One Good Take

How do you go from being a director of photography to a successful business owner of a film production company starting from scratch? 

Some people say you have to be a specialist to succeed in this modern world.

And there’s a lot of truth in that. But filmmaker Daniel Fazio has gone about things differently. 

In his own words, he’s not been amazingly  successful at any one thing, but he’s been pretty damn good at a lot of things - and that’s what has enabled him to build a solid business.

Perhaps more interestingly, his capacity to take on new skills and adapt to new ways of getting ahead as a filmmaker, has helped him better understand who he is and what he wants in life. 

If you’re just starting out as a filmmaker, or even if you want more insight into working with creatives,  this episode is packed with valuable observations about the process of getting all kinds of film projects off the ground and distributed. 

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Boost your mental performance in a single shot

I was looking for a way to boost my energy levels, without resorting to more coffee, tea or snacks, when I came across Magic Mind.

This unique energy drink comes in these handy, little bottles and works like a shot. You knock it back in a gulp or two and it boosts your energy for the next few hours without any of the usual downside of coffee or tea.

 Grab your Magic Mind discount and help this podcast while you're at it

Go to: HTTPS:/MAGICMIND/ONEGOODTAKE
Put in the code GOODTAKE20
And that’ll get up to a whopping 56% off your subscription, or 20% off a one-time purchase.  

Support the show

How do you go from being a director of photography to a successful business owner of a film production company starting from scratch? 

Some people say you have to be a specialist to succeed in this modern world.

And there’s a lot of truth in that. But filmmaker Daniel Fazio has gone about things differently. 

In his own words, he’s not been amazingly  successful at any one thing, but he’s been pretty damn good at a lot of things - and that’s what has enabled him to build a solid business.

Perhaps more interestingly, his capacity to take on new skills and adapt to new ways of getting ahead as a filmmaker, has helped him better understand who he is and what he wants in life. 

If you’re just starting out as a filmmaker, or even if you want more insight into working with creatives,  this episode is packed with valuable observations about the process of getting all kinds of film projects off the ground and distributed. 

Support the show

If you’re doing anything in film right now, over the past year or so, you’ve probably come across a plethora of posts and threads written by filmmakers bemoaning the broken model of independent filmmaking today. 

If you can even raise a budget to make a film, how do you even break even once you’ve completed it? Unless you’re friends with an A lister or B lister or your uncle’s a billionaire, you’re pretty much consigned to the graveyard of filmmakers who give up having bet their house on their passion project. So goes the tenor of these observations.

But could there be an alternative to this picture of gloom and doom? Recently I came across a filmmaker who not only thinks there is, he’s proving there is. For his film Woodbridge, writer, producer director Stephen Meier had the inspired idea to cast influencers who could act. Why is that a smart idea? Because these influencers have a big and dedicated following. 

I got together with Stephen to find out more about his business strategy and of course his journey from script to screen and beyond.

==

Boost your mental performance in a single shot

I was looking for a way to boost my energy levels, without resorting to more coffee, tea or snacks, when I came across Magic Mind.

This unique energy drink comes in these handy, little bottles and works like a shot. You knock it back in a gulp or two and it boosts your energy for the next few hours without any of the usual downside of coffee or tea.

 Grab your Magic Mind discount and help this podcast while you're at it

Go to: HTTPS:/MAGICMIND/ONEGOODTAKE
put in the code GOODTAKE20
and that’ll get up to a whopping 56% off your subscription,
or 20% off a one-time purchase.  

Support the show

If you’re doing anything in film right now, over the past year or so, you’ve probably come across a plethora of posts and threads written by filmmakers bemoaning the broken model of independent filmmaking today. 

If you can even raise a budget to make a film, how do you even break even once you’ve completed it? Unless you’re friends with an A lister or B lister or your uncle’s a billionaire, you’re pretty much consigned to the graveyard of filmmakers who give up having bet their house on their passion project. So goes the tenor of these observations.

But could there be an alternative to this picture of gloom and doom? Recently I came across a filmmaker who not only thinks there is, he’s proving there is. For his film Woodbridge, writer, producer director Stephen Meier had the inspired idea to cast influencers who could act. Why is that a smart idea? Because these influencers have a big and dedicated following. 

I got together with Stephen to find out more about his business strategy and of course his journey from script to screen and beyond. 

Support the show

So you know about Ukraine, you know about Gaza, but did you know there’s an even bigger war raging in Africa? At least in terms of death toll. i'm referring to the war in the Congo. Even though millions have died and many thousands are still dying, it’s a conflict that's hardly reported. 

My guest for this episode is a man who set out to make a film about what’s been going on, and in so doing put an assassin’s mark on his back. 

Kim Yew, filmmaker and trader, talks to me about film and his absolutely extraordinary win rate trading with a proprietary fibonacci tool and a strategy he learnt from Alla Peters-Plocher.

==

Boost your performance levels in front of your charts

I was looking for a way to boost my energy levels, without resorting to more coffee, tea or snacks, when I came across Magic Mind. 

This unique energy drink comes in these handy, little bottles and works like a shot. You knock it back in a gulp or two and it boosts your energy for the next few hours without any of the usual downside of coffee or tea. 

Nice taste, too. Close to passion fruit, but not at all sweet.

I tend to have my usual coffee in the morning then take one of these little Magic Mind bottles around midday - to carry me through the afternoon session.

 Grab your Magic Mind discount and help this podcast while you're at it

Go to: HTTPS:/MAGICMIND/ONEGOODTAKE
put in the code GOODTAKE20
and that’ll get up to a whopping 56% off your subscription,
or 20% off a one-time purchase. 

Give it a go!

Support the show

Towards the end of 2023, I got together with actor, writer/director and producer, Titus Paar. He’s the kind of guy who when faced with 100 rejections in a row will simply reach out to friends and family, pitch them his mad cap adventure and go do it anyway. 

It’s that can-do spirit that’s taken him from shooting on a zero budget to working with Hollywood stars. And no, he’s not based in LA, he’s based in a village in Sweden. Out in the wilderness, he says. All that wide open space keeps him chilled and inspired. 

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Titus Paar made his first feature film at the age of fifteen on a cheap video camera with a bunch of mates. It was crap, he says, but the point is, he managed it. 

It’s that same can-do spirit that’s taken him from shooting on a zero budget to working with Hollywood stars today. If you're feeling even slightly jaded from banging your head against a brick wall funding your first or next feature film and could do with a shot of inspiration, this episode is for you. 

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Writer/director Michael DiBasio Ornelas shot his second feature film in 8 days. Impressive. It was hard, he said, but we didn’t go into overtime. Even more impressive. 

- Two leads with extensive theatre experience 
- Five days of paid rehearsals 
- Lightweight camera on a lightweight gimbal
- We hired a great crew, that gelled easily 
- All locations within a 4 mile radius 

Michael has been directing content for some time. Sleepless, his 8-day feature, is out now on amazon prime and some other streamers. 

In this episode we’ll be talking about how he made the film, the themes he set out to explore with his two main characters and where we are now with indie filmmaking without bankable stars. Enjoy this take.

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Writer/Director Michael DiBasio Ornelas talks to me about his second feature film, Sleepless, an engaging, talkie movie about a couple of insomniacs who meet by chance inside a 24/7 store and then get to hang out one sleepless night walking through the streets of New York. 

As well as an in-depth look at the film, we also look at how he made the film, from picking a script to fit his budget to casting and distribution. 

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Friederich Oetker, film & TV producer of the highly compelling Netflix series, Dear Child (Das Kind). We discuss the series - from inception to screen and Friederich's career as a producer in Germany.  

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