745. Fearlessly Failing: Director - Josh Friedman

Saddle up for a thrilling adventure story straight from the golden sands of the Bahamas. Josh Friedman, writer, producer and director extraordinaire, takes us behind the scenes of his epic feature film debut The Queen's Jewels.

Josh reveals how a chance beach encounter sparked his imagination and inspired the movie's treasure hunting plot. We get the inside scoop on creating the original short film as a "proof of concept", and the challenging but rewarding journey to making a full-length feature film.

The exotic Bahamas backdrop was actually filmed in the Dominican Republic, and Josh describes how the stunning natural landscape was the perfect setting for this swashbuckling tale.

Josh has some great advice for new directors, writers and creatives. He also shared his secrets about what reinsures him when he needs a creativity boost, guess what its free and very easy to get to!

Timestamps:

2:30 - How Josh met a local treasure hunter who regaled him with legends of lost Spanish gold.

5:15 - Transforming a kernel of history into a fictional adventure movie.

8:45 - Using a short film to prove the concept and pitch a bigger feature version.

12:30 - Scouting locations in the Dominican Republic to match the script's Bahamas setting.

Key takeaways:

- Movies can emerge from the most unlikely places - even a chance beach chat with a stranger!

- Short films are a great way to build proof of concept for bigger projects.

- Picking the perfect filming location is crucial for transporting audiences into the movie's world.

So swab the decks and get ready to dive into a rip-roaring yarn! Listen now to hear Josh recount this epic movie-making journey.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.