Tag Archive for: cinematographer

13: Alex Ferrari – Founder of Indie Film Hustle, Bulletproof Screenplay, and Ask Alex

Summary

A true renaissance man of film, Alex Ferrari worked his way up through the ranks from the bottom to become an award-winning director and writer, as well as a producer, editor, colorist, cinematographer, podcast host, consultant, and all-around indie film guru. His commitment to making the art of indie filmmaking accessible and relatively inexpensive to the masses has garnered a massive following of dedicated fans worldwide. He can often be found on the guest list as a speaker at any number of film and media events, and his films have screened at festivals around the globe.

In addition, Alex Ferrari is the creator of the Indie Film Hustle website and podcast. He has also created the podcasts Bulletproof Screenplay and Ask Alex, and has recently launched Indie Film Hustle TV, which is a fantastic resource for filmmakers on the internet.

Show Notes

[2:06] Alex’s background

  • Born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, raised in NY, living in L.A. for the past ten years
  • Full Sail Film School
  • Inspired to create a guerilla film school on DVD to make it affordable for lower-budget filmmakers in order to give back to the film community  

[6:42] Alex’s take on the value of film school, then and now

[11:11] Connections that filmmakers make and their value

[12:27] Alex’s experience with his first job as a tape vault operator, and how he got it

[13:50] Building his first demo reel

[17:06] How Alex discovered that he was meant to be his own boss

[18:05] How Alex made his first director’s demo reel

[19:15] Going into business for himself

[20:06] How Alex got into color correction and a brief history

[21:52] Jumping on the Red bandwagon, and adding more tools to the toolbox

[23:13] “You always ask for forgiveness, not permission… you just gotta hustle, you gotta be bold.”

[24:20] The highs and lows of Alex’s career

[26:49] Alex’s take on the allure of the film industry

  • The sizzle of the American media industry
  • Discussing the Indie Film Boom
  • Advances in technology and the next generation of filmmakers

[36:21] Building your entire business on someone else’s platform

[37:25] The history of Indiefilm Hustle and Alex’s olive oil “odyssey”

[45:43] Alex’s initial motivation and plan for developing Indie Film Hustle

[51:31] The benefits of having your own podcast

[54:02] How Bulletproof Screenplay was born

[58:27] The art of curating guests according to Alex Ferrari

[59:40] The exploits of Faith Granger

[1:05:02] Alex’s favorite podcast episodes:

[1:09:44] Indie Film Hustle TV and how people can get involved

[1:12:28] Alex’s typical work day

[1:19:06] The top ten books that will change your life… (see Links & Resources)

[1:13:32] Maintaining a balanced life

[1:21:35] Who would benefit from watching Indie Film Hustle TV? What kind of content is available?

[1:25:08] The best piece of advice Alex has ever received…

[1:32:35] ”I’m super happy making small, little independent films that mean something to me, mean something to my audience.”

Links and Resources

Be sure to check out podcasts with other great guests in the film and media industry on our DMP Podcast Page!

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14: Kent Youngblood – Film Director, Producer, Writer, and Cinematographer

Summary

Kent Youngblood has over twenty years of production management experience with commercials, network promos, digital content, and photo shoots. He spends his career crewing, scheduling, budgeting and location managing for production companies such as Paramount, Viacom, Herzog & Company, and High Noon Entertainment. Kent helps create commercials for clients like Audi, Ford, Coors, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and Verizon. He helps create promos for networks such as Disney, HBO, and Starz. You may have seen his work on properties such as the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, CNN, ESPN, and CBS Sports.

In addition to making commercials, Kent is a film director, a producer, a writer, and a cinematographer. His films have screened at numerous festivals worldwide, garnered notable media attention, and won the coveted Golden Remy for Best Experimental Film at Worldfest several times. Those films were Patriot Dreams in 2003, and Wonder City in 2004.

Show Notes

[1:29] Kent’s biographical background

[2:20] How Kent got started

[8:15] Where Kent is now in his career

  • Discussion about the challenges of being a commercial producer
  • “What is a producer? Well, with regard to television and film, it’s really a creative project manager. There are some creative sides to it, but you are really organizing a project. But having said that, there are ten different designations of producer in film and video.”

[10:25] Defining the roles specific to a line producer, especially in the Colorado market

  • “That’s what really excites me about it [being a line producer] — it’s just trying to figure out how to creatively solve an idea.”

Kent Youngblood on the track

[13:18] What is the difference between a commercial and a promo?

[13:59] What is your ideal scenario when a client comes to you with a project?

  • Explanation of the advantages of a script, a creative brief, a mood board
  • Why it is necessary to have these things in advance for planning, procurement, and scheduling

[18:05] Retrospectively, what do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?

  • “The journey is made me who I am today.”

[22:11] What is required to be a PA?

  • “Are you willing to start at the bottom to be in this industry?”
  • “… filmmaking is not a solitary enterprise. It’s a collaborative environment. You have to work with people, and a lot of times you’re going to be working with people that have more skill sets than you do,  at least initially.”

Kent Youngblood and crew

[27:01] What is your take on the value of a tribe, and networking?

[30:32] How do the other sides of your project help you with your business?

[33:11] How do you make a living here in Denver?

[37:19] Lions and talent and children, oh my…

[41:06] How did you get your work initially and how has that evolved to get most of your work through referrals?

[43:40] Advice on dealing with slow times in the business

[50:31] What are your favorite kinds of projects? What are your favorite kinds of clients?

[53:46] When things go wrong…

[55:17] People Kent looks up to and why — Gale Anne Hurd, producer, The Walking Dead; Richard Burton, actor, Cleopatra; Joel Pilger, RevThink;  Steve Urbano, director/producer

[58:45] Discussion of how to deal with issues, particularly working with  location scouts

[1:00:39] Literature to influence and inspire

[1:02:29] Best pieces of advice from Kent, and his philosophical perspective

[1:07:14] Kent’s biggest lesson

 

Kent Youngblood behind the wheel

Links and Resources

 

Be sure to check out podcasts with other great guests in the film and media industry on our DMP Podcast Page!

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