Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

Today I am joined by writer / director Benjamin Epstein to talk about his acclaimed feature film Buck Alamo, which stars Bruce Dern, Sonny Carl Davis, Lorelei Linklater, and premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival.
Throughout the episode we discuss Benjamin’s path as a filmmaker. From his early short film work to his first premiere at SXSW. We also unpack his creative process, his experience directing TV, and take a behind the scenes look at his latest feature film Buck Alamo.
Links from the show:
Benjamin Epstein - Instagram
Buck Alamo - Movie Website
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With thousands of film festivals in existence and more popping up every year, filmmakers are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the festival circuit. And while most filmmakers have some rough festival goals in mind as they approach the submission process, many have not taken the time to truly develop a strategy that will benefit their film.
In this episode, Noam sheds light on the film festival submission process from his perspective as both a filmmaker, and someone who has judged for festivals and film competitions in the past. Topics covered include: Budgeting for festival submissions, understanding the odds of getting accepted and how to improve them, the benefit of submitting to festivals that only accept blind submissions, and much more.
For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

One of the most universal struggles for filmmakers is knowing how and when to quit working at a day job. Making indepdnent films requires a ton of time and flexibility when it comes to scheduling, and many filmmakers believe that their current work-life setup is preventing them from having the time they need to reach their goals.
Over the course of this episode, Noam dives deep into the idea of leaving a stable career to pursue filmmaking full time, and explores a number of key questions that all filmmakers should ask themselves when making the leap. These questions are intended to guide filmmakers to wholly understand what the next logical step in their career should be, and from a top level standpoint, whether or not leaving their day jobs is in fact even the right choice.
For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

On today's show we are joined by none other than Alex Ferrari, a micro-budget filmmaker and true hustler - known widely for his popular filmmaking podcast Indie Film Hustle. After 20 years in the film business, Alex turned to micro-budget filmmaking as a means to take control over his own destiny and bring his feature narrative projects to life once and for all. This has culminated in the creation of two feature films over the past two years: This Is Meg, and On The Corner Of Ego And Desire.
Over the course of the interview, Alex uses his film Meg as a case study, outlining the exact steps he took to get the film made, premiere at Cinequest, and eventually license the film to Hulu. Topics covered include: Working from a scriptment, casting known actors, handling post-production on your own, navigating the festival circuit, finding distribution on major VOD platforms, and much more.
Links from the show:
Bulletproof Screenplay Podcast: https://indiefilmhustle.com/bulletproof-screenplay-podcast/
Bulletproof Script Coverage: http://www.covermyscreenplay.com
Indie Film Huslte: https://indiefilmhustle.com
IFH Podcast: IFH Podcast
On the Corner of Ego and Desire: http://www.egoanddesirefilm.com
And for more content like this, visit http://www.noamkroll.com

Today I am honored to be joined by director David F. Sandberg, known for major studio films like Shazam, Annabelle: Creation, and Lights out, as well as his no budget horror short films which he’s been releasing for years under his YouTube channel ponysmasher.
David is about as great a guest as I can imagine on this show. His story is a case in point for making your own films and not waiting for permission - As we talk about throughout the interview, after years of working in documentary and animation, David decided to make some no budget short films with his wife Lotta. One of them in particular - Lights Out - was shot in just one day with no crew, and ended up going viral on YouTube. This attracted the attention of Hollywood and the rest is history.
Throughout the interview we talk about David’s journey from no budget filmmaker to studio director, the biggest challenges he encountered along the way, advice for filmmakers who aspire to direct studio films, what makes someone a great director, and much more.
Links from the show:
David on Instagram
David on Twitter
David on YouTube
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