How to Cut a Fable: Editing 'Wicker'

How do you edit a narrative feature like a documentary while managing 14 camera formats, improvised performances, and hundreds of hours of footage? In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins talks with Independent Spirit Award-winning editor Daniel Garber, ACE, about cutting A24's Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson. Garber breaks down his documentary-inspired editing process, the creative friction that led to unexpected storytelling breakthroughs, and the challenges of blending vintage DV footage with modern digital cinematography. He also shares how Adobe Premiere Pro's Productions, Speech-to-Text, Essential Sound Panel, and Remix tools helped streamline the post-production workflow, why working closely with a director during production can transform a film, and how editorial experimentation shapes a movie's tone, humor, and emotional impact. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Daniel Garber discuss: Bringing documentary editing techniques into narrative filmmaking and maintaining an open-minded approach to storytelling Collaborating with director Lance Oppenheim to discover new possibilities beyond the screenplay Why having an editor on set creates opportunities for real-time feedback and creative problem-solving How creative disagreements in the edit bay led to the unexpected "Decoy Dan" scene Balancing dark subject matter, comedy, and emotional authenticity in Primetime Using test screenings and pickup shoots to reshape a film's structure and tone Managing 14 camera formats, vintage DV tapes, and retro broadcast footage in Adobe Premiere Pro Building an efficient post-production workflow with Premiere Productions, shared storage, and portable editing setups Using Speech-to-Text to organize improvisation, locate specific dialogue, and navigate extensive footage How Premiere Pro's Essential Sound Panel and Remix tool speed up sound design and temp scoring Why cutting with music early can help establish a scene's emotional identity The importance of creative trust, experimentation, and ongoing collaboration between directors and editors Memorable Quotes: "Like, finding the elements of what's new and the soul of what was on the page, and weaving those together into something that feels very alive." "So sometimes when we get into that dynamic where one of us wants something in and the other wants something out, it The solution is actually keeping it in, but making it work better than it was working." "I think it's just hard to know what movie you're making until you've made it." "I think music is so important to just figuring out the overall identity and meaning of a scene." Guests: Daniel Garber, ACE Resources: Cutting Primetime: Editor Daniel Garber on Taming a Mountain of Footage — No Film School Shooting a Feature on a MiniDV Camcorder — No Film School Daniel Garber's Website and Editor Office Hours Daniel Garber on Instagram 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

How do you edit a film that blends fantasy, comedy, romance, and the structure of a fable? Editor Sofi Marshall returns to the No Film School Podcast to discuss her work on Wicker, starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Marshall joins host GG Hawkins to break down the challenges of finding the film's distinctive tone, cutting comedic performances, and building a collaborative post-production workflow across three continents. She also shares how Adobe Premiere Pro, LucidLink, and Frame.io helped streamline the editing process, why practical effects made a difference in the cutting room, and what emerging editors should consider when choosing projects, negotiating budgets, and balancing their careers with life outside the industry. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Sofi Marshall discuss... How editing I Saw the TV Glow influenced Sofi's career and brought greater visibility to her work Why storytelling remains the foundation of editing, even as technology makes the process faster Reuniting with directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson for Wicker after collaborating on Save Yourselves! How Alexander Skarsgård's practical wicker costume shaped the editing process and preserved his performance Finding the right balance of fantasy, comedy, romance, and fable-like storytelling in the edit Managing a remote post-production workflow between New York, Budapest, Los Angeles, and Australia Why comedy editing requires extensive experimentation, recutting, and test screenings Collaborating with directors on alternate cuts and discovering creative solutions through multiple perspectives Using chapter breaks to establish the distinct movements of Wicker How Adobe Premiere Pro, LucidLink, and Frame.io improve remote collaboration, feedback, and editorial efficiency Choosing creatively fulfilling projects, advocating for fair compensation, and avoiding burnout in independent filmmaking Navigating parental leave, career opportunities, and returning to editing after time away Sofi's next editing project, Thirsty Girl Memorable Quotes: "It's always story first, so there's just such a drastic difference between the way a film is written and how it comes across on the page, and then looking at the footage and looking at your first assembly and understanding how it's coming across as an actual film, and I think that's something that will never change." "No. No, it is... It is the hardest. It is the hardest, hardest thing." — Sofi Marshall, on comedy editing "Oh, obviously, like, this is, this is how to do that." — Sofi Marshall, on discovering the chapter-break structure for Wicker "So I think just, just feeling like you are the creative force who's picking your projects, and you're not just taking whatever comes at you." — Sofi Marshall Guests: Sofi Marshall Resources: Sofi Marshall's website Follow Sofi Marshall on Instagram Previous No Film School episode: How 'I Saw the TV Glow' Editor Negotiates Creativity and Higher Pay Wicker 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

What happens when a longtime podcast listener takes the leap into feature filmmaking? No Film School listener turned filmmaker Douglas A. Plomitallo joins GG Hawkins to share how he went from making 86 horror shorts to directing, self-financing, and securing distribution for his debut feature, Halloween Candy. Doug explains how he repurposed existing short films into a feature-length horror anthology, found a distributor, and built on that experience to create Halloween Candy 2. He also discusses balancing independent filmmaking with his full-time job as a director of photography for WWE, editing movies while traveling, stretching microbudgets with a skeleton crew, and learning to trust collaborators. His journey offers practical lessons on DIY filmmaking, cinematography, indie film distribution, and building a sustainable creative career. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Douglas A. Plomitallo discuss... How a longtime No Film School listener went from aspiring filmmaker to releasing his first feature film Learning filmmaking through 86 horror shorts over 15 years with his web series Scared Stiff Why making mistakes, studying cinematography, and embracing constructive criticism can be more valuable than formal film school Turning six existing Halloween short films into the feature-length horror anthology Halloween Candy Finding independent film distribution by researching companies that release similar movies How Halloween Candy found a larger streaming audience than its individual short films Planning a horror sequel and building the foundation for a potential indie film franchise Balancing a career as a WWE director of photography with writing, directing, and producing independent features Editing a feature film on the road using Avid, DaVinci Resolve, After Effects, and portable hard drives Stretching a microbudget by purchasing camera equipment, taking on multiple crew roles, and organizing shoots around locations Shooting an hour of material in four days with a skeleton crew Why trusting actors, welcoming better ideas, and admitting what you don't know are essential directing skills Memorable Quotes: "I feel like we learn more by mistakes, but here's the thing. It doesn't have to be your own mistake." "Making my short films was my film school." "If I lose my computer, I'm down a few thousand dollars, but the movie is safe." "I'm not here to inflate my ego." Guests: Douglas A. Plomitallo Resources: Halloween Candy — Terror Films Halloween Candy Halloween Candy 2 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

How do you adapt a novel that takes place almost entirely inside the stomach of a sperm whale? For writer-director Brian Duffield and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Kraus, the answer started with admitting they didn't know how to pull it off. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins speaks with Duffield and Kraus about bringing Whalefall, starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, from page to screen. They discuss the scientific research behind the story, the challenges of adapting a novel with dozens of flashbacks, building practical whale interiors with Wētā Workshop, and directing a physically demanding survival thriller. Duffield explains why acknowledging uncertainty helped build trust with studio executives and how surrounding himself with collaborative crew members made an unusually challenging production possible. Plus, Kanopy's Aaron Spears and Matt Lewis stop by to discuss the Crypt Collection, practical effects in horror filmmaking, and the movies that continue to scare them. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss... Kanopy's Crypt Collection and its curated selection of horror films, from folk horror and body horror to low-budget practical effects classics Why practical effects remain a valuable filmmaking tool, with examples from Night of the Living Dead, The Toxic Avenger, Chopping Mall, and other horror films How Daniel Kraus developed the premise of Whalefall through extensive research with marine biologists and diving experts How Brian Duffield discovered the novel through a social media post and pursued the adaptation before the book was even finished Why admitting "I don't know" during early studio conversations about Whalefall helped establish credibility rather than undermine it The collaborative screenwriting process between Kraus and Duffield, including condensing roughly 50 to 60 novel flashbacks into a much smaller number of cinematic sequences How the filmmakers balanced the emotional father-son relationship with a scientifically grounded survival thriller Building the whale's moving stomachs and internal anatomy through practical sets, puppetry, visual effects, and experimentation with Wētā Workshop How Duffield assembled a trusted film crew and managed unexpected production obstacles, including malfunctioning underwater camera equipment and broken lenses Using production design, cinematography, and visual exposition to help audiences understand the geography of a whale's digestive system Why creating a collaborative environment where everyone, from production assistants to Oscar-winning department heads, can contribute ideas leads to better filmmaking How working together on Whalefall changed Kraus's approach to screenwriting and challenged his assumptions about being a solitary writer Advice for emerging filmmakers on choosing collaborators, embracing creative uncertainty, and staying open to unexpected career opportunities Memorable Quotes: "It's just hiring people you like spending time with." "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what the answer to this question is. I, I want help." "Your definition of who you think you are as an artist or as a person or whatever, it's always in flux." Guests: Brian Duffield Daniel Kraus Aaron Spears — Kanopy Matt Lewis — Kanopy Resources: Kanopy — Stream films free with your library Whalefall — 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

How do you bring Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to life for a modern audience while preserving its emotional depth? Director Georgia Oakley joins No Film School's GG Hawkins to discuss her new adaptation, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as the Dashwood sisters. Oakley shares how she approached the film through the lens of sisterhood, longing, and the timeless tension between women's expectations and societal constraints. She breaks down her filmmaking process, from shooting on 35mm film and using two cameras to capture authentic performances, to collaborating with cinematographers Arnaud Potier and Tasha Back on naturalistic visuals. The conversation also explores casting, building chemistry between actors, adapting rehearsal techniques to individual performers, and navigating the pressures of an ambitious location-heavy production. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Georgia Oakley discuss... (02:09) How Oakley landed the directing job on Sense and Sensibility and pitched her vision to Working Title (03:24) Making the relationship between Elinor and Marianne Dashwood the film's central love story (05:28) Why Austen's themes of women's independence, societal expectations, and romantic yearning remain relevant (07:16) How modern hyperconnectivity and busyness have fueled a cultural desire for longing and human connection (09:44) Using nature, stillness, and the passage of time to create intimacy in a period drama (11:22) Oakley's pre-production process, including storyboards, shot lists, and adapting camera setups on location (13:35) Collaborating with two cinematographers and using natural light and environmental details to build the film's visual language (15:04) How shooting with two cameras allowed Oakley to capture simultaneous emotional reactions and spontaneous performances (17:41) The challenges of shooting on 35mm film with limited takes and tailoring rehearsals to each actor's needs (19:55) Filming at London's National Gallery under strict time and lighting constraints (23:24) Building trust with actors through communication, personalized rehearsals, and relationship-focused preparation (27:26) Casting Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles and developing their believable sisterly chemistry (33:15) How Oakley uses intense focus and directorial intuition to recognize authentic performances (35:50) Redirecting actors when a scene isn't working without undermining their confidence (37:59) Sustaining creative energy through a demanding 50-day shoot and relying on a supportive production team (40:15) Working with Old English Sheepdogs and embracing the spontaneity animals bring to a film set Memorable Quotes: "This is really a story about what young women are kind of led to believe they might reasonably expect from their lives versus what the world is actually prepared to offer them." "We live in a moment where we're so kind of hyper-connected, and we've invented all of these ways to reduce time, you know, to save time, but then we have less time than we ever had before." "So much about directing is about being able to tune everything out so that you can have a stronger relationship with the gut instinct." "None of it is possible on your own, and sometimes it does feel like a bit of a weird solo mission when you're directing something." Guests: Georgia Oakley Resources: Sense and Sensibility (2026) Blue Jean (2022) 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

Saturday Night Live’s prerecorded sketches can go from first footage to national broadcast in roughly 36 hours. Host GG Hawkins talks with SNL editors Christopher Salerno and Mak Makower about the post-production workflow behind that turnaround, including their work on the Emmy-nominated “MAHAspital” sketch starring Harry Styles. They break down how footage moves from set to the edit, why line-by-line stringouts are essential, how they use Adobe Premiere Pro tools like transcription, Essential Sound, multicam sequences, and reverse match frame, and how sound design helps build tension before a joke lands. They also discuss the differences between editing SNL, commercials, and longer narrative projects, the importance of collaboration in the edit room, and the technical habits aspiring editors can develop to work faster without sacrificing storytelling. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Christopher Salerno and Mak Makower discuss... How SNL goes from Wednesday night table read to a finished prerecorded sketch airing Saturday What happens when footage begins arriving from set on Friday morning Why Mak creates “line-by-lines” containing every take of every scripted line How organizing footage early allows editors, writers, and directors to make decisions quickly Finding the visual language of “MAHAspital” while parodying HBO’s The Pitt Using the structure and pacing of a trailer to increase the energy of a parody Why Mak watched The Pitt during the edit to understand its characters and visual style How Premiere Pro’s transcription and search tools make it easier to locate specific dialogue Using the Essential Sound panel, EQ, reverb, panning, and the audio track mixer during picture editing Why sound design can be essential to making comedy work Building tension with heart monitors, ventilators, overlapping dialogue, and strategic silence Keyboard shortcuts that speed up multicam editing and navigation through massive stringouts How a longer commercial schedule can actually create new challenges by allowing editors to second-guess decisions Editing Kate McKinnon’s Zoom commercial and balancing comedy with the need to sell a product Why editors can function as storytellers, collaborators, and sometimes even therapists during long-form projects Mak’s “puzzle-solving” approach to rearranging footage until a scene or story unlocks Why trust, openness to feedback, and leaving ego outside the edit room matter on collaborative projects How SNL’s dress audience functions as a real-time test screening Why editors should continually learn new software, techniques, graphics, sound, and VFX tools How YouTube tutorials and experimentation can help editors expand their skills and become more valuable Memorable Quotes: “There’s a real intuition you have to have and there’s a real understanding of rhythm and of, you know, how the shoot’s going to make this happen.” “I feel like sometimes when you have too much time, it becomes almost more difficult.” “And so, like, it really is about, like, finding each little bit that, like, will match with this little bit that, like, will actually tell a story.” “As the tools change and as younger generations find newer ways to edit, it’s really important to just stay up to date and not get locked into your old ways.” Guests: Christopher Salerno Mak Makower 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

Writer-director Lee Kirk joins No Film School’s GG Hawkins to break down the making of Nimrods, his Green Day-inspired coming-of-age road movie. Kirk traces his path from studying acting at DePaul University to learning screenwriting and eventually directing, and explains how his acting background continues to shape the way he works with performers. He also discusses developing Nimrods with Billie Joe Armstrong, weaving real stories from Green Day into the screenplay, casting and rehearsing a young ensemble, building a collaborative crew, creating a timeless visual texture, embracing improvisation, and shooting a live Green Day concert with thousands of actual fans. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Lee Kirk discuss... How Kirk’s acting training at DePaul University led him toward screenwriting and directing Learning story structure through John Truby’s 22-step approach and The Anatomy of Story How Chris Messina encouraged Kirk to direct his first feature, The Giant Mechanical Man Why an acting background can help directors understand how to communicate with performers How Billie Joe Armstrong approached Kirk with the initial premise for Nimrods Reverse engineering a feature screenplay from a predetermined Green Day concert ending Using real stories from Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool as inspiration for the screenplay Drawing from movies like The Goonies, Vacation, Footloose, and Risky Business to establish the film’s tone Making a contemporary movie feel nostalgic through vinyl, cassettes, camcorders, old cars, and other analog textures What Kirk looks for when hiring department heads and why collaborative problem-solving matters Turning an Oklahoma City junkyard into a convincing punk venue Casting Mason Thames, Mckenna Grace, and the rest of the young ensemble Using actors’ existing talents to add specificity and production value to a movie Conducting chemistry reads over Zoom when the budget made in-person auditions impractical Why rehearsal is less about locking down performances and more about making actors comfortable enough to play on set Helping actors get out of their heads by giving them time, space, and permission to experiment Using long pauses as a directing tool to help actors access emotion Why Kirk deliberately maintains a calm demeanor on set, even when production is stressful Finding unexpected moments through ad-libs and improvisation, including a spontaneous Fred Armisen scene Shooting 28 days in Oklahoma City before moving to Los Angeles for four additional days Capturing the Green Day concert with four cameras and roughly 2,000 real Green Day fans Why Kirk specifically budgeted for large numbers of extras after lessons learned on previous productions Kirk’s advice for emerging filmmakers on studying story structure, watching films analytically, writing frequently, and taking advantage of accessible filmmaking tools Memorable Quotes: “I listen to these tapes and everything changed for me then.” “I feel like that's kinda like when the best stuff happens because now everyone's out of their comfort zone, but everyone's prepared so everyone can do, make that pivot.” “Even if I'm not calm, even if I'm feeling so stressed out on the inside, I just put forward this feeling like I'm good. I know what I'm doing. Everything's fine.” “Story is everything.” Guests: Lee Kirk Resources: Nimrods 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

Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge report from Fantastic Fest 2026 in Austin, Texas, where they explore how the festival is expanding beyond exhibiting genre films to helping filmmakers actually get movies made. They break down the first completed feature from Fantastic Pitches, Nicholas Curcio’s Playhouse, what filmmakers can learn from its $100,000 production, and this year’s ambitious winning pitch, Father Figure. They also discuss the value of pitching even when you don’t win, the advantages of designing films around microbudget constraints, and some of the movies and filmmaking communities they’ve encountered at the festival. In this episode, No Film School's Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge discuss... How Playhouse went from winning Fantastic Pitches to premiering at Fantastic Fest in just one year Designing a $100,000 movie around limitations like one location, a small cast, and practical aesthetics Why microbudget filmmakers need a creative “hack” that makes their limitations work for the movie How filmmakers can make a live pitch memorable with props, costumes, trailers, and a strong presentation Why being selected for Fantastic Pitches can create opportunities even if you don't win The ambitious Technocrane strategy behind this year’s winning pitch, Father Figure What Ryan and Jordan noticed about the DIY films, filmmaking collectives, and genre community at Fantastic Fest Why festivals can have a bigger impact by supporting filmmakers before their movies are made Memorable Quotes: “With filmmaking it's always good, fast, cheap. Pick two. And with Fantastic Pitches, they're trying to do all three.” “You've gotta have a hack to make your pitch audience-friendly.” “The best route is the one that's available to you probably.” “It's easy to select things that turned out well. It's much harder to bet on them at the beginning and to actually help them bring something to fruition.” Resources: Fantastic Fest Fantastic Pitches 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

Recorded at Fantastic Fest 2026 in Austin, No Film School founder Ryan Koo talks with Into the Sky writer-directors Drew Mylrea and Evan Buxbaum about the decade-long path to making their sci-fi comedy. They trace the project from an early script that Evan initially rejected through Black List evaluations, financing, casting Sam Richardson, and an ambitious 25-day production with dozens of locations and hundreds of VFX shots. Drew and Evan also explain how they divided responsibilities as co-directors, used LiDAR scans and Lego figures to pre-visualize scenes, navigated production setbacks, tested unfinished cuts with audiences, and learned to trust their instincts while making an independent film designed to feel like a blockbuster. In this episode, No Film School's Ryan Koo and guests Drew Mylrea and Evan Buxbaum discuss... How Drew and Evan became filmmaking collaborators after spending hours together shooting a Method soap commercial in a tiny shower Evan’s experience making Sun Belt Express and the long gap between his first and second features Why Drew kept returning to the alien-abduction concept that eventually became Into the Sky Revisiting old material after years of becoming better writers and filmmakers How strong Black List evaluations gave the filmmakers psychological momentum to commit to the project Spending roughly two years rewriting the script and assembling financing Why casting director Kate Geller became an important part of building the movie’s cast How attaching Sam Richardson helped the project gain momentum The pressures created when an in-demand actor gives an independent production a narrow shooting window Walking away from a “turnkey” production-services solution that would have forced most of the movie onto a single estate Finding the town of Catskill, New York, and rebuilding their location strategy around what the movie actually needed Why filmmakers sometimes have to reject the easiest logistical solution when it threatens the film creatively Shooting the movie in 25 days while managing frequent company moves How Drew and Evan divided directing responsibilities according to their complementary strengths Drew’s focus on visual storytelling, camera placement, and spectacle versus Evan’s focus on performance, character, and dialogue Using iPhone LiDAR scans and Polycam to create digital models of locations Printing location blueprints and using custom Lego figures and a Lego camera to block scenes with the AD and cinematographer Building detailed storyboards and turning them into rough animatics for complicated sequences Trying to create an “indie blockbuster” without a blockbuster budget The challenge of completing approximately 500 visual-effects shots with an extremely small VFX team Why extensive preparation became a starting point for improvisation once production problems appeared Delaying a cornfield sequence until the final day of photography so the corn would be tall enough for the scene How rain, heat, scheduling problems, and other uncontrollable factors reshaped the production Watching dailies and determining whether scenes needed to be reshot Why a scene they believed needed a reshoot ultimately used mostly material from the original shoot Working 12-hour shooting days followed by another four or five hours of preparation each night Splitting up the first stages of post-production so Drew could eventually watch the assembly with fresh eyes Why comedy becomes difficult to judge after watching the same material dozens of times Screening cuts for friends and family to measure real laughter and audience energy Using QR codes and Google Forms to collect individual reactions before a group discussion could influence everyone’s opinions Measuring character likability and other audience responses between different test screenings Asking test audiences to respond to major VFX sequences while those sequences were still extremely unfinished The moment completed visual effects and music finally made the filmmakers feel that the movie was working Their goal of making large, entertaining movies with heart on an independent scale Why Drew and Evan believe their filmmaking education ultimately came from making things, making mistakes, and “touching the stove” Memorable Quotes: “If I have any takeaway from that, it's that, like, in those moments of extreme pressure when you have a lot of competing interests that have started rolling down on you, you've just gotta trust your gut.” “We always called this movie an indie blockbuster. You know, we were trying to make an indie film that felt like a blockbuster.” “We went in with a great plan, and then you get hit in the fucking face. And your plan becomes the launching point for an improvisational new plan.” “We learned by making mistakes and doing things out in the world. We learned by touching the stove.” Guests: Drew Mylrea Evan Buxbaum 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

Writer-director-actor Leah McKendrick joins GG Hawkins to break down the long road to getting Voicemails for Isabelle made after years in development. McKendrick traces her unconventional path from aspiring pop singer to independent filmmaker, studio screenwriter, and director, explaining how the frustration of watching projects stall pushed her to bet on herself and make Scrambled. She shares how directing that indie feature changed the way studios saw her, helped her reclaim Voicemails for Isabelle, and ultimately led to Netflix and Sony backing her as its director. The conversation also covers navigating Hollywood development, creating opportunities without permission, collaborating with cinematographer Julia Swain, protecting your creative voice, and applying an indie filmmaking mindset at the studio level. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Leah McKendrick discuss... How McKendrick went from pursuing a career as a pop singer to discovering filmmaking and directing at Chapman University Why writing and directing her own projects became a way to create opportunities instead of waiting for permission How Destroy the Alpha Gammas and M.F.A. helped establish her as a writer, producer, actor, and filmmaker The reality of working as a studio screenwriter and spending years writing projects that may never reach production The original inspiration for Voicemails for Isabelle and why McKendrick wrote the first draft in only a few weeks How the screenplay quickly sold, landed on the Black List, and attracted major talent before spending years in development Why repeated studio regime changes and canceled projects ultimately pushed McKendrick toward directing The breaking point that inspired her to write, finance, and direct Scrambled rather than wait for another studio green light Why filmmakers need to understand their own taste rather than believing a director must personally master every technical department How McKendrick's collaboration with cinematographer Julia Swain helped her translate emotion and instinct into a visual language Why directors need to communicate and reiterate their vision differently for every department head How Scrambled allowed McKendrick to demonstrate through her actions that she was no longer interested in being only a writer-for-hire Why McKendrick avoids reading reviews and instead focuses on whether she made the film she intended to make How the success of Scrambled changed the industry's perception of McKendrick as a director How Netflix approached Sony about Voicemails for Isabelle and Sony agreed to move forward with McKendrick directing Why years of studio relationships that once seemed fruitless ultimately became valuable when McKendrick was ready to direct The importance of betting on yourself, embracing the unusual parts of your voice, and refusing to assume that following the traditional path will eventually lead to the work you want to make Memorable Quotes: “The most beautiful thing that it gave me was this realization that I could create my own work and that I didn't have to ask for permission.” “All you need to know is what you like, and be a student of film, and be a student of your own taste.” “Every time that I have gotten rebellious and that I have put my foot down, that is when something fruits.” “If anybody could walk away from my interviews with one piece of wisdom or advice, it would always be to bet on yourself and to not wait for permission, and to believe in your weirdest stories and the weirdest parts of yourself.” Guests: Leah McKendrick Resources: Having Indie Discipline at Studio Scale: How Julia Swain Shot 'Voicemails for Isabelle' How to Build a Pitch Deck Indie Filmmakers: You Don't Need Julia Roberts to Make Your Indie Comedy How To Cut Like an Anthropologist from 'Scrambled’ & ‘Alpha’ Editor Sandra Granovsky 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]]mailto:[email protected]) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices