Film Fervor Podcast |filmmaking | Crowdfunding |positivity |independent Film | Justin Kincaid

Film Fervor: Episode 137 - Alex Ferrari So, today I have a real treat for you guys. I spoke with Alex Ferrari of Indie Film Hustle about his career in the film business, his awesome platform at Indie Film Hustle, and directing his first feature film This is Meg. Alex is a treasure trove of information and this uncut interview is over an hour long. Indie Film Hustle was created to be a place for Alex to share his 20+ years of experience and cut through all the lies and crap of the film industry. It's a place to go for all the information you'll need for your indie film career and I'm not just saying that. Way back in 2015, when I first started Film Fervor, Alex had just launched Indie Film Hustle and I've been following along ever since. It's been a crucial part of my own learning curve in the indie film industry and I highly recommend it. Indie Film Syndicate Indie Film Syndicate So, one of the most important things about being an indie filmmaker is to always be willing to learn. That's where Alex's Indie Fil

Film Fervor: Episode 136 - Hey You, It's Me So, I had the great opportunity to talk to Suzanne Schmidt about her new web-series Hey You, It's Me. It's about the hilarious relationship between two women in two different cities and their relationship through voicemail and the phone. Suzanne really knows how to tell a great story and weave in the differences between characters and yet show their similarities at the same time. The show is about the strength of a friendship and just how much power that people have over their own lives. Hey You It's Me is available on Seed & Spark and is a great place to check out the series. I really do recommend you check it out and see just how funny Suzanne's story is as well as just how fun the series can be. Currently, there's six episodes on the platform and you can see them all over there. Check it out here: Seed & Spark: Hey You It's Me They're working on the Second Season right now and it's very exciting to see what the web series market is yielding these days. H

Film Fervor: Episode 135 - Repatriation by Doug Mueller With Ryan Barton-Grimley (Check out my interview with Ryan about Elijah's Ashes) Today I spoke with Douglas Mueller and Ryan Barton-Grimley about their film Repatriation. It's about a man named Chad that, while in full military uniform, is welcomed back to his Midwestern hometown by new and old friends alike. From the bus stop, Chad works his way through his old stomping grounds, getting reacquainted with a drink at each stop and catching up on old times. Along the way Chad is joined by Camille who idolized him when he was a star on the high school baseball team. As his one-man parade winds its way through town, the enthusiasm for Chad's service and glory days soon fades as he's reunited with more 'friends' from his past. This was a really fun interview and I decided to post it "un-cut" because of the humor and chemistry that made the episode really fun to record. Doug and Ryan are great people and they really love the film industry. It's always nice to

Film Fervor: Episode 134 - Cut to the Chase with Blayne Weaver Today I spoke with Blayne Weaver about his career and his feature film Cut to the Chase. Blayne is an actor, producer, director who has been working in the business for quite some time. This is one of those cases where the actor is making his own opportunities in both creation and performance and it's always a  nice thing to see. So, Cut to the Chase is about an ex-con who sets out in search of his kidnapped sister through the criminal underbelly of Shreveport, Louisiana.  Cut to the Chase has one of my favorite actors of all time, Lance Henriksen, as "The Man" who causes the protagonist all sorts of trouble throughout the film. I'm always very pleased to see him out there doing work and lending his impressive resume to smaller projects. It's always a great thing with actors with huge perigee's do projects that are lesser known. The coolest part, I think, is that Blayne is keeping the town of Shreveport in the business of making movies.

Film Fervor: Episode 133 - Iron Sky Franchise with Timo Vuorensola Today I spoke with Timo Vuorensola about the amazingly popular Iron Sky films as well as the future of the Iron Sky franchise, including the latest Iron Sky 2. I'm a huge fan of the franchise, it's a world-wide success story that shows the power of independent films. Being able to keep the production in-house and avoid any meddling by studio executives keeps the IP (intellectual property) clean and on message. So, twenty years after the events of Iron Sky, the former Nazi Moonbase has become the last refuge of mankind. Earth was devastated by a nuclear war, but buried deep under the wasteland lies a power that could save humanity – or destroy it once and for all. Iron Sky The Coming Race leads our heroes on an adventure into the Hollow Earth, where they must fight the Vril, an ancient shapeshifting reptilian race and their army of dinosaurs. Timo and I talk about the Iron Sky franchise and how to really get it started. He's an expert in crowdf

Film Fervor: Episode 132 - Not for Resale by Kevin James Ah, nostalgia. A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. That's what was conjured up in me when I first saw Not for Resale on the forums. The film is a feature-length documentary on the end of physical media and the local video game shops that still sell it. What I love about Not for Resale is that it lets us know that there are still some places out there, mom and pop stores, that are holding onto physical media and are still kicking. I used to play games all the time. Hell, I once owned a comic book stores that I'd run during the day and we'd play games throughout the night in. Documentaries like this are a great road trip back into the glory days, when things were easier and much more straightforward. Now, with the Let's Play's and Twitch.tv we can experience all those old games in a community across the globe, but nothing beats actually having your hands on those old co

Episode 131 - Manu Intiraymi's The Circuit I had the privlege to talk to Manu Intiraymi (IMDB) about The Circuit and the amazing people he's assembled for the work. Manu himself is a veteran actor that's been in the business since he was very young and has been connected to Sci-Fi for almost as long. 10 Sci-fi Stories, 10 sub-genres, 1 Location. Series 1: Urbiessa "The Circuit" is like "Black Mirror" or "The Twilight Zone" except each seemingly unrelated episode is a piece of a deeper story line. Each episode takes place in the enormous city of 'Urbiessa', a cross between "Metropolis" and "Gotham" and will concentrate on a specific sub-genre such as Sci-Fi Action, Sci-fi Mystery, etc... These stories are in the capable hands of 10 amazing directors, a group of talented star actors, a professional crew and of course the incredible FANS that will collaborate and work side by side to energize each story. The absolutely powerful and star-studded cast and crew that makes up The Circuit is sure to make anyone even

Film Fervor: Episode 130 - First Glance Film Festival with Bill Ostroff So, today I had the privilege of talking to Bill Ostroff of the First Glance Film Festival about the recent success of the 2017 festival in Los Angeles and the upcoming program in Philadelphia later this year. I've been a big supporter and fan of the First Glance Film Festival since I started Film Fervor and I've seen some absolutely amazing films come out of it. Bill's passion for indie films is evident by the fact that he watches every single film that comes to the festival. First Glance Film Festival is, by far, the best deal you'll ever get as a filmmaker. You'll become a part of a huge community of filmmakers and supporters and, in addition to screening at the festival, you'll get a huge boost in your social presence. Not only do they help you with exposure, they actually teach you how to grow and build your social presence for your film or production company. The exciting news that dropped this episode is that Bill is looking to exp

So, When a withdrawn Middle Eastern man begins frequenting a Boston cafe, the headwaiter grows increasingly suspicious about the true nature of his visits, we get the awesome short film Fireflies. RA VISION Productions has put together a great body of work so far but Fireflies is something that is both poignant and culturally relevant in a way that makes it truly stand out.   The whole outcome of the film is a grim and somber reminder of the fear-mongering and hate propagation that's rampant in the modern "so-called" news agencies and the proliferation of nonsensical hate on the web. The whole film is about the paranoia and hate. It's so funny, before 9/11 everyone in America distrusted "blacks" and Mexicans. Now, because of the news media and the propaganda, they want us to hate and mistrust all Middle Eastern people.  I believe, wholeheartedly, that films like Fireflies are going to help break down the social stigma of being Middle Eastern and allow people to accept them as the same thoughtfu

ELIJAH'S ASHES - RYAN BARTON-GRIMLEY This episode with Ryan Barton-Grimley, to date, has to be one of the most entertaining and funny times I've ever had on a podcast. The energy and hilarity of just about everything we talked about, from the pre-interview chat to the interview itself was just full of great content and I'm so glad I'm able to bring it to you today. So, Elijah's Ashes is about a man named Lawrence Shaw who is a run of the mill guy that just can't get accepted for being who he is. He's not straight enough for his job where he sells testosterone fueled ad campaigns to beer companies and he's not stereotypically gay enough for his boyfriend. To make things worse, his father Elijah just died and his last dying wish was for Lawrence to go on a road trip with his extremely homophobic half-brother Kevin to bury his ashes. It's a heroically dumb journey of brotherly love and acceptance that begs the age old question... "Can you truly accept someone else when you can't even accept yourself?" Heroically

When the Bough Breaks: A documentary about Postpartum Depression- With Jamielyn Lippman Today I sat down with Jamielyn Lippman, a documentary filmmakers and actor who started her own production company to tell the stories that she wants to tell. Her documentary When the Bough Breaks is an incredible look into the often misunderstood world of postpartum depression. The film follows Lindsay Gerszt, a mother who has been suffering from PPD for six years. Lindsay agrees to let the cameras document her and give us an in depth look at her path to recovery. The powerful message behind the film isn't just that PPD is real but it's something that 1 in 5 women suffer from, to varying degrees, and it's nothing to feel ashamed or stigmatized over. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE When the Bough Breaks: Facebook When the Bough Breaks: Twitter When the Bough Breaks: Website Gravitas Ventures: Website IMPORTANT INFORMATION Postpartum depression isn't something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. If you or someone you kn

Hello everyone and welcome to Film Fervor Weekly. We're starting a new weekly podcast where I and Dimi Nakov of Filmmakers Generation Next offer up news about the independent film world, review an indie feature, talk about staying motivated in the film industry, and give a recommendation for Short of the Week. This week, we're talking about the hilarious film from Jumpstart Productions, Further Education. Jumpstart Productions was established in 2009 to make innovative and independent feature films. Their slate has grown to include a number of award winning films that continue to test the boundaries of independent filmmaker. They promote home-grown talent and stay true to their roots in their home cit of Brighton. Check them out here: https://www.jumpstartproductions.co.uk  

I had the honor to speak with Marissa Labog about the short film her production company, UpProductionz, filmed called When Kids Grow Up. This is a fascinating and really gripping short film about a defenseless woman who is savagely attacked by a group of vicious men, only to reveal her own brutal intent against them. Marissa is an accomplished stunt performer, dancer, and actor who is now turning her awesome talent to writing and storytelling. When Kids Grow Up is one of those shorts that made me think it was part of a larger world and that the character Mackenzie (Labog) had a much deeper and richer story to her. During the interview, Marissa let me know that she wants to expand on the character and possibly grow it into a series or a feature, something I'm absolutely all for. The style, direction, cinematography, and acting in When Kids Grow Up are all outstanding. A solid command of both visual and sound, I didn't find any issues with the production at all. It's a powerful statement about what UpProduction

Son of Sofia, written and directed by Elina Psikou follows an 11 year old boy named Misha who travels from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn't know is that there is a father also waiting for him there. While Greece is living the Olympic dream in the summer of 2004, Misha  gets violently catapulted into the adult world while riding on the dark side of his favorite fairy tales. When I spoke to Elina about the film, I was immediately impressed with the professionalism and dedication she and her team have for film making. Greece is an amazing place for film making because their very tight knit community of directors, actors, producers, and crew all get together and support one another on their projects. It's something that until this interview I never thought of looking into because I never really heard of a major film making revolution in Greece. Elina is an incredible person with an outstanding eye for creative storytelling and she's got the drive and ambition to make her film making car

Today I talk about the hilarious web series Hug It Out, created by Kincaid Walker and Jason Eksuzian. They are both incredible people with a great mindset and an awesome work ethic. Hug It Out is about a woman named Gwen who, despite her own personal hangups and issues, bites the bullet to become a professional snuggler.  

Today I spoke with Ashley Atwood about her film Mimi's Misadventure. Ashley is an accomplished actor with an impressive resume who made the move behind the camera for the first time with Mimi's Misadventure, which she produced and wrote. Mimi's Misadventure is a  tongue in cheek dark comedy follows Mimi, a former prostitute and heroin addict who is down on her luck. While working at her job in a strip club, Mimi overhears a conversation that can change her life forever. Ashley and I spoke about the concept behind the film and the inspiration and, while the film is primarily a dark comedy, it does have a powerful message about the very real and very common practice of sex slavery. A lot of people, especially in the United States, seem to think that sex slavery is a thing of the past or something that happens off shore, but the terrible truth of it is that there is a huge market of sex slaves in our own backyard.  

Today, I spoke with Patrick Biesemans about his short film Embers and Dust, an amazing project that centers around a young boy's experience in 1938 listening to the War of the Worlds Broadcast, by Orson Welles. We did a review of Embers and Dust that you can check out here This was a beautifully shot film and a lot of care and attention went into getting the era correct. There's a lot to be said about doing period pieces because of the extreme costs associated with costuming, set design, vehicles, props, and the general look and feel of something set in the past. Embers and Dust, on the other hand, had the benefit of having a great set designer and wardrobe designer who was able to capture all the subtle nuances of the era and put them in the picture without hammering us over the head with it. The result is a gorgeous short film about the imagination of a young boy and how he reacts to something that, in reality, caused a lot of people to panic and think that the world was under siege. Patrick Biesmans is a f

Today I am speaking with Tony Ware of Picture Perfect Film Locations, located in Los Angeles. Picture Perfect Film Locations is an incredible resource for low-budget and independent films that require incredible locations on a tight budget. They have a host of services they offer, from residential homes, commercial locations (including restaurants, churches, motels, and night clubs), wide open land, and incredible studio lots. In addition to the locations, they also have a fleet of vehicles at their disposal, everything from fire and rescue to school buses, high end luxury cars, vintage roadsters, and many more. Tony has been developing his contacts in the industry for years and Picture Perfect Film Locations has had a huge pedigree of large and small films need their services. Just about anything you need, as far as real estate for your production, can be found in Tony's impressive library of locations and his team are kind, eager to get you what you need, and incredibly knowledgeable in the film industry so

 Today I'm joined by Marina Donahue to talk about her film All In Time, a dramedy (Drama + Comedy) that follows Charlie who quits his job to move home to manage his hometown rock band. His supportive girlfriend shares his love for the band, until struggles within the band force them to make choices that will impact their lives forever.  In addition to the incredible story, the music in All In Time is absolutely amazing. You should really check out the band that performs all of the music, they're the real deal and definitely kick some serious ass. My conversation with Marina was a long one and we covered so much about the film, the true story that inspired it and the difficulties that went into making it, but the thing that sticks out the most to me about this interview is the sheer passion Marina has for the business. We spoke about her working as a director for her own daughter and how well that experience went. As someone who has been an self-employed entrepreneur for most of my life, I have to sa

Today I'm joined by Nick Hunt to talk about his debut feature film Safe Place. The film centers around the fall of a man's psyche after an unimaginable tragedy befalls him and causes him to abandon his life for a secluded existence in fear of the world and its consequences. His fear is reflected on six youths, at the prime of their lives who just so happen to cross paths with a seemingly normal man, hellbent on saving them from the world around them, even if it means taking them out of it one, by one.   Safe Place features an incredibly talented cast, including the legendary Lloyd Kaufman (Co-founder of Troma Entertainment), who is responsible for one of my earliest introductions to independent film The Toxic Avenger. This looks like it is going to be a good telling of the cabin in the woods story with a lot going for it from the mind of creator Nick Hunt. To me, there's nothing more exciting than to delve into the mind of a debut filmmaker and watch them see their passion project come to life. I've been