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No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories
No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories episodes
- 38 - Funniest Rookie Film Set Mistakes w/ Michael Ritter
From PAs running to crafty for a honey crisp when asked for a "half apple" to interrupting Martin Sheen mid-take - today we dive into true stories of the funniest newbie mistakes on film sets.
CONNECT WITH SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST MICHAEL RITTER:
Instagram: @mkritter / @29goingonbreakdown
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ritter-filmmakerIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5778236/Watch "Those About to Die" now on Peacock!
KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:
All Platforms; @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
bio.site/NoSetPath
57 min - 37 - Moving to Europe from Hollywood as a Filmmaker with Jonathan Ho (Wavery, WITHIN)
Jonathan is a Berlin-based Creative Technologist and entrepreneur who stands at the forefront of digital innovation in the media sector. He is the founder of Berlin-based AI software startup Wavery, which specializes in advanced AI-supported transcription technologies designed for the needs of filmmakers and audio professionals. Previously, he developed innovative VR narratives at WITHIN in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and Berlin’s Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.
Today we get into moving to Europe from the United States as a film creative, how to build a network when you know no one in your new country, and how to take advantage of funding, grants and incentives Europe has to offer.
BREAKDOWN:
2:00 - Moving to Germany with a remote job in VR for quality of life
5:20 - Getting European government funding and grants for projects (both narrative + startups)
9:00 - Working as a creative technologist - from VR to AI and volume walls
12:00 - German x American workflows + expertise
14:00 - Startup Wavery - AI-powered transcription service for filmmakers
17:09 - Process of getting government funding for Wavery
18:20 - Getting his business partner a visa to live in Europe alongside a government-funded project
21::15 - the rental market conundrum in Berlin
26:54 - working on feature film “Interior” in Berlin
28:50 - documentary project in development “Not Coming Out” + winning development money in France
29:30 - Finding money in various government funds in Europe: tax credits, fixed grants, awards system
32:30 - Where does an American who wants to move to Europe to work in film start?
39:22 - Working in VR from the ground floor
46:30 - Emerson film vs. USC non-film
49:55 - Quality of life affects your creativity
52:25 - Persevering through hard times
57:56 - TIME CAPSULE
KEEP UP WITH JONATHAN:
www.GetWavery.com
IG: @jonathaan12
KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:
All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
bio.site/nosetpath
1 hr 15 min - 36 - Reacting to Bad Film Career Advice w/ Becca Mann
Rebecca Doyle and Becca Mann break down some of the worst career advice they've received and that was anonymously submitted by TV writers, assistants, directors, 1st ADs, and crew members in Hollywood.
BREAKDOWN:
1:31 - “Know your place”
3:13 - “You should be anxious all the time”
8:06 - “Work your way up from the bottom”
11:05 - “Do the DGA Apprentice Program to become a director”
12:54 - “Hide who you are”
15:39 - “Keep your head down”
18:36 - “You need good gear to make a good movie”
21:11 - “Don’t gain experience in more than one field”
24:37 - “Play it safe and stick with a stable job”
28:35 - “Just wait for the right opportunity to come”
29:35 - “You gotta burn 15-20 bridges in this town”
31:38 - “Listen to others”
33:27 - “Collect those days and become an AD”
34:35 - “Do the programs or volunteer PA”
36:42 - “Stay in the Navy”
KEEP UP WITH BECCA:
Instagram: @becca__mann
TikTok: @beccawmann
Website: www.becca-mann.com
KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
bio.site/nosetpath
42 min - 35 - Filmmaking as a Vocation w/ Artists in Residence at St. Joseph's Home for Artisans
In this episode we interview four current artists in residence at St. Joseph's Home for Artisans, the only operating Catholic artist residency in the United States, in Boston, MA.
We talk through how to balance filmmaking with other aspects of vocation, how faith can help in the pursuit of a creative career, and overcoming our individual obstacles (from healing from Guillain Barré syndrome, to navigating being a first-generation Mexican American storyteller).
BREAKDOWN:
2:47 - FERNANDO J. LIMBO III - Residency Co-Founder from Boston, MA
5:44 - Finding peace to cultivate creative freedom
6:35 - Co-creating with your Creator
9:18 - Co-founding an artist residency: the origins of St. Joseph’s Home for Artisans
15:35 - Fernando’s ongoing recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome
19:20 - CLARE MCCALLAN - Residency Founder, author, TV writer & host from Boston, MA
19:53 - Work-life balance?
20:35 - Consideration of family goals vs/and career goals, especially for women
22:48 - Advantages of having faith in artistic careers
29:04 - PATRICK LEHE - Screenwriter & producer from Los Angeles
30:28 - Not staking your entire identity on your career / successes and failures
39:11 - BENJAMIN SUAREZ - Filmmaker from Atlanta, GA
40:13 - Surrounding yourself with people who inspire you
30:50 - Atlanta vs. LA or NYC
44:37 - One question to ask yourself to discern filmmaking as part of your vocation
45:48 - Overcoming barriers to pursuing filmmaking as a first-generation Mexican American
CONNECT WITH THE RESIDENCE:
www.StJosephsHomeforArtistans.com
IG: @stjosephsartisans
CONNECT WITH FERNANDO:
IG: @fernandojlimbo
CONNECT WITH CLARE:
www.ClareMcCallen.com
IG: @clare_mccallen
CONNECT WITH PATRICK:
www.patrickjlehe.com
IG: @pjlehe
CONNECT WITH BENJI:
IG: @benjisuarezfilms
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
bio.site/nosetpath
53 min - 34 - Handling A.I. as Filmmakers in 2024
In this episode we dive into how you can be using A.I. today as a filmmaker, current WGA and SAG guidelines post-strike, right of publicity a la the Scarlet Johansson / OpenAI dispute, and the context around copyright (how do you protect your own and not violate anyone else's!).
BREAKDOWN:2:13 - Ways you can start using A.I. to help you as a filmmaker22:10 - WGA & SAG guidelines for A.I.29:42 - Right to Publicity (ScarJo x OpenAI)35:51 - Copyright - who owns what you “made”?
MENTIONED MATERIALS:WGA on AI: https://www.wga.org/contracts/know-your-rights/artificial-intelligenceSAG on AI: https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/AI%20TVTH.pdf"The Town" Episode on Scarlet Johansson vs. OpenAI: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6s1j9JYviMUrRb8mcYeR3C?si=e160db88cf4c4537When Photography Wasn’t Art by Jordan G. Teicherhttps://daily.jstor.org/when-photography-was-not-art/How Photography Pioneered a New Understanding of Art by Eva Silvahttps://www.thecollector.com/how-photography-transformed-art/Read with me: Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age 2023 Vol. II Copyrights, Trademarks and State IP Protections:https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945555254?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_detailsCONNECT WITH THE SHOW:All platforms: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/nosetpathwww.NoSetPathShow.com1 hr 2 min - 33 - Adapting Books to Movies for Screenwriters with Monisha Dadlani (Netflix, Sony Pictures, Apple TV+)
Monisha Dadlani is a multi-hyphenate actress, writer, and director. As a writer, she's developed projects with Sony Pictures Television, Netflix Features Animation, Amazon Studios, and MRC. She was also a freelance writer for an animated show on Apple TV+ and voices a series regular on a Nickelodeon International animated series. =She's a member of the WGA and The Animation Guild, an alumni of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's content acceleration program, Imagine Impact, and had one of her scripts featured on the 2020 Black List.
Today we dive into developing original material versus adapting IP, pitching on open writing assignments, and finding your voice as a storyteller.
3:06 - Original scripts vs. open writing assignments (OWAs)
5:20 - IP is king (or queen!)
10:35 - Studio being on board vs. not yet
14:50 - One producer vs. two producers - navigating conflicting notes
17:00 - faithfulness to IP with strong fandoms
21:45 - Monisha’s first OWA for MRC + the process
27:05- When to turn down an OWA
28:22 - Being part of the Netflix Braintrust
30:28 - Blind script deal at Sony + “if-come” deals
33:10 - Pitching a PG-13 vs. R-rated version of an idea depending on the distributor
35:50 - How Monisha started pitching on OWAs + Imagine Impact
43:11 - How the first script Monisha ever wrote was “not great” but landed her in the fellowship that launched her writing career
48:46 - Meeting with managers + choosing one of the 10+ that was interested (David Baggelaar at Goodyear)
52:27 - Why your agent might be hiding in the mailroom
54:20 - What you should have in your writing sample to attract reps + jobs
59:10 - Monisha’s Black List script “The Boy Who Died” + a pitch to Daniel Radcliffe
1:04:25 - What the Black List can do for a career
1:08:15 - How to make one sample work for both YA, sci-fi, romance AND four-quadrant projects
1:09:39 - Joining the Writers Guild of America
1:10:00 - Growing up in NYC, attending the “Fame” high school, choosing USC School of Dramatic Arts
1:17:00 - Shooting a feature film with $5,000
1:18:55 - Storytelling side hustles + shooting a passion project web series
1:20:43 - TIME CAPSULE
1 hr 32 min - 32 - Signing with a Manager w/ Andrew Nallathambi (Range Media Partners)Andrew Nallathambi is a manager in Film & TV at Range Media Partners. Andrew began his career in the early days of Range as one of their first Associate Trainees in November 2020, fresh out of USC. He went on to work as an Associate for two years on the literary side, and then held the Coordinator of Film & TV position before being promoted to Manager in the Film & TV group in March of this year.Today Andrew and gets into how to navigate an uncertain time in the industry and advance into a career you love, what managers currently look for when signing new talent, and how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.EPISODE BREAKDOWN:2:09 - Andrew’s journey to being a manager at Range4:11 - Landing a first job in the mailroom at CAA, losing it to the pandemic7:20 - Being accepted into Teach for America as an English teacher when covid shut the entertainment industry down before pivoting back to an entry-level job in management8:50 - Landing a job through lateral connections and being intentional with your time12:28 - Balancing planning ahead with being adaptable: being comfortable with the uncomfortable!15:30 - The joy of letting go of control: no one is 100% self-made18:18 - Pursuing a career as an agent vs. manager19:20 - Why not liking something is a good thing22:55 - Pursuing things that are true to you, not things that everyone else says you should do24:50 - Can you be a rep if you’re not extroverted?29:10 - What if you don’t see people like yourself in the position you want?**31:00 - How to make rejection useful34:28 - What managers look for in clients to sign41:10 - What sample should a writer have? Are we entering an era of a tonal shift?47:20 - What is Andrew’s Range connect up to now?!48:38 - Questions in a Hollywood assistant interview52:37 - Being true to yourself will put you in the right place53:10 - Andrew’s journey from childhood: drums, immigrant parents, inclinations toward art over academics, Blockbuster Video —> studying Cinema-Media Studies USC School of Cinematic Arts59:28 - Advice for aspiring managers and aspiring clients1:02:30 - How to do outreach effectively!1:04:06 - How people got jobs through sending Andrew a cold email1:05:00 - How to keep going when things get discouraging1:09:45 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/nosetpathwww.NoSetPathShow.com1 hr 35 min
- 31 - Screenwriter Paths w/ Sam Boyer (Nicholl Fellow, Black List x2, Academy Gold, Michener Fellow, CAPE New Writers Fellow)
Sam Boyer is an Indonesian-American writer who won the Nicholl Fellowship in 2022, was featured on the 2023 Black List, was a 2020 CAPE New Writers Fellow, and has twice been featured on the Black List's CAPE List. He earned his MFA from UT Austin’s Michener Center for Writers and his BA from USC's film school.
In this episode, Sam dives into his process in landing a spot in each of these programs, how to face and overcome rejection, tips for making time and space to write, and why his hypothetical presidential platform would include free chips & salsa at every restaurant.BREAKDOWN:3:35 - Getting on the Black List7:24 - Black List 2023 script - “Foragers”14:00 - Getting the NIcholl Fellowship25:25 - CAPE Writers Program31:17 - Getting into Michener at UT Austin36:09 - Becoming an Academy Gold member40:05 - Balancing work when you start out with a day job, making time to write, getting past writers’ block50:57 - Tips for general meetings55:43 - Getting initially rejected from SCA1:00:26 - Rejection is normal1:09:55 - Personal connection to stories1:12:33 - Navigating management / reps1:19:25 - Advice for people starting out / pivoting1:26:39 - How he persevered through hard times1:32:27 - The myth of the Overnight Success1:34:19 - TIME CAPSULECONNECT WITH SAM:IG @samboyerCONNECT WITH THE SHOW:All platforms @NoSetPathShowbio.site/nosetpathwww.nosetpathshow.com1 hr 56 min - 30 - Reading Your Hollywood Assistant Horror Stories w/ Michael Ritter
Rebecca Doyle and special guest Michael Ritter read and react to some anonymously submitted horror stories from Hollywood Assistants - complete with ranking the circle of hell each story's villain belongs to.
CONNECT WITH SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST MICHAEL RITTER:
Instagram: @mkritter / @29goingonbreakdown
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ritter-filmmakerIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5778236/CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
49 min - 29 - Becoming a TV Procedural Writer with Ryan Lee (CSI: Vegas)Ryan is a story editor on CSI: Vegas (check out his next episode coming out 4/21/24!) In 2018, he participated in the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, and in 2021 he part of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program.Today we’re getting into how Ryan turned his day job into the final thing that made the showrunner of CSI Vegas want to hire him, Ryan’s final application strategy on the time he was accepted into the Paramount Writers Program, how to be prepared for an interview with a showrunner for a TV writer position, how to deal with burnout, and so much more.BREAKDOWN:1:41 How Ryan got a job on CSI: Vegas7:21 What makes a good director for a writer to work with8:41 How to communicate with other departments as a staff writer10:11 Are Zoom (Writers) Rooms the future of TV?11:41 Getting hired on a show you’ve never watched12:53 Should you work on procedurals?15:31 Writing features vs. TV18:40 Rejected from the Paramount Writers Program seven times before getting accepted20:54 Cape New Writers Fellowship25:20 Interview questions for a TV writer (CSI: Vegas)27:10 How day jobs in writing contributed to landing a job in TV writing30:20 Working through burnout34:00 Write a procedural, not a Succession spec37:10 - Don’t get precious, you need many scripts40:20 Day jobs for writers52:53 - Getting your first rep while still in college55:15 - Decision to not have a manager59:40 - Ryan’s “A story”! Example of how to pitch yourself in a TV writer interview1:02:40 - Deciding: USC vs. NYU1:05:20 - Advice1:09:57 TIME CAPSULE1 hr 29 min
About No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories
From the publisher's feed
No Set Path is a biweekly podcast exploring how to succeed in film & TV by talking to people who have actually done it.