Filmmaker Spotlight

Warren Workman welcomes Katie Bignell, founder of Festival Formula, to discuss how filmmakers can build a festival run around the film they've actually made, the money they have, and the career they want. Katie shares why chasing the biggest names isn't a universal strategy, how submission budgets shape decisions, and why a world premiere matters differently from festival to festival. They also discuss the cost of attending, warning signs worth investigating before submitting, and the limits of recognizable cast members and industry connections.

Thank you so much for watching.

Sign up for the Newsletter at: https://tinyurl.com/UFFnewsletter

Check out our website at https://theutahfilmfestival.com

Submit your project to the Utah International Film Festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/UtahFilmFestival

About Katie
Katie Bignell founded Festival Formula in 2014 to help filmmakers build festival strategies suited to their films, goals, and resources. With a background in scriptwriting and festival marketing, she focuses on research, managing expectations, and informed submission decisions. Katie and Ian Bignell received Heartland Film’s Pioneering Spirit Award in 2024. Festival Formula received London Breeze’s Outstanding Contribution to Film award in 2024 and Poppy Jasper’s Impact Award in 2025. Her current focus is more detailed festival data and better budget allocation.

Links
Website: https://www.festivalformula.com/katie
Festival Formula Clients: https://www.festivalformula.com/theslate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/festivalformula/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/festivalformula
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/festivalformulaltd/

Daylen Pollard, founder of Pollard Pictures, joins Warren Workman on Filmmaker Spotlight to talk about what it really takes to build a filmmaking career from scratch.Daylen left the corporate world, sold his house, and committed to making movies full time.

His path went from the ultra-low-budget Day Hero to the award-winning punk rock musical comedy Frugal Man, then into theatrical documentary releases including Women in Christ and Brother Joseph Again.

In this conversation, Daylen talks about learning filmmaking without film school, finding the story in the edit, building a creative partnership with his wife, getting theatrical distribution, the value of film festivals, and why new filmmakers need to stop waiting and start making their first film.

Filmmaker Spotlight is presented by the Utah International Film Festival and focuses on practical lessons from filmmakers who are actively building sustainable careers.Learn more about the Utah International Film Festival at theutahfilmfestival.com.

Thank you so much for watching.

Sign up for the Newsletter at: https://tinyurl.com/UFFnewsletter

Check out our website at https://theutahfilmfestival.com

Submit your project to the Utah International Film Festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/UtahFilmFestival

About Daylen
Daylen Pollard is the founder of Pollard Pictures and a filmmaker who took one of the biggest swings you can take on a creative career. He left the corporate world, sold his house, and decided to go all-in on making movies. That journey started with ultra-low-budget projects like DayHero and eventually led to Frugalman, a punk-rock musical comedy that won at the Utah International Film Festival. Since then, Daylen has moved into theatrical documentary filmmaking with Women in Christ, and he’s now preparing for the release of Brother Joseph Again.

Links
Brother Joseph Again — Official Website / Tickets
https://brotherjosephagain.com/
Instagram — @daylenpollard
https://www.instagram.com/daylenpollard/
YouTube — Pollard Pictures
https://www.youtube.com/@PollardPictures
LinkedIn — Daylen Pollard
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daylen-pollard/
FilmFreeway — Daylen Pollard
https://filmfreeway.com/DaylenPollard

How do you break into the film industry without connections? Filmmaker Evan Morton shares how persistence, networking, and making work without waiting for permission helped him move from door-to-door sales into professional film and television work, including field and post-production roles on National Geographic's Life Below Zero.

In this Filmmaker Spotlight, Evan talks with Warren Workman about following up for six months to land an opportunity, building real relationships at film festivals, directing his award-winning short documentary Folsom Run, and spending seven years developing his feature documentary War on Wolves. He also explains why filmmakers should stop waiting for the perfect budget, perfect connection, or perfect moment and start creating with the resources they already have.

If you're trying to break into filmmaking, build a sustainable film career, network at film festivals, make a documentary, or figure out what to do after film school, this conversation offers practical lessons from Evan's own path.

Filmmaker Spotlight is presented by the Utah International Film Festival and focuses on the real experiences, decisions, setbacks, and relationships that help independent filmmakers keep moving forward.

Filmmaker Bartley Taylor joins the Utah International Film Festival’s Filmmaker Spotlight to break down what it really takes to make an independent short film, survive the film festival circuit, and build a sustainable filmmaking career. Bartley takes us behind the scenes of his award-winning horror short KILTER, a 1990s-set coming-of-age story that explores mental health through a practical creature effect, and explains how the film was designed as a proof of concept for a feature. We talk about crowdfunding a short film, working with SAG-AFTRA, producing on a limited budget, practical effects vs. CGI, choosing the right film festivals, dealing with festival rejection, turning short films into professional opportunities, and why new filmmakers shouldn’t wait for the perfect budget, equipment, or connections before making their first film. Bartley also shares hard-earned directing advice, why filmmakers need multiple skills to build a career, and why story will always matter more than expensive gear or beautiful shots.

You don't need a huge budget or a professional crew to make your first short film. Sometimes you just need a couple of film friends who are willing to make something with you. In this episode of Filmmaker Spotlight, Warren Workman talks about how to find people to make short films with, whether you're entering a 48-hour film competition, making something for fun, building your reel, or trying to prove you can actually finish a film. We cover meeting local filmmakers, helping on other people's projects, finding collaborators through festivals and filmmaking groups, working with limited resources, and why your first crew doesn't need to be made up of seasoned professionals. The goal is simple: find a few people, look at the resources you already have, make something, finish it, and then make another one.

What should you do with your short film after you finish it? Learn how to submit your short film to film festivals, build a film festival strategy, and find the right festivals for your movie. Finishing your short film is only the first step. Next, you need to decide what success looks like. Do you want to win film festival awards? Watch your short film with a live audience? Meet other filmmakers? Find representation? Attract investors? Or use your short film as a calling card to help you make a feature film? Warren explains why filmmakers should answer those questions before spending money on film festival submissions.

Learn how to write a film synopsis that grabs the attention of festival programmers and potential audiences. Master the art of summarizing your movie's core appeal.

Writing an effective film synopsis is essential for getting your project noticed. This guide breaks down the core elements required to craft a compelling summary that conveys your story's essence quickly. Whether you are aiming for film festival submission or trying to attract a wider audience, these techniques will help you clarify your narrative.

We also walk through a concrete movie synopsis example, focusing on a historical drama about a family's journey and conflict. By analyzing this specific case, you can see how to balance plot points with emotional stakes to make your script stand out. These screenwriting tips are designed to help you communicate your vision clearly to industry professionals.

Subscribe for weekly screenwriting tips, and comment below with the biggest challenge you face when summarizing your own scripts.

Learn the realities of executive producing and how to bridge the gap between business and creative storytelling.

I am sitting down with James Lee Young to discuss the practical side of getting projects off the ground. We cover the essential filmmaking methods that apply whether you are shooting on a phone or working with a larger crew, and why the scale of your production often depends on your ability to secure resources.

Funding a movie is rarely just about the art; it is about leveraging your existing business savvy to make your vision a reality. We break down how to approach film production with a professional mindset so you can focus on the story you actually want to tell.

Subscribe for weekly breakdowns on the business of independent cinema, and let me know in the comments: what is the biggest hurdle you face when trying to get your scripts financed?

Warren Workman welcomes writer-director Rodrigo Moreno-Fernandez, whose short film EL Lloron received six nominations at the 2026 Utah International Film Festival, with Renée Victor winning Best Supporting Actress. Rodrigo explains how losing his father and remembering a professional mourner from his childhood inspired him to use comedy as a way to explore grief. He shares why filmmakers should build stories from personal experiences instead of trying to satisfy a particular festival, audience or trend. Warren and Rodrigo also discuss using AI for scheduling and clerical work without surrendering the creative decisions that give a film its soul. Rodrigo previews his developing feature, Panza Loca, and closes with honest advice about rejection, persistence and deciding whether filmmaking still brings enough joy to make the struggle worthwhile.

Warren Workman welcomes Utah filmmaker Erick Lozano to talk about the lessons that only come from making the movie before you feel completely ready. Erick shares how he moved from editing basketball highlights to directing his first feature, Among the Eight, and why managing people, schedules and morale became just as important as directing the scenes. He explains how festival recognition and licensing opportunities helped him increase the budget for Stay Awhile from $5,000 to $50,000. Erick also discusses collaborating without ego, learning filmmaking skills online and treating editing as the place where a movie can finally come together. His advice for filmmakers waiting on the perfect script, camera or crew is simple: make the film, learn from the mistakes and make the next one better.