IFH 121: Joshua Caldwell – The Art of the $6000 Feature Film

By Alex Ferrari | December 9, 2016

Joshua Caldwell, Josh Caldwell, Layover, Nervous, Being Somebody, South Beach, Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF, RESIGNATION, Dig

The Art of the $6000 Feature Film with Joshua Caldwell

I had the pleasure of meeting Joshua Caldwell, a brother in “indie filmmaking” arms. He directed a $6000 feature film called LAYOVER, which World Premiered at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival where it was nominated for the New American Cinema Award.

The story of how he made the film was educational, rebellious and funny. Many things he said mirrored my experience making This is Meg. Josh really has a great philosophy about making films and content. Check out the trailer below to see what a $6000 feature film in today’s world looks like.

If you are going to make a feature film in the near future you need to listen to this podcast. It will change how you think about making indie films. Below, I also included a talk the Josh Caldwell did at the Seattle International Film Festival that is AWESOME! After you listen to the podcast watch the video below.

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Joshua Caldwell – The $6000 LAYOVER: Rethinking Indie Film

Director Joshua Caldwell discusses making his debut feature film, LAYOVER, for only $6000 and how filmmakers need to rethink their role in the ever shifting paradigm of independent filmmaking.

Here’s a bit more about Joshua Caldwell:

Joshua Caldwell is an accomplished director, writer, producer, and MTV Movie Award winner. He has worked with a number of high-profile producers, including CSI: creator Anthony E. Zuiker, for whom he produced CYBERGEDDON, the online global motion picture event for Yahoo!, and directed all of the film’s ancillary content for its immersive website.

His award-winning short film DIG, starring Mark Margolis of BREAKING BAD, was featured in numerous film festivals, and his latest short RESIGNATION screened at Comic-Con.

Slamdance Workshop Discussed on the Show

Join Blackmagic Design, Slamdance Grand Jury Award winner Andrew McPhillips, and filmmaker and host of Indie Film Hustle Alex Ferrari on Saturday, January 21 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm at the Filmmaker Lounge in the Treasure Mountain Inn for an in-depth workshop on the tools and techniques essential to the independent filmmaker.

Andrew McPhillips will discuss lessons learned from shooting his upcoming film “The Doll,” including how to seamlessly switch from production to post. Andrew used an URSA Mini 4.6K to shoot the film, DaVinci Resolve for editing and grading, and Fusion for the VFX. Along with serving as CG Supervisor at SPINVFX, Andrew’s work includes his animated short film “Blood Will Tell” which previously premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and took home top awards at Slamdance.
Alex Ferrari will discuss how filmmakers can make the most of DaVinci Resolve as a professional editing solution. Alex recently shot, edited and graded his new film “This Is Meg” using Blackmagic Design. He will dive into the ins-and-outs of what filmmakers need to know when editing with Resolve and how it can best fit into their workflows.

A brief Q&A will follow the presentations along with raffles for prizes, including a Micro Cinema Camera, DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fusion Studio!

Join Blackmagic Design afterward from 5:00pm to 7:00pm for a happy hour in the Filmmaker Lounge during which attendees can ask questions, demo gear and learn more about Blackmagic Design products for independent filmmakers.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Official Website
Joshua Caldwell – IMDB
Joshua Caldwell – Twitter
Joshua Caldwell – Vimeo
The Layover
Be Somebody
Michael Polish – How to Make Money Selling a No Budget DSLR Indie Film
This is Meg – Feature Film

KILLER RESOURCES!!!

Action Items:

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or via RSS.

BONUS: TOP TEN Online Filmmaking Courses

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