Cinematic Heartland: A Filmmaking Podcast

John Gaspard who is a Minneapolis, MN filmmaker joins us on the show today. Once we get past discussing Kubrick, Carpenter, and the movie Dark Star, we talk about his filmmaking journey, some of his feature films including Beyond Bob and Ghost Light, the Minneapolis film scene, and the book on filmmaking that he wrote called Fast, Cheap and Under Control as well as the follow up book called Fast, Cheap and Written That Way. We also touch upon his own podcast, The Occasional Film Podcast.

As mentioned in this episode here is the link to the Until the Music Fades IndieGoGo campaign. https://igg.me/at/utmf/x/27030702#/

Iowa filmmaker, Michael James Minard joins Cinematic Heartland to update us on his latest feature film project, The Dead Man Walking. We got to see some preview clips and all we can say is simply amazing. Michael is claiming his corner of the film world with his unique voice and extraordinary vision. Michael tells us about some of the cast and crew and how the project came together. The film is a who's who of the amazingly talented Iowa film scene. He also fills us in on his new venture, Red Arc Productions. And how can we have Michael on the show and not talk about hot sauce.

As mentioned in this episode here is the link to the Until the Music Fades IndieGoGo campaign. https://igg.me/at/utmf/x/27030702#/

Filmmaker Jake Ryan Baker from Fort Wayne, Indiana joins Cinematic Heartland today. Jake’s passion for films and filmmaking shines brightly throughout this entire episode. We talk about the film and theater scene in Fort Wayne, tax incentives or the lack thereof, the short films that he has worked on, the casting process, the writing process, the idea of shooting a feature film, and his tips for screenwriters. And there is so much more.

The Twin Cities are a hot spot in the Midwest for filmmaking and the home of many talented filmmakers. Our guest this week on Cinematic Heartland, Josh Scott Sibley, is another prime example of that. His journey started, as it does for many of us, with the original Star Wars. He tells us about his new short film to be released soon, The Wraith, which he wrote, directed, and produced and his feature film Not Bad for a Punk Band which is currently in pre-production. He co-wrote and was the assistant director for the film The Outcast which screened at the coveted Cannes Film Festival. Hear what his main filmmaker influences are as well as his advice for other Heartland filmmakers.

Michael Hemenway, a Twin Cities filmmaker, joins us today to discuss how Facebook helped bring his first film crew together to shoot his debut short film, Miracle of Science, in the fall of 2019. That film went on to premiere at the Z-Fest Film Festival. His second film, Mind Breaking, took home Best Thriller at the Tokyo Film Awards. His first documentary, Just Breathe Normally, was released earlier this year and is currently on the festival circuit. He explains how he shot the underwater scenes for this film. He also tells us about his collegiate experience at the University of Iowa… Go Hawks!!!

Omaha, Nebraska native Tom Knoblauch sits down with us on this edition of Cinematic Heartland: A Filmmaking Podcast to discuss his newly released feature film Moving Parts which is available on Amazon Video. He tells us about his company Aksarben Creative as well as his projects with Yankee Deer Media and what he covers on his Riverside Chats. On top of everything else he does, he is also an author of two novels. And we probably mention the film Ishtar more in this episode than any other podcast in the last 10 years.

Minneapolis based Max Eric Lemberger sits down with us on Cinematic Heartland: A Filmmaking Podcast to discuss his acting / filmmaking journey. Acting first caught his eye in 1959 when he saw Steve Reeves as Hercules, but that idea got put on the shelf until he was in his 60’s. He has now appeared in close to a dozen short films, did some modeling, and wrote several screenplays. He tells us about the challenges he has faced coming into acting later in life and offers advice for others who may be in the same boat.

Ben Richards, an Indiana based filmmaker who is making a big splash right out of college, joins us to talk about his feature film Angels of Perdition which is the third film in a trilogy that he started working on in high school. He tells about Intravision Entertainment where he is a multimedia producer and what services they offer. We also discuss the importance of self-creating opportunities and a lot more.

On today’s episode, we welcome Sharonville, Ohio based, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, Scott Wegener. Scott explains his process of getting films made all around the world on a zero budget. From the Czech Republic to Norway and back home again, Scott has been able to pull together films that would normally be made on huge budgets. This is a must listen to episode if you are looking to get that big budget idea of yours made but don't have the deep pockets or rich relatives.

Jeff Winkelman returns to the Cinematic Heartland podcast to tell us about this year’s Frightfilm Competition. If you are a filmmaker interested in the horror genre, this is right up your dark, foggy, and creepy alley. Jeff fills us in on the Frightfilm origins, rules, timelines, screenings , and how to register. Frightfilm is based in Ohio but is open to filmmakers anywhere. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.

https://frightfilmcompetition.com/