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Submitting to film festivals is a torture. Did I get in? Did the programmer watch it yet? When will I know? How much to submit? You wait by your email to see if Sundance or SXSW accepted you? Wouldn't be amazing if you had some insight to the film festival process? Maybe even some torture Film Festival Secrets? On the show today I have one of the leading authorities on film festivals, Chris Holland from Film Festival Secrets.com. The man literally wrote the book on the subject, Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook For Independent Filmmakers. So enjoy my conversation with Chris Holland.

This is a question I’ve been asked many times. “What is an Independent Film?” Is George Lucas an independent filmmaker? He did make all his films outside the studio system and paid for them all out of his pocket. Is the $8000 horror feature created to with the sole purpose to be sold an independent film? Is the five million dollar film starring a major movie star that worked for scale an independent film? The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking is a book I’m current reading and has an entire chapter dedicated to the topic. I discuss the question, in depth, in this episode. We are all indie filmmakers but are we making independent films? Take a listen.

What can I say about Lloyd Kaufman? Director. Writer. Producer. Indie Filmmaker. Innovator. Nice guy. Pain in the ass of main stream media. I believe all of those statements are true and then some. Lloyd Kaufman is one the original indie filmmakers going back to the 1970’s. The Troma Universe was born in 1974 with a series of highly original, raunchy comedies such as Squeeze Play!, Stuck On You!, Waitress!, and other film titles ending with an exclamation point. In my favorite decade, the 80’s, is where Lloyd Kaufman really made a name for himself. His 1984 sleeper hit The Toxic Avenger launched his career and his production company Troma Entertainment. Creating his own brand of independent films, Lloyd Kaufman discovered there was a market for his “unique type” of films. The success of The Toxic Avenger was followed by a string of commercial and artistic triumphs in a similar vein, blending fantasy, comedy, bad ass action, and a bit of eroticism in a style that can only be described as “Tromatic”.LLOYD KAUFMAN, Troma, Troma Entertainment, Troma Universe, The Toxic Avenger, James Gunn, Class of Nuke ‘Em High trilogy, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, Troma’s War, Quentin Tarantino These films, including the Class of Nuke ‘Em High trilogy, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and Troma’s War, were often ignored or scorned by the intelligentsia of the time but spoke to an entire generation (including yours truly) of young people who rejected the pandering, commercial films of the mid-to-late 80’s. Some of his fans include Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Mike Judge, Peter Jackson, and Trey Parker. To say this was an enjoyable and entertaining interview would be an understatement. Enjoy my conversation with the one and only Lloyd Kaufman.

OK, so before I get bombarded with hate email please hear me out. I was speaking to my filmmaker inner circle the other day and the topic of format and camera came up. I'm a huge tech head. I love gear as much as the next filmmaker. Hell, you can't make movies without gear. Advances in filmmaking technology has liberated a generation of storytellers, filmmakers and content creators. Now does the audience give a SH*T about what camera you used to make your movie...NO! If you want to know what it really takes to be a successful filmmaker in today's world take a listen to this short podcast. For the whole story take a listen. http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/064 Get the Six Secrets to get into Film Festival for Cheap or FREE! http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/festivaltips/ Want someone to show you how to survive and thrive in the film biz, then head over to Alex Ferrari's Indie Film Hustle: http://www.indiefilmhustle.com SUBSCRIBE for weekly filmmaking videos to help you get your film hustle on: https://www.youtube.com/indiefilmhustletv IFH Podcast: http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/itunes Tips from the Trenches Playlist: https://goo.gl/qRv2I0 LIKE us on FACEBOOK! http://www.facebook.com/indiefilmhustle FOLLOW us on TWITTER! https://twitter.com/indiefilmhustle FOLLOW our INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/ifilmhustle JOIN our circle on GOOGLE PLUS: https://goo.gl/Ep3ISK

If you are a Walking Dead fan you are going to LOVE this episode. If you ever wanted to know what an assistant director does on set you are going to LOVE this episode. On today’s episode we have a long time friend Vince Gonzales. Vince has been working in the film industry for over top decades. His IMDB page is pretty crazy. He’s worked on 90 classics like The Sandlot, Speed and What Dreams May Come. Now after 2000 his credits start to heat up: Pearl Harbor, Six Feet Under, Charmed, Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Transformers: Age of Extinction and of course The Walking Dead. I wanted to bring Vince on the show to discuss his time on The Walking Dead but also what it takes to be an assistant director on both small and “monstrous” sets. Don’t listen to this episode in the dark. Right click here to download the MP3

I’ve been at a fair share of film festivals in my life and I’ve submitted to many more than I’ve been accepts to. With that said I have seen many less than honorable film festival organizers throughout the process. Now not all film festivals are run by grifters and con men but you need to be aware of the signs that a film festival you are submitting to may just be in existence to remove you from you hard earned cash and not to celebrate amazing independent film and filmmakers. I put together a few warning signs you should look out for when submitting to film festivals. Stay safe out there everyone! Right click here to download the MP3

Chris Vogler – Screenwriting & The Writer’s Journey Blueprint. If you have seen Star Wars then you know Joseph Campbell‘s work. If you ever have seen The Lion King then you have seen one of Campbell’s best student’s, Chris Vogler, work. Chris Vogler wrote the game changing book The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. I read this book over 20 years ago and it changed the way I look at story. Chris studied the work and principles of the late master Joseph Campbell. His book The Hero with a Thousand Faces was the bases for Star Wars as well as almost every other Hollywood feature film in the past 60 years. What Chris Vogler did so well is that he translated Campbell’s work and applied it to movies. The Writer’s Journey explores the powerful relationship between mythology and storytelling in a clear, concise style that’s made it required reading for movie executives, screenwriters, playwrights, scholars, and fans of pop culture all over the world. He has influenced the screenplays of movies from THE LION KING to FIGHT CLUB to BLACK SWAN to NOAH. For the whole story take a listen. http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/061 Get the Six Secrets to get into Film Festival for Cheap or FREE! http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/festivaltips/ Want someone to show you how to survive and thrive in the film biz, then head over to Alex Ferrari's Indie Film Hustle: http://www.indiefilmhustle.com SUBSCRIBE for weekly filmmaking videos to help you get your film hustle on: https://www.youtube.com/indiefilmhustletv IFH Podcast: http://www.indiefilmhustle.com/itunes Tips from the Trenches Playlist: https://goo.gl/qRv2I0 LIKE us on FACEBOOK! http://www.facebook.com/indiefilmhustle FOLLOW us on TWITTER! https://twitter.com/indiefilmhustle FOLLOW our INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/ifilmhustle JOIN our circle on GOOGLE PLUS: https://goo.gl/Ep3ISK

A Indie Film Hustle Tribe member recently asked me "Should You Work for Deferred Payment or Back End Points?" Believe it or not I get this question A LOT! So I decided to dedicate a podcast episode to the question. There are times I would say yes definitely work for deferred payment or back end points. I heard a story of a screenwriter that was asked to do a rush job, write an entire screenplay in two week over Christmas vacation. He really didn't want to do it but the agent said he could get him paid and get him back end points. The screenwriter took the gig, the producer love the script and the movie went on to gross $500,000,000 world wide. He took home over $20 million. Not bad. So yes there is a time to make that deal but alas there are times you should never work for deferred. Take a listen to when to and when not to work for deferred payments or back end points.

Every once in a while I get sent a story that blows my mind. The story is a 17 year old 1st time director shoots and sells her first feature film (that was shot on 16mm Film) right out of the gate. How that hell does that happen? Well may I introduce you to Kansas Bowling, the director of the feature film B.C. Butcher. Inspired by the likes of Russ Meyer, Annette Funicello, and Roger Corman, Kansas and her friend Kenzie began writing a script in high school about a tribe of cavewomen being stalked by a prehistoric monster. FILMMAKING HACKS, Film Direction, film school, nina foch course, USC online course, film studies, filmmaking, filmmaker, indie film, film directing, film direction course, film making courses , online film school The film is unique in many ways, being a horror flick and a comedy, featuring live music, gore, gags, and campy historical inaccuracy. Because of this, immediately after shooting, “B.C. Butcher” caught the eye of Lloyd Kaufman (who will be a guest on the podcast in a few weeks), legendary producer/director and founder of Troma Entertainment Inc. Troma acquired the film for distribution and is now slated for a 2016 release.

Working with a professional colorist can be intimating if you haven’t done it before. I’ve been a colorist for over 12 years and have spent my fair share of time in a color grading suite. I decided to put together a few tips on how filmmakers and directors should work with a colorist. I also included a few videos to help you along on your post adventures.

Have you ever wanted to know what really happens behind the scenes at a top level film festival like the HollyShorts Film Festival? Well this week I kidnapped co-founder and film festival programmer Daniel Sol, tied him up in a darken warehouse and shined a bright light on his face to get the truth out of him. The interview might not have been that dramatic but Daniel laid down a ton of behind the scenes knowledge bombs for all you Indie Film Hustlers out there.

Do You Need an Agent or Talent Agency to Make it in Hollywood? Is an agent or talent agency needed to make it in Hollywood? Well it helps! Seriously, this is a question I get asked all the time. In this episode I go over what you need to do to get an agent and also help you figure out if you need one right now. Below are the seven major talent agencies in Hollywood. APA Size: 3,400 clients; 325 employees (210 agents, 15 managing partners); offices in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville Origin story: Founded in 1962 by former MCA agents David Baumgarten, Roger Vorce and Harvey Litwin. CAA Size: About 5,000 clients; 1,500+ employees; 11 offices worldwide, including in China Origin story: Founded in 1975 by William Morris agents Mike Rosenfeld, Michael Ovitz, Ron Meyer, Bill Haber and Rowland Perkins. GERSH Size: About 2,000 clients; 175 employees (75 agents, 16 partners); offices in L.A. and New York Origin story: Founded in 1949 by Phil Gersh. ICM PARTNERS Size: 4,500+ clients; 400+ employees (200+ agents and execs, 40 partners); four offices Origin story: Formed in 1975 with the merger of Creative Management Associates and International Famous Agency. PARADIGM Size: 2,500 clients; 370+ employees (160 agents); six offices Origin story: Founded in 1992 by Sam Gores through the mergers and acquisitions of several boutiques UTA Size: 3,000+ clients; 500 employees (200 agents, 46 partners); offices in L.A. and New York Origin story: Founded in 1991 with the merger of Bauer-Benedek and Leading Artists. WME | IMG Size: 4,000+ clients; nearly 5,000 employees (200 agents) in 25+ countries Origin story: WME | IMG was founded in 2014 with the merger of IMG and WME, which was founded in 2009 with the takeover of William Morris by upstart Endeavor.

BONUS: IFH Filmmaker Motivation

You are in for a treat. This week's guest, MICHAEL HAUGE has been one of Hollywood’s top script consultants, story experts and authors for more than 30 years. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, professional speakers, internet marketers and corporate leaders, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. Michael has consulted on films starring – among many others - Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman, and has presented lectures and workshops to more than 70,000 participants worldwide. He is the best selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell (now in its 20th Anniversary Edition), and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.” - Will Smith After our interview Michael Hauge and I decide to bring one of his best courses to the IFH Tribe. We called is Screenplay and Story Blueprint: The Hero's Two Journeys

Over the years I've seen many of my fellow indie filmmakers get completely ripped off when they entered the post production process. So many promises are given and the rates they charge are criminal. I wanted to put together a podcast to pull the curtain back on the "true" pricing of post production services. Now this is based on my experience working in Los Angeles so the prices might differ depending where you are in the country or the world. I hope this episode provides a great amount of value and that it saves you your hard earned cash while making your next indie film. Enjoy!