The Break Breakdown: A Podcast from Queens Bird Films

Feb 06 2024 48 ep. 44 mins
The Break Breakdown: A Podcast from Queens Bird Films artwork

How do you get your "big break"? In an ever increasingly gate-kept world, independent art is both impossible to make and more powerful than ever when it breaks through. Join Courtney Romano, a female film director and founder of Queens Bird Films, an indie film production company in New York City, for an exploration of how to break into film and design an indie career from the ground up, one step at a time.

  TV & Film
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S3 E13 | Self-Distributing a Theatrically-Released Feature Film and Intuitive Filmmaking with Director Scott Monahan [BONUS Episode]

Feb 06 2024 52 mins  
The big goal for many indie filmmakers is a theatrical release. But when you are self-distributing your own feature film, is a theatrical release possible? For director, actor, and executive producer Scott Monahan, it was. With an acting resume and a background in devised theatrical work, Scott's debut feature film Anchorage came together one intuitive step at a time. Benjy an

S3 E12 | How a $6000 Feature Film Launched a Filmmaking Career with Director Joshua Caldwell [BONUS Episode]

Dec 12 2023 59 mins  
Can you really launch a film career with a microbudget feature? The short answer is yes, and Joshua Caldwell has done it. Joshua shares his insights on winning the MTV Movie Award, the jobs he took in LA to make connections in the industry, his writing process, how he approached his self-produced $6k microbudget feature The Layover by flipping the traditional approach, and how it a

S3 E11 | The Grit and Resilience of a 10 Year Film Project with Documentary Filmmaker Kevin Longa [BONUS Episode]

Oct 30 2023 26 mins  
Web series production is not one size fits all. Some indie filmmakers may start with web series distribution. Others could start with a web series script they are itching to write. And then some might start on a whim while traveling, and spin one simple idea into an epic documentary series made up of 70 short films, shot across 3 continents, over the course of one decade. That'

S3 E10 | Punk Rock Filmmaking and How to Make a No-Crew Feature Film with Filmmaker Noam Kroll [BONUS Episode]

Aug 24 2023 52 mins  
[BONUS EPISODE] Hot take: you don't need piles of cash and limitless free time to make a feature film. You can make a feature film with no crew, write as you go, edit you as you go, shoot on weekends, and in less than a year, have a feature film in the can and ready for distribution. This is exactly what filmmaker Noam Kroll did with his film Disappearing Boy. Noam is a vertia

S3 E9 | Exposing the Unseen Moments of Making an Indie Web Series

Aug 18 2023 26 mins  
Over the course of two years, we made a web series. And in that time, writer/director Courtney Romano recorded moments of the process — from self-reflection to directing actors to producer's meetings. In today's episode, we piece together a two year process through those BTS audio clips and commentary. Hopefully they give you a feel for the process as a whole. And hopefu

S3 E8 | How to Work with the Psychology of Color in Film

Jul 03 2023 33 mins  
Color is emotional. And while you might not be consciously aware of the importance of color in film, once you start noticing color's effect on your feelings, you can't unsee it.In this week's episode, Kinsley Vs. colorist Marika Litz talks with Courtney and Benjy about the psychology of color in film, how a colorist and a director work together to find a common color la

S3 E7 | Creating a Sonic Environment: How to Collaborate & Produce Music for Indie Film

Jun 15 2023 31 mins  
One of the biggest components of film post production is music. Music for tv and film can affect the whole mood of the piece. It can create comedy, drama, or urgency. It's another character in the film or series. In this week's episode, Benjy talks with Courtney and Kinsley Vs. music composer, Match Zimmerman. They talk about how to begin a musical collaboration, how to pr

S3 E6 | Post Production Advice: How to Master the Film Editing Process

May 25 2023 40 mins  
They say a film gets made three times — once when it's written, once when it's filmed, and once when it's edited. The filmmaker may see all three versions, but the audience will ever just see one: the edited movie. So whether you're the film's editor, director, or producer, the post production steps are arguably the most important part of your indie filmmaking

S3 E5 | How the Director-Cinematographer Relationship Brings Your Footage to Life

Mar 31 2023 31 mins  
As you're beginning the process of indie filmmaking, you can answer "what makes a good web series?" a hundred different ways. But one way to ensure success is the relationship between director and cinematographer. It's this dynamic that creates the footage that eventually becomes your indie film or web series. And the dynamic you create in the behind the scenes of

S3 E4 | What Happens on a Film Set: Behind the Scenes Filmmaking Tips

Mar 03 2023 21 mins  
What happens on a film set? The answer is: anything and everything. From managing full company moves between locations, to making sure everyone is fed, to running behind on time, to straying from the script, the energy of a film set can be (at times) overwhelming. Each time you "make your day" can feel like a miracle. Executive Producer Benjy Shaw joins Courtney today to talk throu