The Film Riot Podcast

J Blakeson is the writer/director behind the new Netflix original, I Care a Lot, starring Rosamund Pike.

J started his career like many of us did, making films with his friends and just trying to figure it out. By 21, he had his first agent and went about trying to get his scripts made. After some years of frustration, J took matters into his own hands and wrote a film that he knew he could make himself with the resources he had. That film ended up being his breakout feature, The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Since then, J has carved a spot for himself in the feature and television world with his unique voice, leading to his latest and possibly best film.

Sam Hargrave is the director behind the new Netflix original, Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth.

While Extraction is Sam's first feature as a director, it's far from his first experience with action. With credits in Atomic Blonde, Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and End Game, Sam has been a part of creating some of the most exciting action of the last 10 years.

In this episode, Sam talks about his path to the director's chair and how he handles action to create those visceral gut-punch-style action sequences.

How do you get your first feature made? It’s the question every aspiring filmmaker wants answered. Today Ryan speaks with Ricky Staub — writer, director, and entrepreneur. After coming off the success of his first narrative project, The Cage (developed in collaboration with Film Supply) Ricky connected with the producers that would help make his first feature a reality.

He and Ryan cover everything from his years working under the prolific producer Sam Mercer (on films like THE LAST AIRBENDER, DEVIL, and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN), to starting his own commercial company to hone his technical craft. They explore and dive deep into a discussion about the path and experiences of writing and directing his first feature film, starring IDRIS ELBA no less! You don’t want to miss this!

What the hell does a producer do? When every production can have five different versions of them, it's no wonder this is a recurring question. Well, today we have the definitive answer as Ryan "sits down" with Yolanda T. Cochran, VP Production, Walt Disney Television/Freeform.

Yolanda brings nearly a decade and a half of knowledge from her work on such films a "Book of Eli," "The Blind Side," and "Point Break." She and Ryan chat about the various roles of the producer, why writers aren’t usually on set, how a budget is pulled together, and the current state of the industry amidst COVID-19.

Alison James is an incredibly talented writer/director on the rise and headed toward her first feature film. After winning Best Narrative Short at the Austin Film Festival for her short film, Judas Collar, Alison was able to land reps at WME and has since been developing what will be her first feature film.