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Category: Current Events

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Spike Lee’s Advice: Follow Your Passion

In a recent podcast on The Craft of the Director with the Director’s Guild Spike Lee gave lots of insight into the emergence of his career and how he has found success.


Lee emphasized several times that it only takes one person to inspire somebody and to ignite a spark within them that begins their creative journey. As a young man, a teacher of Spike Lee’s expressed to him that he believed that Lee should become a filmmaker. Once he fully realized that was the direction he wanted to go with his life, everything fell into place, and an intense drive and ambition came to be.


According to Lee, we all have individual gifts and talents we can offer, and once we decide on a path, everything will begin to make sense. As long as you are following your passion, everything else will fall into place.


Lee’s last piece of advice is that as a creative, you cannot put limitations on yourself and what you are capable of creating. Tell stories you are drawn to and passionate about. Don’t be afraid to explore and get outside of your comfort zone.

Listen to Spike Lee’s full podcast with The Director’s Guild Here

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FireFly lane (2021) review

Synopsis: Tully and Kate meet as young girls on Firefly Lane and become inseparable friends throughout 30 years of ups and downs. First episode date: February 3, 2021 Network: Netflix Program creator: Maggie Friedman Executive producers: Maggie Friedman, Stephanie Germain, Katherine Heigl, Lee Rose, Shawn Williamson, Peter O’Fallon My Review: After watching the first few episodes of this series, I was not sucked into…

by Cinematic Geekster

Alien(s) (1986) Review

Synopsis After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds…

by Cinematic Geekster

Alien (1979) Review

Synopsis In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and…

by Cinematic Geekster
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Sofia Coppola: Characterization and Relatability

In a recent podcast with The Treatment, Sofia Coppola discusses her newest film, “On the Rocks,” starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones.


One of the things the podcast heavily focused on was the characterization of the two main characters and how relatable they are to everyday life. The film follows a father and a daughter having martinis and discussing the relationships between men and women from two very different perspectives.

There is something in this film for everybody to relate to on some level and in the podcast, Sofia Coppola expresses that even herself as the director relates to the characters of the film on an emotional level.
The actors were encouraged to bring a little bit of themselves into the role and to play off of that. This creates these very real dynamics that the characters can expand upon in the film. As an audience member watching a film with heavy ties to reality and relatability, it makes it much easier to connect with the film on an emotional level.

Listen to Sofia Coppola’s Podcast with The Treatment Here

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Countdown To Christmas! The 5 Best Holiday Films

There is no shortage of Christmas movies in the world. Here is my list of the 5 Holiday films I find myself gravitating towards every year. 1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) It’s a Wonderful Life is a film that I did not appreciate at all as a kid. It’s my dad’s favorite Christmas film,…

by Cinematic Geekster

Spike Lee’s Advice: Follow Your Passion

In a recent podcast on The Craft of the Director with the Director’s Guild Spike Lee gave lots of insight into the emergence of his career and how he has found success. Lee emphasized several times that it only takes one person to inspire somebody and to ignite a spark within them that begins their…

by Cinematic Geekster

Lucas Hagar: The Influence of NArrative Storytelling on Documentaries

In a podcast with Film Riot, Lucas Harger talked in-depth about his filmmaking process as well as the creative cross between narrative film and documentary filmmaking. As a filmmaker, Lucas has been successful in crossing between editing both documentary and narrative stories to produce unique and creative content. According to Lucas, being able to create…

by Cinematic Geekster
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Lucas Hagar: The Influence of NArrative Storytelling on Documentaries

In a podcast with Film Riot, Lucas Harger talked in-depth about his filmmaking process as well as the creative cross between narrative film and documentary filmmaking. As a filmmaker, Lucas has been successful in crossing between editing both documentary and narrative stories to produce unique and creative content.

According to Lucas, being able to create documentary films has significantly improved his narrative work, but it does not go the other way around. In both of these forms of film, you have to uncover a specific story from the heart, and they demand a fluid ability of storytelling. However, in a documentary film, the director almost always functions as the writer and editor as well. All in all, this strengthens the directors’ creative voice and gut instincts.


Everything about documentary filmmaking is reactive, and having such power over a more broad area of the film allows for the fine-tuning of one’s storytelling ability.

Listen to Lucas Harger’s full podcast with Film Riot Here

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Sofia Coppola: Characterization and Relatability

In a recent podcast with The Treatment, Sofia Coppola discusses her newest film, “On the Rocks,” starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. One of the things the podcast heavily focused on was the characterization of the two main characters and how relatable they are to everyday life. The film follows a father and a daughter…

by Cinematic Geekster

Samuel L. Jackson: Career Reflection

In a recent article with IndieWire, Zack Sharf wrote about the impact shooting ‘The Hateful Eight’ had on Samuel L. Jackson. While receiving the Legend of Cinema Award at the 2020 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Jackson took the time to reflect on his professional career. Jackson states that his relationship with the cast members from…

by Cinematic Geekster

ava duvernay: tips on being an effective director

In a recent podcast with The Director’s Guild, Ava Duvernay sat down to discuss her tips of the trade on being an effective director. Ava’s biggest piece of advice is to know yourself as a director, including your limitations as a director. Knowing what you are and are not capable of creates a more effective…

by Cinematic Geekster
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Samuel L. Jackson: Career Reflection

In a recent article with IndieWire, Zack Sharf wrote about the impact shooting ‘The Hateful Eight’ had on Samuel L. Jackson.


While receiving the Legend of Cinema Award at the 2020 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Jackson took the time to reflect on his professional career. Jackson states that his relationship with the cast members from Tarantino’s film has been the closest film bonds of his whole career.


He went on to describe that the cast from the film constantly stays in touch via text and that it’s been the strongest cinematic connection he’s had throughout his entire career. This is extremely impressive since Jackson has appeared in such a wide number of films.


‘The Hateful Eight’ was considered a box disappointment, bringing in $155 million worldwide. However, the film has been called Tarantino’s most divisive and directionally artistic films

Read Zack Sharf’s full article Here

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Justin Baldoni: Meaningful storytelling

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, American actor, director, and filmmaker Justin Baldoni revealed his secrets to telling a meaningful story. The director discussed how his latest films were inspired by real-life and how he allows the story of those around him to motivate him creatively. Everybody has a story to tell, and so…

by Cinematic Geekster

julie taymor: the cross universe of film and theatre

In a recent podcast episode with The Treatment, Julie Taymor discussed her new movie “The Glories” and how she uses storytelling to externalize what characters are feeling on screen. Julie Taymor is a Tony Award-winning director of both theatre and film. Her goal as a creative is to master the fantastical elements of the film…

by Cinematic Geekster

r-e-s-p-e-c-t on a film set: advice from mimi leder

In a recent podcast with the Director’s Guild, Mimi Leder, an American director and producer, gave her best advice for keeping a healthy and productive film set. Mimi’s key piece of advice was to treat everyone with the respect that they deserve, and to always show them your appreciation. She pointed out that the cast…

by Cinematic Geekster
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ava duvernay: tips on being an effective director

In a recent podcast with The Director’s Guild, Ava Duvernay sat down to discuss her tips of the trade on being an effective director.


Ava’s biggest piece of advice is to know yourself as a director, including your limitations as a director. Knowing what you are and are not capable of creates a more effective production environment. It’s also deeply important to be confident as a director. However, it’s equally important to be able to listen to the ideas of those around you. Duverney went as far as to call the input a director gets from the people around them as gifts.


She also emphasized how important it is to view all three stages of production as a process. A director needs to build a film brick by brick, and it’s critical to surround yourself with a cast and crew that you trust.


Ava’s last key of advice was to train yourself in multiple areas of film and to be able to work in various forms of filmmaking. You never know what’s going to happen, and it’s always best to be able to adapt if need be.

Listen to Ava Duvernay’s podcast with The Director’s Guild Here

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working with what you got: Advice from the creators of Faith Based

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, the creators of the film Faith Based (Vincent Masciale, Luke Barnett, and Tanner Thomason), gave constructive advice to filmmakers who think they need to wait till they make it into Hollywood to make their film. The filmmakers discussed how their original plan for the film was to shoot…

by Cinematic Geekster

Aaron Schneider’s Directing advice from film Greyhound

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, Aaron Schneider discussed the things we were forced to learn while shooting Greyhound. Most of the films set was composed of green screens, which had its challenges. Schneider’s main advice is to come up with a detailed and set plan when working with extensive green screens and technology…

by Cinematic Geekster

Humility and Confidence in Filmmaking- Quincy Ledbetter’s advice

In a recent podcast episode with Film Riot, filmmaker Quincy Ledbetter discusses his first feature film with Paramount and how he got to where he is today. Ledbetter’s key advice is that a filmmaker needs to find the perfect balance between confidence and humility. He went on to state that as a director it’s okay…

by Cinematic Geekster
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Justin Baldoni: Meaningful storytelling

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, American actor, director, and filmmaker Justin Baldoni revealed his secrets to telling a meaningful story. The director discussed how his latest films were inspired by real-life and how he allows the story of those around him to motivate him creatively. Everybody has a story to tell, and so much of filmmaking is simply listening and watching the stories of everyday life unfold around you.


Justin’s new film “Clouds” is now available for streaming on Disney+. He went on to explain the film’s long process to be made, and how the film was inspired by real life. Justin had a long-standing relationship with Zach Sobiech, a 17-year-old dealing with osteosarcoma. Justin promised Zach he would tell his story one day, and now the film is finally done being brought to life.


Baldoni also expressed that everything he knows about the film came from working on film sets and learning as he went. Acting on film sets was his means of college education, and he asked questions whenever he could and learned from watching the filmmaking process around him. Always be watching and listening to those around you. You never know when an inspirational story will appear before your eyes.

Check out Justin Baldoni’s full podcast with Film Riot Here

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John Badham’s advice on seducing the actor

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, John Badham gave constructive and well-thought out advice on how he as a director has learned to improve his work relationship with his actors. The key piece of advice that John gave is not to persuade the actor but to seduce them. He explained that all actors have…

by Cinematic Geekster

Judd Apatow: The Role of improvisation in FILMMAKING

In a recent podcast with the Director’s Guild, Judd Apatow shared his advice for film directors. Judd had lots of brilliant advice to give, but the principal thing he kept reiterating was the important of improvisation in film-making. He expressed that throughout the entire film-making process he slowly allows the film to come to life.…

by Cinematic Geekster
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julie taymor: the cross universe of film and theatre

In a recent podcast episode with The Treatment, Julie Taymor discussed her new movie “The Glories” and how she uses storytelling to externalize what characters are feeling on screen. Julie Taymor is a Tony Award-winning director of both theatre and film. Her goal as a creative is to master the fantastical elements of the film to express the emotion of a story and the complex relationships within the film.


According to Tamor, the thing that connects film and theatre is sound. Taymor aims to math the sound of the film with whatever is being shown on screen, in a way that makes an emotional connection between the audience and the characters on screen themselves.


For example, in “The Glories,” she describes a scene where Gloria is being escorted home by police. Suddenly the crappy neighborhood of East Toledo transforms into gingerbread houses, mocking the imagery of Hansel and Gretal as she makes her way home. The imagery diminishes by Gloria’s mother screaming at her once she finally arrives home, and the fantasy inside Gloria’s head fades away. By externalizing the fantasy coming from inside the protagonist’s head, Taymor allows the audience to feel alongside her.


In the podcast, Taymor stated: “I have to externalize. That’s what I do as a filmmaker. That’s what we’re free to do. We just don’t stick a camera on what we call naturalism or reality. I did it in Titus. I’ve done it in pretty much every film I’ve done.”

Listen to Julie Taymors podcast with The Treatment Here

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Too Loud For The Crowd?- Criticism On Nolan’s New Film Tenet

Christopher Nolan’s film “Tenet” has had a successful opening weekend. However, there is still much debate behind the sound-mixing of Nolan’s films and “Tenet” doesn’t appear to be any different. In a recent article with Indiwire, Zack Sharf explores the sound mixing of Nolan’s films and the reasoning behind it. Many people often complain that…

by Cinematic Geekster

Little Women (2019) Review

Synopsis In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a…

by Cinematic Geekster
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r-e-s-p-e-c-t on a film set: advice from mimi leder

In a recent podcast with the Director’s Guild, Mimi Leder, an American director and producer, gave her best advice for keeping a healthy and productive film set. Mimi’s key piece of advice was to treat everyone with the respect that they deserve, and to always show them your appreciation. She pointed out that the cast and crew of a film were handpicked because of their talent and qualifications and to show them the respect that both them and their art deserves.

Mimi stated that before COVID-19 life, she would arrive on film set and before doing anything else go around and hug everybody. To showcase gratitude and spread good vibes to everyone on set. She also advised taken the time to get to know your cast and crew on both a personal and professional level. Everybody has a story to tell, and in getting to know somebody on a deeper level, it’s easier to understand them and how they function.

Another key piece of advice that Mimi gave is to find the perfect balance between listening to an actor’s instinct and your initial director instinct. She stated that when working with experienced and talented actors, they almost always want to listen to their gut instincts as an actor. Most of the time their gut instinct will never steer them wrong, however it’s okay to correct them and steer them more towards the directors instinct.

Read Mimi Leder’s full podcast with The Directors Cut Here

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Who Are The Film Critics? And Who Do They Represent?

Kate Erbland recently wrote an article for Indiwire discussing how both women, and critics of color are still extremely under-represented in the film critic world. She states that her article will probably appear familiar to those that read last year’s Thumbs Down Study from the Center for the Study of Women in TV and Film…

by Cinematic Geekster

Ron Howard’s Advice on Being a Good Director

In a recent Podcast with The Director’s Cut, Ron Howard spoke to Jeremy Kagan about the relationships he builds with his collaborators, and the impact these relationships have on a film. He describes the mutual and respectful relationship he aims to develop with both his first assistant director and the cinematographer, stating that both the…

by Cinematic Geekster
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working with what you got: Advice from the creators of Faith Based

In a recent podcast with Film Riot, the creators of the film Faith Based (Vincent Masciale, Luke Barnett, and Tanner Thomason), gave constructive advice to filmmakers who think they need to wait till they make it into Hollywood to make their film. The filmmakers discussed how their original plan for the film was to shoot from their own houses using iPhones, and how it grew into a full-blown feature film.

Throughout the entire pre-production process they all decided they were going to make this film no matter what, even if no producer picked it up or was willing to work with them. All three agreed that this is such an important attitude for filmmakers to have regarding every project they may encounter.

They also gave some detailed advice on the overall pre-production process. When creating a script, all three men agreed that it is crucial to write your script knowing which resources are available to you. The locations, characters, props, and everything else with your film must be tangible and cost productive. Like many other filmmakers, they advised that a lot of time be spent in the pre-production phase, and to get as much feedback as much as you can early on in the process.

Listen to Film Riots Podcast with Vincent Masciale, Luke Barnett, and Tanner Thomason Here

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The Mule (2018) Review

Synopsis Broke, alone and facing foreclosure on his business, 90-year-old horticulturist Earl Stone takes a job as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. His immediate success leads to easy money and a larger shipment that soon draws the attention of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates. When Earl’s past mistakes start to weigh heavily on…

by Cinematic Geekster

Silence of the Lambs (1991) Review

Synopsis Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight…

by Cinematic Geekster

12 Years A Slave (2013) Review

Synopsis In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some…

by Cinematic Geekster
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Humility and Confidence in Filmmaking- Quincy Ledbetter’s advice

In a recent podcast episode with Film Riot, filmmaker Quincy Ledbetter discusses his first feature film with Paramount and how he got to where he is today. Ledbetter’s key advice is that a filmmaker needs to find the perfect balance between confidence and humility.

He went on to state that as a director it’s okay to level with your cast and crew and admit when you don’t know everything. In fact, he admitted that in several points of his career some of his best cinematic moments came from speaking with cast and crew and brainstorming together.

When describing his first feature film, Alieu the Dreamer, he described how throughout the entire pre production and pitching process he went forward with the mentally that no matter what happened he was going to make the film anyway. Fully believing this calmed nerves and helped him to gain confidence when pitching to producers.

I think everyone has heard the phrase don’t think just do. But Ledbetter really brings this mentality to life and gives humbling advice on maintaining a balance of humility and confidence as an emerging filmmaker.

Listen to Quincy Ledbetter’s full podcast with Film Riot Here