How to Make a Sub-$500K Feature In 14 Days With A Crew of 5 - An Interview With Filmmaker Cory Thibert

In this episode, I'm joined by writer-director-actor Cory Thibert to talk about his debut feature Mild Life, a coming-of-age film that premiered at Woodstock Film Festival and went on to win Best Canadian Feature at the Victoria Film Festival.Mild Life follows Lawrence, a drummer whose world gets thrown off beat when his girlfriend wants to leave their hometown just as he's stepping into a caregiver role for his parents, who both live with cerebral palsy. The story is drawn directly from Cory's own life - both of his parents have cerebral palsy, and he cast actors with cerebral palsy to play the parents for authentic representation.Throughout the inteview we discuss the challenges of going this personal with your work, why "the more specific you are, the more universal you are" advice is true, and how to mine your own experience to create more meaningful stories.We also break down his 14 day shoot, 98 page script, 5 person skeleton crew, and the 2 camera / always-rolling coverage strategy that helped him reach the finish line.Topics covered include:Finding a personal way into your stories - and how to avoid self-indulgenceAuthentic disability representation on screen and casting actors with cerebral palsyComing up as a filmmaker without family money or a financial safety netMaking a feature between two kids' births while holding down a day jobRunning a five-person skeleton crew and shooting two cameras at all timesDirecting and starring at once - how to balance wearing multiple hatsThe Canada Council grant that funded post after the shoot wrappedApproaching distribution with a tiered strategy (Crave, Hoopla, Kanopy)Much moreLinks from the show:Mild Life - WebsiteMild Life - InstagramSign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday