The Film Riot Podcast

By Ryan Connolly

What's The Film Riot Podcast about?

The Film Riot Podcast is a conversation with talented and innovative filmmakers. From directors, editors, stunt coordinators, DPs, Actors, VFX artists, and so on... We will be diving into the process, art, and lifestyle of filmmaking from every aspect.

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The Film Riot Podcast episodes:

06.13.2023
How a Hollywood Agent helps their Client "Break in"
What does an agent do, and how do they help their client reach that dream of their first sale? In our latest episode, Ryan talks with David Boxerbaum (Hollywood Agent and Partner at Verve) to illuminate that process. We also discuss...
02.21.2023
From Short Story to Studio Bidding War
How do you take an idea from concept, to short story, to a 9 studio bidding war? In our latest episode Ryan talks with Scott Glassgold (a Manager and Producer with well over a decade of experience) about how he...
03.02.2022
A Brand New Way to Get a Film Made
Chris and Zeek are the writer/director team behind PROSPECT, an indie sci-fi film that broke through the ceiling of its budget and has since gone on to find its audience on streaming. Even though Chris and Zeek were happy with...
11.30.2021
Independent Filmmaking: Pitching, Budgeting, & Casting
Via Twitter Spaces, Ryan interviews Scott Glassgold, who answers an array of questions in regards to pitching, budgeting, casting your lead, look books, studio vs. independent filmmaking, and funding feature and TV projects. Scott Glassgold is a Manager and Producer with...
09.14.2021
Sound Mixing Amazon’s The Boys
Alexandra Fehrman is the Emmy nominated Sound mixer of Amazon's 'THE BOYS'. Her work spans series and features with projects like Killer Joe and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. But what is a sound mixer, and what do all of the...
08.31.2021
Getting Ambitious with an Indie Budget
How do you make a small budget seem large or few resources seem plentiful? That is what Ryan and Colin Levy discuss in this latest episode. Colin is no stranger to making an indie budget look like a Hollywood blockbuster. His...
08.17.2021
Editing HBO's Mare of Easttown
Amy Duddleston is the Emmy nominated editor of HBO's MARE OF EASTTOWN. Amy's work span decades and genres, culminating in a wellspring of wisdom and talent. From the shot-for-shot PSYCHO remake to the Tarantinoesque Amazon series HUNTERS, Amy consistently wields an incredible sense...
05.11.2021
Developing, Pitching, and Selling Feature Films
Scott Glassgold is a Manager and Producer with well over a decade of experience. After getting his start at New Line Cinema and Disney, Scott Founded Ground Control, an innovative Management, and Production company. From there, he’s gone on to nurture...
04.27.2021
The Importance of a 1st AD
The importance of the First Assistant Director can't be understated. They set the tone for the crew, keep the production on schedule, and are one of the closest allies of the director. And this is the role Hristo Dimitrov fills...
03.30.2021
Directing Extraction with Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave is the director behind the new Netflix original, Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth. While Extraction is Sam's first feature as a director, it's far from his first experience with action. With credits in Atomic Blonde, Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity...
03.03.2021
Writing/Directing 'I Care a Lot'
J Blakeson is the writer/director behind the new Netflix original, I Care a Lot, starring Rosamund Pike. J started his career like many of us did, making films with his friends and just trying to figure it out. By 21,...
10.27.2020
Telling Stories that Matter
The journey toward making the feature film “CLOUDS”—now available on Disney+—was a long one for director Justin Baldoni. In 2013 Justin released a short doc on Zach Sobiech, a remarkable 17-year-old diagnosed with osteosarcoma. The story of Zach’s life, how...
10.20.2020
Making a Creature Feature
Brett and Drew Pierce are the writer/director team behind the new horror film THE WRETCHED, an old school creature feature with more going on under the hood than just scares. While having a background in Hollywood productions, the brothers still...
10.07.2020
Don't wait for Hollywood to Make Your Film
Make your film! That is what drives the team behind the new comedy FAITH BASED. From shooting with iPhones in their living rooms, to what it ultimately became—a full-blown feature film with an impressive cast (Jason Alexander, Lance Riddick, and David Koechner,...
09.15.2020
Finding Success in Filmmaking
“Proceed as if” is some of the best advice a young filmmaker can hear, it perfectly encompasses so many important ideas. But that isn’t the only gem Quincy Ledbetter drops in this latest episode. From the beginning of his infatuation...
09.01.2020
Making and Distributing Your Film Independently
"Just make your film" is a rallying cry for many, but very few back up those words with action. Today's guest, the multifaceted Jim Cummings, is absolutely one of those few. Through crowdfunding and self-distribution, Jim has found a lot...
08.18.2020
How a Hollywood Legend Directs Actors
With films like Saturday Night Fever, Short Circuit, WarGames, and Dracula in his filmography, the term “legendary director” flows out of your mouth when talking about John Badham. But film isn’t the only medium where he left his mark. Badham...
08.04.2020
Directing a Blockbuster with an Indie Budget
‘GREYHOUND’ is the latest original film to hit Apple+ TV. Oscar winning writer/director Aaron Schneider chats with Ryan about his process for constructing the intricate battle sequences, pulling story out of the technical, and what it’s like to work with...
07.21.2020
Writing & Directing Story Driven Horror
Relic is the directorial debut of Japanese-Australian writer/director filmmaker, Natalie Erika James. It’s a horror film anchored by its deeply emotional and honest themes, and masterfully co-written and directed by James....
07.07.2020
Emotionally Impactful Cinematography w/ Jody Lee Lipes
As the cinematographer for such beautiful work as A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manchester by the Sea, and I Know This Much is True, Jody Lee Lipes brings an emotional honesty to all his work. Of course, every element...
06.16.2020
MAKING "STAR WARS: ORIGINS" - A FAN FILM
If you are wondering how to start making the films you love… To steal from Nike’s slogan… JUST DO IT! That thought process seems to be behind everything Phil Hawkins does. Like most of us, he’s a student of Spielberg,...
05.05.2020
Writing for Film and Television with Dayna Lynne North
What is "your voice"? Should you start with theme, character, a concept? So many questions flood your brain when you sit down to write, especially when first starting out. Today Ryan chats with the incredible Dayna Lynne North (Writer, Showrunner,...
04.28.2020
Writing & Directing your First Feature
How do you get your first feature made? It’s the question every aspiring filmmaker wants answered. Today Ryan speaks with Ricky Staub — writer, director, and entrepreneur. After coming off the success of his first narrative project, The Cage (developed in collaboration...
04.07.2020
Editing for Quibi & What Makes a Story Work
Yesterday marked the launch of Quibi, a 2-billion dollar bet by Hollywood and tech giants Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman to change the face of content consumption on the go. There have been lots of opinions about Quibi’s viability, potential...
03.31.2020
Producing for Film and Television with Yolanda T. Cochran, P.G.A.
What the hell does a producer do? When every production can have five different versions of them, it's no wonder this is a recurring question. Well, today we have the definitive answer as Ryan "sits down" with Yolanda T. Cochran,...
12.31.2019
Directing for an Audience with Alison James
Alison James is an incredibly talented writer/director on the rise and headed toward her first feature film. After winning Best Narrative Short at the Austin Film Festival for her short film, Judas Collar, Alison was able to land reps at...
12.17.2019
Advice from a Hollywood Manager with Scott Glassgold
Scott Glassgold is a Manager and Producer with well over a decade of experience. After getting his start at New Line Cinema and Disney, Scott Founded Ground Control, an innovative Management and Production company. From there he's gone on to...
12.03.2019
Making Your Project Happen with Cassandra Ebner
Cassandra Ebner is a truly wonderful filmmaker and human. She's a writer, producer, actor, and stuntwoman. Her career spans over 6 years in the industry and on some of the biggest productions around - like Game of Thrones, War for...
09.10.2019
From YouTube to Hollywood with Director Joe Penna
Joe Penna is a writer/director that got his start on YouTube. You may know him as Mystery Guitar Man, but today he is directing feature films starring massive talents like Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Kendrick, and Toni Collette. Ryan chats with...
07.30.2019
A New Type of Storytelling with Matti Haapoja
Matti Haapoja is a filmmaker, vlogger, and content creator. Today Ryan picks his brain about this new form of storytelling that he is one of the pioneers of. Check out his incredible YouTube channel to see more of his work!
07.09.2019
Directing Independent Film with Brent Christy
Brent Christy is a director and DP with a deep wealth of knowledge. He’s worked on everything from big-budget projects to the tiny passion project and makes every one of them stand out. Today we chat about directing, cinematography, set life,...
05.14.2019
Sound for Film and Television with Dallas Taylor
Today on the show, Ryan talks with Dallas Taylor about all things sound! Dallas is the owner and lead over at Defacto Sound. He and his team have worked on some of the biggest ads from Nike, Ford, Puma, and...
04.16.2019
Story Structure: 3 Acts vs 5 Acts
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to Frank Barbiere, comic book and video game writer with credits in Destiny, Violent Love, Five Ghosts, Lobo, Supergirl, Avengers, and more. The guys talk about writing in film and comics, story structure, and working with...
03.26.2019
Documentary vs Narrative Filmmaking
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to collaborator, Lucas Harger (editor of BALLiSTIC). But unlike the last episode with Lucas, this one is all about documentary work. Lucas is an Emmy award-winning editor with several docs under his belt and a...
03.12.2019
From Stunts to Directing with Trevor Addie
Trevor Addie is an incredibly talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and director that has worked on some of the biggest films and TV shows out there like, War for the Planet of the Apes, Game of Thrones, Flash, BFG, Warcraft,...
02.26.2019
You Don’t Need Hollywood to Make Your Feature
Today's guest is Zach Lipovsky. Zach is a writer/director that has recently finished two feature films - one for Disney and the other is a small indie film he made on his own with directing and writing partner, Adam Stein. Zach...
02.12.2019
Getting Your Film Made with Seth Worley
Seth Worley is back to talk about making his latest short film and his continued path to making his first feature. SPONSOR: The next time you need some gear, jump over to Lensprotogo.com and save 20% by using the code...
12.22.2018
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
We will be back in 2019!
12.04.2018
What an Actor Needs & Finding Your Voice
Hannah Ward is an excellent actor with tons of insight. Ryan and Hannah chat about the actor/director relationship, bad experiences, and finding your voice. Connect with Hannah:Hannah on IMDB Hannah on Instagram Hannah on Twitter Connect with Ryan Connolly:Ryan...
11.14.2018
Setting up an Independent Film with Graham Powell
Graham Powell is a writer, director, and actor from New York working to get his first independent feature off the ground. Today the guys talk about the ups and downs of independent filmmaking. Connect with Josh:Graham on IMDB Graham on...
10.30.2018
Making Short Films & Getting them Seen with Josh Tanner
Josh Tanner is a writer/director from Australia with some amazing short films like The Landing, The Rizzle, and Reverse. Today Ryan and Josh talk about directing horror, the transition between low budget shorts and larger productions, and getting their films seen...
10.17.2018
Film Riot was my Film School with Josh Connolly
Josh Connolly joins the podcast today to talk about Film Riot and how he found his way into filmmaking. Connect with Josh:Josh on IMDB Josh on Instagram Josh on Twitter Connect with Ryan Connolly:Ryan on TwitterRyan on InstagramRyan on...
10.03.2018
The Difference Between Film & TV with Avi Youabian
Avi Youabian is an editor with credits like The Walking Dead, Constantine, Frequency, The Brave, and a director with credits in The Walking Dead, Zoo, and Tainted Love. Today, Ryan talks to Avi about directing, editing, and the difference between television...
09.18.2018
Directing and Pitching with Dan Trachtenberg
Dan Trachtenberg is the director of 10 Cloverfield Lane, Black Mirror (Playtest), and the coming series The Boys. Today on the show, Ryan talks to Dan about directing, film school, pitching, and navigating notes. Connect with Dan Trachtenberg Dan...
09.12.2018
Directing The Nun with Corin Hardy
Corin Hardy talks about his experience as a horror director on his latest film, The Nun. Connect with Corin Hardy:Corin on IMDB Corin on Instagram Corin on Twitter Connect with Ryan Connolly:Ryan on TwitterRyan on InstagramRyan on FacebookRyan on...
08.28.2018
Developing and Releasing Independent Films with Isaiah Smallman
Isaiah Smallman is a writer, director, and producer. Most recently he was the executive producer of the A24 acquired film, "Never Goin' Back". On this episode, Ryan talks with Isaiah about the dos and don'ts of producing and what it takes...
08.21.2018
First Feature as a Cinematographer with Daniel Routh
Daniel Routh talks about his experience as the cinematographer on his first feature film. Connect with Daniel Routh:Daniel on IMDB Daniel on Instagram Daniel on Twitter Daniel's Website Connect with Ryan Connolly:Ryan on TwitterRyan on InstagramRyan on FacebookRyan on...
08.14.2018
Getting your first feature made with Mike Pecci
Mike Pecci is a filmmaker from Boston who is currently in development on his first Hollywood feature. On this episode, we discuss his path to creating the script for his film and how he landed it at a major studio....
08.07.2018
Getting Noticed in the Film Industry with Seth Worley
Seth Worley And Ryan Connolly talk about their experiences pitching and trying to get their first features made. Links: Visit our site for more: Filmriot.com/podcast Connect with Seth Worley: IMDB - Instagram - Twitter - Website Connect with Ryan: IMDB - Twitter - Instagram - Facebook - Youtube...
07.24.2018
Cinematography for a Narrative Film with Chase Smith
Today's guest is Chase Smith (Cinematographer of BALLiSTIC). Today we talk first narrative as a DP, throwing out the shot list and prepping a story. Links: Visit our site for more: Filmriot.com/podcast Connect with Chase Smith: IMDB - Twitter - Instagram - Vimeo Connect...

What's The Film Riot Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Film Riot Podcast episodes:

How a Hollywood Agent helps their Client "Break in"

From Short Story to Studio Bidding War

A Brand New Way to Get a Film Made

Independent Filmmaking: Pitching, Budgeting, & Casting

Sound Mixing Amazon’s The Boys

Getting Ambitious with an Indie Budget

Editing HBO's Mare of Easttown

Developing, Pitching, and Selling Feature Films

The Importance of a 1st AD

Directing Extraction with Sam Hargrave

Writing/Directing 'I Care a Lot'

Telling Stories that Matter

Making a Creature Feature

Don't wait for Hollywood to Make Your Film

Finding Success in Filmmaking

Making and Distributing Your Film Independently

How a Hollywood Legend Directs Actors

Directing a Blockbuster with an Indie Budget

Writing & Directing Story Driven Horror

Emotionally Impactful Cinematography w/ Jody Lee Lipes

MAKING "STAR WARS: ORIGINS" - A FAN FILM

Writing for Film and Television with Dayna Lynne North

Writing & Directing your First Feature

Editing for Quibi & What Makes a Story Work

Producing for Film and Television with Yolanda T. Cochran, P.G.A.

Directing for an Audience with Alison James

Advice from a Hollywood Manager with Scott Glassgold

Making Your Project Happen with Cassandra Ebner

From YouTube to Hollywood with Director Joe Penna

A New Type of Storytelling with Matti Haapoja

Directing Independent Film with Brent Christy

Sound for Film and Television with Dallas Taylor

Story Structure: 3 Acts vs 5 Acts

Documentary vs Narrative Filmmaking

From Stunts to Directing with Trevor Addie

You Don’t Need Hollywood to Make Your Feature

Getting Your Film Made with Seth Worley

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

What an Actor Needs & Finding Your Voice

Setting up an Independent Film with Graham Powell

Making Short Films & Getting them Seen with Josh Tanner

Film Riot was my Film School with Josh Connolly

The Difference Between Film & TV with Avi Youabian

Directing and Pitching with Dan Trachtenberg

Directing The Nun with Corin Hardy

Developing and Releasing Independent Films with Isaiah Smallman

First Feature as a Cinematographer with Daniel Routh

Getting your first feature made with Mike Pecci

Getting Noticed in the Film Industry with Seth Worley

Cinematography for a Narrative Film with Chase Smith