The No Film School Podcast

Found Footage with Bite: Tribeca-Premiering ‘Man Finds Tape’

Listen Later

Filmmakers Peter Hall and Paul Gandersman join No Film School's GG Hawkins to discuss their chilling feature debut Man Finds Tape, premiering in the “Escape from Tribeca” section at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The Texas-based writer-director duo explores their found-footage horror hybrid, rooted in documentary realism and intimate character drama. They dive deep into the film’s decade-long evolution, DIY production tactics, narrative experimentation, and the collaborative scrappiness that made their micro-budget creature feature resonate on a grand scale.

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

  • How a shelved podcast idea evolved into a Tribeca-premiering feature film
  • Using documentary experience to inform a found-footage horror aesthetic
  • Why keeping a tight creative circle allowed for fast, agile production decisions
  • Shooting scenes with GoPros and iPhones for final edits—and why it works
  • Casting actors willing to dive into a highly iterative, experimental process
  • Crafting practical and VFX-driven creature moments that elevate low-budget horror
  • Editing techniques that treat the narrative as a real documentary-in-progress
  • How found footage can stay emotionally grounded and narratively justified

    • Memorable Quotes:

    • "There cannot be a point at which the audience says, why are they still filming?"
    • "We were willing to let it sound like shit in parts, and it ended up not having to."
    • "We threw out a lot of the lavs and just used on-camera MiniDV audio. It felt 10 times more real."
    • "What we make is not Peter’s voice or my voice—it’s a third voice."

      • Guests:

      • Peter S. Hall
      • Paul Gandersman

        • Resources:

        • Man Finds Tape at Tribeca
        • XYZ Films Boards Tribeca Horror Feature Man Finds Tape

          • 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

            ...more
            View all episodesView all episodes
            Download on the App Store
            The No Film School PodcastBy No Film School
            • 4.5
            • 4.5
            • 4.5
            • 4.5
            • 4.5

            4.5

            418 ratings

            More shows like The No Film School Podcast

            View all
            Filmspotting by Adam Kempenaar & Josh Larsen

            Filmspotting

            3,946 Listeners

            The Treatment by KCRW

            The Treatment

            611 Listeners

            The Business by KCRW

            The Business

            663 Listeners

            Scriptnotes Podcast by John August and Craig Mazin

            Scriptnotes Podcast

            2,429 Listeners

            The Next Best Picture Podcast by Evergreen Podcasts

            The Next Best Picture Podcast

            491 Listeners

            IndieWire: Screen Talk by Indiewire: Screen Talk

            IndieWire: Screen Talk

            328 Listeners

            The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast by Directors Guild of America

            The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

            740 Listeners

            IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit by Chris O'Falt

            IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

            102 Listeners

            The A24 Podcast by A24

            The A24 Podcast

            1,056 Listeners

            The Big Picture by The Ringer

            The Big Picture

            5,623 Listeners

            The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna by Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

            The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

            969 Listeners

            Team Deakins by James Ellis Deakins, Roger Deakins

            Team Deakins

            1,120 Listeners

            Script Apart with Al Horner by Script Apart

            Script Apart with Al Horner

            206 Listeners

            The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer

            The Town with Matthew Belloni

            1,066 Listeners

            Ankler Agenda by TheAnkler.com

            Ankler Agenda

            104 Listeners