Partnering With Joe Swanberg & Shooting A Puppet Horror Feature In 11 Days - With Aidan Leary & C.R. Thompson

In this episode, I'm joined by Aidan Leary and C.R. Thompson, the writing team behind Monkey's Magic Merry Go Round. A micro-budget horror feature pitched as Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood meets Evil Dead 2, produced by mumblecore legend Joe Swanberg.Throught the episode Aidan and C.R. share the wild origin story of the film, from a screenplay written in just two weeks, to them living in the back of Joe Swanberg's video store just two months later after he bought it.We also get into the nuts and bolts of the 11-day shoot: directing without a first AD, running a crew of about a dozen people inside the Chicago Children's Theater, hiring set builders straight off PBS, and their lightning fast post-production process.Topics covered include:Turning a childhood nightmare about an evil monkey puppet into a featureFour-act structure vs. three-act structure, and the South Park methodUsing Joe Swanberg's own pitching technique to sell him the scriptJoe's best advice: the only wrong decision is no decisionIntentional continuity breaks as a creative safety netEditing lessons: temp sound effects, test screenings, and killing your darlingsWhy editors often make the best directorsMuch more!Links from this episode:Film on InstagramAidan Leary on InstagramC.R. Thompson on InstagramSign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday