IFH 462: Bloodsport & Rambo - Journey Into 80's Action Cinema with Sheldon Lettich

Pilar Alessandra is the director of the screenwriting and TV writing program On the Page®, host of the popular On the Page Podcast and author of the top-selling book “The Coffee Break Screenwriter.”Pilar started her career as Senior Story Analyst at DreamWorks SKG and, in 2001, opened the On the Page Writers’ Studio in Los Angeles. Her students and clients have written for The Walking Dead, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost and Family Guy. They’ve sold features and pitches to Warner Bros, DreamWorks, Disney and Sony and have won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship, Austin Screenwriting Competition and Warner Bros. TV Writing Workshop.In addition to her private classes taught out of the On the Page Writers’ Studio, Pilar has trained writers at DreamWorks, Disney Animation, ABC, CBS and regularly moderates the Pitch Conference at the American Film Market. Pilar has traveled the world teaching in London, Dublin, Beijing, Warsaw, Lisbon and Cape Town, training writers, animators, producers and show runners in the art of writing, story telling and pitching.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

31 Okt 202358min

Showrunning is a mysterious art form to many so I wanted to bringing he someone who can shine a light on what it takes to be one. Today on the show we have powerhouse show runner, writer, director, producer, and all-around good guy Steven Deknight. Best known for his work across the action, drama, and sci-fi genres on TV shows like Smallville, Spartacus, Daredevil, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Jupiter's Legacy.Realizing his strengths early on in his career, Steven is a jack-of-all-trades who studied acting at the onset of film school transitioned through to writing, playwright, and screenwriting. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was his big break - starting off as writer and story editor on the show, Deknight went on to produce 42 episodes of the Spin-off show, Angel.The vampire Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption.Steven went on to direct and co-executive produce 66 episodes of the 2001 show, Smallville which set a viewers rating record of 4.34 million viewers per episode and had an amazing 10 seasons run.The series goes along with Clark Kent through his struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.In 2009, He briefly wrote, directed, and consulted on the short-lived Dollhouse series. Almost immediately after, Deknight got an offered to executive produce and write the hit sensation and everyone's guilty-pleasure, Spartacus.A fictional historical drama series inspired by, Spartacus, the show focused on Spartacus's obscure early life leading up to the beginning of historical records.We do a deep dive on how Steve brought the Marvel universe's darker and grittier character Daredevil to Netflix that help launch The Defenders superhero on the streaming giant.Blinded as a young boy, Matt Murdock fights injustice by day as a Lawyer and as a street-level superhero by night, in Hell's Kitchen, New York City.His feature-film directorial and writing debut Pacific Rim: Uprising. We go into the weeds on his experience bring a studio tentpole to the big screen while under extreme pressure and restraints.Steve was a blast to chat.Enjoy this conversation with Steve Deknight.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

24 Okt 20231h 58min

Chris Soth developed the “Mini-Movie Method” after years of success as a Hollywood screenwriter. Chris has multiple projects in development at major Hollywood studios. This master storyteller is also an expert in pitching and selling - necessary tools for a screenwriter in Hollywood.Chris holds an MFA in screenwriting and a BA in Dramatic Literature. He is the only seminar instructor whose work has been produced by a major Hollywood studio.MILLION-DOLLAR SCREENWRITING presents a method of story design that is easy to understand and easy to do, The Mini Movie Method! This is the key to unlocking your future as a working screenwriter in Hollywood. It turns writing into an effortless, step-by-step process and makes beginners into experts and experts into masters of the craft. The secret to successful screenwriting has finally arrived: The Mini-Movie Method!-THE MINI-MOVIE METHOD WAS INVENTED FOR MOVIES!-When the film was born story changed forever. Traditional “Three-Act Structure” was invented for the theater, but movies are shot, edited, and projected on “reels.” Each reel contains its own piece of the story, like chapters of a novel called “sequences” or “Mini-Movies.” The Mini-Movie Method is a way of “sequencing” your story that is specifically designed for movies, tailored to movies, and unique to movies because The Mini-Movie Method was CREATED for movies.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

17 Okt 20231h 40min

I’m taking a journey down the rabbit hole of screenwriting psychoanalysis with Professor William Indick, who is a psychology professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey, professor of psychology executive chair of faculty at Dowling College, and author of Psychology for Screenwriters.We take a nerdy dig into the world of psychology and how it affects writers, screenwriters, and characters. With some expert contextualization, William psychoanalyzes some of our favorite films and characters while also breaking down character archetypes and themes he has studied. How did it all start, you ask? Well, in 2003 he made the decision to incorporate more culturally relevant theories of personality instead of antiquated theories in his psychology classes by sorting references from famous films. Based on his students growing interested and fascination, William researched to find psychology textbooks about films, but none existed. So he wrote one instead. The book was published by Michael Wiese productions in 2004. Psychology For Screenwriters supports that screenwriters must understand human behavior to make their stories come alive. This book clearly describes theories of personality and psychoanalysis with simple guidelines, thought-provoking exercises, vivid film images, and hundreds of examples from classic movies.Basically, the book takes general psychology theories and applications and adapts them into helpful tools for screenwriters.He delves into various genre archetypal characters and themes that are repetitive in screenplays in the second edition of the book which will be out soon. Just this summer, William published his sixth book, Media Environments and Mental Disorder: The Psychology of Information Immersion. It deals a lot with narcissism, and the notion that all media is a mirror, and how we understand ourselves at a time when we're constantly being reflected in a million ways. The information environments that modern society requires us to master and engage in are based on literacy and digital communication. Mediated information not only passes through our brains, it alters and rewires them. Since our environment, to a large extent, is shaped by the way we perceive, understand, and communicate information, we can even think of mental disorders as symptoms of maladaptation to our media environments.This book uses this "media ecology" model to explore the effects of media on mental disorders.It traces the development of media from the most basic forms--the sights and sounds expressed by the human body--to the most technologically complex media created to date, showing how each medium of communication relates to specific mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and autism. As the digital age proceeds to envelop us in an environment of infinite and instantly accessible information, it's crucial to our own mental health to understand how the various forms of media influence and shape our minds and behaviors.My conversation with William was one of those discussions that you come out of, more informed than you went in.We had a blast.Enjoy my very informative conversation with William Indick.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

9 Okt 20231h 15min

In today's show we have a returning champion Albert Hughes. Albert is a well-known American filmmaker. He is one half of the Hughes Brothers, a filmmaking duo consisting of Albert and his twin brother, Allen Hughes.The Hughes Brothers are known for their work in the film industry and have directed and produced a variety of films, often with a focus on gritty, urban themes. Some of their notable films include "Menace II Society" (1993), "Dead Presidents" (1995), "From Hell" (2001) , "The Book of Eli" (2010), "Broken City" (2013). Albert Hughes, along with his brother Allen, has made significant contributions to the world of cinema, and their work often explores complex and socially relevant themes.Albert's new film The Continental: From the World of John Wick - Set in 1970s New York City, The Continental explores the origin of the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe seen through the eyes and action of a young Winston Scott.Please enjoy my conversation with Albert Hughes.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

3 Okt 20231h 20min

Randall Jahnson is a screenwriter known for his work on various films, including "The Mask of Zorro." He co-wrote the screenplay for "The Mask of Zorro" along with Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. The film was released in 1998 and starred Antonio Banderas as the titular character and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the female lead.After being imprisoned for 20 years, Zorro -- Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) -- receives word that his old enemy, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), has returned. Don Diego escapes and returns to his old headquarters, where he trains aimless drunk Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) to be his successor. Meanwhile, Montero -- who has secretly raised Diego's daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), as his own -- hatches a plot to rob California of its gold.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

26 Sep 20232h 56min

In this episode we have Racer Max and Rebel Rodriguez. The sons of the legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and film producer Elizabeth Avellán. Racer, Rebel and I had an amazing conversation about what it was like being raised by two master filmmakers, what it was like to be on set, but also what they've learned along the way, what they are doing differently than their predecessors have, and the amazing work that they're doing on big projects like Hypnotic, We Are Heroes, and the latest in the Spy Kids franchise, Spy Kids: Armageddon.Please enjoy my conversation with Racer Max & Rebel Rodriguez.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

19 Sep 20232h 8min

Richard Walter was born on July 11, 1944, in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer known for Group Marriage (1972), The Cinematographer (1969), and The Production Manager (1969). He has been married to Patricia Sandgrund since 1967.In 1988, he released his first instructional book Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing (Plume). This was followed a decade later (2000) by his debut novel Escape from Film School, which tells the sprightly tale of a young man who makes it in Hollywood without ever leaving film school.Richard is one of the few OG writers who have studied and taught through the evolutive eras of screenplays and screenwriting in Hollywood. With his wealth of knowledge, he released his third and most recent book, Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing. In this one, he shares the secrets of writing and selling successful screenplays for aspiring screenwriters.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

12 Sep 20232h 11min