Just Shoot It: A Podcast about Filmmaking, Screenwriting and Directing

Aaron Pagniano https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3142582/ talks about their new micro-budget feature film "It Needs Eyes" and they share secrets to overcoming hurdles when you don’t have a ton of money to play with.

Matt and Oren get a lot of info, like how much money you really net when you raise, say $60,000 on Kickstarter. As well as the secret to affording 35 mm film stock and a Panavision when your budget is limited.

Aaron’s big on building a crew that is excited to work within the budget. And they’ve learned a lot about writing the script to your budget and skillset. And if you’re trying to get your film distributed, Aaron has some insight into shady sales agents and distribution companies and all the ways they will get your film in and cheat you out of the upside and reward.

Find Aaron at https://www.formidablefilefilms.com/ and on IG @formidablefilefilms
Help Matts' film: https://wefunder.com/badfeeling
Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod

Matt's Endorsement: Chris Gethard on "The Vulture" podcast and the nature of DIY and punk rock ethics in comedy, and there's no longer a middle class of comedy.
Oren's Endorsement: The Original Proper Popper Silicone Microwave Bowl and "The Pitt" on HBO
Aaron's Endorsement: Colorado Gators & Reptile Park https://www.coloradofunguide.com/colorado-gators-reptile-park/
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As directors, we live a very atypical work life. And Carlyn joins Oren and Matt to clear the air about some frustrations they all share about producers and crew who just aren’t meeting the grade.
In any given year, a working director will interview for 150 commercial opportunities and land 20 or so. So while the rest of the world applies for 150 jobs and gets scores of interviews, and lands a few offers for employment for several years, a director interviews a ton to get 20 jobs that maybe last 1 week each.

So it’s all about client service. Getting asked back (i.e. repeat business). Not getting bogged down fixing yesterday’s shoot, and having it impact the next pitch you’re working. And, doing the little things that make clients really enjoy working with you.

With stiff competition from other directors, who you choose to be on your team is critical to creating work you feel good about and making sure there’s time to do the job 100% awesome.

So what about those people you’ve known forever, but just aren’t bringing the level of work you’ve come to expect from them – whether DP, cam op, production designer, producer, or even PA? How do you let them know? You certainly don’t want to be a d**k, and you’re aware of their feelings, but what’s the best way to get the truth in the air? And how do you know when to move or split up?

This episode is an open door on the complaining that’s usually private. And it’s also the episode with solutions for you as a director, producer, DP, or any crew member on set or off.
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Help Matts' film: https://wefunder.com/badfeeling
Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod

Matt's Endorsement: Chloe Zhao "Hamnet" Dance Tapes
Oren's Endorsement: The Original Proper Popper Silicone Microwave Bowl
Carlyn's Endorsement: The Peanut Ball spine massager. And Fage Greek Yogurt with grapefruit, pistachios, and a touch of flake salt.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt and Oren spend some time figuring out how to be a normal human being in a world where there’s so much that isn’t normal anymore. We’re way past the new normal!!

Like, can you really pitch a potential client on how much you love their toilet paper while your family can’t travel and worry about the next round of incoming missiles?

OK, as a commercial director or a filmmaker in general, you know this time of year is slow. Heck, it’s tough enough as it is. Never mind the endless opportunities to accidentally getting caught in the doom scroll of seeing how much everyone else is on set when it seems like all your opportunities are on hold.

It’s a weird time, Matt points out. Like, there are families of actors raising money on GoFundMe. And these people had careers on shows and films where, it used to be, the residuals were to die for. But now in 2026, who is making money in the business of LA and Hollywood?

It seems you’re either working your a** off, or marketing yourself to get the next gig. (read as… working your a** off in a non-fun way). And at the end of the day, is there ever time to let your brain work as it should (or rather rest as it should), so you can truly be creative??!

If you’re looking for ways to stay inspired, creatively, or for energy to simply keep in the game, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!
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Help Matts' film: https://wefunder.com/badfeeling
Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod

Matt's Endorsement: In Gmail, in the url replace "inbox" with "sub" and you can see all the bulk mail you are signed up for.

Oren's Endorsement: Trader Joe's Thai Style Yellow Curry Potato Chips.
"Night of the Seven Kingdoms", part of the Game of Thrones world, and sequel to the "House of the Dragon"
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Sarah May Bates https://www.sarahmaybates.com/ is an AI director, and she’s been getting lots of work! And Matt and Oren dive deep into how she makes that happen. She’s joined by actor Susan Song.

Sarah has a clear line for AI usage. And it comes down to what are you in this for? Do you love the organic aspect of filmmaking and discovery, where what you plan isn’t always what you get? Like, in a good way.

Because if you’re not, you might prefer the robotic precision of AI.

But be careful of being tricked into believing that’s what brands want, especially the top brands you want to work for.

At the end of the day, Sarah believes human oversight is at the core of what creatives do. Like, why would you want to have AI write your script, or even your email? That’s what you do, and that’s what makes you who you are!

Here’s the golden rule: if the medium is leading, then you are failing.

What does that mean? Don’t fall into the trap of creating AI for the sake of filling the request. Instead, Sarah recommends letting the creative work find what it wants to be!

This is the episode you want to hear as an actor, filmmaker, or anyone in the industry looking for some sense of purpose, foundation, and compass for what’s happening in AI!
Connect with Sarah at https://www.yaywithme.com

Connect with Susan on IG @sujjang012

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Help Matts' film: https://wefunder.com/badfeeling
Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod

Matt's Endorsement: Send Help https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8036976/
Nick Lutsko's song for the Manscaped Super Bowl Commercial https://www.local3news.com/local-news/update-chattanooga-artist-nick-lutsko-composes-song-for-national-super-bowl-commercial/article_dd5d9cd0-9c5a-4565-a1af-1dfe3d1ffdda.html

Sarah's Endorsement: The UPA Cartoon "Rooty Toot Toot" https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-70th-anniversary-of-rooty-toot-toot/

The documentary on the animation company UPA https://www.cartoonbrew.com/documentary-2/animation-mavericks-the-forgotten-story-of-upa-documentary-258284.html

The book "Bird by Bird", by Anne Lamott https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/97395/bird-by-bird-by-anne-lamott/

Susan's Endorsement: See the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere, in Las Vegas

Oren's Endorsement: @stuffaboutadvertising on Instagram

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Natasha Kermani talks about casting Sophie Turner in her latest film “The Dreadful” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30842022/ and it’s amazing how she connected with Sophie and demonstrated why this project was a great fit for her trajectory as an actor.

But when Matt and Oren dig into the details of the one thing Natasha said in her letter that sealed the deal, they get a big surprise.

This is a great episode that explores Natasha’s love for the details, discovering Cornwall, and finding the right combinations of textures, imagery and dialect to tell this story. With Kit Harington and Marcia Gay Harden also on board, this was a film that had to deliver. And Natasha shot it in just 18 days.

Finding the right connection with a DP to make such a tight schedule work, without having to panic, can be tricky. And Natasha talks about how she never threw out the shotlist, but always stayed committed to rewriting each day, to keep the creative work intact with the vision.

From specialized dialects developed just for this film, to finding locations to which she specifically wrote scenes of the film, it’s an amazing story of an auteur at work. And through all of this she brought her daughter into the world, and you get to see her on the pod!

This is the episode that shows great work can be done while raising a family in LA. Yes, you too can find the time to make family and work as a filmmaker a lifestyle!

Find Natasha on IG @natakerm

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Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod

Matt's Endorsement: Italian Paperclips from Dell'era Giuseppe https://www.delleragiuseppe.com/en/stationery/paper-clips/

Oren's Endorsement: Get a DIT who will upload to iCloud as you go without waiting til the end of the shoot.

Natasha's Endorsement: KUSC classical radio https://www.kusc.org/ and just listening t o the radio in general.

Chuck Kinnane's Endorsement from last time: Riehle's Select Popcorn https://www.selectpopcorn.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.