First Time Go

There's something so inspiring about somebody who knows how the system is supposed to work and says, nah, I'm doing it my way anyway. That's Madeline McLaughlin, who is currently crowdfunding for her debut feature, NOT A GOOD PERSON.

I know Todd Brown said a few episodes ago, specifically, don't mortgage your house to make your indie film, but I kind of want to get this made?

In this podcast, we talk about:

2:29 Friendship breakups?

3:43 How did she get involved in filmmaking?

4:27 She came from a theater family.

5:42 Is she the only person in history whose parents were excited that she switched from pre-med to film at NYU?

6:18 Thoughts on going to film school

9:17 Community benefits of film school

** 10:34 The Quality Of Projects From Film School -- "it's going to feel different at different times and generations" **

12:00 This is actually Madeline's second Kickstarter campaign; she was the producer on the successfully funded YES, NO, GOODBYE

14:15 Raising a realistic amount of money for a feature versus a short

14:38 The story behind NOT A GOOD PERSON and actually raising the proper amount for the film

17:12 The joys of editing actual film

18:45 How manageable is it for a director to produce or do things that she may not love as much as filmmaking?

20:08 The logline for NOT A GOOD PERSON

20:28 Write what you know; how should filmmakers start?

24:22 Is she living the indie filmmakers' dream by just creating her first feature, even knowing how the system is supposed to be work?

26:54 The amazing team she assembled for NOT A GOOD PERSON

28:49 You want somebody to work on your film? You have to ask.

31:05 What has she learned for her festival stratregy?

33:10 Madeline's Indie Film Highlight: Guy Maddin

Links:

NOT A GOOD PERSON Kickstarter Campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madelinejmclaughlin/not-a-good-person)

Madeline McLaughlin Website (https://www.madelinemclaughlin.com/)

A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Go watch it! And come back and listen to this episode from 2024.

Step 1. Listen to this episode.

Step 2. Buy passes to the Sedona International Film Festival (https://sedonafilmfestival.com/)

Step 3. Buy plane tickets, train tickets...BUS tickets?! to Sedona.

Step 4. Watch A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP on February 25th, the film's world premiere.

I'm joined today by the film's director, writer, actor, comedian, former YouTube star, man of infamy, not obscurity, relative or otherwise, Bridge Stuart.

In this episode, we talk about:

01:38 Intro/The Concept Of Anticipatory Jokes & Laughter

02:58 The World Premiere at Sedona International Film Festival On February 25, 2024...In A Theater!

03:15 Early Career and Journey Towards Filmmaking (this part of the conversation refers to the very complimentary article by Simon Owens on Bridge https://simonowens.medium.com/its-impossible-to-reverse-engineer-bridge-stuart-s-sketch-comedy-videos-23caa88c5964)

05:46 Discovering His Talent for Comedy

06:40 Discussing Putting A Joke Early On To See If The Audience Is With You (this was an idea pointed out by Matthew Robinson https://www.firstgopod.com/vault/matthew-s-robinson)

08:03 Crafting Moments of Comedy Payoff

08:35 How Did A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP Came To Be?

11:30 The Goal of A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP

13:54 How Should You Decide On Including Contemporary Jokes?

15:25 Timeline and Festival Strategy

18:16 Tricks For Low Budget Indie Films

18:40 The Sedona International Film Festival, a filmmakers' film festival

20:30 How Do You Make The Decision To Act In Your Own Indie Film?

23:42 Is It Harder For Someone To Direct And Act Without Writing The Script?

24:35 The State of Comedy in Indie Film

26:57 Expanding into Different Genres; Are We Going To See a Bridge Stuart Horror Film? (Yes, we are.)

28:11 The Pigeonholing of Indie Directors

29:58 Focus on Writing and Directing

31:32 Bridge's Upcoming Projects

33:45 Indie Film Highlight: Jim Cummings (Follow Jim https://www.instagram.com/jimmycthatsme/?hl=en); Danny Madden (Follow Danny https://www.instagram.com/stuffbydanny/)

36:29 Close/Time To Fly To Sedona To Watch A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP

Links:

Follow Bridge On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bridgeofstuart/?hl=en); X (https://twitter.com/BridgeofStuart); YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/BridgeStuart)

Conversation With Patrick Schweiss, executive director of the Sedona International Film Festival Season 1, Episode 21 (https://www.firstgopod.com/vault/patrick-schweiss)

Follow The Sedona International Film Festival (https://sedonafilmfestival.com/)

To kick off season two, I speak with Zarrar Kahn, the writer and director of the new film, IN FLAMES.

I'll repeat this a couple times in the episode but IN FLAMES is a masterpiece. The shooting, the direction, the storytelling. I had to watch a couple of times to pick up on the nuances of the shots and the direction. 

We talk about when it will screen: it's showing at the Palms Springs International Film Festival the weekend of January 6, 2024, so if you're listening to this when the episode premieres, you can buy a ticket and watch this film tomorrow -- but this is a film you'll want to see a couple of times. It streams worldwide in April, 2024.

Zarrar is executive producing short films and doing everything he can to give back, especially in his home countries of Canada and Pakistan. Our conversation winds from the warmth of Pakistan, the beauty of IN FLAMES, the importance of hotel partners to indie filmmakers (who knew?!), crowdfunding, and how the independent film community can support filmmakers that elevate the genre into true art.

I feel so proud and lucky to have this conversation with somebody that is actively making independent film better. I hope you enjoy this episode...and truly, seriously: go see IN FLAMES. 

Zarrar's Indie Film Highlight: DIASPORA directed by Tyler Mckenzie Evans (https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2023/11/02/diaspora/)

Links:

• Palm Springs International Film Festival Screenings of IN FLAMES (https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2024/film-finder/in-flames)
• Zarrar Kahn’s Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kahn.zarrar/)
• IN FLAMES' Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/inflamesmovie/)
• IN FLAMES' Variety Review (https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/in-flames-review-1235831644/)
• Support the Podcast Through Membership (https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5/exclusive-content)

I talk with Matthew Baren, Creative Director of LP Films, about the struggles and ultimate triumph of Michelle Garnaut in creating M ON THE BUND, a restaurant in Shanghai. He’s speaking about a documentary of the same name currently raising money on Kickstarter. The film is directed by Luo Tong.

My discussion with Matthew comes across as an amazing story of female empowerment universally, whether it’s in Australia, Hong Kong, or Shanghai. We discuss what life is like for Chinese filmmakers; the wildly original M ON THE BUND documentary, why the team chose Kickstarter over other avenues for crowdfunding, and the power of resilience in the face of challenges.

When you hear Matthew’s description of the documentary, you want to cheer for the amazing women involved, yes, but they aren’t making it just about themselves. They are bringing us along, too

Matthew's Indie Film Highlight: DOOM GENERATION by Gregg Akari

Links:

• M ON THE BUND Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1591996995/m-on-the-bund-a-documentary)
• LP Docs (https://www.lpdocs.net/)
• LP Films, the parent of LP Docs (http://www.lpfilms.net/)
• LP Films Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lostpensivosfilms/)
• M ON THE BUND Documentary (https://www.instagram.com/monthebunddocumentary)
• LP Films X Account (x.com/lpfilmsshanghai)
• LP Films Facebook Account (https://www.facebook.com/lpfilms/)

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: RED ROCKET (2021).

Director: Sean Baker

Writers: Chris Bergoch, Sean Baker

Cast: Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son

SYNOPSIS

Mikey Saber -- charismatic con man and washed-up porn star -- plots his return to the big time from small-town Texas in this story of an American hustler and a hometown that barely tolerates him.aten to burn the tower down if the developer does not pay their wages.

Watch the episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@firstgopod

I talk with Daniel Brown, director of YOUR LUCKY DAY, arriving in theaters November 10th.

We talk about the amazing work of Angus Cloud; the wild story of turning down people who wanted to make the film into a feature 13 years ago; the shorts v. feature debate (of course); the virtue of quick run-times for marriages; what indie filmmakers should do for their second act; and how this wonderful feature came to life. What a story he has to tell.

Daniel's Indie Film Director & Highlight: Satoshi Kon; Korean film

Links:

YOUR LUCKY DAY Screenings (https://drafthouse.com/show/fantastic-fest-presents-your-lucky-day-advance-screening)

YOUR LUCKY DAY Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xMsdJvY0gk&t=5s)

Pre-Order YOUR LUCKY DAY Now On Apple (https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/your-lucky-day/umc.cmc.3xbthl9m5ossgqvswdldfzwsh) -- it helps demonstrate an audience and supports independent filmmakers.

I talk with Alexandra Simpson, a French-American indie film director. Recently, she successfully crowdfunded for No Sleep Till, a feature film with the logline of "in a small Florida town menaced by a pending hurricane, a few feel compelled to stay." Her promotional video shows a wealth of knowledge of the craft, and her vision is an important lens to view the American experience in the midst of climate change. 

We discuss directors she's admired (Brian DePalma, Ingmar Bergman), romcoms, crowdfunding in more remote places, and the indie film scene in Paris. She's a unique voice in a world looking hard for them.

Links:

• No Sleep Till Crowdfunding Page (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-sleep-till-feature-film/x/33954072#/)
• No Sleep Till Pitch Video (https://vimeo.com/850539347)
• No Sleep Till Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nosleeptillfilm/)

Did you know burial and cremation are both bad for the environment? That bartending may be the best training for documentary filmmaking? What about death haikus?

I talk to Wendy Corn about her new film, Exit Strategy: From Scared to Sacred, which recently raised over $34,000 as part of a successful crowdfunding campaign on Seed & Spark. Wendy is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose films have been featured at SXSW and other festivals. She gives advice to filmmakers, talks about why Austin is a great home for indies, and shares the level of commitment -- and vulnerability -- it requires to embark on a crowdfunding campaign.

Links mentioned in the conversation:

• https://www.austinfilm.org/sponsored/exit_strategy/
• https://seedandspark.com/fund/exit-strategy/
• Matthew Kochmann (wetranscend.com)
• Artist/Animator: Yuliya Lanina (yuliyalanina.com)