How I Shoot

I saw Ballard C. Boyd’s hilarious short, NIGHT SESSION, well into its festival run at the Iron Mule Film Festival.

I won’t say anything about it for fear of spoiling the fun, so you should watch the Omeleto YouTube video link below!

It’s eleven minutes of hilarity.

Night Session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBgnvqhSRII knew that I wanted to dig into Ballard’s approach to screen comedy, so we found some time to talk about the short, his decade working at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, directing commercials, and getting his start making sketch comedy on YouTube.HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

WITHDRAWAL is a love story with a side of codependence and drug addiction set in Athens, Georgia.

Director Aaron Strand and cinematographer Emily Marquet met with me to detail how the project came to fruition, explaining their multi-format shooting approach, and discussing the road show approach to the theatrical release.

The next screening date is July 9th at the Lumiere Music Hall in Los Angeles, with the director, DP, and cast in attendance.

You can find more screenings here: https://www.withdrawalfilm.com/

HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.

For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/

About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Filmmaker Cameron S. Mitchell is currently touring film festivals with his Slamdance Award-Winning feature documentary, Disposable Humanity, which uncovers the hidden legacy of the Nazi program to use disabled people to train killing staff and design the concentration camp apparatus for the Holocaust.'DISPOSABLE HUMANITY' follows filmmaker Cameron Mitchell and his family, who have researched the Nazi Aktion T4 program since the 1990s. Through conversations with memorial directors, disabled individuals, and descendants of T4 victims, this powerful documentary uncovers the chilling truth: Aktion T4 was the training ground for the Nazis' mass killing program, leading directly to the Holocaust. Despite its profound historical significance, this chapter has been erased from public memory—until now.Learn more about the film: https://www.disposablehumanity.com/HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Manjari Sharma is a filmmaker based in Bombay and London who writes the Substack New Age Directors: https://manjarisharma.substack.com/In this conversation, we discuss modern shooting formats, AI in filmmaking, the Indian New Wave, and many more topics.HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Nathan Tape is finishing up his second feature film as writer/director after building up a career in lighting and cinematography in the New Orleans film market. In this wide-ranging conversation we discuss shooting and lighting techniques, ways to balance teaching with filmmaking, and of course, all things Juggalo.You can find his work at: https://www.offrampfilm.com/HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Amelia Wyeth Ponirakis is a filmmaker currently based in Syracuse, NY. She makes experimental films and has worked as a production assistant on films and served as a teleprompter and camera operator for live television.In this conversation, we discuss how to start a career in the film business, shooting animated films combined with live action, techniques to help you advocate for yourself on set, and Amelia's upcoming film festival QUIET ON SET: A Short Film Festival for Finger Lakes Youth.You can find her work at: https://www.ameliawyethponirakis.comHOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Elliot Lobell makes stop-motion short films in between working day jobs as an animator, fabricator and motion graphics designer.

His latest film, EDWARD, recently premiered at the Coney Island Film Festival and won Best Animation. He is just starting his festival run, with further screenings at the New York Short Film Festival and an upcoming event in Norway.

In this conversation we dive into animation techniques, the ideas behind the films, and how to stay sane as you work on a project for seven years.

HOW I SHOOT is a series of conversations between Alan McIntyre and filmmakers, cinematographers, and other film workers.

For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/

About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Alan McIntyre speaks with Amanda Sweikow, an L.A.-based filmmaker who has won awards for many of her short films, including "That's Not My Mother," which we discuss in this episode, as well as her plans for an upcoming feature film, "Unclaimed."You can find more at: https://wtfstop.substack.com/Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he is currently shooting in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.

Jake Weisman is a filmmaker, microcinema entrepreneur, and the author of the Substack newsletter filmjourn.

To celebrate 4/20, Jake is sharing his first feature film to all subscribers - Scrapers - a comedy for romantic stoners.

You can subscribe to filmjourn here: https://filmjourn.substack.com/

You can see more interviews and film writing at WTF-Stop: https://wtfstop.substack.com/

Joshua Caldwell likes to direct with a camera in his hands, knowing how the lens is going to affect performance and get the moment he needs. Caldwell speaks with Alan McIntyre about his collaborative planning process on films, why the technical decisions matter, and why it's good to get some pushback from creative partners.

The films we discuss are Mending the Line, starring Brian Cox, Infamous, starring Bella Thorne, and Layover.

You can see Joshua's work at: https://www.meyd-ent.com/

Joshua's Substack: https://joshuacaldwelldirector.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

For more HOW I SHOOT episodes and essays: https://wtfstop.substack.com/

About the host: Alan McIntyre is a cinematographer, teacher, and filmmaker based in New York City. Recent projects include MOTION (Bella Thorne, Tiffany Haddish, Terry Crews), A VIGILANTE (Olivia Wilde), and NECROPOLIS, which he recently shot in Greece. He directed the feature film STARGAZER and is currently making his first feature documentary, DINERMAN, with the FilmStack NonDē 50 project.