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When is Harsh Criticism Appropriate? Mumblecore's Joe Swanberg Boxing His Toughest Critic, Literally

09.25.12 @ 10:48AM Tags : devinfaraci, filmmaking, independentfilmmaking, indiewire, joeswanberg, mumblecore

Whatever your opinion of Joe Swanberg, and his contributions to the “mumblecore” indie movement, the guy is prolific, having directed over a dozen feature films in less than 10 years, and a total of six in 2011 alone. While he’s got his defenders, there are many detractors, and he got the chance to fight it out in a boxing ring at this year’s Fantastic Fest with one of his strongest critics, Devin Faraci, who is the “Badass-In-Chief” at Badass Digest. Swanberg’s argument against the harsh criticism is certainly food for thought, but first, check out him pummeling Faraci. More »

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Writer/Director Andrew Bujalski On Selling Out, 10-Year Retrospectives and 7th-Grade Influences

09.8.12 @ 2:17PM Tags : andrewbujalski, listen, mumblecore, nerdistwriterspanel, podcast, screenwriting, sellingout, watch

The Nerdist Writer’s Panel podcast, hosted and moderated by Ben Blacker, typically focuses on television writers. Since NFS focuses primarily on film, I haven’t featured this podcast here, but highly recommend it as a lot of fantastic narrative writing is happening in television today. In a recent Nerdist Writer’s Panel podcast, however, Blacker and his guest (and friend from seventh grade) writer/director Andrew Bujalski discuss how to make a living as an independent filmmaker today and over the past decade. During their wide-ranging conversation, Bujalski touches on the economic need to sell out, the tenth anniversary screening of his first feature film Funny Ha Ha, and the influential films of his youth. More »