SXSW 2024 may have wrapped up the annual film and arts festival last week, but it's never too late to learn from some of the most creative minds and up-and-coming talents to watch in the industry.
Please enjoy our filmmaker roundup below of the biggest challenges and best advice from the filmmakers of SXSW 2024.
Editor's Note: This is the second of two parts of the filmmakers who replied to our survey. Their responses have been edited for clarity and length. Enjoy!
'Immaculate'Courtesy of SXSW
Elisha Christian (DP) | Immaculate
Challenges:
We shot on location in and around Rome, and most of the locations would not allow any rigging inside. Key grip Tommaso Mele and gaffer Elvis Pasqual were used to this, and came up with ingenious solutions in these locations.One of the most technically challenging sequences was shot in the actual catacombs under Rome. Sydney Sweeney's character is being pursued by Alvaro Morte's character, lit only by a flashlight and a lantern. We had an 8 hour day to shoot the entire sequence, and the first two hours of the day were spent waiting for the equipment to acclimate to the change in climate underground. We had to keep to a skeleton crew, and we also could only be underground for 1.5 hours at a time and then we all had to make our way to the surface for fresh air. The spaces were incredibly tight, and sometimes the "ceilings" were so low anyone over 5'10" might scrape their head.
Advice:
Make as much as you can. Experiment with different techniques and mediums. Help on projects and build your network. You never know where the next opportunity will come from.
Philippe Chrusten (Distributor) | Joseph Rouleau: Final Encore
Challenges:
Emilie Rosas (Director) meets Joseph Rouleau in 2017, hoping to produce a film documentary about his lifework. Indeed, the film director was astonished by the absence of a documentary chronicling the singer’s exceptional career. The project evolves to showcase the numerous archives of Joseph Rouleau using new technologies.The idea is a success, and the project immediately wins the support of the SODEC (in Quebec). Despite M. Rouleau’s death in 2019, the team pursues their hard work to pay tribute to this great man. Completed in 2022, the prototype VR experience reproduces a conversation with Joseph Rouleau, who confides in a touching and intimate way various anecdotes from his life. The narration, reconstructed through several interviews, reveals not only the artist, but also the man behind the image.Advice:
Explore the different possibilities of storytelling.Konstantin Minnich (DP) | KRZYK - Losing Control
Connor Illsley (Director/Producer/Editor) | Last We Left Off
Film making takes a village, it's a beautiful, collaborative act of artistic creation. If you have the courage and the audacity to dream up ideas to be made into movies, make sure you are always setting the example of exactly how hard you can push to make something that aligns with your vision.
Cady Buche & Travis Barron aka Unlimited Time Only (Director & Producer | Little Dragon "Kenneth"
Challenges:
We saw this music video as an opportunity to deploy a bucket of practical effects we had been wanting to try for ages. Gallium, chrome party hats, kinetic sand, candles, and play dough—were all used to build a melty world that the audience could not only get lost in but feel tangible detail on screen.
Advice:
Done is better than perfect! Don't try to make a technically perfect film out of the gate or wait for the ideal resources to get started. Start with easily achievable projects, and steadily release work out into the world while making an effort to improve your craft with each project.
'Live From the Clouds'Courtesy of SXSW
Mackie Mallison (Director) | Live From the Clouds
Challenges:
The subjects of Live From the Clouds (my family) are riddled with anxiety disorders that have prevented them from traveling to find our family in Japan and, at times, traveling outside of their homes. To open the film, we used collage animation to create the visions, memories, and imaginations that have come about because of these constraints.
Advice:
There is always a way. We couldn't get the project funded for years, so in the meantime would fly for free on standby flights, record family conversations on a small mic, and create audio collages to imagine what the project would become. This allowed us to refine the story with richness and seek what we were looking for when we eventually filmed. Oftentimes the constraints are what allow for the best surprises and innovations to bloom.
Nicole Chi (Director) | Los Mosquitos
Challenges:
The main challenge in Los Mosquitos was working with an all natural cast. It was both the challenge and the beauty of the project, but it required for all of us in the crew to be thoughtful about ways in which we could make the set atmosphere a familiar space, and to be able to navigate emotional spaces of vulnerability but at the same time make it fun for the young cast. The majority of the team are Spanish speakers and/or part of a migrant diaspora, and so we were able to have them all connect really well with the actresses and understand their experiences.
I remember our DIT became the "abuelo" (grandpa) of our youngest actress, although he definitely was one of the youngest folks helping out. I think that speaks a lot about the tone we set out to create, although the film is definitely more serious and emotive. We also did some fun things like attend some of their family gatherings and have rehearsals with the heads of department before the shoot, so this allowed us to bond a bit more and remove the awkwardness of a first dry encounter on set.
Advice:
I think my advice would be to surround yourselves with people you trust, and that you know will push you in the direction to make the film better. This might mean you will hear harsh truths about something not working like you intended, and having to figure it out again, but that's part of the transformative process of making a film. And honestly, in my experience, when something like that happens, one has to set the mind to understand that's for the best, and keep moving on. Let nothing stop you!
Susan Park (Director/Writer/Actress) | Lucy & Sara
Challenges:
I would say the main overarching challenge was the lack of resources. We were an eight person cast/crew shooting 45-50 page in eight days. Which meant that everyone (save for sound) doubled/tripled/quadrupled as something else. I.e. actor/camera, actor/AD, actor/gaffer, etc. We lived under one roof and spent every waking minute together. The irony is—that this specific challenge was also part of the magic and also made it easier in a very warped way.
Advice:
JUST DO IT. There's no such thing as a perfect time. Just do it and learn as you go.
Chi Thai (Writer/Director/Producer) | Lullaby
Challenges:
After writing the script, Chi (writer-director) made initial enquiries with production designers about how to go about flooding a basement. Although initially thinking they would need to make a set to submerge in a water tank—costs to undertake this and technical challenges with shooting and lighting meant this was abandoned quickly. After talking to producers who had built their own temporary water tanks in studios we learned this was considerably cheaper and resolved many of the technical challenges around shooting and lighting. This was the route we would forge ahead with.
At this point, Amy Addison was Lullaby’s production designer and costume designer boarded the project. From initially reading the script for Lullaby Amy was both excited and horrified by how many elements were SFX and how we could achieve them within a budget and short shooting schedule.
The most obvious challenge was flooding the basement/boat. Amy researched heavily in very early prep and spoke to as many people with experience in this area and all the SFX folk she'd worked with in the past.
She figured out how to do a basic build that could be flooded and lit, as well as essentially being two sets with only an hour reset. She pre built the set at her workshop and worked with the DP and director to make sure we weren’t making it too big/small/shallow; and then we transported it to a small SFX studio in Buckinghamshire, where the temporary water tank was being built.
Her main building worry was always that even after weighing it down enough that the set would just float away - she had a trust in her extensive calculations (and had all fingers crossed) while the tank was being filled up.
With as much prep as she had, Amy entered into the actually physicality of the shoot: trying to keep floating fish still, make sinking babies sink and chucking an octopus to the actor at the right time was a lot, but, adding on top of that, the pressure your legs experiences when wearing a dry suit in 3 feet of water for hours at a time, it was a massive task physically and mentally.
(We are very happy to report that the timber we used to make our set was entirely repurposed into a large shed at SFX Studio we used to film in too!)
In the house scenes Amy’s main challenges was having a very speedy get in time, in a very narrow space, with a lot of different moving parts. She had made a lot of SFX rigs herself and it was an all hands of deck effort with my small team to be at the monitor, resetting props and prepping SFX. The balloon child was an effect she really loved researching and testing. We wanted to make it feel slow and subtle and magical, and not clunky or comical. She did a lot of tests with different lengths and widths of tubes for airflow and think we managed to achieve the subtly in the movement.
Advice:
Write scripts, make films, find collaborators. Drive yourself to always be making. Celebrate and protect your dearest collaborators—as you stand on their shoulders, film is a shared endeavor.
Talia Shea Levin (Writer/Director/Producer) | Make Me A Pizza
Challenges:
There is a great deal of vulnerability and care that all team members on a set like ours need to show up with every day. Producer Kara Grace Miller and I worked to craft a dedicated team that was not only comfortable with the content, but excited and compelled by it—it’s an enthusiastic consent model that applied to every level of the process.
An extraordinary crew can’t stop every inevitable bit of chaos though - our film lab told us at first that they were unable to process an entire 400ft roll of film because of a “sticky black gunk” on the emulsion side. The roll in question had come off the core in the camera and had to be re-rolled, so we expected some scratches - but no one had any idea where the mystery substance (we SWEAR it wasn’t our cheese cum) came from. Three weeks of panic later and the film came back in bad shape, but there was an image! With some help from many experts, particularly Nicki Coyle at The Negative Space who re-scanned and digitally restored the damaged film, we got it into such good shape that we had to re-add grain in post so it matched the un-damaged footage in the rest of the film.
Advice:
"Trying to make something “good” is the most boring thing you can do. Chaos reigns. Make the thing that you feel like you can’t believe you’re getting away with, and do it with the people you love hanging out with who are more insane than you are. Infuse it with joy, and try to enjoy it all."
'Malta'Courtesy of SXSW
Natalia Santa (Director/Writer) | Malta
Challenges:
"Being a personal story, most important was casting, it took us time to find the right fit of actors, even when shooting had started. The other was location. We wanted the film to have a realistic feel to it and finding a home for Mariana which already was decorated as the character she represented was also paramount. There was always a search for a documentary spirit to the film, where the actors could blend into a real set."
Advice:
"Be patient and kind, your love for film will do the rest."
Liliana Torres (Director/Writer) | MAMÍFERA
Challenges:
"The dog's main character, Cleo, is blind in the movie. And she was, indeed, blind for real. That obligated us to adapt the set to Cleo's needs. For example, once the art design was ready we left the set and Cleo would came with her trainer and sniff around to get used to every corner of the space, because during the shooting she was unleashed. Cleo was also especially sensitive to noise or sound, imagine if a regular dog is already sensitive, when you have a blind dog, that multiplies. So, we had a "silent shooting" during all Cleo's scenes, the only ones allowed to talk were the actors, but for the rest, must be silent. Cleo was also very attached to her trainer, so she would be around the actors feet most of the time to keep Cleo around, too.
Another production challenge were the animations. They were done with animated collage technic. That means that you have to look for thousands of images to work with, find the royalties, process them and pray in order your storage system and software don't crash too often."
Advice:
"I don't know if it will feel inspiring, but I would advice too things. The first one is calm and patience, somehow society has inoculated into us that we have to succeed at 24 in order to have a great career. This is very unlikely and I've seen many people frustrated and defeated because their first movie wasn't a blockbuster or had bad reviews. Directing is a discipline that often gets better while aging. The second advice would be, observe, observe, observe and then investigate to contrast what you've observed. As directors our point of view over our stories is a responsibility, it is our message to society. We must train ourselves in observation of reality and work, as a good journalist would do, once we have our subject or thesis. And then, you are ready to write."
Aidan Erbter (Producer) | Marvin Is Sorry
Challenges:
"For our climactic late night show sequence we knew we wanted Multicam coverage both to add realism to the scene and for scheduling purposes. We had two Alexa Minis with us on the day but wanted a third camera to cover the wide shot. We didn’t know how we were going to get everything at the same time. We were shooting at a public tv station that had Sony HXC-FB80SN studio cameras and our Steadi Cam Op, Douglas Lau came up with the idea of using his monitor to record footage straight off the studio camera. It allowed us to achieve the full Multicam set up we needed and gave us an authentic TV look."
Advice:
"Film School is a great place to meet people, the best thing we all got out of NYU was the connections we made. Not-so-much the actual craft (but we are also all writers and producers)."
Bianca Caderas and Kerstin Zemp (Directors)| Matta and Matto
Challenges:
"We were a small team of five animators. i think the biggest problem, if you could call it a problem, was that we all tried to make it too perfect, too clean. We wanted the lines to be a bit more trashy and wobbly than normal. That was more difficult than expected."
Advice:
"Focus on topics in your films that really interest and move you and not "what people want to see"
'Meat Puppet'Courtesy of SXSW
Eros V. (Writer/Director) | Meat Puppet
Challenges:
"Without wanting to ruin the film, there is a lot of interaction between the puppet, and the cast. If we had millions, you'd build a raised set and hide the puppeteers below it, but we didn't have millions and I wanted to shoot in a real location. So, as you can imagine, we had to get very out of the box with how we made that work."
Advice:
"An idea is the most valuable thing in the universe. If you've got one, remember that and treat is as such."
Kailee McGee (Director/Writer/Producer) | My Idea - YACHT
Challenges:
"The biggest production challenges were that we did not have a lot of money to execute my idea. It's very expensive to do real motion capture, to shoot at real motion capture stages, and use real motion capture suits. So, we decided to create our own version of motion capture. We were in a huge black box room with all of these fake motion capture props and equipment and doing our best to bring in film gear to make the BTS world look rich and real."
Advice:
"Great creativity comes from limitations."
Patricia Franquesa (Director/Producer) | My Sextortion Diary
Challenges:
"Representing myself was a beautiful journey. Portraying someone else, like Sara in Afghanistan for my first documentary, came with a complex set of moral considerations—deciding how much of their vulnerability to reveal was challenging. However, in this documentary, having complete control over how I was depicted felt liberating and inspiring. I encountered no limits except those set by my subconscious.
Throughout the scriptwriting process, Mireia from Ringo Media challenged me to confront my pain more deeply, which was surprising given how much I felt I was already revealing. This introduced a new boundary: my self-awareness. I questioned whether I was sharing too much or if the film was becoming too centered on my experience. It turned into a delicate balance of exercising control and embracing my own vulnerabilities."
Advice:
"EXPERIMENT!!! Follow your heart, love the world, don't use it for your own benefit, be generous, and understand life is bigger than you. Use filmmaking to express your own feelings and touch others hearts."
Bonnie Discepolo (Director) | Neo Dome
Challenges:
"We had to shoot 24 pages of action sequences in three days. So we planned, rehearsed and did extensive story boards to plan and execute the shoot. But on the first day, when we got to set, we weren’t allowed to shoot on the road. The police said we needed to wait two hours and I knew we wouldn’t finish the film if we waited. So I consulted with the DP, Carson Nyquist and pitched that we cheat the shots and shoot in base camp. He agreed that it would work and we set up for the shoot. I don’t think anyone can tell that we aren’t on the road for half the coverage!"
Advice:
"Work in the script. When you think you’re done go back and work on the script more. It takes many many more drafts that you think it will to make it great."
'Omni Loop'Courtesy of SXSW
Bernardo Britto (Director), Ava Benjamin Shorr (DP) | Omni Loop
Challenges:
Bernardo - "In terms of what was unique to our movie, maybe I'd say the hurricane that blew through South Florida while we were filming? The Miami weather in general was always tough because it's so erratic. You can have a thunderstorm one minute and bright blue skies the next. Often times we'd set up a shot and by the time we were ready to call action the entire light had changed. But we mostly got incredibly lucky with rain. Except of course, for the afore mentioned hurricane, which shut us down for a day or two. When I was editing there would be times where I'd be frustrated like, "why did I only get one take of this shot?" and then I'd remember, "Oh right, a hurricane came and we had to hide inside for the next few days." There's a reason people make movies in LA where the weather never changes."
Ava - "There's a scene in Omni Loop where Zoya (Mary-Louise Parker) and her mother visit an exhibit of the last one horned rhino on earth. The director, Bernardo, asked that this exhibit be set at somewhere other than a zoo enclosure —some place that had an architectural or sculptural quality to it. So several months before pre-production, Bernardo, the production designer, and I, started looking for locations which could be a good fit. This search took us to the Miami Seaquarium, through the ruins of the old Crandon Park Zoo, and throughout downtown Miami.
Eventually Bernardo stumbled upon an emptied city fountain which had a massive concrete pedestal surrounded by a dried out moat—which according to him was perfect! The three of us then started to dream up how this would be accomplished in a practical way with the producers. The plan was to comp a real rhino into the fountain in post production.
The hardest things to solve for were 1) finding a real rhino and 2) matching the lighting of a real rhino in an enclosure at a zoo with the lighting we thought we might eventually shoot at many weeks later at the fountain. Ok, there was also the issue of Bernardo wanting a real Rhino to "pose" at certain angles and then look towards that camera so that we could later match its eyeline to Mary-Louise who would be stand at the fountain and make eye contact with it.
After many months of planning, we found ourselves at the Miami zoo filming with Ron Magill, animal trainers, and a beautiful Indian rhino named Akuti! The trainers would get her to pose by dangling large leaves she liked to snack on just out of her reach. She turned out to be both patient and insatiable, which gave us many hours of filming together. The final shot in the film looks seamless and is incredibly unique. I truly don't think I've seen something like it before in a film."
Advice:
Bernardo - "I think my advice would be to prioritize people over movies as much as possible. Both in life but also on set.
All this stuff is really cool and incredible and so rewarding and hopefully it reaches someone who really needs it and it has some effect on the world in some way, but at the end of the day there's very real tangible things that we can already be doing for the people in our lives. So my advice would be to prioritize that and then maybe we can create an industry that's filled with caring people, rather than just ambitious filmmakers and sharky salespeople. I guess it's the classic advice of make stuff with your friends and enjoy the process. And make sure the scripts are good! And cast well! And... what else? Hmm. Watch movies? Always watch movies. Watch old movies. Watch new movies."
Ava "You know you're following the right career path, or working on the right project, when you inactively dream about it via your subconscious thoughts. If you dread going to work on a specific project, or it's a massive effort to get yourself to up to the task of pursuing a job or career, then it's worth questioning why exactly you want to be doing it. Perhaps it's not right for you right now."
Miles Blacket (Director) | Pamilya
Challenges:
Pamilya is a hybrid-documentary filmed with a real group of Filipinas who were originally trafficked to the UK, who now dedicate their spare time to rescuing others who are going through what they did. Originally brought together by this shared experience, the Filipinas are now like a family—they come together to cook, eat, cracking jokes, sharing stories and any concerns. We wanted to show that side of this community, go beyond the typical narrative around survivors of trafficking and take a slightly elevated approach. Yet it's the cast's first time on camera, so we wanted to simultaneously ensure the shooting style, scenes and set felt as undaunting and inclusive for them as possible. This meant keeping things contained, using available light where possible, lighting 360 and making sure we're shooting in a way that allowed them to feel as unconstrained as possible whilst on camera."
Maggie Contreras (Producer/Cam Op) | Preconceived
Challenges:
"We were often in environments where trust between film team and participants was constantly in flux. Because of this, respecting their space and being as nimble as possible while also not sacrificing getting the best shot was challenging."
Advice:
"Buy a camera if you can. It will save you a lot of money on rentals. Sell it after the project if you must. Doc people especially, purchase bluetooth mics with 32 bit float such as Tentacle Track-E and Sync. Hire a sound professional whenever possible but this is a good option for when you have to go at it alone."
Michaela Ternasky-Holland (Co-Director/Producer), Julie Cavaliere (Co-Director/Producer/Co-Creator of Reimagined Series) | Reimagined Volume III: Young Thang
Challenges:
Michaela - "Despite having completed concept art, refined 3D models, working storyboards and 3D models, we had to fully re-create the art style for the project. This created a pressure on our team to move forward with the storyboarding and VO process, while new artwork and models were being created."
Advice:
Michaela - "The collaborative atmosphere that you create for your team will directly show itself in the final version of the project."
Julie - "Just jump in! The great thing about No Film School is that it is an amazing resource and reminds creators that you don't need a degree in order to make a film. The Reimagined series is my first foray into the world of VR.
As a creative, I come from a more traditional film/tv /theater background but was so inspired after first experiencing this new medium that I began to develop an idea that led to this series. Once I found like-minded collaborators and Meta agreed to come on board as our studio and distributor, I had no choice but dive in fully and learn as much as I could by watching other projects, leaning on online resources and seeking advice from experienced creators in the industry."
Alison Tavel (Director) | Resynator
Challenges:
"Most shoots were last minute just because of the nature of a verite 10 year journey. However, we shot down in Colombia for a couple of weeks and that shoot came together just weeks beforehand. I was just going to be flying there myself (not for the project) to go see the Rolling Stones play in Bogota. But right before my trip I learned about this producer who lived in the jungle and might be helpful for my synthesizer project so I got in touch with him and after our chat I knew I had to bring the Resynator to him!
But that also meant I needed to film it. I called up two of my friends (one spoke Spanish luckily) and they last minute jumped on a plane with their cameras and came down with me! We had to hire a local sound person, and we found a local DP so that one of my friends could help produce and be free from shooting. It was all run and gun, but it somehow all worked out and became one of my favorite parts of this journey. And I got to bring my crew and the producer to the Rolling Stones show after all was said and done!"
Advice:
"Do as much as you can yourself—invest your own money (responsibly—don't take out a loan you know you won't be able to pay back) and tell the story you want to tell. So many people told me to use other people's money, but I had never made a film before so no one was willing to invest in that kind of a risk.
Making films is hard—finishing a film is harder. So I had to invest in myself before I could get anyone else to invest. If I had waited on other people's money or waited until I got a grant I would still be waiting. The other piece of advice is that everyone has an opinion on how to make a film—and you should listen to everyone, and then do what you feel is the right move because there is no "one way." I listened to an editor who went to film school and thought a lot of what she said wasn't for me—and then I talked with another editor who never went to film school and she gave the opposite advice, which I am grateful I took.
So trust your gut above anyone else."
Courtesy of SXSW
Katie Mathews (Director/Producer) | Roleplay
Challenges:
"We dove into the process of filming, following an ensemble for over a year without first knowing who our core characters would be. Because of the nature of the project, the majority of our filming time was in a shared space with concurrent theater work and conversation. Following storylines and staying present and tracking all that was happening each day, across a year of rehearsals, was incredibly challenging."
Advice:
"I am borrowing this from Mark Duplass, but it has just been so true for me. The cavalry isn't coming. You—and I would add, your team—are the calvary. And while it can often feel like a Sisyphean task, so much of making films for me is about the relationships, the connection, and the love that emerges in the process. It's not always fun and it's certainly not easy, but it is a truly connected and connective process."
Miranda Kahn (Producer) | "SAY HI AFTER YOU DIE"
Challenges:
"We had to rent heavy duty machinery for our construction scene and couldn't afford professionals to operate them--so I learned how to operate them and did it myself !!!
Also Kate pranked me on set --a LOT :)"
Advice:
"Work with people you LOVE. Trust your gut, do the projects that feel right."
Anne Berry (Director) | Seven Sisters "Rainbow Chan"
Challenges:
"Our music video is a very indie production that was produced by a predominantly self-taught crew (thanks, No Film School!), and also required a large cast of volunteers as well as the participation of one of the oldest villages in Hong Kong. Production challenges included coordinating these moving parts with an ambitious shooting schedule, in the midst of minor village politics."
Advice:
"Every production is a learning experience, no matter the size, and no matter which stage of the journey you’re in."
Freddy Macdonald (Director, Co-Writer/Editor) | Sew Torn
Challenges:
"Sew Torn is about a seamstress (Barbara) who uses her thread—her superpower—to escape a drug deal gone bad. With this, the film consists of many complicated Rube Goldberg-esque thread-driven contraptions.
My Dad and I co-wrote the film—he also produced it—and we were the only people on set who truly understood how these rigs worked. When writing the script we spent hours brainstorming with thread in our hands, cardboard guns, etc. We tried to realize these systems physically. Once we eventually figured it out, we shot the scenes in our living room and sent them to our cast and crew. Eve Connolly, our Barbara, was incredible and practiced as much as she could weeks prior to production. She told me she was shooting her needle and thread dart gun around the house. Her family was terrified!
The film also consists of three separate stories within the greater narrative, and with a schedule that was bouncing from story to story with these thread rigs spread throughout. It was my dad and I's job to remember not only the emotional continuity of each narrative, but the intense physical continuity of every contraption. Luckily our brilliant production designer Viviane Rapp, and our prop master Seline Imhasly both kept us in check."
Advice:
"My number one advice would be to make many, many short films and blast them out to the world. Prior to Sew Torn (the feature) we made eight ‘professional’ shorts (with a very small crew and budget), and before that dozens more narrative 'kid projects' including stop motion films that I will keep forever hidden on a hard drive! But if it wasn’t for these projects - I would never have had the confidence to direct a feature.
And if it wasn’t for making the "Sew Torn" short film—which at the time I had no clue would be a proof of concept for a greater narrative—this feature would never have existed. So keep making shorts. They’re a great way to learn and build momentum."
'Shadoqwtime'Courtesy of SXSW
Ecegul Bayram (Producer) | Shadowtime
Challenges:
"Our behind-the-scenes journey was filled with unique challenges, particularly due to the nature of volumetric recording, which diverges significantly from traditional filmmaking—a background many of us share. One memorable challenge occurred while recording our actress, Rawya, who portrays the character Alma.
In the scene, Alma was scripted to read facts from a paper, incorporating it as a key element in her performance. However, when we processed the footage with Depthkit Editor to convert it into a volumetric format, the paper didn't translate as expected. Instead of a static object, it morphed into an ever-changing white blob, drawing attention away from the performance to its unpredictable transformations. Moreover, this anomaly affected the appearance of Rawya's hands, making them look peculiar and distracting viewers from her dialogue. At the end we decided to do a reshoot and scrapped the paper completely.
This episode really highlighted how unpredictable and challenging volumetric recording can be, giving us a deep dive into the quirks and complexities of the medium."
Advice:
"The landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies and innovations. It's a fantastic time to experiment and discover what these advancements can offer. However, it's equally important to thoroughly understand the tools at your disposal, their materiality. Knowing the strengths and limitations of these technologies can significantly influence your creative process. This understanding is crucial in shaping your unique artistic style. So, embrace experimentation, deepen your knowledge of the technology you use, and remember to share and test your creations with others."
Sam Shainberg (Writer/Producer/Director) | Shotplayer
Challenges:
"This whole film was shot in the subway and on the fly so the challenges were myriad and daily. Too many people on the train, not enough. Maniacs marauding all around us. Moving parts, trains, that we couldn't control. Doing lighting in full train cars Having said all that though the city felt remarkably supportive. I remember one moment in particular when I had to ask an intense looking gentlemen to move for to do our shot and being worried about it. Instead of a confrontation I was met with total enthusiasm from him. He was so into it he began filming us doing our shot! This became a legendary shoot, a happy march through the bowels of New York in the service of cinema itself!"
Advice:
"Just go out there and do it! We had so many fears and challenges to overcome. None small...each day was a discussion of how one little thing or another could kill us... and we just went out there and did it, and somehow it worked and we came home with a film that I think we are all proud of.
Another small piece I would offer, and I know this is a bit cliche, but just keep the faith and stick to your plan, believe in yourself. For instance we had a very hard second half to our first day and I had to dig deep, spend a lot of social capital with my friends, my crew, and say to them this will work! Stick to the plan, it was hatched over many pears, and I believe in it! And so it did thankfully work in the end but you have to be able to do that, to dig in and say, it will work, follow me to the end!!"
Contessa Gayles (Director/Producer/DP/Editor/Writer) | Songs from the Hole
Challenges:
"We made this film collaborating between the barriers of prison walls with our incarcerated protagonist and collaborator on this project, writer James “JJ’88” Jacobs. Between handwritten letters back and forth and one 15-minute phone call at a time over the course of three years, we managed to create the documentary visual album, “Songs from the Hole.” These conditions also led us to an important artistic approach for the film, that James’ voice—via interviews over prison phone calls and his musical performance—and handwriting is how we interact with him in the film. Actors portraying him as a child (Myles Lassiter) and an adult (Devonte Hoy) in our musical and fictional visuals, and archival photos, are the only other ways we experience him embodied on screen. Never seeing him in person on screen is an artistic reflection of the isolating experience of incarceration, and the way we bring the audience fully into his world in spite of this was our way of transcending."
Advice:
"Trust your vision unapologetically—particularly as a creative of color in this industry. Your voice and your lens is worthy and necessary."
Isaac Gale (Director/Producer/Editor) | Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
Challenges:
"The central plot of our documentary is that Swamp Dogg is having his swimming pool painted. We had no idea what went into painting a pool and fixing it up so that it holds water. After our first pool painting was complete, we hired someone who told us we needed to seal the pool before filling it up. They ended up putting so much sealant on top of the painting that the imagery disappeared completely, and the pool painting was ruined.
It took us almost 4 years before we could get the funding together to come back, drain the pool, and repaint everything. There's probably a lesson in there about doing research so that you only have to paint the pool once, or perseverance against the forces of nature or something, mostly we were just really mad about it for a long time."
Advice:
"When editing a documentary, you need so much time to let the good stuff reveal itself. You will think you can do it in 6 months, but it will take at least a year and a half. Also, don't paint swimming pools in the hot LA sun, we did it so you don't have to."
'Tennis, Orange'Courtesy of SXSW
Sean Pecknold (Director/Writer/Producer/Animator) | "Tennis, Oranges"
Challenges:
"Our animated short started during the summer of 2020 and continued off and on until late 2023 when we completed it. The pandemic slowdown both helped and hindered the making of the short. It did allow us some solid breaks of time to focus on creating the sets and puppets, and animation. But also made it tricky to get crew and animators to help on it, because the animation industry saw a big boom during those years here in LA. And because we mostly self-funded the short (except for a finishing grant from the great Rooftop Films), we had to often shut down the production to go make some money to do another sprint of animation or set-building.
It would have been most likely a seven or eight month project if we had had proper funding and crew, but instead it was spread out over a three year period. That is long for a short film, but perhaps not long for an animated short. No regrets though!"
Advice:
"Take time to dedicate to your films even if you're busy with other life or work stuff. There are so many times when it will feel like you should probably just give up. But DON'T. Keep going. Find ways to complete your project. If you believe in it enough to finish a film the way you are envisioning it, other people will too. Keep at those late nights and weekends. The dedication you put into your work will be THE difference in how it stands out and effectively displays your vision, work ethic, and potential for thriving in a crazy industry. Go make stuff, and make it as you wish it to be!"
Giorgio Angelini (Co-Director) | The Antisocial Network
Challenges:
"The smells...the smells from these basements."
Advice:
"Make stuff. Make lots and lots of stuff. Work with lots and lots of people. Learn from them. Be generous. But respect your time and attention. It is precious. Build a community of like-minded creatives. Make stuff with them. And put it out into the world. Don't be precious. Because you'll never know where the next project will lead you. And if you never make anything, you'll never go anywhere. You will find that the best collaborators are the ones who respect your talent and are neither threatened by, nor abusive of it."
Yannick (Director) | The Big Wait
Challenges:
"We once lost a drone in the Nullarbor Plain. This is a completely flat and featureless desert in Australia, no trees, not the slightest hill, nothing, just dry grass and flat 360° around for miles and miles - the entire desert is about the size of Nebraska. This was the landscape in which our film was located and we wanted to get a very high up aerial panning shot of the plain with no roads, nothing. So we had to fly the drone out almost to its limit where it starts to warn you to return home.
But of course we didn't factor in the fact that it was going against the wind on the way back, so it didn't have enough juice to return and it landed automatically somewhere in the treeless plain. So trying to find this drone was now literally like finding a needle in a haystack. And we were in the desert so... no reception. However, about 50 miles up the road there was one spot with 1-2 bars of reception, and we were able to look up the last known coordinates of the drone in the DJI app when we got there. Thanks to another GPS app we had, we were able to basically drive into the plain and then walk to the exact coordinates of the drone, and there it was out of nowhere behind a tiny shrubbery, still pristine and unscathed. It was worth the shot."
Advice:
"Too often other people's advice is too biased towards the way that "they" work... But there is no one way to do things, just figure out how YOU work. Keep making things, practice, practice, practice, and don't care about anything else other than what excites you and follow that."
Zeus Kontoyannis (Producer) | THE BLEACHER & DREAM CREEP
Advice:
"Tell the stories you want to see and don’t follow what’s hot and trendy. Your unique storytelling approach and artistic vision will outshine any movie that we’ve seen 1,000 times before"
Joe Nicolosi (Director) | The Burning Hell "All I Need"
Challenges:
"This is a zero budget music video that's a post apocalyptic love story about robots. Most of the production challenges involved pulling off a huge scale and spectacle on a shoestring."
Advice:
"You can make some really rad looking shit for zero dollars with today's technology. Unreal is a game changer and you don't need Mandalorian money to make use of it."
'The Greatest Hits'Courtesy of SXSW
Ned Benson (Writer/Director/Producer) | The Greatest Hits
Challenges:
"There’s plenty of stories. We shot on location in LA which comes with its challenges. In order to save money and not sacrifice other locations, we shot in my house and on my block for a week. Every location came with its own unique challenges, such as shooting on top of the Sears Building in Boyle Heights, which was pretty much abandoned and getting to the roof was something out of a horror movie. Finding the right beach to shoot at night, which we scrapped and turned into day. House locations that had insanely uneven floors so we couldn’t lay down dolly track. Figuring out how to shoot time travel practically. Clearing music that was germane to the story. Helicopters and city noise that would ruin takes. There were plenty more."
Advice:
"Keep writing, keep shooting, keep creating. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to which project gets off the ground first or at all, which is why it’s important to build as many ideas as you can. Make as much as you can and then keep making."
Yassir Lester (Writer/Co-Director) | The Gutter
Challenges:
"Well, let's say that we started with multiple bowling alleys and lots and lots of extras during pre-production. And by the time shooting started... none of those resources were available to us anymore."
Advice:
"If you're even remotely hesitant-- don't do it. This isn't an artistic undertaking that thrives on too many moments of contemplation or insecurity. As a friend told Isaiah Lester (the other director) and myself-- on top of trying to make the best movie possible and retain your vision, you'll ALSO have to make 1,000 decisions a day. And it's true. It doesn't always work, but you have to have a strong POV and know what you want, because if you lose a minute, that minute becomes an hour down the line.
Now, after that statement you still feel that you can handle it-- good. Because it only gets worse. There's never enough money, there's never enough time, and very rarely will you think "this is all going smoothly". It's not about getting what you want exactly all the time; it's honestly about taking what you have and manipulating it into what you want, and you'll be surprised how much better it can all turn out.
Be kind to every single person on set. They're doing a job just like you and they're probably operating on less sleep than you. Be respectful but keep a tight running ship. Work as if there's even less money than you're working with. Let your mind roam.
And finally, there is ALWAYS a way to make some version of your story. With 30 bucks, 30 thousand, or 3 million. Stories exist because we have thoughts, connections, and visions that need to get out into the world. Don't succumb to financial strain. There's so many free/cheap resources and technologies available now, I promise you can make it happen.
Like this statement for instance; completely written by A.I."
Simon Ennis (Dierctor) | The Hobby
Challenges:
"The Hobby is a film about the surprisingly massive subculture of modern board games. But really it's about people, their passions, their compulsions, their creativity, and the connections they develop and share. It's about what we do with our spare time and how valuable and meaningful that is.
The biggest challenge was to make sure that the film explored and honoured the world of hobby games without getting so lost in the weeds that a general audience would be turned off. I'm a board game fanatic myself but only got into the hobby about five years ago. So I had to constantly remind myself that this was a film for the me of 2018 who had no idea what terms like "worker placement," "min/maxing," "AP," or "meeple" meant. Thankfully, the subjects I met were all charming, thoughtful, funny, and delightful people who audiences can relate to. Their personalities made the movie work. Also, when we were testing the film, I made sure that our screenings were populated with mostly non-gamers. If they could follow everything and felt emotionally engaged, I knew we were OK.
On a practical level, the biggest challenge might have been figuring out ways to film an activity that is 99% people sitting around a table thinking that were dynamic and didn't get tired. For this we employed a bunch of very simple approaches. We travelled almost everywhere with a Dana Dolly so that we could add movement. We shot at 24 and 60 fps depending on the situation. The macro lens really came in handy, as did the super8.
Personally though, my biggest challenge came early on when Jesse and I were filming in Salt Lake City, Utah with a philosophy professor who writes about games. To get an establishing shot of the city, Jesse and I literally hiked up part of a mountain. I get bad vertigo and at a certain point I had to stop and crawl down backwards. We got the shot though and it looks terrific!"
Advice:
"Hold on tight to your taste and intuition... but be nimble and flexible with everything else."
Robie Flores (Director) | The In Between
Challenges:
"The movie takes place in my hometowns, Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras on the Texas/Mexico border, and I think it's actually cool to point out that we didn't have many challenges here, quite contrary to what one would imagine of this place. I felt the freedom of my childhood, where I stretched out into both spaces and could explore and go where I wanted. I also realize that's a unique experience I have to be able to cross pretty easily, so I really appreciate that privilege. And it was also great because since it's such a small community and so friendly, I knew the mayors on both sides and a lot of the people that worked for them so I was always filming on the bridge and in and around the towns with their blessing.
The biggest challenge was actually filming with the teens. I thought we'd seem cool to them and they'd be super excited to film with us but I don't think we were! They just had cooler things going on and high school politics to deal with so it was funny to be waiting on our texts to be answered. But then we'd film and hang out and have the best time. They're all just so cool. But yeah, that felt like the biggest challenge! Understanding teenage dynamics again."
Advice:
"I asked this question to someone whose work I admired - I had been having a hard time getting anyone to trust me to shoot or edit something. And I asked him, how can I get more work? How can I break in? And it's a little bit annoying and simplistic but he was like, "Just shoot" and I was like thanks, great advice. Cause of course that requires you to have a camera, and I got lucky inheriting my brother Mars' camera, but eventually when I started the film, I had my own thing to shoot, my own work to edit, and that's all I ever wanted.
So I just shot, and I just cut my own things and it was the dream footage I got to work with because cause I got to choose. I've also learned that from my husband who is also a filmmaker, Bill Ross and my brother in law Turner, that they always just shoot little things they want to see and so they shoot it and make it happen and it's so cool. You want to see a Murder She Wrote spinoff with a young aspiring writer living in the French Quarter in New Orleans that happens to solve a murder mystery during the chaos of Mardi Gras? Just shoot it on your phone with your family and cut it on your laptop! And then you have treasure.
And collecting your own work builds your creativity and develops your muscle. It's the best thing you can do for yourself as an independent filmmaker. To just try things and make little things for yourself cause that's the best way to learn. It doesn't have to be perfect, because eventually when you're making the big thing, it will be perfect. We're so lucky that film is easier to break into and we have that at our advantage. My other bit of advice is that don't worry about having the best camera. A good story is a good story no matter what it's shot on. No old movies were 4k and we still love them all."
'The Queen of My Dreams' Courtesy of SXSW
Fawzia Mirza (Director/Writer) | The Queen of My Dreams
Challenges:
"A big issue we had was getting insured. And as we know, you can have every piece of a movie, but you can't start production without insurance. The companies we spoke with all said that filming in Pakistan was too high risk because there was flooding. But those floods were in an entirely different part of the country. It would be like saying there are forest fires in northern California therefore you can't shoot in Hollywood. We eventually got one company to insure us, and we are super grateful. We paid a premium for it, though. It reminded me that at even the most benign steps along the way, communities of color continue to be disproportionately affected by these kinds of rules and systems."
Advice:
"Find something outside of the industry that keeps you grounded about who you are and your self worth. Build relationships. Be kind to everyone. Be patient -- with yourself, your writing, finding your team, finding your reps. Give yourself grace if something doesn't go as planned. Sometimes your dream will come true in a a totally unexpected way than you imagined; just be open to it and receive."
Emil Lozada (Director) | The Queen Vs. Texas
Challenges:
"During production, my wife was nearing the end of her pregnancy with our first child, and my co-director's child was two, making this project pretty challenging for both of us. Our baby was born just as we started editing, and I spent many nights at 3am trying to piece together footage with the baby wrapped around me in a sling. I don't think I ever fully appreciated just how much easier working on projects was without kids!"
Advice:
"When starting out as a filmmaker, acquiring a diverse skill set is crucial—learning the ins and outs of writing, directing, shooting, editing etc. A good understanding of these roles contributes to your development as a well-rounded filmmaker. As you refine your craft though, it's important to assemble a team of people who excel in their specific roles. Surrounding yourself with driven and passionate collaborators, each skilled in their unique field, is an undeniable catalyst for elevating the quality of your work."
Emma D. Miller (Director/Producer) | The School of Canine Massage
Challenges:
"Dogs can be hard subjects for a documentary! They don’t know what a camera is and sometimes they want to sniff it, or you, the second you get close—and you can’t exactly explain to them that you’re not interested in breaking the fourth wall in your project. Fortunately, by the second or third day of class, all of the dogs were so relaxed that they pretty much ignored our crew as we moved around the space."
Advice:
"I’m an advocate for pursuing projects that are actually fun to make—whether that be in terms of subject matter, collaborators, approach, or, ideally, all of the above. You want to WANT to work on it! The School of Canine Massage was truly a delight to make, and I’m hopeful that’s now translating to the experience of viewers."
Michael Felker (Director/Writer/Co-Producer/Co-Editor) | Things Will Be Different
Challenges:
"The BTS story for production was like most other features that had not enough time or money and had dealt with unforeseen circumstances: it was a lot of perseverance. When we had Covid-related shifts, winter storm shutdowns, lost locations, uncertainty from a last minute SAG waiver approval, we had to put egos aside, make the smartest decisions we could for the benefit of the cast and crew, while still making a fun a movie we all are very proud of. Looking back, even when getting into SXSW, I'm still thinking the same thought as we did when we shot our first day: "well... so far so good" haha."
Advice:
"Keep making things. I've always learned from making mistakes while shooting. The more you make and create things, the more you'll not only become a better filmmaker, but the sooner you'll find your unique voice as a storyteller."
'Timestalker' Courtesy of SXSW
Alice Lowe (Director/Writer/Actor) | Timestalker
Challenges:
"We shot seven different time periods over 22 days."
Advice:
"Write something that lends itself to a quick shoot."
Sam Cutler-Kreutz (Director/Writer/Producer) | Trapped
Challenges:
"Our film has a gigantic prop (3,000 rat traps) that was quite a challenge to overcome. We did a lot of camera testing, trying to understand at what distances you could make out the difference between an actual rat trap or some kind of fake trap. We ended up R&Ding a fake trap made from printed and folded heavy stock paper that served for most of the wider shots. We ended up using about 800 real rat traps for the closer shots."
Advice:
"Just put the work in. Thats all it takes. Take the time to write a good script, take the time time to produce it well, take the time to edit it well. There isn't a rush, the only bad outcome is that you make something you're not proud of because you threw in the towel. Don't stop working until it's good."
Adebukola Bodunrin (Director) | We Are Not Alone
Challenges:
"Figuring out how to laser etch onto film that was repeatable and reliable was challenge that i figured out through trial and error."
Advice:
"Keep making stuff, even if its bad. You have to make a make a lot of mistakes to make something good."
Anu Valia (Director/Writer) | We Strangers
Challenges:
"We filmed in Indiana and Illinois, and it was a blessing to film in my hometown. But of course, there were all sorts of challenges on this film--as always, it's budget and time. There are too many stories to share here, unfortunately. But if you see me, stop me, and I'll tell you one."
Advice:
"Listen to your instincts, watch a lot of movies, read even more. If you are curious about something, then move towards that. Making a movie is a great way to turn over the biggest questions you have about our life on this planet."
Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu (Director) | We Were Dangerous
Challenges:
"I want to say "everything" but that sounds dramatic. We mostly shot on location and I have to say the weather was very challenging. We were blessed with mostly sunny dry days, but it was winter on an exposed peninsular in the South Island of New Zealand. We were battered daily with ice cold winds coming off Antartica. We had to reschedule some of the scenes because of high winds. On those windy days I felt like I was mostly a cheerleader for our teenage cast, getting them up to location, telling them how great and amazing this was going to be, and lying to them that the scene would be really fast (sorry). It does look beautiful, and the actors are incredible. But I've never been so cold in my life, I felt it deep in my bones."
Advice:
"Watch as much as you can. Steal like an artist. Apply for everything. Celebrate the yeses, because rejection will be common and frequent (but not personal). Trust your crew and your actors. Follow your gut. Be kind."
Melissa Joyner (Writer/Director/Producer) | Young Thang
Advice:
"Say Yes!"
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