First Films

This week it's just Nate and Jake end the season just chatting with each other about everything they've learned so far over these forty episodes.  The podcast will kick off season 2 next year with tons of great interviews already in the works.

This week we talk to writer-director-actor-producer and all around multi-hyphenate about his career and his organization the International Screenwriters Association.  If you are a writer, you must listen into this one.  There is a lot of priceless info in here about writing, creativity and what it takes to get your first project off the ground.

This week we talk to Charlene Huang who is the Manager of Animated Music Production at Netflix.  Before Netflix she worked at Dreamworks creating music for huge movies like How Train Your Dragon 2, Paranorman, Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls and Boss Baby.  We get philosophical on when to use music, the benefits and drawbacks of using needle drops & composing original music and where filmmakers can find composers.  Enjoy.  Please remember to subscribe if you haven't already and write a review.  Thanks!

This episode we talk to Film Finance professional and Entertainment Attorney Vinca Jarrett.  She tells us a bout falling into the film finance world after being an environmental lawyer, all of the things filmmakers do wrong when budgeting their films and everything you ever wanted to know about modern marketing in the Indie film world.

This week we have a great episode with Matt Miller and Ben Weissner of Vanishing Angle, arguably one of the most successful indie film production companies out there.  They've had films in South by Southwest, Sundance and Cannes.  They made See You Then which is the focus of one of our first episodes.  Take a listen to hear about making good movies on a lower budget and then go watch their new film The Beta Test this weekend wherever you download your movies.

This episode we talk to the great Nicol Paone about her comedy you can find on Netflix called Friendsgiving.  It boasts an all star cast with Malin Ackerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Jane Seymoure, Chelsea Peretti, Deon Cole and so many more great performers.  Ben Stiller's production company produced and our friends at Saban films distributed.  Take a listen to this episode and then go watch the movie.

This episode we talk to Director Tyler Savage about his thrillers Inheritance which you can find on Amazon Prime and Stalker which you can find on Hulu.  We talk about the creative side of filmmaking, self distribution and creative influences from working with Terrence Malick.

Listen in to this week's episode with Ryan Kampe, owner of Visit Films.  Ryan is both a producer and sales agent.  He was actually the sales agent for Sabrina Doyle's film Lorelei, which we covered on a previous episode.   So, if you haven't listened to that one, go back and play that, then come back to this one.  Ryan talks about when to get a sales agent, what a sales agent can do and what his experience is like at film festival. 

Today's episode involves interviewing Sana Soni, the director of sales at 1091 pictures, a huge distribution company. She delves into the world of distribution and how a first time filmmaker can grab the eye of some of the biggest streamers.

This week we talk to some Indie Producing legends.  Kevin Chinoy was one of the minds that brought you the cult classic show Greg The Bunny.  Francesca and Kevin produced Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project and Lorelei.  There are a lot of cool things I learned about all of those films and lots of incredible tips for first time filmmakers.  Enjoy!

This week's episode is about Ron Ray's producing feature debut Trees of Peace. Listen as we discuss what it takes to bring a movie from the script all the way to winning the Santa Barbara film festival.

This week we talk to Director/Writer Emily Ting about  her first feature It's Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong and the rest of her films.  She gets into filming in Hong Kong, casting for indies and making the transition to a studio director.  Emily is filled with tons of great stories you're not going to want to miss.   Take a listen.

This we we talk to the ever so kind Will Brandt about his feature Producing debut American Desert which he also starred in.  Will gives us the insight in how to shoot a feature truly guerilla style, spending time with veterans to prepare for his role and casting while shooting.  American desert is filled with great performances, so it was no surprise that it made a big splash at the Brooklyn Film Festival this year.  Please subscribe if you haven't already and leave a review.  That helps us a lot.

This week we talk to Pip Ngo who is a head creative and vice president of sales and acquisitions at XYZ Films.  XYZ has produced or sold  pretty much every good scifi original at Netflix and handled tons of other great horror films like Mandy and two of our favorites here at First Films, The Old Ways and The Mortuary Collection.   We talk a lot about what what a sales agent does, what it takes for a first time director to get a company like XYZ's attention and what XYZ actually does (Everything).

This week we talk to the writer and director of the new movie The Old Ways, available on Netflix tomorrow, Wednesday August 25th.  Take a listen to hear about shooting mostly in a studio space, doubling Puerto Rico for southern Mexico and directing with snakes.  

KT Kent is a veteran indie producer with ten features under her belt and has done massive ad campaigns in her career.  She gives us some sage advice and some horror stories including a boat catching on fire.  

Kent Sanderson is the Head of Acquisitions at Bleecker Street and the Co-President of Decal.  Bleecker Street is one of the premier independent American distribution companies.    Decal is a new distributor started by both Bleecker Street and Neon Rated to manage their Home Entertainment Distribution and additionally they distribute their own films like Ride the Eagle which was our last episode.  Go listen to that after this one if you haven't listened yet. https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/

This week we talk to Director Trent O'Donnell about his star studded film Ride the Eagle.  It stars and was cowritten by Jake Johnson.  You might know him as Nick from the show New Girl on which Trent was a Directing Producer.  It also stars Darcy Carden (The Good Place), JK Simmons and Susan Sarandon.  The movie is out now on demand and in theaters.

This week we talk to the true auteur writer and director Sabrina Doyle about her film Lorelei which was in this year's Tribeca and out in theaters on Friday July 30th.    She opens up about the truth that kid actors brought to her film, casting locally in biker bars and integrating her working class British upbringing into her American characters.

This week we talk to the wise and witty Lynn Chen about her film I Will Make You Mine, a black and white indie drama which is actually the final film in the Surrogate Valentine trilogy.  This badass writer, director and actor talks about managing depression after finishing production, directing actors and having her husband edit her movie.

This episode we talk to our friend Andrew Reyes who is a wealth of knowledge on filmmaking and life in general.  This man knows his horror flicks and he knows leadership.  He's the best kind of producer.

This week we talk to William Garcia about his first film Loren Cass, an experimental film taking place after the 1996 St. Petersberg Florida riots.  William talks us through coming up in the cinematography world, having a career ending injury in front of Will Farrell and gives us a website where we can see what a good electronic press kit should look like.https://www.samlandmovie.com/

This week we talk to director Gavin Michael Booth about his film The Scarehouse.  We talk about filmmaking in Canada, distribution woes and working with your wife.  Don't miss this episode!

Take a listen to the last in our three part FilmQuest Festival series.  We interview T. Justin Ross, producer of FilmQuest's feature length winner, The Mortuary Collection.  It's a super fun horror film anthology feature you can watch on Shudder or rent wherever you get movies.  He gives us the really unique story of taking over two years to make a bunch of short films rather than the whole movie at once.

This week we talk with David Wardle from Saban Films, an indie distribution company.  We met David at FilmQuest and he was nice enough to come on and tell us what a distributor looks for in a movie and how to get your best deal when your film is finished.

This week we talk to Jonathan Martin about the film fest we just came back from called FIlmQuest.  We chat about what a film festival is looking for in a submission, why you should go to a film festival and Jonathan tells Jake the actual score his short film Rental was given by the judges.http://www.filmquestfest.com/

This week we talk to Director America Young who Co-Wrote and Directed The Concessionaires Must Die and has gone on to Direct episodes of the Kung Fu reboot, Legacies, Roswell and Blindspot.  She talks a bit about her stunt career, casting the late great Stan Lee and getting money from gangsters.  We also reveal Jake's punishment which is up on Instagram @lippnate.

This week we talk with Director Richard Gray about his first feature Summer Coda  which he made after coming second place in the Australian Project Green Light.  We also get the download on his new film Robert the Bruce starring Angus McFadden.   You can find Summer Coda on YouTube and Robert the Bruce on Hulu.https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3413681/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This week we talk to Steven J Kung the director of A Leading man.  Steven has Directed the TV show Fresh Off the Boat and is a staff writer on the Netflix show Dear White People.  He talks to us about AAPI representation in Hollywood, becoming a staff writer and representing others in your writing.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2417834/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This week BD Gunnell puts on a masterclass teaching all of us all about line producing, budgets, and how to properly prep your film.  She gives us some insight into how distributors are going to look at your actors as a return on investment and what good leadership on set looks like.  She's line produced and creative produced for over a decade on features like Lazy Susan (Sean Hayes, Allison Janney and Matthew Broderick) and Shriver (Michael Shannon).https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4042157/?ref_=nm_mv_closeWe also talk about Nate's punishment and tease what Jake's punishment will be at the end of this month.  Look out for video content around that @lippnate and @indiefilminsider.

You don't want to miss this episode.  We talk to Gabriel Fleming who directed an LGBTQ+ love story set in San Francisco on Halloween.  He also talks about editing big Hollywood films like Greenland, Angel Has Fallen, Patriots Day, Lone Survivor and Battleship for Peter Berg and Ric Roman Waugh.   We also talk about Nate's punishment for missing his deadlines, his pageant sash.  Check out his instagram @lippnate for visuals.https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.36bbe526-719e-841f-61ed-cc5245752865?ref_=imdbref_tt_wbr_pvs_piv&tag=imdbtag_tt_wbr_pvs_piv-20

This week we have a fun episode with Ally Beans of Eisenberg/Beans Casting.   We're going to talk to her about casting movies and what exactly a casting director does.  If you are an actor, director or producer there is a lot to learn here so enjoy the episode.Check out her website at https://www.ebcastingco.com/Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This week we talk to our friend Zach Spicer about acting in and producing The Good Catholic, which was directed by Paul Shoulberg who was in last week's episode.  We talk about casting Danny Glover & John C McGinley, Fundraising and making a movie without knowing how to make a movie.  Learn more about Zach and The Good Catholic at www.pigasuspictures.com and follow pigasus on all socials @pigasuspictures.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4721404/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to Writer and Director Paul Shoulberg about taking a short film Walter and making that into a feature film.  We also chat about his directorial debut The Good Catholic.  Don't miss this one.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2016335/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4721404/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to two of the directors of My Date With Drew, which is a really fun movie that any filmmaker or dreamer can relate to.  We talk about achieving the impossible dream, making your first movies with your friends and getting actual distribution in theaters.Watch My Date With Drew here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiV7vyktCvUFind out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to Ron Beck, director of the indie comedy The Mini, which John Landis (Coming to America, The Blues Brothers) calls "A very funny, heartwarming movie."  This is a special episode because this is the first feature that Nate worked on and his first Cinematography credit.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453517/?ref_=vp_backFind out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to director Chris Sheffield about his film Your Own Road.  Chris talks about staying prolific, making his film in Yuma with a few friends and actually finding distribution for a film made with DSLRs.  Check out the trailer here:  https://youtu.be/pnnd6b6qrh8Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to director Brandon Buczek about his road trip film Your Own Road.  Brandon talks about the Film Festival circuit, an actor getting drunk with extras and his picture car getting wrecked in the middle of the movie.  Check out the trailer here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G35HAaDKvtQFind out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

This episode we talk to the filmmakers who made the beautiful film "See You Then", which is an official selection at this year's South By Southwest (2021).    The film is about a trans woman who meets up with an ex girlfriend for the first time since she transitioned 15 years earlier.  Read up about the film and our interviewees Mari Walker (Director/Writer), Kristen Uno (Producer/Co-Writer) and Mia Schulman (Producer) at www.seeyouthenfilm.com.Stream the movie at SXSW here:  https://online.sxsw.com/event/sxsw-online/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfMzM1MTc3   Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

For this episode Jake and Nate talk to their friend Michael Rousselet about his film Dude bro Party Massacre 3.  They talk about 5 Second Films, Kickstarter campaigns, "killing" Larry King on camera and writing a movie with eleven people.Find out more about the podcast at www.firstfilmspodcast.com.  Watch Nate Lipp's work at www.natelipp.com and follow him on Instagram @lippnate.  Check out Jake  Bradbury's work at www.jake-bradbury.com and www.512-media.com.  Follow him on Instagram @indiefilminsider.

Welcome to First Films Podcast the podcast about how to make your first feature. Hosted by Nate Lipp and Jake Bradbury, two guys who are making their first features.