. Be sure to check them out and follow them on social media! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks I like movies where you can come back and re-watch them and admire the cinematography 25 years later. - Rob Zombie

At the Ax Wound film Festival, Lindsay sat in on a live Podcast recording for 4Mile Circus, who are not only an awesome podcast you should all check out, but they are also a production team based out of Brooklyn, NY!  On this panel, hosted by Nicole Solomon and Sean Mannion, Lindsay, Monika Estrella Negra and Christina Raia discuss how to use ancillary content to promote your film, be it through podcasts, behind the scenes interviews, on-set tutorials of how you accomplished certain scenes, or just by simply using social media as often as possible while on set.  Listen in and let us know what you think, and subscribe to the 4Mile Circus Podcast at 4milecircus.com, which we were guests on last week! Big thanks to Nicole and Sean for letting us include this on our feed!  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Social Media! That ever elusive combination lock that we all struggle to get right. How to get followers, how to get shares, how to get likes, how to get people to pay attention to you and your film! Well, this week, we sit down with Sean Mannion and Nicole Solomon at 4MileCircus and discuss exactly that. 4MileCircus is a media company who offer their services in video production, social media management, teaching workshops, training seminars and more, all to help you create better content. They share a few of their methods on how to create a social media following for your first film.  Don't forget to listen to the 4MileCircus podcast for this week as well, which feature Manny and Lindsay discussing making their first film, and a few other choice subjects which harp on why, sometimes, Filmmaking Sucks. And a huge thanks to Sean and Nicole for usage of their equipment for this episode! Check them out at 4milecircus.com and see how they can help you make good films! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Happy New Year everyone! Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first episode of Filmmaking Sucks AND the first episode of the new year, so we decided to do a bit of a year end wrap-up. A huge part of this struggle is keeping yourself motivated in the face of so much rejection and, plain and simple, a lack of time. Between working to pay the bills, and shooting your films on weekends, how do you find the time to actually promote yourself at events? You lose sleep, you lose a social life and essentially free time as a whole. The road to getting noticed is definitely a long-game. It takes 20 years to become an overnight success, so you have to plan to put the time in, and try to not focus on doing too much at once.  This week we will talk about some of our personal goals and how we budget some of our time in order to always keep ourselves working towards our long-term goals.  You can catch us next weekend, Jan 12th-14th at the Macabre Faire Film Festival, where Lindsays film "Beneath" will be screening on Saturday and Sunday. Lindsay will also be part of the Women In Horror Panel, and Manny will be hosting the Cinematography Panel, featuring Jill Poisson and Phil Kral. Go to MacabreFaireFilmFest.com to buy tickets! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

The Ax Wound Film Festival is a celebration of Women in Horror, and Filmmaking in general. Lindsay's new film Beneath was selected to be part of the fest, and as a result, she was invited to be a part of the filmmakers panel at the festival. Hosted by Jay Kay of Horror Happens Radio, the panel includes Lindsay Serrano, Julia K. Berkey (Gemmas Monster), Aislinn Clarke (Childer), Stee McMorris (Strange Harvest), England Simpson (Prelude: A Love Story), Kathryn McManus (Knock Knock II), Jennifer Bonior & Dycee Wildman (Inside The House), Marinah Janello (Entropia), Nicole Solomon (Mare), Monika Estrella Negra (Flesh), and Christina Raia (Enough). The panel discusses what it's like to be a woman working in media, and especially the horror industry. Their thoughts on the Ax Wound Film Festival and other female-centric festivals, as well as working with practical effects, the importance of being subversive towards the mainstream, and guerrilla filmmaking. You can check out the Ax Wound Film Festival at the Women In Horror Month Website. Submissions for the 2018 fest open in a few months. Whether you are accepted or not, whether you are a male or female filmmaker, we advise you all to strongly consider making the trip out to Vermont to be part of the festival.  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

We attended the Fear NYC Horror Film Festival in October, and filmed the "Masters of Horror" panel hosted by Jay Kay of Horror Happens Radio, featuring producer and journalist Heather Buckley, Horror Historian Tyler Hixson, director Colin Adams-Toomey, Director & Actress Adrienne Lovette, and actor Nicholas Tucci.  The panel discussed the past and future of horror, the importance of diversity in front of and behind the camera, the use of CGI in horror, indie filmmaking, budgets and so much more. 

Crowdfunding is becoming a huge part of independent film production. A few weeks back, we attended the Ax Wound Film Festival, and were able to attend a workshop hosted by Christina Raia discussing crowdfunding and specifically the platform Seed & Spark.  She discussed methods of starting your campaign, perks you can offer, different ways of promoting your film, keeping in touch with your contributors, and getting others involved in your film, among many other methods of launching a successful crowdfunding campaign. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

We're back!  After a lengthy hiatus, which we totally didn't intend, we're finally back. This week, we discuss a panel we sat in on at the New York Short Film Festival, about How To Get our Feature Made, and cover some of the talking points hit by the panelist Rob Margolies.  Is it the right time to make the film? Do you have the right script? The right people? The right locations? The right budget? We talk what is the "combination lock" that many producers consider to be the way to get your feature film made, and be successful.  So, just keeping it short, lets get into the episode!  Upcoming Events: Krampus AP Film Festival in Asbury Park Dec 1st & 2nd, our short film Grub vom Krampus will be screening there. The Northeast Film Festival Horror Fest at Teaneck Cinemas, Teaneck, NJ on Dec 6th & 7th, our newest feature Theta States will screen Dec 6th at 830pm.  Bizarre Haunted Flea Market in Old Bethpage, NY Dec 9th & 10th, Grub vom Krampus will also play there, and we will be there with a vendors table selling DVDs and some of our horror-inspired art!  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Happy month of Halloween! We've spent the last couple of weeks at different film festivals, including the Shawna Shea Film Festival and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. On top of winning two awards, we watched a lot of excellent films, and learned a lot about ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses and were able to realize what some of our near-future goals are.  An important part of being able to grow and improve your craft is the ability to self-reflect, self-critique and look at your own work objectively. It's not the easiest thing to do, but it is imperative to your personal growth as a filmmaker and artist. On this episode we discuss what we've learned over the past few weeks and how we (and you!) can work to improve our films.  November 4th at 9:30pm, Linsdays new film "Beneath" is screening as part of the New York Short Film Festival at Cinema Village in Manhattan! Tickets go on sale this week. Join us for the New York Premiere of Lindsays first film!  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. You can also now follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

To kick off the Halloween Season, we have decided to attempt to cover subjects that relate directly to horror films for this month, and we kick it off with a conversation relating to something we recently spoke about in our Production Apps episode: The Seven Basic Plots. In writing, generally all stories can fall into one of 7 basic plots, which are explained heavily in the book The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker. By learning and understanding these guidelines for writing, you can gain a better perspective on your story, and will help you in creating more complex and interesting characters and stories.  In a horror twist, we have decided to explain how these basic plot lines can be used in making great horror films. Every horror film ever made is the first plotline of "Overcoming The Monster" but what makes great horror is when you combine multiple structures into your stories. Using examples of some of the greatest horror films including The Shining, Alien, Rosemarys Baby, Nightbreed, Event Horizon, Night Of the Living Dead, and many others.  October 5th at 4pm has been announced as the official New England Premiere of our film Theta States! We have been selected to be part of the Shawna Shea Foundation Film Festival, and will be the opening film of the festival! Both of us will be on-hand for all three days of the fest, so please come on out to support this wonderful charity and celebrate independent artists and filmmakers. #SwagBag https://www.shawnasheaff.com/ You can find the Shawna Shea Memorial Foundation, where donations are welcome, here: http://www.shawnafoundation.org/ Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

When your movie is complete, and you've found distribution, there is a list of items that the distributor (or sales agent) will ask for so that they can properly package and sell your film. This is called your Deliverables. This list contains very specific requirements for your film including the final rendered version, M+E tracks, 5.1 audio, specific codecs, your script, dialogue tracks, and more. Unfortunately, most filmmakers do not know what the list will include until they are presented with a distribution contract, in which case they are then forced to scramble to get it all done, only to realize some they sometimes cannot meet these requirements. This doesn't mean your deal is finished, but it does handcuff your distributor on how far they can push your film. So, this week we will discuss many of the items that are on that list of requirements, and help you to prepare for this list.  On that list as well, your distributor will ask for the Credit Block, and while most think its just a list of people who worked on the film, it turns out the credit block is something that is a high point of contention and negotiation with actors, producers, directors and all the unions. So, we will explain each piece of the credit block who gets credited, how they get credited, the order they are credited in, and how you can use your credit block to negotiate with your cast and crew.  October 5th at 4pm has been announced as the official New England Premiere of our film Theta States! We have been selected to be part of the Shawna Shea Foundation Film Festival, and will be the opening film of the festival! Both of us will be on-hand for all three days of the fest, so please come on out to support this wonderful charity and celebrate independent artists and filmmakers. #SwagBag https://www.shawnasheaff.com/ You can find the Shawna Shea Memorial Foundation, where donations are welcome, here: http://www.shawnafoundation.org/ Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

This week on Filmmaking Sucks we discuss some of the low-cost production apps and programs which will help to streamline your production, especially wen shooting with a small crew! We begin discussing CineSummit 7, which will go live next week, Sept 12&13. Cinesummit presents numerous video lectures and seminars over the course of two days, taught by industry professionals, and is completely free! Check out this great yearly resource of knowledge and information that can help bring your productions to the next level. After that, if there's one thing you can never have too many of is apps and programs that make production smoother. So we discuss a few of the programs we use ourselves. Some are cheap, some are not, and some are free! We'll discuss what each program does, and how you can utilize it on your next production! Wednesday, Sept 13th is the premiere screening of our newest short, An Act Of Concession at Neirs Tavern in Woodhaven, Queens! Free to attend, so come on out, see some indie films, along with ours, and #SupportIndieFilm! October 5th at 4pm has been announced as the official New England Premiere of our film Theta States! We have been selected to be part of the Shawna Shea Foundation Film Festival, and will be the opening film of the festival! Both of us will be on-hand for all three days of the fest, so please come on out to support this wonderful charity and celebrate independent artists and filmmakers. #SwagBag https://www.shawnasheaff.com/ You can find the Shawna Shea Memorial Foundation, where donations are welcome, here: http://www.shawnafoundation.org/ Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Film is a visual medium, and your Director Of Photography is the person who will bring your visual story to life. They help you craft the story through lenses, angles, lighting, movement and color. But, they are incapable of bringing your vision to life if they are ill-prepared.  This week, we discuss a few of the basic elements of your film that needs to be decided upon during pre-production, so your DP can do their job efficiently, and allow you to focus on other aspects of the day.  If you are in the NYC area, come on out to Lovecraft Bar NYC on Friday, August 25th and join us for a screening of three of our short films, among many others, as we celebrate the 127th Birthday of HP Lovecraft! #HBHP October 6th-8th has been announced as the official New England Premiere of our film Theta States! We have been selected to be part of the Shawna Shea Foundation Film Festival. Both of us will be on-hand for the weekend, so please come on out to support this wonderful charity and celebrate independent artists and filmmakers. #SwagBag https://www.shawnasheaff.com/ You can find the Shawna Shea Memorial Foundation, where donations are welcome, here: http://www.shawnafoundation.org/ Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Keeping things low-budget can be difficult, and there are many things indie filmmakers do to stretch their budgets as far as possible. This week, we discuss a few of the methods we have used in the past to achieve professional results on an amateur budget. From home-made (and safe!) squibs and blood pumps, how to create a gun muzzle blast with ANY editing software, to inexpensive lighting diffusion and a $5 follow focus. We hit on all of these, plus more items that will help you get that shot you've always wanted, but thought you couldn't afford. Come on out to Lovecraft Bar NYC on Friday, August 25th at 6pm and join us for the HP Lovecraft 127th Birthday Party, and check out three of our short films there; Sleepless, The Au Pair and Knock Knock! 50 Avenue B, New York NY, 10009$5 entry donation, one drink purchase mine21+ event.HORROR Readings 6pm - 9pm BANDS 9pm -midnightHORROR ART SHOW/FILMS 6pm - midnightSubscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucks “Even a low-budget film costs way more money than a high-priced record. So, it’s mo’ money, mo’ problems. When you have more money, it just creates more people trying to get involved and you have more trouble.” — Rob Zombie

On most Low and No-Budget films, the director is usually also the writer, and producer, sometimes camera operator and editor as well. With all of these hats to wear, there are a few key components to being a director that you need to know and have to consider before shooting your film. There's more to making a film that just writing it then grabbing a bunch of your buddies and calling yourself a director. Wanting to help you make the most out of your limited budget and means, pre-production is a big part of your film, and its not just for producers. Directors answer many important questions during pre-production that will allow them to walk onto the set ready, with a clear head and on a definitive track of what you're getting out of this movie. This week, we discuss some of the duties of the director, and how to mentally prepare yourself for your film, shooting, editing and the release.We also cover some of the things we have been working on, updates on Lindsays' new film, and a few of the people we've been working with lately, as well as a slight touch on post-production audio. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast!#FilmmakingSucks “Your film is like your children. You might want a child with certain qualities, but you are never going to get the exact specification right. The film has a privilege to live its own life and develop its own character. To suppress this is dangerous. It is an approach that works the other way too: sometimes the footage has amazing qualities that you did not expect” — Werner Herzog

Film Races are something we've always enjoyed doing, ever since we began making movies. Our first film race was in 2007 for the Alamo Drafthouse Bloodshots Competition. We have competed in three others since then, we hosted a panel discussion about them at Macabre Faire in 2014, and Manny recently was a judge for the Madison, WI wing of The 48 Hour Film Project contest.  This week on the podcast, we discuss our time spent competing in these races, how we got the work done, and tell you about the three films we shot over the last two weeks, which have taken up all of our time, which is the reason we haven't had a new episode! haha If you want to check out our Annabelle-Inspired short at MyAnnabelleCreation.com: go to View Gallery and click the one labeled "Manny S. Woodhaven, NY" and help us get noticed by the Filmchilla Film Festival by posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram the hashtags #Filmchilla, #ChillaContest and #ThetaStates, and if you bought a ticket already, or or planning to buy a ticket, please tell them Theta States sent you! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

Your first film set can be a big undertaking, and you need to be prepared or your filmmaking journey will be over before it begins. Where do I shoot? What do I need? What should I prepare for? How many people do I need on my crew? Who does what?? Do I seriously have to feed everyone?! Having started out with a 4 person crew years ago, and to this day, we still attempt to keep our crews as small and efficient as possible, we will discuss all of these questions, and more on this episode! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. We have also (contrary to what was said in this episode) opened our Facebook page, so you can now follow the podcast at www.facebook.com/filmmakingpodcast! #FilmmakingSucks

This week Manny and Lindsay sit down with filmmaker, and long-time collaborator Louie Cortes. Together, the three of us as written, produced and directed our first feature film, Blood Slaughter Massacre, our web-series-turned-featurette, The Attack Of The Brain People, and a number of short films, including Louies' web series Holidays Of Terror. When we began working separately, creatively, Louie produced Good Day with us on crew, and we produced Theta States, with him on crew. Last week, we discussed how to Micro-Budget your script, and we mentioned how one of the biggest assets in doing low/no budget films is having a crew that you collaborate with regularly. These people will be there on your sets, and you will be on their sets. Rather than you paying them $200 per day, and then they paying you $200 a day right back, you work, indebted to each other, with the combined purpose of getting your projects done and out into the world. All of our films began from simply seeing each other on the subway one day, and talking. That's all there is to networking and building your creative group.  Today we'll discuss the ways we have met the many members of our regular crew, and the multitude of other places you can find filmmakers, actors, and other creatives!  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

Two weeks ago, Lindsay was on one of our favorite Filmmaking podcasts, Making Movies Is Hard, and she discussed their prospects of making their own first feature film and how to re-work their budget to affordable levels. So, this week, we give you our response to that interview, and talk about how we keep our budgets down for our films.  We discuss our own methods and experiences producing the films Blood Slaughter Massacre, Theta States, Good Day, Attack Of The Brain People, Zombie Hunters: City Of The Dead, and the countless short films we've worked on over the past 12 years. The people who we've worked for free for, the favors we've asked for, and fulfilled, bartering your services for assistance, supporting other filmmakers, finding locations for cheap or free, and most importantly, getting your film done at a price you can afford.  Check out the links below for some of the films, podcasts and videos we discussed in this episode, and get to making your first film! Making Movies Is Hard! Podcast (Lindsay can be heard on Episode 104) Mark Duplass - SXSW Keynote Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead Madison 48 Hour Film Project Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

Manny and Lindsay take on a subject that many independent filmmakers are unaware of this week, and that is Development Funds. This area of your budget is not always necessary, and it depends on what your film budget is actually going to be.  What are development funds? Where does this money come from? When do you pay it back (if at all)? How does this affect your films budget as a whole? Where do you investors fit into this fund? As part of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Women Filmmakers series, we sat in on the "Working Above the Micro-Budget Level" Workshop with Naomi McDougall Jones and Sarah Wharton where this was discussed. So we got this straight from two sources who have done it themselves, and we are here to share what we learned with you.  Catch us at the Severed VHS Trade and Short Film Night, this Saturday May 27th, where we will be premiering our new short film, Knock Knock, and we will have a table for the day. Grab tickets here: www.shermantheater.com/?e=event&eventId=21952&rDate=5/27/2017 And Sunday May 28th, you can see our new film Theta States at the First Contact Film Festival at 2:40pm, along with a full day of other indie horror and scifi films. Tickets are $10 for the day, and you can get them here: filmfreeway.com/festival/firstcontact/tickets Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. When you're making an independent film, it's like this actor plus this actor equals this funding, this financing. Pull this actor out, this actor is still here but this money's gone. It's this frightening puzzle mosaic that is the world of independent film. - Jill Soloway

This week on Filmmaking Sucks, Manny and Lindsay sit down with author Loren Molloy to discuss the differences between writing a book vs a script. Besides the obvious format differences, when writing a novel, the creator tends to be less restricted in their story writing, but there still must be some level of constraint. With a script, you must be stricter with your writing, but more can be left open to interpretation, so it can be left available to create on set. We also get into the hot debate of the movies vs the novel/comics and discuss a few other subjects regarding them. You can find Loren Molloys books at lorenmolloy.com and see her at the upcoming shows Scare A Con and Grindhouse Night at Cafe Z! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. Ep. 13 - Writing Books vs Movies w/ Author Loren Molloy Filmmaking Sucks Download “I love the movies, and when I go to see a movie that’s been made from one of my books, I know that it isn’t going to be exactly like my novel because a lot of other people have interpreted it. But I also know it has an idea that I’ll like because that idea occurred to me, and I spent a year, or a year and a half of my life working on it.”

This week on Filmmaking Sucks, Lindsay and Manny discuss what is like working the convention circuit. Many indie filmmakers, especially those in the horror genre, decide to forego the traditional distribution route, and opt instead to sell their films themselves by running tables at conventions like Monster Mania, Chiller Theatre, Horrorhound, Texas Frightmare, Cinema Wasteland, and more.  Here on the North-East coast, the convention circuit filmmakers are like a family, and these events are like a reunion to us. We love doing the shows, seeing each other, sometimes filming in the hotels, and hanging out with everyone. We'll discuss many of the perks, and the not-so-perks of choosing this path. The costs involved, the legalities, and the benefits of building relationships within this community.  We also discuss how working conventions differ from doing film festivals, and our personal feelings on the two venues.  You can catch us at the Severed Film Fest at the Shearman Theater on May 27th in Stroudsberg, PA and for the screening of Theta States at 2:40pm at the First Contact Film Festival on May 28th, at Camp Jefferson in Lake Hopatcong, NJ! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

Producing a TV or Web Series is a long process and big commitment. With many moving parts and different directors on each episode, the production can balloon very quickly and just as quickly it can go off the rails. With the success of In Fear Of behind him, Scott tells us many of the pitfalls he experiences, from running out of money, pitching to producers, directors walking off set and the fallout from the burning of friendships. This is one episode that truly lives up to the title of "Filmmaking Sucks" and proves that time, patience, and perseverance are your greatest assets. If you've experienced a bad shoot, or a failed production, then this discussion proves you're not alone and that giving up is not an option.  You can find Scott W. Perrys web series In Fear of on Facebook at facebook.com/InFearOf and on twitter at @scottwperry1977.  Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

Every writer has a process, and it's different for each one. This week, Manny and Lindsay sit down with writer/producer/director Scott W. Perry and discuss the process of completing a script.  Scott is the producer of the web series "In Fear Of" where he collaborated with over a dozen directors and writers. In a situation like that, you learn the art of collaboration, and in that comes the true form of filmmaking, but it all begins with the script.  There are also certain guidelines that can be used when writing a script, which can help you move your screenplay forward when you're stuck. There are also other things which producers will look for when reading a script, and we will discuss what some of these guidelines are, and how you can get a producers attention, without them actually reading your script.  From the writing of Joseph Campbell and Syd Field, to finding inspiration, knowing your characters, creating a world, setting your themes, and writing for TV vs film, there are many parts to a good screenplay, and we discuss each of them on this in-depth episode of Filmmaking Sucks! You can find Scott W. Perrys web series In Fear of on Facebook at facebook.com/InFearOf and on twitter at @scottwperry1977.  One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I’m going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I’ll have lost nothing—writing and tearing up five pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off. —Lawrence Block Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

We're back! This week, in what is possibly our lest structured episode yet, we have a conversation with teenage filmmaker, Anthony Edward Curry. Anthony, who began making his first feature film at 13 years old and completing it at 15, has since gone on to working on numerous indie projects with many of the NY/NJ Indie Filmmakers, including a number of other young filmmakers he came up with.  Throughout the conversation, we talk with him about his first film, Movie Night, as well as his current film, other projects he is working on, hoe he finds new work, networking, and staying busy. Discussing some of our own personal on-set horror stories, we prove that you're never too old (or young) to make mistakes. Fighting to make your indie film perfect, buying blood vs making blood, and someone close to Anthony was in The Warriors! You can find Anthony on Facebook and Instagram, as well as his production companies Mayhem Films and Ouroboros Films. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something. - Neil Gaiman

Hiring a good producer is so important to you film, we needed two weeks to explain it. The day-of filming is the most important moment for your film, and if you're directing, the only thing you should be concerned with is getting what you need on-screen. We're sure you're setting up lights, working with actors, telling your cameraman what you want, running scenes, etc. The producers key responsibility is to create an environment where everyone can do their obs properly. Whether it be negotiating extra time with your location owner, making sure the food arrives when you need it to, getting talent or crew to set (or home) if a problem arises.. The producer is your problem solver for the day. We will explain all of this to you, with a few nightmare stories of our own, and hopefully we can convince you that you do in fact need a producer for your film. Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any question, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. “If two men on the same job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they disagree all the time, both are useless.” – Darryl F. Zanuck

Hiring a producer can be expensive, so many indie filmmakers write and direct their own films, which is just fin. But then, they decide "I'll do it myself" when it comes to producing, and they don't realize how much they have actually hurt their film by making that decision. The truth is, it's because most don't actually know what the producer is supposed to do, and how much work truly goes into their job. Maybe you cant afford a real producer, but you do need to find someone to work as your producer. This week, we will cover the many things a producer does to get your film up off the ground and running during Pre-Production.  From creating your production bible, to character breakdowns, to equipment and props lists, hiring department heads, breaking down the script, location scouting, casting, budgeting, scheduling and so much more.  Listen in as we discuss everything a producer does for your film during the pre-production process on Filmmaking Sucks! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any question, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss.

Actors. You can't make a movie without them! Obviously... well then lets talk! How do you find them? How do you cast them? How do you pay them? SHOULD you pay them? Is your friends brother the best choice? Are you an actor? Would you like to be an actor?  We cover all these topics and more, along with a few casting do's, don't and a couple of horror stories of our own, this week on Filmmaking Sucks! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Google Play, or your favorite podcatching app. And don't forget to rate and review us! Email us at filmmakingsucks@gmail.com with any question, comments, or subjects you'd like to hear us discuss. Casting directors tend to be the unsung heroes in this business. -Brent Sexton