Movie in the Making

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.
It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: the half-way point, left a little early, waterfall CAMA tool in Lovable, Christmas tree falling, acting coach Chad, me and acting, lunch with key grip Ellis, game crunch in comparison, my tasks, fallout from the scene trimming, don't want to be like Matt on The Studio, shoing up first and leaving last, people enjoy not having their boss around, donuts for morale, starting to move locations, messy offices, SWAT co-filming, trailers vs. warming jackets, fell asleep driving

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Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.
It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Night shoot until 4am, breakfast at 3pm, rewriting a scene to save time and remove extra dialog, @nutmegandmistletoe, letting Mayor Rita improv, profit sharing for the crew (https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/matt-damon-ben-affleck-the-rip-crew-bonus-b2900892.html), film financing, recoup and pools, the downside of profit-sharing, telling the crew to talk about the movie publicly, making the film assembly

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.
It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Preparing for night shoot for the Christmas tree lighting, drama, AJ (composer) visits set, rough assembly going to the wrong people, lunch at 5pm, self-care, suicide because of strikes which no one is talking about, movie announcement, timelapse on Instagram, adding our crew on Instagram, behind because of lines, 5D capture of sets, losing Santa's office set.

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.
It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Changing schedule to night, film not for some people, Santa's workshop, reusing soundstage props, inadvertently writing scenes that "ripple" when filming, 2 out of 18 days for one scene, coughing from smoke macnine, scanning in sets for backup, union constraints, Ripcord out of Lovable.

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.

It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Call with Peter in the am, first day of directing, running through all the shots and inserts, Peter reigns me in a bit, time is of the essence, then day 5 end. What would James Cameron do? 2nd Unit Directing, capturing the sadness of the town, stunt coordinator Tim for screeching tires, cars on set, directing kid Elias, 2nd unit is 2nd fiddle, whispering during takes, canceling and pivoting constantly, credit shots vs. other shots, our key grip.

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.

It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Coffee bar, planning C-Cam, logistics of transitioning sets while filming, filmmaking is logistics, planning my first shot (long pan down), non-materialism, showing time passed with props, heaviest scenes, brick by brick, teaching room on set.

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.

It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: 12-hour escalating days, actors improving dumpster scene, rain slowed things.

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.

It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Cold and bored today. Mads "oner" movie for $26k. One scene today: Angela's coffee shop with 5+ characters. 2nd Unit / C Cam and Electronic Press Kit. Constant juggling and shuffling. I'll be Groundskeeper! First sad scene. 

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe."

I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like.

It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage!

In this episode: Food, level 1 and level 2 Christmas, Katey optimizing, scene repetition, the grind of film vs games, how much do actors need to memorize?, video village and transmitters, comedy over years of script development, grievances, first time directing!, 1st unit always take priority, fish line on mailbox, Jasper's garage is a garage IRL, the Martini shot and the Abby Singer, right person in every position.

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Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

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Charlie shares seven essential strategies for giving helpful feedback on creative projects, drawing from his experience transitioning from video game development (Subnautica, Natural Selection) to independent filmmaking.

The insights come from months of working closely with writers on their Christmas movie screenplay "Nutmeg and Mistletoe," where they aimed to transform a good B-script into an exceptional A-script through thoughtful feedback.

1. Do no harm - creative work is fragile and requires protection
2. Be descriptive not prescriptive - focus on symptoms rather than prescribing solutions
3. Prioritize and filter feedback - don't overwhelm creators with every minor note
4. Merge stakeholder feedback before sharing - resolve contradictions internally first
5. Emotion is gold - emotional reactions are the most valuable feedback in creative work
6. Try working sessions instead of back-and-forth notes - 2-3 hour meetings for complex issues
7. Highlight what you love - creators need to know what's working, not just what isn't

🔗 Show Notes

• 🎧 Scriptnotes Podcast – (this is a must for screenwriters): Watch
• 🎧 Rick Rubin on Listening – Watch
• 📘 The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (particularly the "Let It Be" chapter)
• 📗 Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull (”Honesty & Candor”, Chapter 5)
• ✍️ On actor line readings – Read here 
• ✍️ More on Giving Helpful Feedback for Games - My game design blog

Send a text

Questions or thoughts? => [email protected]

Get daily work updates on Instagram