IFH 548: How I Wrote a Sundance Film with Chloe Okuno

IFH 548: How I Wrote a Sundance Film with Chloe Okuno

Well Sundance 2022 has begun and so has our coverage. Today on the show we have writer/director Chloe Okuno.

Chloe is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a masters degree from the American Film Institute Conservatory. There she received the Franklin J. Shaffner Fellow Award, and directed the award-winning horror short film SLUT. Her recent work includes writing a remake of “Audrey Rose” for Orion Pictures and writing and directing a segment of the anthology series V/H/S/94.


She's the director of this year's Sundance feature film Watcher.

Julia joins her husband when he relocates to his family’s native Romania for a new job. Having recently abandoned her acting career, she finds herself frequently alone and unoccupied. One night, people-watching from her picture window, she spots a vague figure in an adjacent building, who seems to be looking back at her. Soon after, while alone at a local movie theater, Julia’s sense of being watched intensifies, and she becomes certain she’s being followed — could it be the same unknown neighbor? Meanwhile, a serial killer known as The Spider stalks the city.

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In making “Watcher,” I wanted to capture a kind of constant, uncomfortable dread that accompanies many women throughout their lives- one that is expressed through the character of Julia. Julia moves into this apartment building with her husband and quickly begins to believe she is being watched.

She recognizes that the Watcher is a threat. She feels it very clearly- even if it’s difficult to articulate the extent of that threat to the people around her. It’s a situation that’s probably quite familiar to most women. We experience the world in a different way than men and then when we try to express that experience, we’re often doubted- written off as paranoid, irrational, or overly sensitive… which in turn can make us begin to doubt ourselves.

This has always been at the core of a story that in other ways has evolved greatly since I was first hired to direct it in 2017. Initially, the script was set in New York City, but when it became clear that we would be shooting the movie in Romania, I decided to rewrite it to take place in Bucharest.

There are times as a filmmaker where practical limitations end up being creatively very freeing- unlocking something great when you’re willing to embrace the unexpected. This was one of those times. Suddenly, Julia’s experience as a foreigner in this new city heightens all her other feelings of unease and uncertainty.

She finds herself increasingly isolated- largely unable to speak the language and therefore alienated from everyone around her. There were of course natural (sometimes uncomfortable) parallels shooting the movie on location in Romania: unable to speak the language, oftentimes sequestered in a hotel room amidst the raging pandemic, and occasionally fighting against the doubt that surrounds you as a woman working in a male dominated profession.

Fortunately, life didn’t fully imitate art. I finished the movie without any nightmarish descent into Watcher-style darkness, content with the hope that all of the tension found its way on screen.

The filmmakers I admire are the ones who are able to create a language for emotion through their craft, translating what they feel into a form that other people can see and experience for themselves.

For Watcher I was inspired by the work of David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Satoshi Kon, Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and Mary Harron- filmmakers who have excelled at translating fear, loneliness, and alienation. The hope is always that there will be someone else who can empathize- telling stories so that we can take comfort in the recognition of ourselves in others. As a person filled with seemingly endless anxieties, making films is the best- and possibly the only- way I’ve found to confront them.

I’ve done my best to portray them honestly in this film, and I can only hope that those who have experienced similar fears and anxieties will find solace in the knowledge that they are not alone.

Enjoy my conversation with Chloe Okuno.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

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IFH 689: Creating Revenue Streams for Filmmakers with Pat McGowan

IFH 689: Creating Revenue Streams for Filmmakers with Pat McGowan

Pat McGowan is a longtime Film & Video Creator from Ottawa, Canada. As with many in the “biz”, his career started as a musician, moved into audio post and then into directing, producing, shooting and editing. Until recently Pat was the owner/operator of inMotion.ca, a video production company in Ottawa & Toronto. Pat has a passion for wildlife videography and can be found in the Canadian Arctic looking for Polar bears, Narwhals, and Bowhead Whales.After a successful career spanning over two decades, Pat had an epiphany, and that led to the idea and creation of BlackBox Global. He wants nothing less than to change the relationships that creators have with each other and the global market so they can have better lives. He invites his fellow film & video peeps to join BlackBox and make the world a place where creators can be free to do what they love, own the content they make, and be fairly compensated.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

6 Juni 20231h 17min

MONDAY MOTIVATION!: Don't Be The Desperate Filmmaker

MONDAY MOTIVATION!: Don't Be The Desperate Filmmaker

Monday Motivation! We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our screenwriting journey. These episodes will do just that. Never stop chasing that dream and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

5 Juni 20232min

IFH 688: What They Don't Tell Filmmakers about Making an Indie Film with Jeremy Gardener

IFH 688: What They Don't Tell Filmmakers about Making an Indie Film with Jeremy Gardener

Jeremy Gardner is an American actor, writer, and director known for his work in the independent horror film "The Battery." He wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, which was released in 2012."The Battery" is a post-apocalyptic zombie film that gained critical acclaim for its character-driven approach and low-budget yet effective storytelling. Since then, Jeremy Gardner has continued to work in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

1 Juni 20231h 53min

IFH 687: Skipping First-Time Screenwriting Mistakes with Naomi Beaty

IFH 687: Skipping First-Time Screenwriting Mistakes with Naomi Beaty

Today on the show we have former studio executive turned screenwriting teacher and screenplay consultant Naomi Beaty. She is essentially an on-call development partner to screenwriters, producers, and directors at all levels. From those just starting out, to those firmly established and working in the industry today.She lived and worked in L.A. for over a decade, read thousands of scripts, and worked with hundreds of writers through one-on-one consulting, creating the Idea to Outline workshop, and teaching story structure for Save the Cat. I’ve worked with producers internationally and consulted on the 2016 Raindance Film Festival “Indie Film of the Year” winner, Selling Isobel.As a former development exec-in-training at Madonna and Guy Oseary’s Maverick Films, she worked on projects like Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and The Stanford Prison Experiment.In this episode, we get into the weeds about mistakes screenwriters make and what studios are looking for.Enjoy my talk with Naomi Beaty.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

30 Maj 202353min

MONDAY MOTIVATION!: The Art Of Breaking The Rules

MONDAY MOTIVATION!: The Art Of Breaking The Rules

Monday Motivation! We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our screenwriting journey. These episodes will do just that. Never stop chasing that dream and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

29 Maj 20233min

IFH 686: How to Get Things Done with David Allen

IFH 686: How to Get Things Done with David Allen

David Allen is a productivity consultant and the author of the book "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity." He is widely recognized for his expertise in personal and organizational productivity and has developed the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology.In his book, "Getting Things Done," Allen presents a system for managing and organizing tasks and projects to increase productivity and reduce stress. The GTD methodology focuses on capturing all tasks and commitments into an external system, clarifying their meaning and desired outcomes, organizing them effectively, reviewing and updating regularly, and taking appropriate actions. The book has gained significant popularity and has become a widely implemented system for personal and professional productivity.David Allen has been involved in coaching, training, and consulting with various individuals and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. He continues to speak and conduct workshops on productivity and personal development, sharing his insights and strategies to help individuals and teams enhance their effectiveness and achieve their goals.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

25 Maj 202348min

IFH 685: Learning Screenwriting Story Structure with John Bucher

IFH 685: Learning Screenwriting Story Structure with John Bucher

Today on the show, we have storytelling guru John Bucher, who is a renowned strategist, communicator, and cultural mythologist based out of Hollywood, California. Disruptor named him one of the top 25 influencers in Virtual Reality in 2018.“John Bucher is an influencer. He’s one of our most prolific contributors.” — HBOHe is the author of six books, including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time. John has worked with companies including HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, and The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation and served as a consultant and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. Currently, he teaches writing and story courses as part of the Joseph Campbell Writers Room at Studio School in Los Angeles and at the LA Film Studies Center. He has spoken on five continents about using the power of story to reframe how products, individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations are viewed.John is a prolific writer.STORYTELLING FOR VIRTUAL REALITYStorytelling for Virtual Reality serves as a bridge between students of new media and professionals working between the emerging world of VR technology and the art form of classical storytelling. Rather than examining purely the technical, the text focuses on the narrative and how stories can best be structured, created, and then told in virtual immersive spaces. Author John Bucher examines the timeless principles of storytelling and how they are being applied, transformed, and transcended in Virtual Reality. Interviews, conversations, and case studies with both pioneers and innovators in VR storytelling are featured, including industry leaders at LucasFilm, 20th Century Fox, Oculus, Insomniac Games, and Google.A BEST PRACTICE GUIDE TO SEX AND STORYTELLINGA great deal of storytelling in film and television involves narratives that include sexual situations and nudity. The increased amount of online and streaming content outlets has, in turn, increased the number of narratives that involve these once-taboo subjects. Often, even though directors and producers desire to handle such issues with professionalism, sets become awkward when producing these scenes. A Best Practice Guide to Sex and Storytelling serves as a helpful tool for guiding creators through these waters.MASTER OF THE CINEMATIC UNIVERSEMaster of the Cinematic Universe is a guide to the future of transmedia storytelling. Content creators of every flavor are constantly needing to expand the mediums they can work in. This volume serves as a resource for using the timeless truths of story structure to craft established as well as up-and-coming short-form media formats.STORYTELLING BY THE NUMBERSStorytelling By The Numbers is a collection of essays and articles that John Bucher has written for LA Screenwriter and a variety of other outlets. All are meant to strengthen storytellers and scriptwriters. Bucher examines trends and tropes found in current film and television and uses these examples to demonstrate how and why they work as storytelling devices. Writers from any genre, working with any type of narrative, can find jewels of wisdom and applicable nuggets for their own ideas. The collection also features ten powerful writing prompts to assist writers in creating or developing a script idea from a single character.Enjoy my conversation with John Bucher.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

23 Maj 20231h 20min

IFH 684: How to Make a Kick-Ass Low-Budget Zombie Film with Eric England

IFH 684: How to Make a Kick-Ass Low-Budget Zombie Film with Eric England

Eric England is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, particularly for his 2013 film "Contracted." The film follows a young woman who contracts a mysterious sexually transmitted disease that begins to ravage her body in horrifying ways.In addition to "Contracted," England has directed several other horror films, including "Madison County" and "Josie." He has also directed episodes of the television series "Surviving Jack" and "The Rookie." England's work often explores themes of isolation, psychological trauma, and bodily horror, and he is known for his stylish visual approach to genre filmmaking.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

18 Maj 20231h 37min

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