Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

Each week, filmmaker Noam Kroll shares valuable insight into the world of micro-budget filmmaking, geared towards true DIY filmmakers looking to get out there and create their own films.

Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking is a tv podcast hosted by Noam Kroll, with 284 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Noam Kroll hosts Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking, a tv show with 284 episodes published.

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  Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

  PODCAST: How a $7K Film Beat 28 Festival Rejections and Landed the LA Times, Palm Springs, and a Nationwide Theatrical Run - With Joe Burke

  Sep 18, 202658 min

  In this episode, I'm joined by filmmaker Joe Burke, back on the show to talk about his micro-budget feature Burt.Over the past year, Burt won Best Comedy Feature at Cinequest, Best Picture and Best Ensemble at Phoenix, was the opening night film at Anchorage, and landed a slot at Palm Springs International. It also got a full feature in the LA Times, was taken on a year-long theatrical tour, and is now being self distributed. Burt was shot in seven days for $7,000 with a three person crew, in black and white, no stars, built around a real street musician with Parkinson's. It was finished at the end of 2023 and then rejected by 28 festivals over roughly 14 months, including places where David Gordon Green, the film's executive producer, personally emailed on its behalf and got nothing back. Throughout the episode, Joe is candid about how close he came to leaving LA, and about the moment he stopped waiting on gatekeepers and went around them - ultimately finding success on his own terms. Topics covered include: Making a black and white feature in seven days for $7,000 with a three person crew 28 rejections in 14 months, and what that does to you Why an executive producer like David Gordon Green still guarantees nothing Renting a 400-seat theater instead of taking a festival slot How the LA Times story came together, and what it unlocked Cold emailing theaters for 50/50 rev share with zero upfront cost Custom trailers, posters, and flyers cut for each individual venue 50 waiver emails, 25 yeses, and why follow-up is the whole game What the run actually returned: audience and credibility, not reps Getting into the DGA, then leaving his agent and manager at 30 Owning the film forever instead of selling it Much More! Links from the show: Burt - Official Site Joe Burke on Instagram Joe Burke - Official Site Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday

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  Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

  Directing Charli XCX With No Crew & Playing Sundance, SXSW And TIFF In One Year With Pete Ohs

  Sep 11, 20261h 13m

  In this episode, I'm joined by filmmaker Pete Ohs for his third appearance, and there's a lot to catch up on. Since we last spoke, Pete made Erupcja , a feature starring Charli XCX that he shot in Warsaw with no script, no crew, and the same Canon 5D Mark II running a Magic Lantern raw hack he's used on every film in his process. The film premiered at TIFF, in a year where he also had The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick at SXSW and Obex , which he co-wrote, shot, and edited with Albert Birney, at Sundance. Throughout the episode Pete tells the full story of meeting Charli at 3am in a Lower East Side bar with Jeremy O. Harris just before Brat came out, and how the project survived Brat summer to shoot three months later, right before her world tour. We get into why he pitches actors an experience rather than an idea, how his "don't care" philosophy kept the stakes low even with a global pop star on board, why he finally signed with a manager, and how he wrote his first script in years using the exact same process: two weeks in a friend's backyard, three scenes a day, all in the Notes app. Topics covered include: Meeting Charli XCX at 3am with Jeremy O. Harris, weeks before Brat Pitching actors an experience instead of a script Shooting every film on the same 5D Mark II with a Magic Lantern raw hack Why "don't care" is baked into his process, even with a pop star on set Having three films on the festival circuit at the same time Spotting the carrot on a string and not chasing false opportunities Why he signed with a manager now and not years ago Writing a feature in two weeks, three scenes a day, in the Notes app The simple math behind his 70 to 80 minute features Everyone should make movies, but not everyone needs to see them Being honest with yourself when your film isn't getting into festivals Working through the top ten festival deadlines and letting sales agents handle the rest Intuition as a director's most important skill, and how to train it daily His new Patreon as a virtual DVD special features hub Much More! Links from the show: Pete Ohs on Instagram Pete Ohs on Patreon Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday

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  Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

  4x Grammy Nominee Grace Potter On Making DIY Music Videos & Performing With The Rolling Stones

  Aug 27, 20261h 9m

  In this episode, I'm joined by four-time Grammy nominee Grace Potter to talk about her new record Trespasser, the microfilm series she built alongside it, and the long road back to the film career she walked away from at nineteen. Grace left film school to become a rock star, signed to Disney in 2005, and wrote the song that closes Tangled, but she never stopped writing screenplays or thinking like a filmmaker. Her way back in started with a music video she wrote and directed herself, and she's been shooting ever since. Throughout the interview we get into her guerrilla approach to production, why she's trespassed on more locations than she can count, and what Mick Jagger taught her about instinct you have to earn. Topics covered include: Leaving film school to become a rock star Signing with Disney and writing the song that ends Tangled How songwriting and screenwriting use the same muscle Why the first idea is usually the right one Directing her first music video, and the broken rib that followed Guerrilla shooting, trespassing on locations, and working fast Trusting the goosebumps as your creative compass The Viper Room pitch that launched her film career What Mick Jagger's silver jacket says about preparation and instinct Auditioning actors instead of musicians to build her band Why she chose microfilms over another music video Much More! Links from the show: Grace Potter - Website Grace Potter - Album & Micro Series Links Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday

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  Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

  Landing The GREEN DAY Movie "Nimrods", Rescuing "Coyote Vs. Acme" & Building A Fan Owned Studio With Legion M

  Aug 12, 20261h 3m

  In this episode, I'm joined by Legion M co-founders Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan to talk about the new Green Day comedy Nimrods , hitting theaters August 14, and how the world's first fan-owned entertainment company ended up behind it and Coyote vs. Acme after three years on the shelf. Jeff and Paul break down a model that doesn't exist anywhere else in Hollywood. Over 60,000 people now co-own Legion M, with an average investment of $500 and a minimum of $100, and they've raised roughly $30 to $35 million across the studio, individual films, and their new film fund. As Jeff puts it, their entire existence has cost less than the first ten minutes of a Marvel movie. Along the way they financed the William Shatner documentary in four days with two emails, produced My Dead Friend Zoe with Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, and co-released Fackham Hall with Bleecker Street. We also get into the business realities most filmmakers never learn: why the group of people green-lighting projects narrows every year, and why your movie ultimately boils down to its trailer, title, and key art. Paul walks through the New Year's Rev to Nimrods title change, and tells the story of pitching Green Day on a Comic-Con panel only to be told that punk rock bands don't do panels, which is how Billie Joe Armstrong ended up performing from the roof of an ice cream truck while the band threw ice cream at the crowd. Topics covered include: How a fan-owned studio works, and why it has advantages Getting to 60,000 investors one at a time, and the goal of reaching one million The three ways to invest: the studio, individual films, and the film fund How Legion M polls its community to decide which projects to pursue The community response that pushed them toward Coyote vs. Acme Jeff's contrarian take on David Zaslav and the shelving decision Why they went after Nimrods and Obsession out of TIFF, and what happened The title change and the marketing balancing act around a Green Day audience The Comic-Con activation with Billie Joe Armstrong and the ice cream truck Why distribution should be the first thing a filmmaker thinks about, not the last Jeff and Paul's definitions of a great director Links from the show: Legion M - Website

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  Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking

  Writing A Shudder Horror Feature In 10 Days & Making A Micro Budget Paranoia Thriller With Michael Moreci

  Jul 31, 20261h 17m

  In this episode, I'm joined by writer, director, and bestselling comics author Michael Moreci, whose reentry into filmmaking came in the form of Revealer, a single-location horror film set in a 1980s Chicago peep show booth. He wrote the film in about ten days and it later premiered on Shudder. Since then he's co-written and co-directed the heist comedy Holiday Hold-Up, written on Syfy's Revival, and continued a long career in comics on series like Barbaric and Dick Tracy.Throughout the episode we get into the discipline that lets you write a feature in ten days, why he thinks directing is mostly pre-production and post, how the crew community at Flyover Studios in Illinois has become the lifeblood of everything he makes, and the hard lesson that the second film is harder to get made than the first. Topics covered include: Writing Revealer in ten days and more or less shooting the first draft Why a thorough outline is what actually lets you write fast Wearing the writer hat and the director hat, and why you can't wear both at once Splitting one narrative feature between four directors, one per character Clarity of vision as the thing that makes every on-set decision easy How an abandoned Air Force base became Flyover Studios Building a crew community that stays, grows, and moves laterally What writing for a cable series taught him about what he doesn't want Why comics training makes you fast, economical, and better at editing Somehow holding the Dick Tracy comic rights, and the value of just asking All of this and much more on today's show! Links from the show: Michael Moreci on Instagram Tessellation official site Revealer on Shudder Flyover Film Studios Barbaric from Vault Comics Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday

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