In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins dives into the sweeping process behind Train Dreams, a period drama adapted from the Dennis Johnson novella. GG is joined by director Clint Bentley and editor Parker Laramie, who discuss the challenges and joys of crafting a film that spans decades while staying intimate and emotionally resonant. The episode also opens with a candid conversation with filmmaker Boris Rodriguez about community and collaboration in independent filmmaking, leading up to the release of GG’s own directorial debut I Really Love My Husband.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss...

The emotional and technical journey of adapting Train Dreams from a novella into a feature film

How Clint and Parker’s creative partnership evolved from Jockey to this ambitious period piece

The process of editing a film that spans decades without losing narrative momentum

How Parker’s background in documentary shaped his approach to editing fiction

The value of grabbing unplanned shots on set and how they can end up saving key scenes

The philosophical and technical challenges of handling notes from producers and stakeholders

The role of music and rhythm in both writing and editing the film

Clint’s directorial flexibility and willingness to discover the movie during post

Parker’s favorite hotkey and the logistics of editing across Premiere and Avid

Reflections on releasing the film and the audience’s evolving interpretation of its themes

Memorable Quotes:

“You have to listen to the film. The way the film speaks to you is through other people and other people giving you notes.”

“Just try the fucking note.”

“We had no slates on Jockey… and we tried to do that again.”

“You don’t always have a good understanding of how something’s going.”

Guests:

Clint Bentley

Parker Laramie

Boris Rodriguez

Resources:

GG's Directorial feature debut, I Really Love My Husband, is now available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.

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