They Said This Movie Did Everything You’re Not Supposed To—Then The President’s Cake Won Cannes

No Film School’s GG Hawkins talks with filmmaker Shane Brady and producer Emily Zercher-Brady about turning a devastating real-life hack into the revenge comedy-horror feature Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma. The conversation covers the couple’s filmmaking origin stories, how losing $20,000 sparked the movie’s premise, why they pushed forward after their budget was cut in half, what it took to shoot between Los Angeles and Florida during the SAG strike, and how they approached building a collaborative low-budget set. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, Shane Brady, and Emily Zercher-Brady discuss... How Shane’s early love of horror movies, theater, magic, and performance led him into filmmaking Emily’s background in performance, leadership, and problem-solving as the foundation for producing How Shane and Emily began working together through Camp Hollywood short films with young actors The real-life hack that drained $20,000 from their savings and became the emotional starting point for Hacked Calling the FBI, dealing with law enforcement limitations, and channeling frustration into a revenge story Why they decided to keep going after the movie’s budget was cut in half just weeks before filming How Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer production story inspired them to get scrappy Navigating the SAG interim agreement process while Emily was pregnant Splitting production between Funko Studios in Los Angeles and locations in Tampa, Florida Creating a “socialism set” where cast and crew were treated as equal creative collaborators Working French hours, offering hot meals, and protecting crew morale on a low-budget shoot Building festival relationships that helped lead to their distributor, Scatena & Rosner How they are thinking about audience outreach, VOD, and asking viewers to support independent filmmakers Memorable Quotes: “The absolute number one thing I want in my life is to be remembered, and when I’m gone and in the dirt, people can put on a film or a TV show or a recording of a play or something.” “Make it work and nobody can know that anything is going wrong.” “We have the money to film the thing.” “Everyone is equal playing fields and cast and crew, like you all mean everything and are a special piece of the puzzle.” “Everything that you work towards and someone just goes click.” Guests: Shane Brady Emily Zercher Resources: Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma on IMDb Where to watch Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with writer-director Hasan Hadi and producer Leah Chen Baker about the development, financing, production, and release journey behind The President’s Cake. The conversation traces the film from NYU and COVID-era writing sessions through the Sundance Labs, the challenge of building an aggressively independent financing plan, shooting on location in Iraq with non-professional actors, and the impact of winning both the Caméra d’Or and the Audience Award at Cannes. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, Hasan Hadi, and Leah Chen Baker discuss... How Hasan and Leah’s collaboration began at NYU and grew through shorts, writing check-ins, and shared creative sensibilities Why film school was essential for Hasan as a filmmaker coming from a country with limited cinema infrastructure Developing The President’s Cake before applying to the Sundance Labs How the Sundance Screenwriting, Directing, Producers Lab, and Catalyst Forum helped build confidence around the project Leading with the film’s “risky” elements: a first feature, non-professional actors, no rehearsals, a period setting, and shooting in Iraq Building a financing plan through micro grants, institutional support, small stakeholders, and equity partners Why filming in Iraq was non-negotiable for the story’s authenticity Creating an international crew while ensuring every department included Iraqi local crew The realities of shooting with limited infrastructure and a long production schedule What changed after the film won at Cannes How Iraqi and international audiences have responded to the film The importance of setting an end point for one project so the next one can begin Memorable Quotes: “But for me as a filmmaker who came from country that has almost no infrastructure in cinema. So my first film set when I was in film school almost, film school was necessary for me.” “There were a lot of do not do's on our pitch for our first feature.” “Even the failure sometimes was considered progress. It's not a success, it's a progress.” “Stories have DNAs and roots and they have, you know, fingerprints and this story has a very strong fingerprints that is in Iraq.” Guests: Hasan Hadi Leah Chen Baker Resources: The President’s Cake on IMDb Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jourdan Aldredge speaks with Blackmagic Design’s Simon Westland at NAB 2026 about the company’s latest camera, live production, mobile filmmaking, DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic Cloud, and AI workflow updates. They discuss how Blackmagic’s new products serve both high-end live production and independent filmmakers, why hands-on trade show demos matter, and how filmmakers can think about camera choices as they grow their craft. In this episode, No Film School's Jourdan Aldredge and guest Simon Westland discuss... Blackmagic Design’s NAB 2026 product announcements and why the company released news before the show The value of hands-on product demos, workshops, and planning ahead for NAB Blackmagic’s URSA Cine 12K live production workflow, including 100G connectivity, 2110, 440fps, and 16 stops of dynamic range Why cinematic images are becoming more important in live production, sports, YouTube content, and live events How the Blackmagic Camera app is becoming an entry point for iPhone and Android filmmakers Using mobile phones in professional workflows with HDMI or SDI output, genlock, zoom demands, and focus demands Apple Watch control for Blackmagic Camera on iOS How Blackmagic’s products connect across cameras, ATEM switchers, DaVinci Resolve, and Blackmagic Cloud Why beginner filmmakers should focus on learning craft, exposure, lighting, and storytelling instead of searching for the “perfect” camera DaVinci Resolve’s new photo editing tools and how shared looks can help match stills and video How brands, agencies, and social media teams can use Resolve for color consistency across moving and still images Blackmagic’s view on AI tools, including transcription, media search, object search, and workflow acceleration The difference between workflow AI and generative AI replacement tools The future of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras and why the company still sees them as important for independent filmmakers Memorable Quotes: “That really is what it's all about. You want to have that hands-on interaction.” “I would say, look, that camera app is an amazing entry point, but really just try it.” “It’s about the content. It’s about storytelling.” “Competition is a healthy thing. It’s healthy for everybody.” Guests: Simon Westland Resources: Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Camera App DaVinci Resolve NAB Show Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GG Hawkins talks with writer-director Chandler Levack about making I Like Movies, Mile End Kicks, and Roommates, and how Levack protects a specific filmmaking voice while moving between indie features and studio comedy. They discuss the realities of Canadian film financing, directing with limited time and bigger resources, building cinematic worlds through research and memory, and why filmmakers have to keep making work instead of treating one movie as their only chance. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Chandler Levack discuss... How I Like Movies helped open doors for Mile End Kicks Why Mile End Kicks had to be shot in Montreal’s Mile End neighborhood The overlap of finishing one film while prepping and shooting another What changed when Levack moved from indie filmmaking to a studio comedy How music journalism shaped Levack’s directing and world building Why specificity in props, costumes, locations, and character details matters Navigating male-dominated creative spaces as a woman filmmaker The value and complications of film criticism Building a body of work through collaboration, experimentation, and persistence Memorable Quotes: “For me, I mean I'm obsessed with specificity.” “I think for me once I realized that filmmaking is just talking about treating fake people like they're real…” “It's weird. It's the only job where you're failing in public…” “The greatest thing you can do as a filmmaker is just exist and keep making stuff good and bad and having a body of work is like the most important thing…” Guests: Chandler Levack Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Film School’s Jourdan Aldridge sits down with Adobe’s Jason Druss at NAB 2026 to discuss Adobe Premiere’s new Color Mode, a three-year effort to rethink color grading for video editors. The conversation covers why Adobe rebuilt its color pipeline, how Color Mode differs from Lumetri and traditional pro-color tools, and what editors can expect from operations, styles, modules, film emulation, AI object masks, and upcoming beta features. Jason also shares his path from film school and color grading at NFL Films to product marketing at Blackmagic, Frame.io, and Adobe. In this episode, No Film School's Jourdan Aldridge and guest Jason Druss discuss... Adobe’s major NAB 2026 focus: the public beta launch of Color Mode in Premiere Why Adobe built Color Mode as a pro-color system designed specifically for video editors The limitations of Lumetri and the challenges of round-tripping to dedicated color tools How Alexis Van Hurkman helped lead the creation of a new color grading workflow inside Premiere The role of private beta feedback from hundreds of working editors Jason Druss’s career path through film school, wedding filmmaking, Blackmagic, NFL Films, WarnerMedia, Frame.io, and Adobe How Frame.io Drive connects with Premiere workflows and Adobe’s NAB demo process The design philosophy behind Color Mode’s simplified interface and shallow learning curve New Color Mode concepts including operations, styles, modules, clip groups, and sequence-level grading Film color, contrast kit, range controls, and customizable film emulation tools Why Adobe sees Color Mode as a new approach to creativity without unnecessary complexity Upcoming beta features including HSL qualifiers, skin tone lines, auto color, auto balance, vignette modules, and more film stocks Memorable Quotes: “What we're really trying to do is evolve and change the video editor's relationship with color and effects.” “For more than 10 years now, video editors have had two, like, really bad choices when it comes to color grading.” “We wanted to make the first color grading system ever actually built from the ground up and designed for video editors.” “Color mode rewards curiosity. It encourages experimentation. It's actually fun to use.” Guest: Jason Druss Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Nicole Bazuin joins No Film School’s GG Hawkins to discuss the decade-long creative collaboration behind Modern Whore, a hybrid documentary based on Andrea Werhun’s memoir about her experiences in sex work. Bazuin explains how the project grew from a music video friendship into a book, short films, and a feature, while breaking down the film’s mix of interviews, stylized reenactments, storybook-inspired visuals, and post-production discoveries. The conversation also covers self-editing a feature, storyboarding an entire film, bringing Sean Baker on as an executive producer, and making work from the stories already in a filmmaker’s orbit. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Nicole Bazuin discuss... Shooting Modern Whore on the Alexa Mini and editing the film in Adobe Premiere Pro How Bazuin and Andrea Werhun met while making a Super 8 music video for Broken Bricks Turning a “creative crush” into a decade-long collaboration across a memoir, short films, and a feature Why the film uses a hybrid documentary format with firsthand storytelling, staged scenes, and stylized reenactments Adapting Andrea Werhun’s vignette-style memoir into a cohesive feature structure Protecting authorship and agency when telling stories about sex work Building a visual language through hand-drawn storyboards, color, and “storybook come to life” compositions The nine-to-ten-month edit process and the value of test screenings with anonymous feedback cards How Sean Baker came aboard as an executive producer after working with Andrea Werhun on Anora Why filmmakers should look at the relationships, stories, and access already present in their lives Memorable Quotes: “Sometimes you have to step in and fill a role.” “I think right from the get go, our work has been multimedia.” “I do think the adage is true that you write the film once when you're writing the script. You rewrite it again when you're shooting it and you write it a third time in the editing process.” “Feel free to make it your own.” Guest: Nicole Bazuin Resources: Modern Whore on IMDb Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo Light interviews documentary and commercial director Brendan Young live from Aspen Shortsfest about his short documentary The Meloneers, which follows the Rocky Ford High School wrestling program in rural Colorado. They discuss how Brendan found the story through a newspaper article, why he spent extensive time in the community before filming, how he balanced planned interviews with vérité moments, and how commercial work helps fund and shape his documentary practice. The episode also covers documentary ethics, collaboration with subjects, building trust before rolling, and Brendan’s advice for first-time documentary filmmakers. In this episode, No Film School's Jo Light and guest Brendan Young discuss... Finding a rural Colorado story through a Denver Post article about Rocky Ford wrestling Why Brendan visited Rocky Ford repeatedly without a camera before filming Treating documentary subjects as collaborators, not just subjects How The Meloneers explores wrestling, family legacy, fatherhood, and small-town change Balancing core interviews, planned scenes, and vérité moments Shooting with a small documentary crew and keeping a minimal footprint Using commercial work to support short documentary projects Partnerships with Futuristic Films, Voyager, Project Play, and executive producer Lindsey Hagan Why the process of documentary filmmaking matters as much as the finished film Brendan’s upcoming documentary about a violin once played by a German Nazi soldier Memorable Quotes: “I view the people in my films in these stories as collaborators.” — Brendan Young, 03:44 “It’s not just building trust, but like having buy-in from these people, making sure that we’re telling this story together and in a way that they want it told is really, really important to me.” — Brendan Young, 04:05 “I think when you can find it, it makes a specific story more universal and that's a more impactful film.” — Brendan Young, 08:05 “Commercial sets were kind of my film school.” — Brendan Young, 21:49 Guests: Brendan Young Resources: The Meloneers on IMDb Brendan Young’s Website Brendan Young at Futuristic Films Voyager Project Play Aspen Shortsfest Futuristic Films Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins speaks with cinematographer Johanna Coelho about building the immersive visual language behind The Pitt. Coelho breaks down how she approached the show’s real-time structure, 360-degree hospital set, handheld camera movement, lens choices, and complex multi-camera choreography to create an ER that feels immediate, intimate, and emotionally raw. She also reflects on her path from France to Los Angeles, becoming one of the youngest DPs to shoot network television, and the collaborative mindset required to lead ambitious productions without losing sight of story or performance. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Johanna Coelho discuss... How Johanna Coelho got started in cinematography and built her career from France to Los Angeles What it means to shoot The Pitt in real time across a single ER shift How handheld filmmaking, long takes, and transition-based blocking shape the show’s immersive style Why Coelho chose the Alexa Mini LF, prime lenses, and a zoom setup to maintain intimacy and flexibility How the team lit a 360-degree hospital set with white walls while protecting skin tones and realism The collaboration between cinematography, production design, lighting, grip, and actors to execute complex choreography How season two pushed the show’s visual perspective and emotional immersion even further The difference between handheld, Steadicam, and Zero-G rigs when designing movement for a scene How Coelho thinks about burnout, leadership, and keeping a calm set during high-pressure television production Why trusting your eye and communicating your vision are essential for emerging cinematographers Memorable Quotes: “I don't have to make a choice. I can just live all of it behind the lens.” “We have to give that same feeling visually for the audience.” “Our master shot is not a wide shot where you see everything.” “Trust yourself. Don't let everyone tell you what to do.” Guests: Johanna Coelho Resources: Johanna Coelho's website Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GG Hawkins speaks with Kino co-founders Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin about the broken handoff between post-production and release, and how insecure screeners, fragmented feedback workflows, and fear-based distribution norms undermine independent film. They break down Kino’s evolution from an interactive streaming idea into a secure post-to-delivery platform, explain how they built a film fund around de-risked sub-$2 million features, and use Undertone as a case study for aligning budgets, creative ambition, and profitability. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin discuss... Why the current post-production and release pipeline is still built around insecure links, scattered notes, and outdated habits How piracy, leaks, and weak screener security can hurt filmmakers, investors, and distribution momentum The original idea behind Kino and how it pivoted from interactive streaming to a B2B platform for secure screeners, dailies, cuts, approvals, focus groups, and final delivery Why discoverability is one of the biggest problems in independent film, and why indie projects are competing with TikTok and other forms of passive entertainment How fear-based thinking shapes decisions around marketing, exposure, festivals, and distribution What “LVOD” means to Kino and how the company tried to create a window that adds marketing value without cannibalizing TVOD Why MacRae and Fannin believe filmmakers need to think like business builders, not just artists, when raising money How Kino structured its film fund around contained, creatively aligned stories with budgets under $2 million and meaningful de-risking through incentives and exchange rates Why Undertone made sense as a fund project: one location, a contained story, and a production model that matched the script’s scale How equity participation and aligned incentives can help cast, crew, and investors move in the same direction Why iteration, early feedback, and collaborative review should play a larger role in filmmaking, much like they do in tech and animation What kinds of projects Kino is pursuing next, including a Band of Brothers documentary and more genre-focused features Memorable Quotes: “Something’s not working and we’re going to dig into it.” “Fear makes you stupid.” “Coming to the table with great art is table stakes.” “It’s not about the project, it’s about the people you’re surrounding yourself with.” Guests: Brit MacRae Daril Fannin Resources: Kino Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this sponsored episode, GG Hawkins speaks with Eddie AI co-founder and CEO Shamir Allibhai about Eddie AI’s latest release, Eddie v3, which launched on April 14, 2026 ahead of NAB Show 2026. Their conversation explores the new Night Shift workflow, designed to process footage overnight by sorting interviews from B-roll, syncing multicam interviews, logging media, and building a rough cut ready for Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro by morning. They also discuss Eddie’s expanding role as an AI assistant editor for professional workflows, including docu-style rough cuts with B-roll placement, and the broader questions filmmakers face around creative control, sustainability, curiosity, and the future of storytelling in an AI-assisted post-production landscape. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Shamir Allibhai discuss... Eddie AI’s new Night Shift feature and how it aims to build a structured rough cut overnight Why the company positions Eddie AI as an assistant editor rather than a replacement for Premiere, Resolve, or Final Cut Pro How AI can help with multicam syncing, A-roll and B-roll organization, logging, and assembly edits The difference between AI tools that generate synthetic media and tools built to work from a filmmaker’s real footage Why editing still depends on human taste, timing, emotional judgment, and story instinct How AI tools may help filmmakers handle paid client work more efficiently while protecting time for passion projects The tension between fear and curiosity as filmmakers adapt to new technology How creative professionals can think about money, sustainability, and long-term career support without sidelining the art Why Allibhai sees storytelling as a fundamentally human act, even in a future shaped by AI What filmmakers should watch for around security, ownership, and platform terms when using AI tools Memorable Quotes: “We’re not trying to be another timeline editor, like Premiere, Resolve, FCP.” “When we think about it from the consumer’s perspective, they just care about great stories.” “This is the root of a lot of the fear because we have struggled so hard just to be able to be here.” “In 10,000 years, we will still be sitting around a campfire or somewhere and telling each other stories.” Guests: Shamir Allibhai Resources: The AI Doc Breakdown: Filmmaking in the Age of Uncertainty How to Scale Video Editing With an AI Storytelling Partner Eddie AI The Eddie AI team will be demoing Eddie v3 at NAB 2026 Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices