Film School
425 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsA filmmaker and a writer tackle the AFI's Top 100 Films and beyond to educate themselves about movies and storytelling. Welcome to Film School!
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Episodes
Annie Hall (AFI Top 100 Films #35)
March 22, 2021 10:00 - 36 minutes - 34.2 MBWoody Allen, by his own admission–and the definition of statutory rape–has sexually assaulted children. This very film contains a reference to such assault. His daughter has reported assault. In at least one other film, Allen plays a character having sex with a child. There’s not really much more to talk about with Woody Allen, frankly, and it’s what we discussed after watching this film for the very last time, ever. How do you separate the artist from their art? Should we even try? The podc...
Annie Hall (AFI's Top 100 Films #35)
March 22, 2021 10:00 - 36 minutes - 34.2 MBWoody Allen, by his own admission–and the definition of statutory rape–has sexually assaulted children. This very film contains a reference to such assault. His daughter has reported assault. In at least one other film, Allen plays a character having sex with a child. There’s not really much more to talk about with Woody Allen, frankly, and it’s what we discussed after watching this film for the very last time, ever. How do you separate the artist from their art? Should we even try? The podc...
How and When to Pivot (Cutting Room Floor #097)
March 18, 2021 10:00 - 42 minutes - 29.8 MBSometimes, slogging through the mud is the wrong choice. Barreling ahead with complete tunnel vision and shutting out any and all other possibilities can be foolhardy and actually hinder progress. So, how do you know when to change course? And when a change is the right thing, how do you do it? Josh and Ira chat about when this has come up in their own lives, and what they've learned from it!
How to Write an Amazing Character (Cutting Room Floor #096)
March 11, 2021 11:00 - 53 minutes - 36.8 MBWrite a character you fall in love with. We've all heard that advice, but HOW DO YOU DO THAT? How can we create a character who feels real, that people will connect with, be thrilled by, want to cosplay . . . you know, the BEST CHARACTERS. This week, we talk about our own tips and tricks as well as our observations of the best characters out there. Enjoy!
How to Pick the Right Story (Cutting Room Floor #095)
March 04, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 28.4 MBHow do you know if you’re writing the right story? I mean, we all know how long it takes to write something, we all know how much effort it takes. It seems like a valid question . . . why this story right now? How important (or unimportant) is it to answer that question? We answer this question for ourselves in this week’s Cutting Room Floor!
How to Write a Perfect Crisis (Cutting Room Floor #094)
February 25, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBA rock and a hard place. The decisions that define the arc of a character, and indeed our own lives. This is the realm of the Crisis, one of the must-have components of a scene, act, story, or even series of stories. Have a great one, and your story will sizzle. Important stuff. So . . . how do we write a good one? Not all decisions are created equal, so how do we make sure we’re really turning the screws on a character? We discuss our own observation and tips!
The Hardest Part of Storytelling (Cutting Room Floor #093)
February 18, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 26.4 MBWriting is hard. Often. Not all the time, certainly . . . writing is hard, it seems, until it’s not. For a while. And then it’s hard again. Writing is perhaps at it’s hardest when it doesn’t happen, when we don’t write. So, what drives you away from the writing? What stalls you out, makes you go in circles? What makes you feel like giving up? Josh and Ira share what it is for them . . . and what they do about it.
How to Write a Great Ending (Cutting Room Floor #092)
February 11, 2021 16:48 - 47 minutes - 33 MBGo out with a BANG! Of the three most basic parts of a story–beginning, middle, and end–the ending probably gets the most attention. A good one will get you the most forgiveness, and a bad one will certainly doom you. That’s a lot of pressure. So . . . what makes a great one? What are some pitfalls to avoid? And what are some heights to reach for? We share our tips, tricks, and observations!
Is it Okay for my Story to Change? (Cutting Room Floor #091)
February 04, 2021 11:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBA left turn. Off the rails. Sometimes, our story seems to have a mind of it’s own, and it changes as we’re writing it, perhaps even dramatically. Is . . . that okay? Or, is that some kind of red flag, a warning that we’re about to get lost in the weeds? That second question is probably just anxiety, and the answer to the first is probably yes. We talk about why this week!
How to Write a Great Middle (Cutting Room Floor #090)
January 28, 2021 11:00 - 34 minutes - 24.4 MBThe dreaded “muddy middle.” That’s a common term amongst script writers and storytellers in general. We all know that if a story is going to bog down anywhere, it will happen in that giant middle 50% chunk of the story. There’s a reason why most manuscripts get about halfway through before they’re tossed in a drawer and abandoned. So, how can we avoid that? How can we make the middle the BEST part of the story? We share tips and tricks on how to do just that!
Art vs. Content (Cutting Room Floor #089)
January 21, 2021 11:00 - 50 minutes - 35.3 MBIn the age of content . . . what makes something "art?" Anyone and everyone can make anything these days. That's objectively wonderful. Inherently, that means there area a multitude of reasons why things are created, what the goals are for those creations, and the function they serve to the audience they reach. Within all that, IS there a distinction to be made between "content" and "art?" If there is a difference, how important is it? And what does it mean for us as creatives/creators?
How to Write a Great Beginning (Cutting Room Floor #088)
January 14, 2021 11:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBStart with a BANG! Hook the viewer/reader! Your story should grab them by the throat! We've all heard the advice on what the start to our stories need to be . . . but just HOW do we accomplish that? What do the great openings that we can think of have in common? This week on the CRF, we do a deep dive on BEGINNINGS.
2021 Goals, Resolutions, and Intentions (Cutting Room Floor #087)
January 07, 2021 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBHappy New Year! What a *YEAR* 2020 was for all of us . . . but the page has now turned. We're no longer in the past. We're living in the future. 2021 is a new year. What do you want to accomplish? What did you do poorly last year and want to do better in the new year? And what did you do well that you want to continue? We're looking ahead, this week on the Cutting Room Floor!
Home Alone
December 21, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBKevin!!! If you're a certain age, this movie defined your childhood. Who DIDN'T want to kick the fam, watch violent movies, eat ice cream all day, and turn their house into a labyrinth of death and defeat the Wet Bandits?! Christopher Columbus and John Hughes are at their family-friendly peak, and made a true Christmas classic that STILL delivers the giggles. And, as we dig in . . . pretty gd airtight execution-wise. Happy Holidays!
2020 Year in Review (Cutting Room Floor #086)
December 17, 2020 11:00 - 53 minutes - 37.2 MB2020: you were a motherf*cker. For real, this year has been an all-timer of a year. It's challenged our perception of what a year even IS. And it's come from all sides: personal, professional, global. 2020 will always be the year of COVID-19 . . . but there's a lot that goes into that. It was also the year of working from home, the year the "industry" changed, the year of the presidential election, changing jobs, podcasting, quarantine . . . just, so so much. We talk about this year for us...
The Bridge on the River Kwai (AFI Top 100 Films #36)
December 14, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBWhat have I done?! Alec Guinness takes a starring turn as the unbreakable WWII Colonel Nicholson. He finds himself as a prisoner of war in a work camp tasked with building the Japanese a bridge over the river Kwai. It's a battle of wits and will for self-respect, cowardice and bravery, and ultimately survival. William Holden also pitches in as the POW-turned commando Shears who returns to the camp he escaped from to destroy what Nicholson is building. It also has one the more iconic marching...
When You're Lying to Yourself (Cutting Room Floor #085)
December 10, 2020 11:00 - 40 minutes - 28.3 MBIf you're anything like me, the voice inside your head that lies is so good at it, it doesn't even sound like it's lying. It sounds calm, rational, confident . . . what it's saying even FEELS GOOD to listen to. But, nevertheless, it's a liar. It's based in fear. And, it's holding us back. So, how on this green earth do we tell it apart from the voices in our head that should be listened to? And when we've recognized the lie . . . how do we not listen to it?
The Best Years of Our Lives (AFI Top 100 Films #37)
December 07, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBComing home can be the hardest. William Wyler flexes some considerable cinematic muscle in this ensemble WWII story of three soldiers who struggle to return to their normal lives after serving in World War II. We have Homer who’s lost his hands and can’t find the will to ask his long-time girlfriend to marry him; we have Fred, who’s married but find himself in love with somebody else; and then there’s Al, who can’t seem to find meaning in his bank job any more. Made in 1946, when each of tho...
How to Level Up (Cutting Room Floor #084)
December 03, 2020 11:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBHow do you know when it's time to level up? And, when you know it's time to take whatever that next step might be . . . how do you take it? How do you break through? Josh and Ira share how they know when that moment comes, and offer their own insights into how to accomplish it. Plus, a couple great recommendations on what to watch. Enjoy!
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (AFI Top 100 Films #38)
November 30, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBThe motherlode! John Huston pairs up with his own father plus Bogart to spin a tale of gold and greed. It was a big influence on Lucas and Spielberg when they were developing Indiana Jones, and it’s based (somewhat) on Huston’s own experience in the Mexican Cavalry. Bogart plays against his type insomuch as he’s definitely not a hero. Be careful what you wish for. It might just be your undoing. Enjoy!
Drawing Inspiration From Where You Live (Cutting Room Floor #083)
November 26, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 22.4 MBHome. How often do our stories start with where we live? Why is that? What is it about “home,” or even when we visit somewhere else and it fires up the imagination? How do we get inspired by where we live? It’s certainly a personal question; how much are YOU inspired by where you live? Does it show up literally in your work? Or is it a step or two removed, bits and pieces in an otherwise alien locale? We dive into drawing inspiration from our surroundings, this week, on the cutting room floor!
Dr. Strangelove (AFI Top 100 Films #39)
November 23, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBGentlemen, there’s no fighting in here! This is the war room! Stanley Kubrick is back on the list, this time with his alternately zany and terrifying comedy (?) Doc Strange(love). Comedic genius Peter Sellers is along for the ride, playing no less than THREE roles, including the repressed nazi titular character. On the docket: nuclear annihilation! But . . . is it funny?
The Dangers of Turning Pro (Cutting Room Floor #082)
November 19, 2020 11:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBA lot of us want to turn pro...but what are the downsides? The allure of "turning pro" is obvious: you get to do what you want full-time and get paid for it?! Omg. That's a no-brainer! And, working the dream job is without question all of that and more . . . but part of that "more" is that there's always a cost to taking something you love and making it your job. Sometimes that cost is more than you expected. This week, we talk about the hidden side of turning pro: the dangers.
The Sound of Music (AFI Top 100 Films #40)
November 16, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 68.1 MBThe hills are alive! This classic team-up of legends Julie Andrews, director Robert Wise, and composers Rogers & Hammerstein is an indelible mark in the history of musicals. We've all heard the songs. We've all seen the precocious Maria twirling and wailing up on that hill in the Austrian Alps. So . . . how does it hold up sixty years on? We get a bit contentious with that question this week on the 'cast! :)
How to Fit in Writing when Life is Crazy (Cutting Room Floor #081)
November 12, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.9 MBLife gets crazy. All the time! And it's never ever going to go away completely. That fantasy you have of getting everything in order and things being just perfect and right is just that . . . a fantasy. The reality is that we have to fit our creativity into our everyday life, and sometimes that can be EXTRA challenging. This week, we discuss how to squeeze in the writing no matter what!
King Kong (AFI Top 100 Films #41)
November 09, 2020 11:00 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBLong live the king! Almost 100 years old, and Kong still BRINGS THE NOISE. It's rather astonishing how much of this movie still delivers the thrills today that it did so long ago. The imagery is iconic. The action doesn't stop once Kong shows up. The visual effects are beyond anything else we've seen from the era, and they STILL PLAY. It's an incredible movie. We have an incredible discussion about it.
How to Get Back Up (Cutting Room Floor #080)
November 05, 2020 11:00 - 44 minutes - 31.1 MBWe all fall off. How do we get back up and keep going? Failure is inevitable, big or small. We all come up short of our goals or expectations. It's a normal part of life, particularly a creative one. So, when that happens, how can we get back to the work and not get lost or derailed by the pain? We discuss methods to get back up on that horse this week!
Bonnie & Clyde (AFI Top 100 Films #42)
November 02, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 66 MBWe rob banks! It was the rallying cry of the counter-culture movement in the 1960s, and the star vehicle that brought us Warren Beatty. Based on the all-too-true story of the Barrow gang and their bloody exploits, this film was a sensation at the time for its depiction of violence and sexuality. We go full outlaw this week on Film School!
Why You Need Breaks and How to Take Them (Cutting Room Floor #079)
October 29, 2020 10:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBBurn-out is real. So, how do you take breaks to avoid it? What does a break look like to you, and when do you need to take them? We all need to take time to re-fill our creative well during the workday, during and between projects, and throughout the year. None of us can go go go and never stop. This week we talk about when we can tell a break is necessary, and we discuss what those breaks look like.
Midnight Cowboy (AFI's Top 100 Films #43)
October 26, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBDo you want to be a dog, or do you want to be a president?
Midnight Cowboy (AFI Top 100 Films #43)
October 26, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBHey, I’m walkin here! Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman star in this gritty portrait of the hustler life on the streets of late-60s, peak urban-decay New York . . . and it’s surprisingly SWEET and full of heart. Originally given the bullsh*t X-rating for its tacit exploration of homosexuality, Midnight Cowboy goes places rarely gone in mainstream American cinema; sometimes for good, sometimes for ill . . . but its beating heart is the relationship between its two stars, and it’s truly inspired d...
Edit As You Go, Or Later? (Cutting Room Floor #078)
October 22, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBIf writing is rewriting--no draft comes out perfect and immaculate on the first try--then WHEN exactly are you supposed to stop writing new words and edit the words you've written? Do you do it while you're drafting? Or do you leave behind the pile of stuff to fix and forge ahead until the draft is finished? This week, we discuss how WE do it!
The Philadelphia Story (AFI Top 100 Films #44)
October 19, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBYou're the golden girl, Tracey! . . . like Bea Arthur! Katherine Hepburn bounces between other legends Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart in this classic romantic comedy. But, does it hold up to modern ideals? Is it a timeless love story? We dive in, this week!
What Keeps You Showing Up? (Cutting Room Floor #077)
October 15, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBWhat keeps you showing up every day, or every week, or even sporadically coming back to something creative over and over? If you've found consistency, why did you find it, and if you haven't . . . why do you keep returning to it every so often? What's in it for you? And how can you use that to get done what you want to get done? This week, we get personal.
Shane (AFI Top 100 Films #45)
October 12, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBYou're a low-down Yankee liar! This week, it's the film that just might be THE prototypical western, the template for so much that followed: the lone gunslinger who rides into town and tries to go straight. In this case, it's Shane, and he's taken in by a family terrorized by cattle owners who want their land. Will Shane stick to the straight and narrow? Or will he stand up for his new family when they can't?
Why You NEED 'Film School' (Cutting Room Floor #076)
October 08, 2020 10:00 - 35 minutes - 25 MBMaster storytellers: that’s what we want to become. So, how are we going to get there? And how does ‘Film School’ factor into that? What exactly ARE we getting out of doing this podcast each week? What is it teaching us? A lot, it turns out. More than we could have possibly imagined . . . AND YOU CAN DO IT, TOO. The act of analyzing movies we love turns out to be a major, MAJOR piece of mastering storytelling, and it’s a blast to boot. That, fellow storytellers, is ‘Film School.’ We need thi...
It Happened One Night (AFI Top 100 Films #46)
October 05, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 98.7 MBThanks, professor! Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert star in the film that put Frank Capra on the map. It incidentally put Columbia Pictures, Gable and Colbert, and the “road trip” / “screwball comedy” on the map, too. A prototypical romantic comedy, this flick has inspired generations of love stories . . . but how does that love story hold up? How has this film aged? We dive into its influence and faults, this week!
Zen and the Art of Longevity (Cutting Room Floor #075)
October 01, 2020 10:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MB"If I was asked 'what was the most important advice I could give an artist starting out,' it would be 'manage your life so that you will feel as good about the industry in fifteen years as when you first began.'" Is that true. If so...HOW do we do that? How do we manage our lives and our work so that we're as excited, energized and inspired as when we began? Is that possible? We talk about it today!
A Streetcar Named Desire (AFI Top 100 Films #47)
September 28, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBHEY, STELLA!!!! Marlon Brando explodes onto the silver screen as the alcoholic, abusive, barbarian of a man, Stanley Kowalski in the seminal play from Tennessee Williams. This play, and then movie, put both of those colossal talents on the map, which is crazy to think about given what household names they became. It all started here. So . . . does it live up to the hype? Why IS this film so famous? Let’s find out!
The Rules Shall Set You Free (Cutting Room Floor #073)
September 24, 2020 10:00 - 24 minutes - 17.4 MBThou Shalt Know The Rules, and the Rules Shall Set You Free. We hear this aaallll the time. But, isn’t that just bullsh*t from people who just want power and authority? Can’t I only be free, be original, be myself if I’m doing things MY way? WHO NEEDS THE RULES?
Rear Window (AFI Top 100 Films #48)
September 21, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBOld pal Jimmy Stewart is front and center to a possible MURDER. He's laid up with a broken leg with nothing to do, and there's a neighbor acting shady as sh*t whose wife is suddenly nowhere to be seen...so does Jimmy just have too much time on his hands? Or is there foul play? It's an absolute classic of a film, and truly Hitchcock at his finest. This week on film school!
What Movie Pissed You Off? (Cutting Room Floor #073)
September 17, 2020 10:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBIt pissed you off. It went beyond just disliking the film, it went beyond being disappointed, it made you ANGRY. What movie pissed you off, and why? What was it about that movie that got under your skin? And what does that have to say about your own creative work? What was it in that film that you were reacting to? This week on the Cutting Room Floor, we get in touch with our fiery side.
Intolerance (AFI's Top 100 #049)
September 14, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBD. W. Griffith may have invented the "blockbuster" with Birth of a Nation, but it was this film with which he invented the epic. Intolerance is 3+ hours of sprawling story covering love, injustice, excess, five time periods, and some of the biggest sets ever created for film. It cost him 2 million dollars to make in 1916 . . . a price tag he never recovered from. It's an epic failure, perhaps . . . but it's still an epic, and one of the most formative feature films in history.
Intolerance (AFI Top 100 Films #049)
September 14, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBD. W. Griffith may have invented the "blockbuster" with Birth of a Nation, but it was this film with which he invented the epic. Intolerance is 3+ hours of sprawling story covering love, injustice, excess, five time periods, and some of the biggest sets ever created for film. It cost him 2 million dollars to make in 1916 . . . a price tag he never recovered from. It's an epic failure, perhaps . . . but it's still an epic, and one of the most formative feature films in history.
Best of the AFI's 51-100 (Cutting Room Floor #072)
September 10, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 20.2 MBWondering where to start with the bottom half of the AFI's Top 100 films? We've got you covered! Before we dive into the top 50, we take a look back at the first 50 films we've watched, and recommend the ones we enjoyed the most, PARTICULARLY the films you may not have even heard of or otherwise may not watch unless you're doing the AFI list. There's some really, reeeaaalllyyy great movies on there. Don't miss out!
Do I Have To Be Poor? (Cutting Room Floor #071)
September 03, 2020 10:00 - 38 minutes - 27.1 MBThe starving artist, locked away in his tenement apartment, not a penny to his name, suffering for his art because that's how genius is made. That's what we all must strive for. Right? That's the only way to create a masterpiece. Right??? Maybe not.
Keys to Consistency (Cutting Room Floor #070)
August 27, 2020 10:00 - 48 minutes - 33.9 MBConsistency is key. Spock would accept that as an axiom. So, if that’s a truth we all agree upon, the question naturally becomes: HOW? How do we do something with consistency? Josh and Ira discuss what consistency means to them, and how they’ve found it in their own lives.
The Muse: Engineering Serendipity (Cutting Room Floor #069)
August 20, 2020 10:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThe groove, the zone, where the work is sublime and it's easy and plentiful and everything is working and we are a GENIUS. Some call it the "Muse." Others call it "Inspiration," or "Serendipity." It can feel otherworldly, like tapping into the power of the goddamn universe. So...IS it magic? Is it something that's entirely out of our control? Or is it something we can create ourselves, something we can engineer? We tackle it today!
Villains: How to be Evil (Cutting Room Floor #068)
August 13, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBWhat makes a good villain? What makes a GREAT one? From understanding that they're the hero of their own story to unpredictability and danger, we examine the villains we love to hate, and what makes us feel that way.