The No Film School Podcast

Jo Light interviews documentary and commercial director Brendan Young live from Aspen Shortsfest about his short documentary The Meloneers, which follows the Rocky Ford High School wrestling program in rural Colorado. They discuss how Brendan found the story through a newspaper article, why he spent extensive time in the community before filming, how he balanced planned interviews with vérité moments, and how commercial work helps fund and shape his documentary practice. The episode also covers documentary ethics, collaboration with subjects, building trust before rolling, and Brendan’s advice for first-time documentary filmmakers. In this episode, No Film School's Jo Light and guest Brendan Young discuss... Finding a rural Colorado story through a Denver Post article about Rocky Ford wrestling Why Brendan visited Rocky Ford repeatedly without a camera before filming Treating documentary subjects as collaborators, not just subjects How The Meloneers explores wrestling, family legacy, fatherhood, and small-town change Balancing core interviews, planned scenes, and vérité moments Shooting with a small documentary crew and keeping a minimal footprint Using commercial work to support short documentary projects Partnerships with Futuristic Films, Voyager, Project Play, and executive producer Lindsey Hagan Why the process of documentary filmmaking matters as much as the finished film Brendan’s upcoming documentary about a violin once played by a German Nazi soldier Memorable Quotes: “I view the people in my films in these stories as collaborators.” — Brendan Young, 03:44 “It’s not just building trust, but like having buy-in from these people, making sure that we’re telling this story together and in a way that they want it told is really, really important to me.” — Brendan Young, 04:05 “I think when you can find it, it makes a specific story more universal and that's a more impactful film.” — Brendan Young, 08:05 “Commercial sets were kind of my film school.” — Brendan Young, 21:49 Guests: Brendan Young Resources: The Meloneers on IMDb Brendan Young’s Website Brendan Young at Futuristic Films Voyager Project Play Aspen Shortsfest Futuristic Films Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins speaks with cinematographer Johanna Coelho about building the immersive visual language behind The Pitt. Coelho breaks down how she approached the show’s real-time structure, 360-degree hospital set, handheld camera movement, lens choices, and complex multi-camera choreography to create an ER that feels immediate, intimate, and emotionally raw. She also reflects on her path from France to Los Angeles, becoming one of the youngest DPs to shoot network television, and the collaborative mindset required to lead ambitious productions without losing sight of story or performance. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Johanna Coelho discuss... How Johanna Coelho got started in cinematography and built her career from France to Los Angeles What it means to shoot The Pitt in real time across a single ER shift How handheld filmmaking, long takes, and transition-based blocking shape the show’s immersive style Why Coelho chose the Alexa Mini LF, prime lenses, and a zoom setup to maintain intimacy and flexibility How the team lit a 360-degree hospital set with white walls while protecting skin tones and realism The collaboration between cinematography, production design, lighting, grip, and actors to execute complex choreography How season two pushed the show’s visual perspective and emotional immersion even further The difference between handheld, Steadicam, and Zero-G rigs when designing movement for a scene How Coelho thinks about burnout, leadership, and keeping a calm set during high-pressure television production Why trusting your eye and communicating your vision are essential for emerging cinematographers Memorable Quotes: “I don't have to make a choice. I can just live all of it behind the lens.” “We have to give that same feeling visually for the audience.” “Our master shot is not a wide shot where you see everything.” “Trust yourself. Don't let everyone tell you what to do.” Guests: Johanna Coelho Resources: Johanna Coelho's website Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GG Hawkins speaks with Kino co-founders Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin about the broken handoff between post-production and release, and how insecure screeners, fragmented feedback workflows, and fear-based distribution norms undermine independent film. They break down Kino’s evolution from an interactive streaming idea into a secure post-to-delivery platform, explain how they built a film fund around de-risked sub-$2 million features, and use Undertone as a case study for aligning budgets, creative ambition, and profitability. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Brit MacRae and Daril Fannin discuss... Why the current post-production and release pipeline is still built around insecure links, scattered notes, and outdated habits How piracy, leaks, and weak screener security can hurt filmmakers, investors, and distribution momentum The original idea behind Kino and how it pivoted from interactive streaming to a B2B platform for secure screeners, dailies, cuts, approvals, focus groups, and final delivery Why discoverability is one of the biggest problems in independent film, and why indie projects are competing with TikTok and other forms of passive entertainment How fear-based thinking shapes decisions around marketing, exposure, festivals, and distribution What “LVOD” means to Kino and how the company tried to create a window that adds marketing value without cannibalizing TVOD Why MacRae and Fannin believe filmmakers need to think like business builders, not just artists, when raising money How Kino structured its film fund around contained, creatively aligned stories with budgets under $2 million and meaningful de-risking through incentives and exchange rates Why Undertone made sense as a fund project: one location, a contained story, and a production model that matched the script’s scale How equity participation and aligned incentives can help cast, crew, and investors move in the same direction Why iteration, early feedback, and collaborative review should play a larger role in filmmaking, much like they do in tech and animation What kinds of projects Kino is pursuing next, including a Band of Brothers documentary and more genre-focused features Memorable Quotes: “Something’s not working and we’re going to dig into it.” “Fear makes you stupid.” “Coming to the table with great art is table stakes.” “It’s not about the project, it’s about the people you’re surrounding yourself with.” Guests: Brit MacRae Daril Fannin Resources: Kino Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this sponsored episode, GG Hawkins speaks with Eddie AI co-founder and CEO Shamir Allibhai about Eddie AI’s latest release, Eddie v3, which launched on April 14, 2026 ahead of NAB Show 2026. Their conversation explores the new Night Shift workflow, designed to process footage overnight by sorting interviews from B-roll, syncing multicam interviews, logging media, and building a rough cut ready for Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro by morning. They also discuss Eddie’s expanding role as an AI assistant editor for professional workflows, including docu-style rough cuts with B-roll placement, and the broader questions filmmakers face around creative control, sustainability, curiosity, and the future of storytelling in an AI-assisted post-production landscape. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Shamir Allibhai discuss... Eddie AI’s new Night Shift feature and how it aims to build a structured rough cut overnight Why the company positions Eddie AI as an assistant editor rather than a replacement for Premiere, Resolve, or Final Cut Pro How AI can help with multicam syncing, A-roll and B-roll organization, logging, and assembly edits The difference between AI tools that generate synthetic media and tools built to work from a filmmaker’s real footage Why editing still depends on human taste, timing, emotional judgment, and story instinct How AI tools may help filmmakers handle paid client work more efficiently while protecting time for passion projects The tension between fear and curiosity as filmmakers adapt to new technology How creative professionals can think about money, sustainability, and long-term career support without sidelining the art Why Allibhai sees storytelling as a fundamentally human act, even in a future shaped by AI What filmmakers should watch for around security, ownership, and platform terms when using AI tools Memorable Quotes: “We’re not trying to be another timeline editor, like Premiere, Resolve, FCP.” “When we think about it from the consumer’s perspective, they just care about great stories.” “This is the root of a lot of the fear because we have struggled so hard just to be able to be here.” “In 10,000 years, we will still be sitting around a campfire or somewhere and telling each other stories.” Guests: Shamir Allibhai Resources: The AI Doc Breakdown: Filmmaking in the Age of Uncertainty How to Scale Video Editing With an AI Storytelling Partner Eddie AI The Eddie AI team will be demoing Eddie v3 at NAB 2026 Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer-director Lee Cronin joins No Film School to discuss how he approached reimagining The Mummy through the lens of family trauma, mystery, and body horror. In conversation with GG Hawkins, Cronin breaks down the emotional architecture behind effective horror, the challenge of staging fear in broad daylight, and the way Irish storytelling, personal experience, and practical effects continue to shape his work. He also reflects on building a long-term creative partnership, collaborating with horror powerhouses like Jason Blum and James Wan, and the discipline required to keep refining a film all the way through the edit. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Lee Cronin discuss... How Cronin infused The Mummy with mystery, family drama, and horror Why broad daylight can make horror feel even more unsettling The emotional groundwork required to make gore and shock land with audiences How themes from The Hole in the Ground evolved into The Mummy Why character is always the engine of fear in Cronin’s films How Cronin thinks about the “contract” he makes with audiences from the earliest story stage The practical and creative lessons he learned from years of making corporate videos and commercials What it was like collaborating with Jack Reynor, Jason Blum, and James Wan How shooting in Ireland and Spain helped shape the scale and texture of the film Advice for emerging filmmakers on collaborators, restraint, and cutting what does not work Memorable Quotes: “Writing is not hard at all. Knowing what to write is incredibly difficult.” “Nothing is more exciting to me than watching something I’ve created with an audience and hearing them vocalize, scream, drop the popcorn, whatever it might be.” “If something doesn’t work, don’t leave it there.” “Never be afraid.” Guests: Lee Cronin Resources: Lee Cronin’s The Mummy on IMDb Vote for No Film School’s Webby-nominated explainer video Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram 📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices