Low-Budget Rebels: An Indie Filmmaking Conversation with Josh Stifter

This week I sat down on two occasions (thanks Hurrican Helene) to chat with filmmaker and genuinely nice guy Tate Hoffmaster about filmmaking and his new movie Pizza Guy 8.

We also discuss working with VHS and other media to create art, Troma and its influence on low-budget filmmaking, assessing criticism of films, and things we've learned on set. We also talk about our scripting process and improvising ideas. This and so much more! Ch

eck out Tate's work at https://www.youtube.com/@GuyBacon13 and follow him on social media @xfilescabinet

Have a great week and don't let your meat loaf!
Josh

I had the pleasure of hopping on a call with Micah Khan and discussing his new feature film The Zombie Wedding. Unrelated, but I also had my mic backward the whole time I recorded like an absolute moron. Technical difficulties aside, it was still a wonderful conversation and I hope you all can handle my very hollow-sounding microphone for a week. I hope to not have this issue again for at least a few episodes. Oh the joys of working in a new studio...

Micah and I discussed what it's like to work on projects that we didn't write or are outside of the norm for us, especially projects where you're working with other people's money. We also discuss lost old movies, the cringiness of where you begin and how to enjoy it, Micah's festival that revolves around showing early films, working with your cast and crew, how to fake shots and utilize a small room, and so much more! 

Check out Micah's film The Zombie Wedding - available now to rent or purchase and screening in limited theaters! 

Visit Micah's website to find out more: https://micahazamkhan.com/

Have a great week, everyone!

This weekend I had the pleasure of chatting with actor and filmmaker Jamie H Jung about all things independent filmmaking!

Jamie and I were both part of the the Rebel Without A Crew: The Series process but in very different capacities. Jamie was an actor in Alejandro Montoya Marin's movie Monday; and on this episode, we compared experiences of what it was like to be on reality TV. Jamie also discusses his adventure in producing his first film The Wedding Night which will be premiering at the Manhattan Film Festival on June 22.

We also discussed the challenges of adapting your project with no money, finding a character, and learning your process through life experiences.

Follow Jamie on social media @jamiehjung and check out more from Jamie at jamihjung.com

This week I had the pleasure of chatting with writer and director Rob Mabry.If you look at our film's synopsis, you can instantly see that my film Greywood's Plot and his The Legend of El Chupacabra have some things in common. Watching the movies, it's interesting how unique both movies are as well!

Rob and I discussed his rise from early days of playing with cameras, to the break in his filmmaking process and coming back to it through 48 hour film fests and making a plethora of shorts, to eventually making his first feature film. We also chat about Rob's preproduction process, finding the shot in the moment, messy effects shots, and the fun of creating monsters with practical visual effects.This and so much more!

 Make sure to follow @thechupacabramovie to find out more about Rob's movie.

Director Scott McElroy came on the show to discuss his feature film Fey, a twisting, independent psychological-thriller about a rock band that goes to a secluded studio to record their album and finds out they may be in for more than creating tunes and drinking booze.

We discuss a wide variety of independent filmmaking topics including how to direct when you don't have technical knowledge, building a friend and family group that you can call on for help when it's time to get out and make a movie, and tricks for taking advantage of sound design to build the mood. We also chatted about music and how other forms of art beyond filmmaking help to build storytelling and structural style when it is time to make a feature length movie.

Make sure to follow Fey on social media @feythemovie on instagram and stay tuned for the release of this truly independent, twisted flick!

Even with the busy holiday weekend, I was able to chat with two indie filmmakers who've made some interesting movies and are looking to take them out to theaters and try a new model of low-budget film distribution.

While they're called The Farx Brothers, you'll find out early in this episode that they are not actually brothers. Nick and Kyle are two Minnesota based filmmakers creating short form movies and proof of concept videos. We discuss their background, how they each bring different ideas and style to the projects they make, and new ideas about how they want to distribute their films this year.

They also discuss four walling, new projects, and working in the industry versus having a day job outside of filmmaking.

This and much more!

I'm in my studio and recording new episodes of Low-Budget Rebels Podcast! For my first episode in the new studio, I have Romeo's Distress director Jeff Frumess on to talk about what he's been up to since the last time we chatted on the show.

Not only has he been running his patreon page and youtube channel, he's also directed a new film called Gouge Away, and created a gonzo style documentary using diaries and home videos called Kuyashii Gonzo: Blood Visions and Chaos Magic! We also discuss a wide range of topics from the process of finishing a feature and setting deadlines to the benefits of table readings to how important it is to find a way to distribute your own projects in the modern era of film. 

Head over to https://www.frumess.com/ to learn more about where you can see Jeff's films.

Follow Jeff on Social Media:
X : https://x.com/Jfrumess
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screaminjfrumess/

Check out more from Low-Budget Rebels and hear all the episode ad free at patreon.com/flushstudios 

Cheers,
Josh

On this episode of the podcast, Josh Stifter sits down for a conversation with returning guest Taylor Morden. They discuss what has happened since they recorded the last episode, The Last Blockbuster and it's run on Netflix, the challenges of getting projects off the ground, being hired to direct a movie about Build-a-Bear Workshops, and Taylor's newest adventure in crowdfunding with his horror/comedy Bampire! 

Make sure to go over to bampiremovie.com and help support this fun and unique take on indie monster movies. 

Follow the film on social media @bampiremovie

Cheers!

On this episode of the podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael J Epstein. In his second appearance on the show, he discussed the movies he's directed since the pandemic. Experimenting with mocumentary mixed media projects that included short scenes from other filmmakers during the pandemic and mocumentaries, Michael and his partner Sophia Cacciola have made three incredibly experimental films including The Transformations of the Tranformations of The Drs. Jenkins, The Once and Future Smash, and End Zone 2. We discuss the making of these films, how the pandemic effected them, and the process of distibution for these truly independent features.

Make sure to check out the kickstarter for the release of The Once and Future Smash here: https://launchover.com/launch/film/the-once-and-future-smash/

And follow Michael J Epstein on social media by going to launchover.com

Cheers,
Josh

This Is Your Song is a beautiful, sad, and completely unique film about relationships gained and lost.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with independent filmmaker Hassan Said to talk about the process of making such an ambitious film. Filmed as one long take, the movie tells a story that many of us can relate to - but also will impress the hell out of all you indie filmmakers.

We discussed the casting process, the massive endeavor that is filming large takes, things that can go wrong on a film like this, and why his director of photography had to build her core before production. Six weeks of rehearsal and preproduction, screenings of the film, getting permits for the shoot, color correcting a movie for mood, distribution of a film like this, and finding the right locations are just some of the topics we discuss! Make sure to follow Hassan Said by checking out his website at https://hassansaid.com/ and look for THIS IS YOUR SONG through Indie Rights available now!

Have a great week, everybody!

Cheers,
Josh Stifter