#19: No Prior Experience Needed

#19: No Prior Experience Needed

Independent filmmakers spend years creating work, pay to submit to festivals and hope someone decides their film deserves a platform. But what happens when the people controlling those opportunities become the filmmakers seeking financial support? After seeing that a festival director was crowdfunding their first short film, I explore the uncomfortable questions this raises about power, access and who really benefits from the independent film ecosystem. From “no prior experience needed” selection panels to gatekeepers using established platforms to support their own projects, I discuss transparency, fairness and whether the systems created to champion independent film always serve the filmmakers who keep them alive.

#18: When Is A Film Finished?

As my third feature ‘Notion’ moves closer to completion, I reflect on the often unseen final stages of independent filmmaking - the long process that continues after the cameras stop rolling. I discuss the reality of finishing a micro-budget feature: refining the edit, solving technical issues, stabilising shots, visual effects, colour grading, sound work and the difficult decisions around what needs fixing and what imperfections are simply part of the filmmaking process. I also reflect on the years spent completing both ‘Notion’ and ‘X’, including filming at Abbey Road around the same time Danny Boyle’s ‘Yesterday’ was announced and released, and how independent filmmaking often operates on a very different timeline. Along the way I discuss Werner Herzog’s ‘Fitzcarraldo’, ‘Festen’, Dogme 95, the changing expectations of audiences and why finishing a film is often the hardest part of making one. Ultimately, it’s a conversation about persistence, compromise and learning when to finally let go.

#17: Heather Elise Nelson - The Actor’s Life & The Heavy Pencil

For this episode, I caught up with actor, writer and director Heather Elise Nelson. Heather talks about her journey into acting, her experiences working across short films and features, and the opportunities and challenges that come with building a career in the film industry. We also chat about working together on ‘Blurred Lines’, where Heather played Olivia, an unprepared and argumentative actor, opening up a wider discussion about the relationship between actors and directors and what crosses the line of acceptable behaviour for a performer. The conversation then turns to Heather writing and directing her own work - from collaborating with actors and cinematographers, to the challenges of creating films within the constraints of micro-budget filmmaking. Finally, Heather discusses her short film ‘The Heavy Pencil’ - a drama inspired by her experiences pursuing acting and navigating the film industry. The short has played at a number of festivals, including the BIFA-qualifying ‘Women X’. youtube.com/@heatherelisenelson3262 [https://www.youtube.com/@heatherelisenelson3262]

#16: Miranda Benjamin II - Whiplash, Backlash & Perseverance

Part two of a two-part conversation with actor and producer Miranda Benjamin. The episode begins with a newly recorded segment about a promotional video shoot that left Miranda with whiplash after she was asked to undertake multiple takes of a dangerous stunt - one that should have been carried out by a professional stunt performer - prompting a wider discussion about on-set safety and standing up for yourself as an actor. The episode then returns to the second half of last week’s recording, as Miranda discusses her perspective on the cancellation of ‘Notion’ in 2022, the decision to pull ‘Blurred Lines’ out of its ashes and her disappointment that the film’s online release was overshadowed by criticism aimed at its director rather than being allowed to find its audience organically. An honest conversation about creative perseverance, difficult shoots, learning lines, review bombing and the unpredictable nature of independent filmmaking. NOTE: This podcast reflects my personal experiences as an independent filmmaker. Any views expressed are either my own or those of my guests.

#15: Miranda Benjamin - From Worsley Woods to the House of Mouse

This is part one of a two-part conversation with actor and producer Miranda Benjamin. In Part One, Miranda talks about her introduction to acting, studying at the University of Salford, joining a touring theatre company and transitioning into screen acting via independent filmmaking. Miranda discusses a variety of on-set experiences - including student shorts, a disastrous production in Worsley Woods, working with Chris Stone and acting in the One Day Films feature Cleft Lip (streaming on Disney Plus) - before the conversation turns to some of the personal struggles connected to the pursuit of acting. A loose, honest conversation about performance, independent film and Miranda’s perspective on “the actor’s life”.