John Fallon's Indie Film NYC Podcast

Indie Feature Filmmaking with No Crew with Writer/Director David McElfresh

I recently got the chance to watch David McElfresh's second feature film A Long Time for Lovers.  This film is premiering at The New Filmmakers Film Fest on March 15.  Then it's playing at the Queens World Film Fest on March 18th, where it's nominated for Best Cinematography.

David is an Indie Filmmaker who lives in New York City.  He works a day job in the post production and visual effects world for big budget entertainment like, The Following, The Purge: Election Year, Money Monster, & Zoolander 2.  Having a regular gig allows David the freedom to explore his writing and filmmaking during his down time.

The story of how he got to where he is, artistically speaking, is a fascinating story that I think will be inspiring and educational to hear.  Seemingly almost by accident, David figured out how to shoot a feature film as a one man crew, and that alone is something that every indie filmmaker can learn from.

Check out the trailer to his latest feature below;

A Long Time For Lovers Trailer from David McElfresh on Vimeo.

David is one of those indie filmmakers that works a day job but is passionate about filmmaking so he shoots films on the side.  Luckily, for David, his day job is in the post production and visual effects field, so at least he is able to be close to filmmaking at all times.

Upon seeing David’s latest film, A Long Time for Lovers, I was really impressed with the visual style and the writing and that prompted me to reach out to him to be on the podcast.  Then when I found out he shoots these films as a one person crew and I was even more blown away.  David writes, shoots, directs, edits and even lights the scenes.

 

David McElfresh – A Lotus 'Til Reckoning

 

 

A Lotus 'Til Reckoning TRAILER from David McElfresh on Vimeo.

Director David McElfresh's first feature film deals with the three couples of different generations navigating their relationships during a Christmas party.  This one location drama was shot on a modest budget and is another example of how David was able to write, direct and shoot a feature with no crew.

 

Shooting a cinematic style

One of my biggest complaints about indie dramas is that, more often than not, these dialog heave films are shoot in a typical "coverage" style of Two-Shot, Medium Close-Up, then Reverse Medium Close-Up.  When I was speaking with David, he put it best when he said that it just feels like you're watching TV.  One thing that drew me into David's films was that these dialog heavy films had a cinematic feel to them.  Because there was so much to look at around the frame, the film keeps the viewer engaged and interested.

 

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

David McElfresh – IMDB

David McElfresh – Vimeo

Queens World Film Fest - Official Website

 

Get Social: Facebook: John Fallon's Indie Film NYCTwitter: @indiefilmnyc Instagram: @indiefilmnyc

iTunes: John Fallon's Indie Film NYC Podcast

STAREABLE

Today I’m speaking with the Ajay Kishore, the founder of Stareable.  As an avid connoisseur of  episodic content, Ajay realises that it is increasingly difficult to find all the great content out there in the increasingly fragmented space of the internet.  He is changing that by centralizing webseries content on Starable.

FINDING THE TELEVISION THAT BEST SPEAKS TO YOU

Webseries are a fun form of filmmaking.  I’ve seen everything from buddy comedies to horror to fantasy to sci-fi.  Some web series are defacto film schools for filmmakers.  Producing a series allows them to hone their technical skills, improve their writing style and develop their voice.  Still others set out to produce short episodic content with production value and a level of screenwriting.

Stareable’s focus on webseries is a direct result of Ajay’s passion for episodic content.  Stareable is part VOD platform, part curation, and a resource for makers of episodic web content to expand their audience and grow as filmmakers.

STARE YOUR CONTENT

So, If you’ve got episodic web content that you are looking to get out into the world and grow an audience for, listen to what Ajay has to say about Stareable.  If you like what he has to say, shoot him an email about your webseries and become part of this growing and evolving platform.

CONNECT WITH OTHER FILMMAKERS

Stareable is committed to not only providing a platform for you to grow your audience, but to help you grow through creating a shared community.  If you are in New York City, you can take advantage of monthly filmmaker meet-ups and a screening series.  For information on the meet-ups, sign up for the Stareable mailing list, and to be a part of the screening series look for them on FilmFreeway.

LINKS:

Stareable Website

www.Stareable.com

 

Stareable Blog

blog.stareable.com

 

Email

 

February 15, 2017 - Filmmaker Meet-Up

Tribeca Tavern - 247 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013

 

Screening Series – FilmFreeway

StareablesMonthlyNYCscreenings

 

Dynamo

stareable.com/series/view/dynamo

 

Callie & Izzy

stareable.com/series/view/callie-and-izzy

 

Brains

stareable.com/series/view/brains

 

BE A PART OF JOHN FALLON’S INDIE FILM NYC PODCAST

One of my favorite aspects of this podcast is the people who reach out to me to let me know that  a particular episode was enjoyable, or how hearing advice from a filmmaker I’ve featured helped them complete their project, or as was the case with Brad, to tell me about a project that they are excited to put out in the world.  Hearing the filmmakers talk about how they’ve defied the odds and gotten a film completed and wanting to share their art through the Indie Film NYC Podcast is so much fun for me.  To reach me, go to indiefilmnyc.com/contact or hit me up on twitter at our user name @indiefilmnyc

I would encourage anyone to reach out to me if they want to share their story on the podcast.  So, if that’s a specific film, a web series or a full body of work over that spans your career thus far, my aim is to bring these stories to my listeners in the hopes that it will inspire, teach and provide useful advice so they can also get their projects completed.

Spirituality, Meditation & Indie Filmmaking

Brad Raider is an actor, a writer, a director and a producer.  His debut feature film Kensho at the Bedfellow explores the nature of fulfillment, relationships, family, social conscience, sex, death, religion, life purpose, and the role that self-reflection plays on the global stage.

I spoke with Brad about the genesis of this film and how his work with meditation and his interest in spirituality influenced his process.

Watch the Trailer for Kensho at the Bedfellow

The Cast of Kensho

Kensho at the Bedfellow is an existential drama about a nihilistic playwright who is still reeling from the death of his younger sister years ago.  The film is a well crafted inspirational journey that dips into a surrealism.  The film will go on pre-sale on February 8, 2017 and I invite you to check out the trailer at https://vimeo.com/85295394

Filmmaking and Meditation

Along with his film, Brad and I touched on some aspects of how meditation and spirituality were not only themes in his film, but a part of his daily life.  He was able to bring that to the set and he feels it was a positive influence that kept the people involved in the production happy and energized during shooting.Brad also has a theater production company called Red Dog Squadron with James Roday of Psych! Fame, and he shared some great insight into their friendship.  Brad couldn’t mention any details, but he did tip me off that there might be something in the work for Psych fans… so stay tuned.

Links:

KENSHO WEBSITE

www.kenshofilm.com

 

KENSHO EMAIL LIST

http://bit.ly/kenshonews (or text KENSHO to 42828)

 

MDT8

www.MDT8.com

 

RED DOG SQUADRON

www.reddogsquadron.com

 

RAIDER IMDB

www.imdb.me/bradraider

 

COURIER TIMES ARTICLE: MEDITATION + FILMMAKING

http://bit.ly/kenshocourier

 

TED-style TALK FOR EO ALCHEMY:

https://vimeo.com/189402996

Official Website: kenshofilm.comTwitter:  @kenshofilmIMDb Page: imdb.com/KenshoAtTheBedfellowJames Roday's film Gravy: imdb.com/Gravy

Be a Part of John Fallon's Indie Film NYC Podcast

One of my favorite aspects of this podcast is the people who reach out to me to let me know that  a particular episode was enjoyable, or how hearing advice from a filmmaker I’ve featured helped them complete their project, or as was the case with Brad, to tell me about a project that they are excited to put out in the world.  Hearing the filmmakers talk about how they’ve defied the odds and gotten a film completed and wanting to share their art through the Indie Film NYC Podcast is so much fun for me.  To reach me, go to indiefilmnyc.com/contact or hit me up on twitter at our user name @indiefilmnycI would encourage anyone to reach out to me if they want to share their story on the podcast.  So, if that’s a specific film, a web series or a full body of work over that spans your career thus far, my aim is to bring these stories to my listeners in the hopes that it will inspire, teach and provide useful advice so they can also get their projects completed.

Mike Castro - Indie Filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY

Mike is a filmmaker and writer with an extensive background behind the camera.  He focuses his time making narrative films and working with corporate clients.

A New Breed of Indie Filmmakers

Mike is one of the new breed of indie filmmakers.  In the past, if one wanted to be a filmmaker, they would likely graduate from film school, get on a big production set as a PA and start learning the ropes so they could grow their network and make connections.

Today, there are many jobs that are tied to media production that don't involve being on an active set.  Corporate video jobs often involve straight forward one or two camera shoots of presentations and interviews that typically are completed just to be posted to a company website.  These opportunities, while not always very creative or challenging, give one access to equipment which allows for hands experience with the technical aspect of production he or she will not get sitting at a desk.  Having a steady income and schedule frees up a filmmaker to create content and learn through making content in their off hours.

Mike on set, directing a scene

Dinner Party Murder Party

 https://vimeo.com/149109714

Dinner Party Murder Party from mike castro on Vimeo.

During the podcast interview Mike talks about the production process of his first major short film, Dinner Party Murder Party.

 

Filmmakers Working Day Jobs

Many of today’s indie filmmakers have 9 to 5 jobs.  Some of those people are working in call centers, retail or other areas outside media production, while others work in administrative capacities for networks and other behind the scenes.  Not every filmmaker is gaining valuable on set experience with big union crews one finds on typical studio films, television shows and broadcast commercials.

What is interesting about Mike Castro’s story is that he had one of those corporate gigs that really didn’t have much to do with media, but through pushing the boundaries and actually producing content to show to people, he transformed his position from another cog in the machine to someone who was doing something he loves to do.

 

7 Rules

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My4qfhBkcyo

As a filmmaker it can be frustrating when a project drags on for too long and all you want is to see a finished product.  In reaction to that frustration, Mike challenged himself to write, shoot and edit an entire project in less than two weeks.  The result of that challenge is this fun short film called '7 Rules.'

 

The Misunderstanding

https://vimeo.com/183940884

The Misunderstanding (Official Trailer) from mike castro on Vimeo.

The Misunderstanding is Mike's most successful short in terms of the number of views it garnered.  The short was also selected by Funny or Die to be featured on their homepage for a time.

 

 

Links:

Journeys End Productions Website:  journeysendproductions.com Mike Castro's Films on Tumblr:  mikecastrofilms.tumblr.com Twitter:  @MikeCastroMusic

Subscribe to the Indie Film NYC Mailing list

indiefilmnyc.com/subscribe

Leave us a rating and a Review on iTunes

indiefilmnyc.com/itunes

Save

Bri Castellini - NYC Filmmaker

For this episode, Bri Castellni spoke with me about her web series 'Brains'.  The series is about love, friendship, neuropsychology, and zombies.

Indie Film NYC's Guide to Producing Your Film

One of the missions of this podcast is to help filmmakers more easily produce and distribute their content so they can learn to develop their skills as a filmmaker, find their voice and build an audience around their brand.  To that end, I wrote a film production guide that covers all aspects of filmmaking, from Concept to Distribution.

The book is available on Amazon as a kindle download for $2.99, but for fans of the podcast I’m giving away complimentary copies for anyone who subscribes to my mailing list.  The mailing list is sent out two or three times a month and will keep you updated on key episodes of the podcast and information about independent filmmaking.

Visit IndieFilmNYC.com/subscribe

Brains - The Series

Set three years after the zombie apocalypse, "Brains" follows college student Alison Sumner.  The unique angle of this series is that a zombie can act and appear like a normal human being as long as they are able to eat enough brains.

Alison is a neuropsychology student who is video blogging now that the epidemic is dying down.  Her dream is to settle down, get married, have children and get a dog.  Her biggest problem comes when she finds out that the man of her dreams is indeed one of the undead.

The series was created and written by Bri Castellini.

Brains - Festival Winner

Filmmaking is a Long Journey

Bri Castellini with the Brains Poster

Bri has been creating content for years.  She writes, blogs, YouTube's and then picked up a camera to film this series.  She understands that in order to develop your voice as a filmmaker there is no other way than to roll up your sleeves and get involved. Bri has the kind of drive and passion that is infectious and I hope you find a lot of value in your approach to your own work as you listen to her share her story during our interview.

Links:

Brains Website:  brainswebseries.com Personal Website:  bricastellini.com Twitter:  twitter.com/brisownworld Instagram:  instagram.com/brisownworld Relativity Web Series:  relativitywebseries.wordpress.com

Bri Castellini's Next Project

Ace and Anxious follows Emma, an asexual graphic designer with generalized anxiety disorder. She learns about the anxiety-relieving properties of sex and decides to give it the old college try in order to potentially "cure" her anxiety and panic attacks. So she does what any enterprising 21st century woman would do: places an ad on Craigslist.

Check out the Teaser:

https://youtu.be/vEj0egBa0MY

 

 

Save

Cady McClain & "Seeing is Believing: Women Direct"

For the first episode of 2017, I spoke with Cady McClain about her documentary which tackles the subject of female directors in the film business.

 

The Gender Diversity Issue in the Film Business

Seeing is Believing: Women Direct

Over the last few years there has been a growing awareness that even though it is easier than ever for anyone to pick up a camera and make a film, women are greatly under represented in the film industry.  Statistics coming out continually support this fact, but it seems that few people are proposing solutions on how to address the issue.

Cady McClain's documentary series Seeing is Believing goes to the source and talks directly with women filmmakers about the challenges they faced and how they dealt with those challenges as they established their careers.  In the series you will hear from a variety of women from those who have won major awards in television and feature films to frustrated filmmakers still working to break in.

 

Check out the trailer for the project:

Trailer: "Seeing is Believing: Women Direct" from Cady McClain on Vimeo.

 

How this series can be a positive influence

When I spoke with Cady, we talked about what the industry can do to change the current dynamic.  She told me that beyond just raising awareness about the issue, this series is meant to serve as a way to give guidance to emerging female filmmakers going forward so that they can find their own success.  Through hearing real world experiences from those that have come before them, women can see positive role models to emulate as they pursue their dreams of being filmmakers.

Links:

Official Website:  seeingisbelievingwomendirect.com Cady McClain IMDb Page: imdb.com/CadyMcClain Seeing is Believing Crowdfunding Campaign: indiegogo.com/projects/seeing-is-believing-women-direct-by-cady-mcclain Twitter:  @CadyMcClain

 

Get my film production book for free

Sign up for John Fallon's Indie Film NYC Podcast Mailing list to stay informed with what's going on with the podcast and I'll send you a copy of "Indie Film NYC's Guide to Producing Your Film"

Sign up for the mailing list here!

 

What's next for Cady McClain

Cady has been brought on board to produce and direct a short film about bullying, called "Butterflies," all the while, she is continuing to work on her documentary series Seeing is Believing: Women Direct.  Here is the teaser trailer for "Butterflies" if you'd like to take a look it:

Butterflies Teaser 2017 from Carlotta Summers on Vimeo.

Save

Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer with Eve Marson

On this episode I spoke with Eve Marson about her documentary feature film Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer.

A Documentary Film About Opioid Addiction

Eve Marson is a documentary filmmaker with a track record of successful feature docs.  On the heels of her hit feature film Fed Up, an exposé of the food industry with journalist Katie Couric, she tackled the timely issue of painkiller abuse and addiction with Dr. Feelgood.

Dr. Feelgood views this epidemic through the eyes of Dr. William Hurwitz.  Hurwitz is a doctor who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for over prescribing painkillers.  The ethical dilemma of how painkillers are prescribed in this country is seen though his experience of trying to help his patients.  With opioid addiction on the rise, there has never been a more important time to take a careful look into this growing problem.

Watch the Trailer for the Film - Official Trailer on Vimeo

Do You Want to Make Your Own Documentary Films?

 I have a great fondness for documentary filmmaking and I have even had a few false starts into trying to make my own docs.  I think the toughest thing for me has been identifying a subject that can really hold the attention of a viewing audience and also has the scope to carry the story through an hour and a half long narrative.

As you know, the main mission of this podcast is to help teach filmmakers what they can and should be doing if they want to get into making their own documentaries.  With that in mind, I took great effort in this episode to delve into Eve Marson’s experience both with directing Dr. Feelgood  and the overall experience in her career to bring you the information you need to get your feature film documentary off the ground and out into the world.

 

Links:

Official Website: drfeelgoodfilm.com Facebook Page: Dr. FeelgoodTwitter:  @drfeelgooddocu

Leave a Review for John Fallon’s Indie Film NYC Podcast

iTunes – John Fallon’s Indie Film NYC

Dissection of Thanksgiving with Troy Hall, Mridu Chandra, & Rafael Monserrate

On this episode I spoke with (Producer, Writer, Actor) Troy Hall, (Producer) Mridu Chandra, and (Director) Rafael Monserrate about their film The Dissection of Thanksgiving.

A New York Made Film

The four filmmakers who made this happen are all from New York.  And even though this was the first feature film they had written, produced, directed and starred in, their previous experience in the industry on shorts, commercials and improv work gave them the experience they needed to make this film.  It’s a very well done film that’s full of great moments in a touching story about family and relationships.  In my opinion, it’s got some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in an indie film in a long time.

http://www.thedissectionofthanksgiving.com/trailer

Why I think Their Story is Important

To me, the most interesting reason I wanted to interview them on the podcast was the journey the filmmakers went on with this film.  For all you indie filmmakers out there, this film stands as a lesson in passion and perseverance.  We get into all the details of where this film started and the hoops the filmmakers jumped through to bring this film to where it is today, but when you really believe in your film and you know that you have a story that resonates with people, it’s worth doing everything you have to in order to deliver it to your audience. 

Even though The Dissection of Thanksgiving is a thanksgiving themed film, it's a great film to watch any time because it deals with some universal themes of relationships and the power of family.

 

Links:

Facebook Group: Dissection of ThanksgivingTwitter:  @_TheMorgans_Instagram:  @thenighttrain87iTunes: Rent It or Buy It

 

 

Writer Duet

Back on episode 11, I did an interview with Guy Goldstein of writer duet, and if you’re looking for the best and most modern screenwriting software on the market, you can check out the episode page at indiefilmnyc.com/11 to listen to the interview.

If you decide you would like to purchase the software, please use my affiliate link to make your purchase, because it really helps us out by bringing in a little bit of money to pay for server costs and other administrative needs.

WriterDuet Affiliate Link:  https://writerduet.com/?link=BM2HX2AH

 

Subscribe to John Fallon’s Indie Film NYC Podcast

Foll us on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/john-fallons-indie-film-nyc/id1127139039?mt=2

 

Be sure to check out the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema

The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema - August 4th to August 13th, 2017Accepting Submissions now

The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema Promo

Save

Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema with Jayson Simba

The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema is the first and only film festival of its kind held in Kew Gardens, NYC.  The festival was founded by three local independent filmmakers with a passion to get movies made.

I brought Jayson Simba on to talk with me about why we think that the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema is important to the filmmaking community and why I partnered up with Jayson to help bring the festival to life.

 

Watch the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema Promo:

https://youtu.be/vmGBnLaL1go

 

At the end of the day, I see the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema as an extension of the work I'm doing with the Indie Film NYC Podcast.  The goal is to bring the art of cinema to an audience who will appreciate and support the films, while giving the filmmakers the chance to network and create those connections that will help them make bigger and better projects through the collaboration and support of their filmmaking peers.

​

Why did Indie Film NYC partner up with the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema?

It was always my intention to start some kind of indie film screening or film festival once I had established Indie Film NYC a little bit.  I didn't anticipate this opportunity to create something much larger than I had initially envisioned.

Our team has patterned the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema after some of the biggest festivals in the world.  We want this festival to be a cultural event that draws artists and the people behind the business of making films to mix, meet, mingle and deal.

The exterior of the Kew Gardens Cinema

When is the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema?

The Festival, which will run from August 4th to the 13th, 2017, is now open for accepting submissions.  You can find all the relevant information on the website kewgardensfestivalofcinema.com

I decided that the best way to introduce this festival to everyone would be to bring on Jayson Simba and let him talk about why he wanted to start the festival, the team he’s assembling to make the festival happen and what we hope that this festival can do for you indie filmmakers out there.

One of the screens showing films during the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema

Links:

Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema - Official Site

Facebook

Twitter

Email - [email protected]

The Original Theater Sign

Writer Duet

One of the first sponsors for the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema is the screenwriting software company WriterDuet.

Sign up for Writer Duet

Back on episode 11, I did an interview with Guy Goldstein of writer duet, and if you’re looking for the best and most modern screenwriting software on the market, you can check out the episode page at indiefilmnyc.com/11 to listen to the interview.

If you decide you would like to purchase the software, please use my affiliate link to make your purchase, because it really helps us out by bringing in a little bit of money to pay for server costs and other administrative needs.

WriterDuet Affiliate Link:  https://writerduet.com/?link=BM2HX2AH

 

Subscribe to John Fallon's Indie Film NYC Podcast

Foll us on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/john-fallons-indie-film-nyc/id1127139039?mt=2

Save

Cindy Baer

Director & Producer of 'Odd Brodsky'

On this episode of the podcast I spoke with director and producer Cindy Baer about her new feature film ‘Odd Brodsky’ and her career in filmmaking.

Cindy Baer grew up in Boston and at 22 years old she decided she wanted to be an actress in the film business, so she picked up and moved across the country to L.A.  Realizing that she needed to make money while she was working on breaking in, she started what would become a successful business performing for children’s parties as a clown.

 

After running that business for a few years, she decided to dive back into filmmaking, but more in the producing and directing arena.  On her first big project she directed a film that was written by a 13 year old girl she was mentoring at the time. Almost by accident ended up producing and distributing the film in a similar way that many micro budget films are shot today.

Through her experience with that feature film and a handful of short films with successful runs on the national film festival circuit, she started to develop a very personal film that would end up becoming ‘Odd Brodsky.’

 

Odd Brodsky is touching film that reaches well beyond the scope of what the budget for it is and the story is sure to strike a chord with other indie filmmakers.  The film has already had a successful run in film festivals and is about to be released on VOD.

 

‘Odd Brodsky’ has screened at 29 film festivals and won 20 festival awards, and is available now on itunes here: itunes.apple.com/us/movie/odd-brodsky/ Be sure to check it out after you listen to the podcast!

 

Links for this episode:

Odd Brodsky Official Website – oddbrodsky.com

Odd Brodsky IMDb Page – http://www.imdb.com/OddBrodsky/

Free Dream Pictures Website – freedreampictures.com

 

Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHj_La5Y40c

 

The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema

John Fallon’s Indie Film NYC is now a founding partner in the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.  The Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema is a film festival that will take place from August 4th to 13, 2017.

Submissions are open now;

Withoutabox - https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=15431

Film Freeway - https://filmfreeway.com/festival/TheKewGardensFestivalofCinema

FestHome - https://festhome.com/f/2492

Film Festival Life - http://www.filmfestivallife.com/Kew-Gardens-Festival-of-Cinema

You can find more information about the festival at http://www.kewgardensfestivalofcinema.com/

Or search Facebook for Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema to like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/KGFCFilmFest/

If you have any questions or comments about the festival or this podcast, then feel free to reach out to me at the Indie Film NYC Contact Page or I’m on twitter @IndieFilmNYC

Save

Save

Save