Make This Movie: A Filmmaking Series
16 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsMake This Movie is a serialized 12 episode filmmaking podcast from ShoHawk Media. It chronicles filmmaker Christopher Sakr's journey through producing his feature length film, Counterintelligence. Moving episodically through the entire filmmaking process—from writing and budgeting, to pre-procution, principal photography, through post and release—Sakr chronicles this micro budget production and how Counterintelligence came to be for just under $12,000. Throughout the production's journey, he's helped by his collaborators and friends, who lend their skills and voices.
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For more on Counterintelligence, check out counterflick.com
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Episodes
Ep12: FINALE - Made This Movie
July 24, 2018 07:30 - 40 minutes - 37 MBWe’ve reached the finale of Make This Movie, Season 1. Thank you so much for coming along on the ride to making Counterintelligence. Many lessons were learned throughout the process, most of which were covered throughout the season’s 12 episodes. To highlight the ones that were and insert a few that weren’t, in this episode Chris will go down the list of 12 lessons learned while making this movie—one lesson for each episode. You’ll hear a few statements to back up these lessons from a ...
Ep 11: Release This Movie
July 17, 2018 07:30 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBSeason 1 of Make This Movie is nearing its end, but the season wouldn’t be complete without distribution. Distribution is the place where your film meets its audience; it’s where your baby ventures out on its own and overnight belongs to the world at large. And as with sending a child off on its own, the distribution process is replete with hard lessons and separation anxiety. In this episode, Chris covers the basics: from the heartbreak of the modern festival circuit, through different ...
Between The Frames: Post-Production
July 10, 2018 07:30 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBIn this Between The Frames segment, Chris discusses some specific post-production topics including: The facets of post, from start to finish Doing post from the start Managing the post-production flow Collaboration in post And, the creative post process He covers some best practices to get the most out of each. He also recommends a list of tools and apps that serve the post-production process, from organization to time management and communication. Here they are: Final Cut X...
Ep10: Finish This Movie
July 03, 2018 07:30 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBHaving locked the cut of Counterintelligence, there’s still a whole world of post that needs completion, even at the time of this episode. On the docket: scoring, color correcting, some minor visual effects, sound design, and sound mixing. Our score was composed by the great Noah Simons. Sound was mixed by Mike Elliott, who you’ll recall was also our Director of Photography. Everything else was done by me, and that’s where it got murky. As you’ll hear in the episode, the extended post ...
Ep9: Cut This Movie
June 26, 2018 07:30 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBWe’ve arrived at post production. More specifically, editing Counterintelligence. The editing process was multi-layered, from cutting scenes throughout production as they were shot, all the way up to merging those scenes into a rough cut, and refining into locked picture. Editing is where the film gets made: the final vision takes shape at this almost final step in the process. It’s said that three different films are made throughout the filmmaking process: one on the page, another in ...
Between The Frames: Production
May 29, 2018 07:30 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBIn this Between The Frames segment, Chris discusses some specific production topics including: Filmmaking as jazz Improvisation Knowing your actors personally Asking for input Self-care Problem solving/conflict resolution Being present He covers their importance and some best practices to get the most out of each. He also recommends a list of tools and resources in the form of books, apps, and podcasts that serve the pre-production process, from organization to time managemen...
Ep8: Produce This Movie Pt. 2
May 22, 2018 07:30 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBIn Part 2 of our production episodes, we'll cover shoot days 4-7. These days included a return to the apartment location, a series of offices, a ranch outside of Portland, and more. It also consisted of the biggest blocking challenge on the production, a tense moment, and a lot of laughs. It ended over drinks, food, and general merryment. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethismovie! Click ...
Ep7: Produce This Movie Pt. 1
May 15, 2018 07:30 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBCamera speeds… Sound speeds… Aaaaaand… Action! Counterintelligence has made it to production. All the work we’ve done so far has lead to this point. Production was so extensive we broke it into two episodes. In Part 1, we'll cover shoot days 1-3 of 7. The first two days took place at my apartment and the second was a night shoot outside a brewery in one of Portland’s industrial districts. For exclusive access to documents, guides, and detailed breakdowns, expanding on this and other episod...
Between The Frames: Pre-Production
May 08, 2018 07:30 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBBetween the Frames is a set of sub-episodes wherein Chris probes far deeper into specific facets of each filmmaking stage covered thus far. He explores some important practices, disciplines, philosophies and skills that may have been previously glossed over, under discussed, or all together undiscussed. In this inaugural Between The Frames, Chris discusses some specific pre-production topics including: Balancing Time and Money Organization Communication Negotiation Time Management...
Ep6: Pre-Produce This Movie Pt. 2
May 01, 2018 07:30 - 52 minutes - 47.6 MBWe’ve almost made it through Pre-Production, and the hardest work is yet to come. Micro-budget independent filmmaking hurdles emerged here that taught me lasting lessons. Sometimes, filmmaking isn’t as much a creative endeavor as it is a logistical one. It can be gruelling to plot the minutia in advance and fill out mounds of paperwork, but you feel the benefits once you, the cast, and the crew set foot on set. In Part 2, we'll look at the SAG-AFTRA process, SAG Indie, Production Insu...
Ep5: Pre-Produce This Movie Pt. 1
April 24, 2018 07:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBPre-production is the overwhelming, often monotonous, any essential part of making any film. But especially a micro-budget independent one. It requires diligent attention to detail, communication, and organization. If you pre-produce right, the rest of the process runs that much smoother. Pre-production as a whole is such a dense topic, Make This Movie will cover it in two separate episodes, outside what we've already explored. In Part 1, we'll look at nailing down locations, hiring ke...
Ep4: Cast This Movie
April 17, 2018 07:30 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBCasting is among the most important filmmaking processes, and here the window opens to its nuances. Counterintelligence's rockstar casting director Rachel Meyer takes Chris through what it took to cast this movie, and other films she's worked on. She and Chris take us from how they were put in touch initially, through her review of the script, up to audition days and locking in the film's pitch-perfect cast! The second half of the episode reveals the specific workflow Rachel uses to ca...
Ep3: Fund This Movie
April 10, 2018 07:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBWith the help of former co-producer David Pennington and ShoHawk co-founder Michael Hall, the first half of this episode follows along as Chris unfurls some key attributes of successful film-financing. They explore past experiences, mistakes, and victories relating to both crowdfunding and raising equity finance from investors. Then, Chris synopsizes all the crucial lessons learned throughout self-fincancing Counterintelligence. The second half of the episode dives into the nitty-gritt...
Ep2: Budget This Movie
April 03, 2018 07:30 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBIn this episode of Make This Movie, Chris introduces accomplished producer and ShoHawk co-founder Michael Hall to break down the importance of budget attention and accuracy in independent filmmaking, some common mistakes at every level of the production game, and how to cover a production for unforeseen expenses. Then, Chris dives deep into his own budgeting process for Counterintelligence, including the sheets he used, how he broke down the script, and how he managed to build a budget and a...
Ep1: Write This Script
April 03, 2018 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBIn this first episode of Make This Movie, filmmaker Chris Sakr begins the filmmaking process with the script for Counterintelligence. He traces the story from the initial seed of an idea, through his screenwriting practices, reverse-engineering his script to be made at a low budget, and to his "braintrust"—the close confidants he takes script notes from to polish up the final draft! For exclusive access to documents relating to this and other episodes, sign up and ShoHawk.com/makethism...
Introducing Make This Movie
March 27, 2018 18:24 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBComing April 3rd, 2018, Make This Movie is a serialized 12 episode podcast from ShoHawk Media. It chronicles writer, producer, and director Christopher Sakr's, his crew's, and cast's journey of producing a feature length film called Counterintelligence. Moving episodically through the entire filmmaking process, from writing, to pre-procution, principal photography, through post and release, Sakr will chronicle making this micro budget feature for just under $12,000, with the help of his coll...