The No Film School Podcast

Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge report from Fantastic Fest 2026 in Austin, Texas, where they explore how the festival is expanding beyond exhibiting genre films to helping filmmakers actually get movies made. They break down the first completed feature from Fantastic Pitches, Nicholas Curcio’s Playhouse, what filmmakers can learn from its $100,000 production, and this year’s ambitious winning pitch, Father Figure. They also discuss the value of pitching even when you don’t win, the advantages of designing films around microbudget constraints, and some of the movies and filmmaking communities they’ve encountered at the festival.

In this episode, No Film School's Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge discuss...

How Playhouse went from winning Fantastic Pitches to premiering at Fantastic Fest in just one year

Designing a $100,000 movie around limitations like one location, a small cast, and practical aesthetics

Why microbudget filmmakers need a creative “hack” that makes their limitations work for the movie

How filmmakers can make a live pitch memorable with props, costumes, trailers, and a strong presentation

Why being selected for Fantastic Pitches can create opportunities even if you don't win

The ambitious Technocrane strategy behind this year’s winning pitch, Father Figure

What Ryan and Jordan noticed about the DIY films, filmmaking collectives, and genre community at Fantastic Fest

Why festivals can have a bigger impact by supporting filmmakers before their movies are made

Memorable Quotes:

“With filmmaking it's always good, fast, cheap. Pick two. And with Fantastic Pitches, they're trying to do all three.”

“You've gotta have a hack to make your pitch audience-friendly.”

“The best route is the one that's available to you probably.”

“It's easy to select things that turned out well. It's much harder to bet on them at the beginning and to actually help them bring something to fruition.”

Resources:

Fantastic Fest

Fantastic Pitches

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Recorded at Fantastic Fest 2026 in Austin, No Film School founder Ryan Koo talks with Into the Sky writer-directors Drew Mylrea and Evan Buxbaum about the decade-long path to making their sci-fi comedy. They trace the project from an early script that Evan initially rejected through Black List evaluations, financing, casting Sam Richardson, and an ambitious 25-day production with dozens of locations and hundreds of VFX shots. Drew and Evan also explain how they divided responsibilities as co-directors, used LiDAR scans and Lego figures to pre-visualize scenes, navigated production setbacks, tested unfinished cuts with audiences, and learned to trust their instincts while making an independent film designed to feel like a blockbuster.

In this episode, No Film School's Ryan Koo and guests Drew Mylrea and Evan Buxbaum discuss...

How Drew and Evan became filmmaking collaborators after spending hours together shooting a Method soap commercial in a tiny shower

Evan’s experience making Sun Belt Express and the long gap between his first and second features

Why Drew kept returning to the alien-abduction concept that eventually became Into the Sky

Revisiting old material after years of becoming better writers and filmmakers

How strong Black List evaluations gave the filmmakers psychological momentum to commit to the project

Spending roughly two years rewriting the script and assembling financing

Why casting director Kate Geller became an important part of building the movie’s cast

How attaching Sam Richardson helped the project gain momentum

The pressures created when an in-demand actor gives an independent production a narrow shooting window

Walking away from a “turnkey” production-services solution that would have forced most of the movie onto a single estate

Finding the town of Catskill, New York, and rebuilding their location strategy around what the movie actually needed

Why filmmakers sometimes have to reject the easiest logistical solution when it threatens the film creatively

Shooting the movie in 25 days while managing frequent company moves

How Drew and Evan divided directing responsibilities according to their complementary strengths

Drew’s focus on visual storytelling, camera placement, and spectacle versus Evan’s focus on performance, character, and dialogue

Using iPhone LiDAR scans and Polycam to create digital models of locations

Printing location blueprints and using custom Lego figures and a Lego camera to block scenes with the AD and cinematographer

Building detailed storyboards and turning them into rough animatics for complicated sequences

Trying to create an “indie blockbuster” without a blockbuster budget

The challenge of completing approximately 500 visual-effects shots with an extremely small VFX team

Why extensive preparation became a starting point for improvisation once production problems appeared

Delaying a cornfield sequence until the final day of photography so the corn would be tall enough for the scene

How rain, heat, scheduling problems, and other uncontrollable factors reshaped the production

Watching dailies and determining whether scenes needed to be reshot

Why a scene they believed needed a reshoot ultimately used mostly material from the original shoot

Working 12-hour shooting days followed by another four or five hours of preparation each night

Splitting up the first stages of post-production so Drew could eventually watch the assembly with fresh eyes

Why comedy becomes difficult to judge after watching the same material dozens of times

Screening cuts for friends and family to measure real laughter and audience energy

Using QR codes and Google Forms to collect individual reactions before a group discussion could influence everyone’s opinions

Measuring character likability and other audience responses between different test screenings

Asking test audiences to respond to major VFX sequences while those sequences were still extremely unfinished

The moment completed visual effects and music finally made the filmmakers feel that the movie was working

Their goal of making large, entertaining movies with heart on an independent scale

Why Drew and Evan believe their filmmaking education ultimately came from making things, making mistakes, and “touching the stove”

Memorable Quotes:

“If I have any takeaway from that, it's that, like, in those moments of extreme pressure when you have a lot of competing interests that have started rolling down on you, you've just gotta trust your gut.”

“We always called this movie an indie blockbuster. You know, we were trying to make an indie film that felt like a blockbuster.”

“We went in with a great plan, and then you get hit in the fucking face. And your plan becomes the launching point for an improvisational new plan.”

“We learned by making mistakes and doing things out in the world. We learned by touching the stove.”

Guests:

Drew Mylrea

Evan Buxbaum

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Writer-director-actor Leah McKendrick joins GG Hawkins to break down the long road to getting Voicemails for Isabelle made after years in development. McKendrick traces her unconventional path from aspiring pop singer to independent filmmaker, studio screenwriter, and director, explaining how the frustration of watching projects stall pushed her to bet on herself and make Scrambled. She shares how directing that indie feature changed the way studios saw her, helped her reclaim Voicemails for Isabelle, and ultimately led to Netflix and Sony backing her as its director. The conversation also covers navigating Hollywood development, creating opportunities without permission, collaborating with cinematographer Julia Swain, protecting your creative voice, and applying an indie filmmaking mindset at the studio level.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Leah McKendrick discuss...

How McKendrick went from pursuing a career as a pop singer to discovering filmmaking and directing at Chapman University

Why writing and directing her own projects became a way to create opportunities instead of waiting for permission

How Destroy the Alpha Gammas and M.F.A. helped establish her as a writer, producer, actor, and filmmaker

The reality of working as a studio screenwriter and spending years writing projects that may never reach production

The original inspiration for Voicemails for Isabelle and why McKendrick wrote the first draft in only a few weeks

How the screenplay quickly sold, landed on the Black List, and attracted major talent before spending years in development

Why repeated studio regime changes and canceled projects ultimately pushed McKendrick toward directing

The breaking point that inspired her to write, finance, and direct Scrambled rather than wait for another studio green light

Why filmmakers need to understand their own taste rather than believing a director must personally master every technical department

How McKendrick's collaboration with cinematographer Julia Swain helped her translate emotion and instinct into a visual language

Why directors need to communicate and reiterate their vision differently for every department head

How Scrambled allowed McKendrick to demonstrate through her actions that she was no longer interested in being only a writer-for-hire

Why McKendrick avoids reading reviews and instead focuses on whether she made the film she intended to make

How the success of Scrambled changed the industry's perception of McKendrick as a director

How Netflix approached Sony about Voicemails for Isabelle and Sony agreed to move forward with McKendrick directing

Why years of studio relationships that once seemed fruitless ultimately became valuable when McKendrick was ready to direct

The importance of betting on yourself, embracing the unusual parts of your voice, and refusing to assume that following the traditional path will eventually lead to the work you want to make

Memorable Quotes:

“The most beautiful thing that it gave me was this realization that I could create my own work and that I didn't have to ask for permission.”

“All you need to know is what you like, and be a student of film, and be a student of your own taste.”

“Every time that I have gotten rebellious and that I have put my foot down, that is when something fruits.”

“If anybody could walk away from my interviews with one piece of wisdom or advice, it would always be to bet on yourself and to not wait for permission, and to believe in your weirdest stories and the weirdest parts of yourself.”

Guests:

Leah McKendrick

Resources:

Having Indie Discipline at Studio Scale: How Julia Swain Shot 'Voicemails for Isabelle'

How to Build a Pitch Deck

Indie Filmmakers: You Don't Need Julia Roberts to Make Your Indie Comedy

How To Cut Like an Anthropologist from 'Scrambled’ & ‘Alpha’ Editor Sandra Granovsky

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Writer-director Sabrina Greco joins No Film School to discuss the making of her feature debut, Lockjaw, a dark comedy centered on a woman whose jaw is wired shut after a car accident. Greco explains how the project grew from a short into a feature, why she committed to an 11-day all-night shoot in Los Angeles, and how a tight-knit filmmaking community helped make the production possible. She also breaks down directing Blu Hunt’s physically constrained but highly expressive lead performance, adapting scenes when they stopped working on set, using two cameras to move quickly, and drawing on her editing background to reshape the film in post-production.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Sabrina Greco discuss...

How Greco went from studying film at Boston University to editing for digital media, Nickelodeon, and feature films

Why filmmakers like John Cassavetes and the mumblecore movement changed the way she thought about feature filmmaking

How Lockjaw evolved organically from a 25–30 page short into Greco’s first feature

Planning the production a year in advance so winter’s early sunsets would make an entirely nighttime shoot more manageable

Building the film around an existing Los Angeles creative community of actors and crew members

How producer Abbie Jones helped secure a house where the production could shoot for eight of its 11 days

Deciding to move forward with the movie after Greco lost her job during the Hollywood strikes

Developing Rayna as an active, magnetic, self-destructive protagonist rather than a passive victim

How Blu Hunt approached Rayna without judging the character’s choices

Using Rayna’s wired jaw as both a physical filmmaking constraint and a source of conflict, comedy, and miscommunication

Why Greco wanted Rayna’s accident to complicate her behavior rather than simply justify it

Shooting an 80-page feature in 11 days using two Canon XF605 cameras, small crews, autofocus, and minimal lens changes

Rehearsing and blocking scenes before sunset so the production could begin shooting immediately once it was dark

How Greco, Blu Hunt, and Colin Burgess reworked a breakup scene on set when its original tone stopped working

Learning when a director needs to stop rushing, reconsider a scene, and ask collaborators for help

How Greco’s editing background helped her know which shots were essential and which material could be sacrificed

Cutting entire storylines that were not serving Rayna’s central story

Bringing in co-editor Neal Wynne when Greco needed fresh ideas, then returning to the film for the fine cut

The process of getting Lockjaw into Slamdance and finally watching audiences respond to the film

What Greco learned about LLCs, paperwork, and production infrastructure that she applied to her next project

Why making a feature reinforced the importance of trusting collaborators instead of believing the director has to solve everything alone

Memorable Quotes:

“I’m going to make this happen no matter what.”

“But it would be so much more fun if it was the opposite.”

“Take a step back. You need to figure this out. Like, it’s okay if it takes 10 minutes away from shooting.”

“Anything’s on the chopping block. I don’t care what it is. Like, if it’s, it’s not working, it’s not working.”

Guest:

Sabrina Greco

Resources:

Lockjaw on IMDb

Lockjaw on Instagram

Find No Film School everywhere:

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Writer-director Alex Ullom and producers Carrie Carusone and Evan Barber break down the unconventional path behind It Ends, their micro-budget indie horror feature about four friends trapped on an endless road. They explain how they raised their initial financing, leaned on their filmmaking community, turned production limitations into creative advantages, and used multiple rounds of strategic reshoots to transform an early cut that wasn’t working. The team also shares how they cut a Jeep in half to shoot on an LED volume stage, navigated an expensive and complicated post-production process, premiered at SXSW, and generated enough grassroots momentum through the online horror community and Letterboxd to ultimately land a theatrical release with Neon.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Alex Ullom, Carrie Carusone, and Evan Barber discuss…

How graduating from film school during the pandemic pushed the team toward making an independent feature

Raising the initial micro-budget through unconventional investors, personal connections, and community support

How Florida State University’s alumni equipment package made a $30,000 feature possible

Why paying crew something—even on an extremely limited budget—was important to the producers

Discovering in the edit that the first version of It Ends wasn’t working

Why indie filmmakers should stop thinking of reshoots as a sign of failure

Using test screenings to identify pacing problems, missing emotional beats, and scenes that needed additional coverage

Designing a contained film that could be affordably reconstructed for multiple rounds of pickups

Balancing the film’s horror and hangout-movie elements through pacing and visual language

Cutting a Jeep Cherokee in half to get it onto an LED volume stage

Rebuilding the Jeep interior and using the removable vehicle to create otherwise impossible camera angles

Why the filmmakers pulled out of Fantasia to continue improving the movie

Maintaining continuity when returning to the same actors and characters two years after principal photography

The editing workflow Alex developed to compare multiple performances of the same line

Using low-pass filtering, bass, sound design, and close-ups to create production value on an indie budget

What Alex learned from an extremely disorganized Premiere timeline

Premiering at SXSW during an especially difficult independent film distribution market

Why strong festival reviews and sold-out screenings didn’t automatically lead to a distribution deal

The changing economics of minimum guarantees for independent films

How online horror creators helped generate new momentum for It Ends

The film’s path from Letterboxd’s video store program to a theatrical release with Neon

Why filmmakers should focus on making the strongest movie possible rather than designing a project specifically for a major festival

How the lessons from It Ends changed the team’s approach to their next features

Previsualizing an entire movie before production to eliminate setups and solve story problems

Using executive producer credits strategically when raising additional financing

Practical advice for protecting hard drives, feeding a small crew, and building a trusted filmmaking community

Memorable Quotes:

“I'm a huge advocate for reshoots.”

“And on that Saturday we got it onto the stage and it, and it fit through that hallway with a literal quarter of an inch clearance on either side, and that's like, that's not an exaggeration.”

“I hope that this film can live kinda like when I first saw Slacker for the first time, and it was just like, oh, all you really need is a camera and two faces talking to each other.”

“At the end of the day, surround yourself, your entire crew with people you trust creatively.”

Guests:

Alex Ullom

Carrie Carusone

Evan Barber

Find No Film School everywhere:

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