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
What is the Dream? (Cutting Room Floor #034)
November 21, 2019 11:05 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBWe all have (at least) that one big dream, the one that is hard to even think of because we want it so much. It’s scary to talk about something we’re afraid we’ll never get. But it’s also important. SO important. So this week…ya boys talk about that big, scary stuff that they really, really want. More than anything. The BIG dreams.
Cabaret (AFI Top 100 Films #63)
November 18, 2019 11:05 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBMoney money moneymoneymoneymoney! It makes the world go round! Liza Minelli and Bob Fosse dominate this late-period musical about love, nazi's, and a divey cabaret bar that echoes the ecstacies and miseries of growing up. It made Minelli a star, and it cemented Fosse as one of the greatest directors to ever work in musicals. This week on Film School!
The Joy is the Thing (Cutting Room Floor #033)
November 14, 2019 11:05 - 23 minutes - 16.6 MBWe draw from Rachael Aaron's "2,000 to 10,000" this week, a book that's ostensibly on increasing productivity. For Ira, however, it cut much deeper recently, and it turns out that one of the central tenants in Aaron's book is kind of THE thing: Joy. Excitement. Inspiration. Whatever you want to call it; it's the key to everything. Buckle up: epiphanies are ahead!
Network (AFI's Top 100 Films #64)
November 11, 2019 11:05 - 56 minutes - 52.6 MBI'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more! Paddy Chayefsky's script is the real star of this bonkers film. It starts out very conventionally: an aging, depressed news anchor and his equally aged and depressed producer are being pushed out from their network. But when the anchor announces he's going to kill himself on air, things get crazy...and then crazier and crazier. This film is a SCATHING indictment of the news-as-entertainment culture we live in to this day, and what it ...
How To Quit (Cutting Room Floor #032)
November 07, 2019 11:05 - 23 minutes - 16.9 MBYou'll only fail if you quit. We've all heard that advice. And oftentimes, that's good advice. But...what if quitting was not only okay, but absolutely crucial to success. Knowing when and what to quit is one of the most important things to learn in life. This is a big topic, certainly not one that can be covered in a single episode, but Ira recently went through an experience that taught him a lot about the UPSIDE to quitting, and Josh asks him to talk about it.
The African Queen (AFI Top 100 Films #65)
November 04, 2019 11:05 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBBogart and Hepburn star in this epic John Huston flick that was filmed ON LOCATION in Africa, something that was quite incredible for the time. It's WWI, the Germans are invading, and our two plucky heroes decide they need to take down a warship with a 6lb gun all by themselves...and fall in love along the way. The titular "African Queen" steals the show as the run-down river steamer, a boat that had historic reverberations at none other than Disneyland. It's high jungle adventure this week ...
What Does 'Show Don't Tell' Really Mean? (Cutting Room Floor #031)
October 31, 2019 10:05 - 24 minutes - 17.5 MBYou've probably heard of the storytelling advice 'show, don't tell.' It's one of the most important things to keep in mind when telling a story. But, what does that REALLY mean? And WHY do we need to do it? Josh and Ira dive into that this week, including a very unique perspective on this common axiom that comes from their background as actors. We got you covered. Enjoy!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
October 28, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBCan you ever go home again? Spielberg, Ford and Lucas were game to try 20 years after making the last Indiana Jones film, which also wraps up our brief vacation from the AFI Top 100. The band was back together, but could the music ever be the same? That became the question at the heart of this film for Josh and Ira, and the analysis over how they fared, what worked at what didn't, was fascinating indeed. We get critical and existential, this week on Film School.
Quality vs Quantity: How Do I Improve the Fastest? (Cutting Room Floor #030)
October 24, 2019 10:05 - 30 minutes - 21.7 MBShould I create as much content as I possibly can? Or should I take my time to make each project as good as I'm able? It's the age-old question of quality or quantity, and it's age-old because there is no easy answer to it. We all want to be as good at our art as we possibly can be, and it can be confusing how to get there...and how that confusion and anxiety can in and of itself be unhelpful. Ya boys discuss their own answers to these questions this week on the Cutting Room Floor.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
October 21, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBI TOLD you, don't call me Junior!!! After the mixed reviews of the last Indy film, Spielberg and Lucas reached back to pull from Raiders...and the results are incredible. Adding Connery as Jones Sr really puts this one over the top and it's arguably just as good as the first one. Once again, we have to stop the Nazis, and this time they're after another biblical macguffin: the Holy Grail. Doesn't get much more mystical than that. A return to form is always so satisfying. We discuss, this week!
Gear Talk: Filmmaker and Author Edition (Cutting Room Floor #029)
October 17, 2019 10:05 - 31 minutes - 22 MBWho doesn't love gear?! Equipment. Software. Electronics. Notebooks. Pens. All the tools of the trade and the creature comforts we all use to film or write or photograph or brainstorm...it's just so fun! This week, ya boys talk about what gear they use to write, film and edit. From cameras to writing software to headphones to where we write out our ideas and dreams, it's all here. Enjoy!
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
October 14, 2019 10:05 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBHey lady, you call him DOCTOR JONES! If Temple of Doom does *one* thing (and it actually does much more), it gives us Short Round. If you saw this movie as a kid, who didn't want to be Indy's best friend and helper? Temple is definitely problematic. It doesn't hold a candle to Raiders...but how much did we just miss Indiana, and how fun are some of the set pieces? Mine car chase? Yes please! So, how good or bad really IS Temple? We watch and discuss. AND...here are the pics of Josh's 20-so...
How Do You Handle Feedback? (Cutting Room Floor #028)
October 10, 2019 10:05 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBJust don't panic cry, Josh. That's what our dear McClenney tells himself over and over whenever he receives feedback...and it's no different for Ira. Feedback is hard. It's haaaarrrrddddd. Our creative work is so personal to us, we work on it so hard, and for someone to tell us that it's not perfectly perfect feels...well, PERSONAL. But listening to and applying feedback is THE THING that separates the masters from the amateurs. So, how do we reconcile that? Ya boys tackle it this week. It's...
Raiders of the Lost Ark (AFI Top 100 Films #66)
October 07, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBIndy, why does the floor move? OMG. This movie needs literally no introduction. It's the classic supernatural adventure story that gifted us all with Indiana Jones, arguably Harrison Ford's best character (Han, stop looking at us). He's an archaeologist Bond set in the mid-30s, an era of time where mysticism abounded and the ancient world was still being discovered, un-buried, and looted for its powerful, cursed treasures. Nazis! Creepy-crawlers! Temples! Old Testament! ROMANCE! Raiders of t...
Cliffhangers! How To Keep Your Audience (Cutting Room Floor #027)
October 03, 2019 10:05 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBHow do you write a pageturner or a movie that you can't turn off? Cliffhangers. Pure and simple. Cliffhangers keep the people coming back for more. So, how do we apply that idea to our stories? We use the wonderful article from Ruth Harris this week to talk about this underrated and misunderstood tool, and it's kind of blowing our minds. But, you'll have to listen to learn the secrets... :) Please check out Ruth's original article here: https://annerallen.com/2019/08/7-rules-cliffhanger/
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (AFI Top 100 Films #67)
September 30, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 59 MBI swear if you existed I'd divorce you! Elizabeth Taylor and real-life, several-times-divorced husband Richard Burton are positively on fire in playwright Edward Albee's explosive family drama. Nothing is off-limits for these two, including chewing up and spitting out a hapless young couple. Secrets! Lies! Adultery! Alcohol! So, soooo much alcohol! It's all in one terrible, crazed night on this episode of Film School!
Imposter Syndrome: How Do You Deal With It? (Cutting Room Floor #026)
September 26, 2019 10:05 - 19 minutes - 18.7 MBImposter syndrome is the self-limiting belief, in whatever form it may take, that we are just not good enough. It's insidious how it can show up in our everyday and creative lives. This week, the boys dive into how Imposter Syndrome manifests in their personal lives, and what they do to combat it.
Unforgiven (AFI Top 100 Films #68)
September 23, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBIt's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Clint Eastwood stars as the aging, reformed, tea-totaling killer Bill Munny who's forced into doing one last job. Morgan Freeman rides along side him, with Gene Hackman in a fantastic turn as the savage town sheriff. It's a film that aspires to examine the soul of a killer. Does it succeed? And just how torched will the sheriff's town be when Eastwood gets his huevos back and goes back to his old ways? You'll just have to watch and listen to find out!
The Gap Between Taste And Skill According To Ira Glass (Cutting Room Floor #025)
September 19, 2019 10:05 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBIra Glass has a very famous sound snippet about a fundamental aspect of becoming really good at something that no one ever tells you when you're starting out: that your taste, for a long time, is going to far exceed your ability. That gap can be crushing, because we know that our work isn't good. This week, we talk about that gap, what it feels like, and how we can CLOSE it. Watch the original video sound byte here: https://youtu.be/91FQKciKfHI
Tootsie (AFI Top 100 Films #69)
September 16, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBIt's one nutty hospital! Dustin Hoffman tucks and dons the wig for an iconic performance as Dorothy Michaels/Michael Dorsey, a down on his luck, unemployable actor. The only problem: he falls in love with his co-star, who has no idea who he/she really is. What's funnier than a man in drag, right? This week, we examine the performances of a truly stellar cast (Jessica Lange! Bill Murray! Gina Davis!), question the reality of the situation, and dive in on how has this movie aged in the nearly ...
Don't Sleep On Outside Validation (Cutting Room Floor #024)
September 12, 2019 10:05 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBSelf esteem comes from within. We're always hardest on ourselves. We all know this...but outside validation is absolutely crucial to even the hardiest of souls. We all need loving, supportive, positive people in our lives. All of us. This week, Josh and Ira talk about how validation helps them, and who provides that support. Who validates you? Who doesn't? And what effect do those people have on you and your creativity?
A Clockwork Orange (AFI Top 100 Films #70)
September 09, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBClear as a unmuddied lake, Fred. This week, ya boys tackle the disturbing, dystopian classic from Stanley Kubrick. Center stage is Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge, a teenager who's main pastime is rape and murder. Have no fear: society has a new fix for people like him. It's psychology to the rescue...or is it? Fair warning: this movie is a tough, graphic, intense watch. BUT...does it have something profound to say? And how well does it say it?
How Can Meditation Help My Writing? (Cutting Room Floor #023)
September 05, 2019 10:05 - 33 minutes - 31 MBIra's recently had a breakthrough with his writing process, and meditation is smack dab in the middle of it. Josh wants to know how. This week, we talk about when to meditate, how it's different than just zoning out or taking a nap, and how it can impact creativity in powerful, positive ways.
Saving Private Ryan (AFI Top 100 Films #71)
September 02, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 59.5 MB"Tell me I'm a good man." Spielberg's war epic stars Tom Hanks as the leader of a company of WWII soldiers tasked with tracking down a man they've never met so they can send him home. It features some truly spectacular battle footage that arguably hasn't been equaled to this day. It also features some performances that are impossible to forget. It's nearly 3 hours long, so buckle up, and let's try to answer the question of just what we're doing out there fighting, and what would make it wort...
Numbers, Updates, and Changes? (Cutting Room Floor #022)
August 29, 2019 10:05 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBIra digs into the numbers behind the ratings we've given the first quarter of AFI's Top 100 films and what they might mean about us, both the boys give updates on what they've been working on for the past month or so, and they consider the question of whether or not they're putting too much content behind the pay wall of Patreon for these early days of building the podcast. It's a packed full episode this week! Enjoy!
The Shawshank Redemption (AFI Top 100 Films #72)
August 26, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBMorgan Freeman and Tim Robbins star in arguably the most popular movie of all time. ALL TIME. It's been #1 on IMDb for the past twenty years! It has an all-star cast, an eminently quotable script, wonderful music, and perhaps above all...a happy ending. So, let's all get busy living or get busy dying, and see if we can figure out just why this movie is so stupendously popular!
Has the AFI's Top 100 Improved Your Storytelling? (Cutting Room Floor #021)
August 22, 2019 10:05 - 18 minutes - 42.8 MBJosh asks Ira if watching the AFI's Top 100 movies has improved his storytelling yet, and Ira asks him the same question right back. In a nutshell: yes. For both of them. But how?
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (AFI's Top 100 Films #73)
August 19, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBRobert Redford and Paul Newman star in the film that arguably made them icons as the shoot-from-the-hip, tight-lipped Sundance and the worrying, scheming, talkative Butch. The chemistry is undeniable. The script sizzles. The vistas are breathtaking. The capers are a hoot. And our two leads embody a bygone era where men were free to be free. And criminals. Definitely criminals. So, let's take the plunge and talk Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.
How Do I Start A Writing Routine? (Cutting Room Floor #020)
August 15, 2019 10:05 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBIra recently realized he didn't have a writing routine, a habit of working on his WIPs every day. So, how can he start one? And how can he KEEP one? Both of the boys talk habit forming and share their daily routines in general and discuss how both of those things can be leveraged to create a writing routine. This week on the cutting room floor!
The Silence of the Lambs (AFI Top 100 Films #74)
August 12, 2019 10:05 - 56 minutes - 52.7 MBHello Clarice. Anthony Hopkins turns in the performance of a lifetime as the cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter, as does Jodi Foster as FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling in the film that has defined the Thiller genre for a generation, and perhaps more. So, what makes this MORE than just a crime story? And why does it still rise above other serial-killer thrillers that have come after it? We bite in, this week!
How Do We Balance Creativity and the Day Job? (Cutting Room Floor #019)
August 08, 2019 10:05 - 26 minutes - 25 MBWe all have bills to pay. But how do we work full time week in and week out and still get our creative work done as well? What KIND of job allows us to do both and not get burned out? Josh and Ira have been in this situation for most of their adult lives, and we dive into some of what we've learned over these past 15 years or so. This week, on the Cutting Room Floor.
In The Heat Of The Night (AFI Top 100 Films #75)
August 05, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBThey call me MISTER TIBBS. Sidney Poitier is an absolute badass and he pairs beautifully as the black master detective stuck with Rod Steiger as the racist local cop to solve a murder. This film takes twists and turns that neither of us were expecting. Plus, Josh shares his near-miss playing "County Ball" on a recent film shoot. High drama! This week, on Film School.
What Is An Elevator Pitch? (Cutting Room Floor #018)
August 01, 2019 10:05 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MB"You gotta have an elevator pitch!" How many times have we heard this as a storyteller? Omg. All the time. But what actually IS an elevator pitch? Both of us didn't even know ourselves until very recently...and it's actually an amazing technique by which to understand our own projects, let alone communicate them to someone else. We cover it all, and even pitch each other with our own projects. This week on the Cutting Room Floor!
What is a Love Story? (Cutting Room Floor #010)
July 29, 2019 10:06 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBBONUS! For our Patreon supporters each week, we also release an episode of the Cutting Room Floor which cover topics from personal updates to storytelling deep-dives to general Creative Life tips and how-tos. We thought we'd share one of those episodes this week with the main podcast. This week: the Love story genre. What is Love? Baby, don't hurt me...and we *won't* hurt you, I promise, as we take a deep dive this week into the Love Genre. What makes a Love story? Why do we tell them? What ...
The Apartment LIVE!
July 29, 2019 10:05 - 2 hours - 119 MBBONUS! Get a taste of the content we feature each week on our Patreon. This week: The Apartment, from 1960. There are so many great lines from this movie, and you can hear from the recording just how much we loved watching this movie. A must-listen on the "live" side of things! That's just the way it crumbles, cookie-wise. If you enjoy what you hear and you'd like to help support the show, head on over to patreon.com/filmschool
What Movies Give You The Warm Fuzzies? (Cutting Room Floor #017)
July 25, 2019 10:05 - 20 minutes - 19.3 MBWe all have those movies that just make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. They feel like home. This week, the boys talk about those movies for them, Josh's self-imposed project to watch more of them, and how these special stories can keep us all inspired. What are YOUR warm fuzzy movies???
Forrest Gump (AFI Top 100 Films #76)
July 22, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBLife is like a box of chocolates, folks; you never know what you're gonna get. Tom Hanks plays the titular character in a film that defies traditional story structures and genre conventions. At the beating heart of this examination (and critique, perhaps?) of the US in the 60s and 70s is Forrest's undying love to Jenny. But that's about where 'conventional' and Forrest diverge, never to return again. Amazing cast, wonderful sweeping score, glitzy photography and a soundtrack that DOESN'T QUI...
Sometimes it just takes a while to Click (Cutting Room Floor #016)
July 18, 2019 10:05 - 24 minutes - 23.1 MBWe try new things all the time. New ways of doing stuff. Be better organized. Be more efficient. Work smarter, not harder. Most of the time, though, it doesn't stick. Well, maybe that's okay. Maybe that's NORMAL... Maybe it just takes awhile for things to click sometimes, and it's the things we keep coming back to try that are worth waiting for. This week on the Cutting Room Floor!
All The President's Men (AFI Top 100 Films #77)
July 15, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBIt's the story of how Richard Nixon's presidency came to an infamous end: Watergate. Intrepid (god, I love the word 'intrepid!') reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein doggedly pursued the truth at the risk of their own lives and careers, and they're our heroes on this thrilling historical drama that takes us break by break in the early days of this unprecedented scandal. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star. It's taught, fast-paced, and features scenes out of real life that are stranger...
How To Finish! (Cutting Room Floor #015)
July 11, 2019 10:05 - 21 minutes - 20.3 MBHow many times have you started something and not finished? How many times do we ALL just jump out the gate on something creative and we have all that wonderful energy and enthusiasm, and then in what feels like the blink of an eye...it's been weeks, months or years and we haven't touched it? You're not alone. We've all been there. But, we don't have to be. Josh and Ira ponder whether there's a better way; the difference between not finishing...and crossing that blessed finish line. Th...
Modern Times (AFI Top 100 Films #78)
July 08, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBCharlie Chaplin is on point this week with one of his most beloved appearances as the The Tramp. He can't hold down a job for his life, he's getting strapped into a homicidal auto-feeding machine, and he's doing blow in jail! What's not to love! There are truly some breathtaking sequences in this classic silent film, and Chaplin flexes his performance muscles that might just make you forget it's a silent film in the first place. Plus, it's the movie that brought us the timeless ballad "Smile...
The Wild Bunch (AFI Top 100 Films #79)
July 01, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBIf any of them move, kill 'em! Our first Western on the AFI list is a bloody, gritty, corker of a bandit heist flick. It stars William Holden, whose star power was waning at the time, along with Ernest Borgnine and his iconic gap-toothed smile, and some truly EPIC action sequences that forever changed movies. It's also one the very first R-rated films in history. There are no heroes in this one. Mount up.
How do we apply Genre to our Writing? (Cutting Room Floor #013)
June 27, 2019 10:05 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBOkay, so we've gone through each of the different Genres of story. Great. But how do we actually APPLY that to our own writing? We use Josh's current work in progress as a launching point, discuss his super power hearing for police sirens, and break down the creative and vs mindsets. All this week on the Cutting Room Floor!
The Apartment (AFI Top 100 Films #80)
June 24, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 62.5 MB"That's the way it crumbles, cookie-wise." Jack Lemmon and Shirley McClain star in this absolute gem from writer/director Billy Wilder. One of the movies that defined the Romantic Comedy genre, it features two leads at their absolute peak, and a script that doesn't quit. Shut up and deal, boys and girls; this week on film school.
All The Stories We Tell: The Content Genres (Cutting Room Floor #012)
June 20, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 69 MBWe conclude our dive into the fundamental story types we tell by by going over the remaining external Content Genres of Horror, Crime, Western, Performance, Thriller, Society, and War, and the remaining two internal Content Genres of Status and Morality. It's a lot of information, but don't worry: the rubber meets the road in applying these structures. So just sit back, listen, and use the resources for these over at storygrid.com
Spartacus (AFI Top 100 Films #81)
June 17, 2019 10:05 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBI'm Spartacus! No, I'm Spartacus! No...WE are SpartacALLofus! :) We hit our second sword-and-sandal epic of the late 50s / early 60s. This one is directed by a very young Stanley Kubrick and stars Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier. Sweeping vistas. Epic battles. Scheming Romans. Over three hours? This one has it all. Let's see what all the fuss is about!
The Worldview Genre: A Hero's Journey (Cutting Room Floor #011)
June 13, 2019 10:05 - 46 minutes - 43.4 MBOur deep dive into the story content genres continues with what might be THE MOST important, ubiquitous internal genre in human history: the Worldview story. It's the foundation of the Hero's Journey from the *character's* point of view, and it's the foundation of many (if not most) character arcs in life and in fiction. After all...stories are about change, aren't they? Roll up your sleeves, and let's dig in!
Sunrise (AFI Top 100 Films #82)
June 10, 2019 11:05 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBConsidered by many the greatest film of the Silent Era, Sunrise is a German Expressionist poem of a marriage on the rocks. It brings the visuals, helter-skelter sets, melodramatic performances, a sweeping score, and symbolism galore. It's the first silent film on the AFI's top 100, and it's this week on Film School!
Titanic (AFI Top 100 Films #83)
June 03, 2019 11:05 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBI'm the King of the World! This week, we dive into James Cameron's epic-in-the-classic-movie-sense love story. It made both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet a star, and it features one of the most spectacular disaster sequences ever put to film. But does the spectacle hold up? Is the love story an eye-rolling tear-jerker for teenage girls? DID JOSH AND IRA CRY??? Find out, this week on Film School...
What is an Action Story? (Cutting Room Floor #009)
May 30, 2019 10:05 - 58 minutes - 54.4 MBJosh and Ira take a deep dive into the Action Story Genre. What makes an Action Story? And how similar is it to the Hero's Journey...or perhaps even the SAME THING? We go deep, this week on the Cutting Room Floor!