Looking back at our live recording of @justshootitpod discussing “The Filmmaker’s Guide to Commercial Work” with @mrmattenlow , @okaplan and @thatjordanbrady at our 2024 @leestrasbergfilmfestival .
An entertaining panel of experts sharing practical industry insight for our LSFF audience!
The @justshootitpod really balanced the get-up-and-grind mentality with chill 🤙 vibes in a refreshing and motivational discussion about commercial acting, directing, and producing.
What topics would you like to see covered in our LSFF 2026 events? 📋
#leestrasbergfilmfestival #shortfilmfestival #eventsla
Matt and Oren chat with Creative Director JK Lyons about how you can stand out as a director. And they dive deep into what is in your reel, book, or portfolio. Does it make a statement about your personality? Can somebody tell this is truly you?
And they talk about actions you can take so that you’re part of the CD’s team, and not just a hire. Because at the end of the day, that is what makes you more pleasurable to work with.
#FilmPodcast #JustShootIt #filmmaking #directing #creativedirectors
Late last November I got brought on by my old pals at Sawhorse Productions and new pals at Omnicom and Carnival to shoot some silliness around Santa going on a cruise. And now that Santa finally has some time off to go on his cruise, I can post about it.
We pitched a Hallmark parody with none other than Aaron Samuels turned Hallmark Hunk Jonathan Bennett. The shoot was a quick turnaround (it was December so aren't they always) but what makes this one stand out to me is that we were able to really add a few gems and gags you wouldn't otherwise get to make happen on a quick spot like this. Gags like a Mary Poppins Bag are simple in concept and tricky in execution. You really have to have buy in from the team. Can't we just keep it simple? It's the end of the year? Just have him pack his bags.
But everyone on the team sparked to what started as a half baked joke, and before I knew it we had a custom bed (with a giant hole in the middle) up on risers, and we're pouring a gallon of milk on the floor.
Even bits where Santa is jetskiing in front of the TV take a level of commitment it's easy to overlook. Is the TV big enough? Can we lock the stock footage in time? How close do we need to be? Simple, tiny details can derail a gag into "let's just stick to the script" territory. But this team, whether it was wallpapering every wall in a house in Burbank, printing 8 identical reindeer photos for the mantel, or frosting the milkshake glass right before Santa spit takes it on our lead actor, this team didn't flinch at the opportunity to plus a joke.
Shout out to
Producer: @babsonp (Jonathon Burns)
DP: @jessdunlap (Jess Dunlap)
Prod Design: chrissstinebrandt (Christine Brandt)
AD: @watfordlandon (Landon Watford)
Costumes: @alishasilverstein (Alisha Silverstein)
Sawhorse: @shanespottythoughts (Shane Spiegel), @hollis.rosenkranz (Hollis Rosenkranz), & @sodashishallow (Sodashi Shallow)
And the Omnicom crew: @meaghanb16 (Meaghan Batte), Mike Gaines, & Alyssa Fishman
Huge thanks to everyone for making it happen @sawhorse_productions
Matt’s working to raise money for his latest film, “Bad Feeling.” You can go to wefunder.com/badfeeling to be a part of it!
Listen to the full episode, out now.
#FilmPodcast #justshootit #filmmaking #wefunder #filminvestors
Kristyna Archer and Sergio Cilli join us to talk about making AI films. What works, what doesn’t, and how filmmakers can be ready for what comes next.
This is a conversation about AI that tackles the elephant in the room from a variety of perspectives from working commercial directors. And it’s not just talk, it’s commercial directors who’ve actually explored the tools and put out some stuff – that if it wasn’t impressive, it could cast a shadow on their directing careers. Or as Oren’s friend likes to say, it tackles the “elephant that AI’nt in the room”.
Listen to the full episode, out now.
#FilmPodcast #justshootit #filmmaking #directing #AIfilmmaking
2025 was hard, but I took a lot of selfies to remember the good parts. We threw tortillas in the Doodah Parade, rallied with #StayInLA, met tons of puppets on Bob Baker Day, took my daughter to her first film festival (and her first red carpet photo), hosted Thanksgiving, hit episode 500 on the podcast, shot all over LA with old friends and new, traveled to Canada to work with @westsidestudios , saw great movies, shot with a few icons, cast @strasberginstitute students in some of their first paid work, lent Santa my sunglasses, and went to the Rain Forest Cafe more than you’d expect. Thanks pals, I love you.
