IFH 613: Directing Bruce Willis' Last Film with Matt Eskandari

Since he was eighteen years old, Johnny Martin has been solely working in the film and television industry. He began his career as a stuntman, and within a relatively short period of time graduated to being a stunt coordinator and second-unit director. In those capacities, Johnny has worked on over 260 films, TV shows, and commercials, and even won the award for Best Stunt Coordinator of the Year for the film "Gone in 60 Seconds" and later receiving two nominations for an Emmy and one Screen Actors Guild award.In 2003, Johnny launched his own production company, MARTINI FILMS. In just the first year he produced three films under his banner and two of the films received SYFY Channel's "Premiere of the Year". In 2012 Martini Films was one of the first US companies to partner with China Film Group ("CFG") for the feature film "Urban Games", which was entirely shot in China and Korea. Since, Martini Films has produced 20 films for Lionsgate, Sony, Paramount, and Saban.In 2014 Johnny began his Directing debut on the horror film "Delirium" after winning three film festivals and receiving a theatrical, he was then hired in 2016 to direct "Vengeance: A Love Story", starring Nicholas Cage and Don Johnson and then following up with "Hangman", starring Al Pacino, Karl Urban and Brittany Snow and is now in post-production on "Alone" starring Donald Sutherland and Tyler Posey. On each of these films he has credited the late great Tony Scott for the many years of preparing him for his new venture. 2018 Johnny was invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

24 Aug 202352min

Today on the show we have studio veteran, story consultant, and best-selling author of The Script Selling Game- 2nd edition: A Hollywood Insider's Look at Getting Your Script Sold and Produced Kathie Fong Yoneda.The Script-Selling Game is like having a mentor in the business who answers your questions and provides you with not only valuable information but real-life examples on how to maneuver your way through the Hollywood labyrinth. While the first edition focused mostly on film and television movies, the second edition includes a new chapter on animation and another on utilizing the Internet to market yourself and find new opportunities, plus an expansive section on submitting for television and cable.Kathie has worked in film and television for more than 30 years.She has held executive positions at Disney, Touchstone, Disney TV Animation, Paramount Pictures Television, and Island Pictures, specializing in development and story analysis of both live-action and animation projects.Kathie is an internationally known seminar leader on screenwriting and development and has conducted workshops in France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and throughout the U.S. and Canada.Enjoy my conversation with Kathie Fong Yoneda.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

22 Aug 20231h 2min

Thunder Levin was born and raised in New York City, graduated from Hunter College High School, and received a BFA in Film from NYU before moving to Los Angeles at age 23. He credits the original Star Trek television series with opening his mind to both the wonders of science fiction and filmmaking as a child, while the original Star Wars solidified his desire to make movies when he grew up.Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! (2008) starring C. Thomas Howell was Thunder's feature film directorial debut. This led to him writing and/or directing several films for production company The Asylum, including American Warships (2012) and AE: Apocalypse Earth (2013), culminating in the pop culture phenomenon Sharknado (2013). While continuing to write and direct feature films, he is also developing episodic television projects.Thunder is a lifelong sailor and car enthusiast who's recently taken up motorcycle riding. In addition to his film and television work, he is writing his first novel. He lives in Santa Monica, CA, but considers himself a "temporarily misassigned New Yorker". Thunder is his real name. Please don't ask why.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

17 Aug 20231h 18min

Kim Hudson grew up in the Yukon, a Hero’s daughter with a Cinderella Complex. Basically life taught her many of the things she needed to know to write this book. Kim spent the first half of her career exploring her masculine side, first as a field geologist and later as a federal land claims negotiator. Exploring her feminine side became important to her as she raised her two daughters. This lead me to study Writing for Film and Television at Vancouver Film School, and take courses on mythology, feminism and psychology including a Jungian Odyssey in Switzerland. This theory was developed by closely observing the archetypal expressions that are all around us in movies, music, television, advertisements and stories of personal growth, including her own. The Virgin’s Promise is her first book.The Virgin’s Promise demystifies the complexities of archetypes and clearly outlines the steps of a Virgin’s Journey to realize her dream. Audiences need to see more than brave, self-sacrificing Heroes. They need to see Virgins who bring their talents and self-fulfilling joys to life. The Virgin’s Promise describes this journey with beats that feel incredibly familiar but have not been illustrated in any other screenwriting book. It explores the yin and yang of the Virgin and Hero journeys to take up their power as individuals, and includes a practical guide to putting this new theory into action.Please enjoy my conversation with Kim Hudson.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

15 Aug 20231h

Alvaro Rodriguez has been writing since childhood and, in fact, did his best work when he was 11. Without a movie camera in sight, Rodriguez relied on the written word and a Polaroid Button to storyboard the films in his head. A crash course in entertainment writing and editing at the University of Texas student newspaper and seminars in creative writing supplied more tools for the toolbox. When he riffed on a Spanish guitar figure as the hero's musical theme in cousin Robert Rodriguez's debut film, El Mariachi (1992) (Columbia Pictures, 1993), he began a collaboration that has lasted more than two decades.Rodriguez sold his first pitch to Dimension Films, a spaghetti-western prequel to the genre-bending vampire flick From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) called From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1999) (Miramax/Dimension, 2000), which starred Marco Leonardi, Michael Parks, Sonia Braga, Rebecca Gayheart and Danny Trejo, with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino producing.Rodriguez co-wrote the wishing-rock children's movie Shorts (2009) (Warner Brothers, 2009), starring James Spader, Jon Cryer, Leslie Mann, and William H. Macy, and followed that confection with the bloodier Machete (2010) (Fox, 2010) starring Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey, Don Johnson, and Robert De Niro. Both were directed by Robert Rodriguez.As of 2014, he is writing on the television series From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014) for the El Rey Network, now in its second season, and is developing feature and television projects in the United States and Italy.A frequent panelist and presenter at the Austin Film Festival, he has also curated an "Epoca de Oro" Mexican film series at the Museum of South Texas History and has been a speaker at colleges and universities throughout the United States. His border-influenced short fiction has appeared in multiple publications, both physical and digital, including Mulholland Books/Popcorn Fiction, "Along the River" (2011), and the Bram Stoker Award-winning "After Death" (2013).Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

10 Aug 20231h 26min

Today on the show we have comedy legend, author, and writer Steve Kaplan. For years, Steve Kaplan has been the industry’s most sought-after expert on comedy. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other top universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. He has consulted and taught workshops at companies such as HBO, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, Sony Pictures Network India, Globo Brazil, and others.In New York, Steve was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, where he developed writers such as Peter Tolan(Analyze This, The Larry Sanders Show), writer and producer David Crane(Friends, Episodes), writer/producer Tracy Poust (Ugly Betty, Will & Grace), Michael Patrick King(Sex and The City, Will & Grace), David Ives(Venus in Fur), Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire), David Fury(The Tick, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer), Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room), Tom Donaghy (The Mentalist), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)and Mark O’Donnell (Hairspray) and introduced such performers as Lewis Black, Mercedes Ruehl, Oliver Platt, Helen Slater, Fisher Stevens, Veanne Cox, Sam McMurray, Vickie Lewis, and Illeana Douglas.In Los Angeles, he created the HBO New Writers Project, discovering HBO Pictures screenwriter Will Scheffer (Big Love), and performer/writer Sandra Tsing Loh (Aliens in America),; and the HBO Workspace, a developmental workshop in Hollywood that introduced and presented performers such as Jack Black and Tenacious D, Kathy Griffin, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross (Mr. Show), Josh Malina and Paul F. Tompkins. At the Workspace, he was Executive Producer for the award-winning HBO Original Programming documentary DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Steve has directed in regional theaters and Off-Broadway (including Sandra Tsing Loh’s ALIENS IN AMERICAat Second Stage).In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students in the United States and countries around the world, including London, Toronto, Galway, Athens, Paris, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Rio, Munich, New Zealand, and Singapore. This year, he will be presenting seminars and workshops in Los Angeles, Brussels, London, and via Skype, Sweden.His new book The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films. I can't recommend it enough.A comic hero or heroine also goes on a journey, but for the comic hero, it’s often quite, quite different. The hero decides to go on the adventure; the comic hero often has no choice. The hero has a wise old man; the comic hero often meets an idiot who inadvertently says something that can teach him a thing or two. Steve Kaplan will show you the diverse paths that comedy takes in The Comic Hero’s Journey.This interview is EPIC! If you want to learn how to create "funny" in your screenplays or projects this episode is for you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

8 Aug 20231h 34min

Klaus Badelt is a renowned German composer and music producer, celebrated for his extraordinary contributions to film scores and soundtracks. Born on June 12, 1967, in Frankfurt, Germany, Badelt's exceptional talent for music was evident from a young age.With an extensive background in classical training and a deep appreciation for various musical genres, Badelt's unique ability to fuse different styles allowed him to craft captivating and emotive compositions. His versatility enabled him to excel in multiple film genres, from epic adventures to intense dramas, leaving an indelible mark on Hollywood's cinematic landscape.Badelt gained global recognition for his work on the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), where his evocative score, particularly the iconic theme "He's a Pirate," became an instant classic and remains a cherished part of film music history. This accomplishment solidified his status as one of the industry's leading composers.Throughout his illustrious career, Badelt collaborated with esteemed filmmakers, including Ridley Scott, Wolfgang Petersen, and Jerry Bruckheimer, earning critical acclaim for his exceptional artistry and ability to elevate storytelling through music.Beyond his film work, Klaus Badelt has also composed for video games, television shows, and concert performances, displaying his passion for creating immersive musical experiences in various mediums. With a diverse and impressive body of work, Badelt's influence on contemporary film scoring remains profound, inspiring aspiring musicians and leaving an enduring legacy in the world of music for screen and stage.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

3 Aug 202357min

Today on the show we have Hollywood Story/Career Consultant and former Studio Executive Jen Grisanti. Grisanti is also a Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former studio executive, a blogger for The Huffington Post and author of Story Line: Finding Gold in Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells, and her recent book Change Your Story, Change Your Life: Using Shamanic and Jungian Tools to Achieve Personal Transformation.Over twenty years ago, Jen Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years.She quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her years of experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers.Since launching her consulting firm, Jen Grisanti worked with over 1000 writers specializing in television, features, and novels. Due to her guidance, over ninety of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows, fifty-three have sold pilots, and six of those pilots have gone to series.Enjoy my conversation with Jen Grisanti.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.

1 Aug 20231h 3min