Shoot From the Heart with Diane Bell: Filmmaking, Screenwriting, & Inspiration

Have you ever found yourself staring at your finished screenplay and wondering: how on earth would anyone actually make this? What would it really cost? And does that number make your script more - or less - likely to see the light of day? Acclaimed filmmaker Paul Dudbridge and I sat down to discuss this, because honestly: knowing this information is your superpower as a screenwriter. This conversation is GOLD. I thought about editing it down but there's so much that would be lost. I in...

Have you ever reached the middle of the year, looked back at all those shiny goals you set in January, and thought, “Wait… what happened?” You started out so full of excitement and ambition—maybe THIS was going to be the year you wrote your script, made your movie, or finally kicked those old habits to the curb. But then, life happened. Maybe the world felt heavy, uncertainty crept in, or you hit a wall with rejections and setbacks. Suddenly, you find yourself feeling a little stuck, wonderin...

Do you ever sit down with the very best intentions to write - and suddenly find yourself deep-cleaning your kitchen, binge-watching Instagram reels, or tackling every odd job in your house except for actually writing? Trust me, you are so not alone. I’ve been there too - those days (or weeks… or months) where, despite your burning desire to create, you wind up doing everything but putting words on the page. In this episode, I get super honest about one of the biggest struggles we all face as ...

Have you ever felt totally anxious sharing your script with someone — like your stomach is in knots just hitting “send,” secretly hoping they’ll just say, “It’s amazing, you’re a genius”? Or maybe you’ve gotten feedback that just made you more confused or even made you wonder if you should keep writing at all? Trust me, you’re not alone—I’ve been there too. In this episode, I dive deep into something most screenwriters and filmmakers don’t talk about enough: the art of feedback. N...

Ever feel like making a standout indie film on a super small budget is…well, impossible? Like, how could your little movie ever compare to the big-budget films out there? Trust me, I get it. But in this episode, I share the real truth: you absolutely can create a film on a microbudget that truly punches above its weight. Not just something you’re proud of (though that’s important!), but a movie that can compete with the best and stand out in festivals—even against films with ten times y...