Category: Film

How To Film An Entire Music Video Underwater With Director J.P. Brennan.

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Director J.P. Brennan drops so much knowledge in this episode. Not only does he share how he shot a music video entirely underwater, but he breaks down the four tenets of lighting. Which is also a great name for the episode. It was tough to choose.

Thank you J.P. for sharing so much wisdom! Check out his video for The Trash Mermaids that we talk about.

Cheers,

Jordan

Welcome our new sponsor Oso Delicious Hot Sauce, made in America by wild bears. This runs just over an hour and five minutes. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is April 21st, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. You can’t get what I’m throwing down anywhere else on the planet. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

Director Tim O’Donnell Shows How An Indie Is Made With His Feature Doc “Not A War Story”.

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“Not A War Story” Director Tim O’Donnell shares stories about the making of his hit feature documentary. The docu is a fly-on-the-wall look at how an all-veteran cast & crew make “Range 15”, an over-the-top, cult horror zombie war movie. Oh, and it’s their first film so they hit every obstacle you can imagine.

You do not need to have seen “Range 15” to love “Not A War Story” but why not watch both! I did. Enjoy the trailer.

Thanks,

Jordan

Welcome our new sponsor Oso Delicious Hot Sauce, made in America by wild bears. This runs just over an hour and five minutes. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is April 21st, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. You can’t get what I’m throwing down anywhere else on the planet. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

Filmmakers Need To Be Creative Entrepreneurs And RevThink’s Joel Pilger Can Help.

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RevThink.com‘s Joel Pilger returns to the show to help filmmakers, graphic designers and animators grow their business. Check out his website RevThink and his Jumpstart program. It’s next level learning for any creative studio.

Enjoy.

Jordan

This runs just over an hour. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is April 21st, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. You can’t get what I’m throwing down anywhere else on the planet. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

From Feature Films To Promos, Passionate Production Design With Shawn Graves.

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Production Designer Shawn Graves attacks every project with the same high level of passion, whether it’s a web series, a private gathering or a studio feature film. We chat about collaboration and her process. Please check out her website and enjoy this fine talk.

Happy 2018 everyone.

Jordan

Commercial Directing Bootcamp is April 21st, 2018 in Los Angeles. Book before new Year’s Eve and save $100.00

Thanks,

Jordan

This runs just over an hour. “I Am Battle Comic” makes a great gift. Just saying. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

Michelle Kath Sinclair & Jordan Levy Discuss Their TIFF Hit Documentary “Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience”.

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Cinematographer/Producer Jordan Levy returns to the show and he brings Director Michelle Kath Sinclair with him. Michelle’s debut feature documentary is “Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience”, a delightfully charming search for her guitar-shredding father, a founding member of Chicago, who died when Michelle was two years old.

We chat about how the film came to be, the technical and legal challenges and more. We also explore the wonderful, healing effect making the film had on the surviving bandmates.

Rent, steam or buy the film here.

Happy Holidays,

Jordan

“I Am Battle Comic” is the perfect stocking stuffer.

Thanks,

Jordan

This runs just over an hour. “I Am Battle Comic” makes a great gift. Just saying. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

AbelCine CEO Pete Abel Is Committed To Serving Filmmakers.

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AbelCine CEO Pete Abel discuss his company’s long-standing commitment to educating our filmmaking community. In addition to their sales and renting the hottest new gear, AbelCine has a series of training workshops that keep us filmmakers up to speed. Pete and I share the philosophy that the tool must serves the story, and you’ll love his origin story that got him in the game.

Full disclosure, AbelCine’s new Brooklyn location in Industry City has me drooling to do a Commercial Directing Bootcamp there. Click for the AbelCine Class and Workshops.

Thanks,

Jordan

This runs just over an hour. “I Am Battle Comic” makes a great gift. Just saying. Click here for “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

So Why Is Super Producer-Director Judd Apatow Doing A Netflix Stand-Up Comedy Special?

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Writer/Producer/Director Judd Apatow is one of my favorite filmmakers, with “Knocked Up”, “This is 40”, “40 Year Old Virgin” and “Funny People” being my personal loves. As the ultimate Hollywood hyphenate, he’s produced dozens of Brady family classics such as “Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy”, the recent “The Big Sick” and the tour-de-force “Talladego Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby”. So why after 22 years would Judd Apatow return to his roots of stand up comedy? Find out.

Judd also shares his method of extracting the most from his entire filmmaking team actors, writers, directors and editors. Never stopping until the film is it’s funniest. I’ve always admired how he’s encouraged his team to write his or her own stories, and that support has brought us HBO’s “Girls”, “Crashing” and all things Franco. Judd Apatow: The Return” debuts December 12th on Netflix.

thanks,

Jordan

This is an hour and 40 minutes of the best stuff and Wayne Federman drops in! The best stocking stuffers are “I Am Battle Comic” dvd’s and digital downloads. Buy it today!

From Ad Copywriting to Commercial Directing with Comedy Director Alex Grossman.

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A former copywriter for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Butler, Shine & Stern, Alex Grossman has always had a love for advertising. His 2017 commercial campaign for The French Film Festival won 3 Gold Lions and 2 Silver at Cannes, a record for comedy directors this year. It also won 6 Golds, 6 Silvers, and 3 Bronze at the prestigious London International Awards show. Wow!!

You’re gonna love this chat. See his work at alexgrossman.com or at rocket.film and check this hilarious spot:

thanks,

Jordan

This is an hour and 20 minutes of the good stuff. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is almost full! And oh.. “I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Filmmaker Dulanie Ellis Discusses Her Docu “Ground Operations” About U.S. Veterans Becoming Farmers.

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Filmmaker Dulanie Ellis joins me for a spontaneous chat about her award-winning documentary “Ground Operations”. It’s an awesome story on the growing network of combat veterans who are transitioning into careers as sustainable farmers, ranchers and artisan food producers. Perfect for Veterans Day! In fact, make it a double feature with “I Am Battle Comic” this weekend. Here’s the trailer:

Enjoy.

Jordan

This is a 45 minute talk. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is almost full!
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

I Get Woke To Sexual Harassment On-Set By Filmmaker Destri Martino.

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Talented Director/Producer Destri Martino founded The Director List, a database of female directors, when she realized there were many qualified, working women directors but none were getting the big opportunities. Check out the site and help build the awareness. Destri and I go way back. She worked as my (overqualified) Director’s Assistant on two feature films, one for Miramax under now-known sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. So we dive deep into the on-set practices that are indeed abusive and harassing. #GetWoke

Thank you Destri for sharing all your insights.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour and 13 minutes. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is filling up fast.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Busy Commercial Filmmaker Carlos Gutierrez Shares His Bag Of Tricks.

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Filmmaker Carlos Gutierrez is always working and he took time to skype with me and graciously share his filmmaking secrets, both on and off set. His has a fine film pedigree you can read here. Enjoy his reel at Superlounge.tv after the show! Here’s a wonderful film he made for Chevy, featuring Patrick Decile from Best Picture Winner “Moonlight”.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour and 17 minutes. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is filling up fast.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

My Chat With Commercial Directing Hall Of Famer, Filmmaker Kinka Usher.

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There may not be an actual Commercial Directing Hall of Fame, but when there is, Director Kinka Usher will be an inaugural inductee. Kinka won the coveted Directors Guild of America award for his Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials twice, and he has more Cannes Lions that you can fit on the dining room table. Usher directed his first commercial in 1992 after working his way up from production assistant, camera assistant and steadicam operator. He has directed award-winning campaigns for Got Milk?, Polaroid, Nissan, Miller Lite, Taco Bell, Hallmark, Pepsi, HBO and Nike, many of which were featured at the Super Bowl.

As one of my filmmaking heroes, it’s a true treat to have him on the podcast.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour and 17 minutes. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is filling up fast. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up. We are one third full so do not dilly dally.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Cinematographer Mike Svitak On Shooting Commercials vs. Movies.

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Cinematographer Mike Svitak and I have shot more cars and comedy in the last 13 months than most filmmakers do in their entire career. In this episode, we chat about all that, as well as his movie making experiences. And his new film, “6 Below” challenged him to shoot in the most extreme conditions. You will love this talk, I pinky promise. Here’s a new Ford F-150 spot we just did for the NFL with the Steelers mascot:

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour and 20 minutes. Next Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 2nd, 2017 and is filling up fast. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up. We are one third full so do not dilly dally.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Comedian/Filmmaker Henry Phillips Talks Showtime’s “Punching Henry” and Baked Spaghetti.

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Comedian and Filmmaker Henry Phillips is one of my favorite comics on the circuit. His specials and live shows are not to be missed. Nor are his two semi-biographical cult comedy films: “Punching the Clown” and the sequel “Punching Henry”, now on Showtime. He has also made acting appearances on HBO’s “Silicon Valley” (4 episodes) and Comedy Central’s “Drunk History”. His YouTube channel, featuring the tutorial cooking series “Henry’s Kitchen”, has garnered millions of views. Watch the trailer:

Our chat covers it all, from getting a film of the ground, to that final test screening to hear the laughs. You’ll love it.

Thanks,

Jordan

This is an hour and 12 minutes of fun laughs. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up. We are one third full so do not dilly dally.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

From Tucson To Beijing With Filmmaker Nickolas Duarte.

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Filmmaker Nickolas Duarte directs commercials and has a new web series he sold to Warner Brothers that he can almost talk about. He teases us in this episode. Through his Tuscon, Arizona-based Crown Chimp, he has plotted a course for success. Nick shares his methods that help him set and achieve his goals, techniques that we all can use. I am taken with his work in China, here take a look:

Also, check out this short film, “Trouble Will Find Her”, along with his notes.

Cheers,

Jordan

This is an hour and 16 minutes of bliss. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Podcast Producer Shawn Marek’s Top 5 Filmmaking Podcasts.

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Shawn Marek is a producer of many a podcast, so he stopped by the RTP Studios to tell us his favorite filmmaking shows. He’s producing a live show in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Improv. It’s Thursday, October 5th, 2017 called “LA Podfest Preview Night” so get tickets now!

Shawn and his lovely wife Jen Stansfield host a podcast themselves, called “Worst Collection Ever” about their comic books. Shawn’s pro-wrestling podcast is “I Can Talk Kayfabe” with Joe Todaro. Take both for a spin.
Check it out.

I know you’ll find this a fascinating chat, as you already love my podcast.

Cheers,

Jordan

This is 90 minutes full of fun. Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up.
“I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

“Transparent” Cinematographer Jim Frohna Shares His Intimate Filmmaking Process.

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Cinematographer Jim Frohna has shot every episode of Amazon’s hit show “Transparent”, infusing each scene with an intimacy between the characters and the camera. In a sense, he is like the unseen member of the Pfefferman family. Jim has directed the show as well, so you know we chat about that experience too. Plenty of tech talk for ya’ll, but moveover, you’ll feel the love and cohesiveness among the cast & crew. Thank you Mr. Frohna for coming on the show!

thanks,

Jordan

This lasts an hour and 20 minutes.

Commercial Directing Bootcamp is December 02, 2017 in Los Angeles and tickets are already being gobbled up. “I Am Battle Comic” is sweeping hearts and funny bones across the nation. Own it today!

Mastering Your Craft With Celebrity Makeup Artist Aliesh Pierce.

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Celebrity Makeup Artist Aliesh Pierce and I have done dozens of shoots together. We share a strong work ethic that mandates mastery of craft, and helping others. For example, when HMI lighting came all the rage, Aliesh bought her own to see the effects on her makeup techniques. And then she did her own tests when the digital camera revolution began. Be sure to check out her own line of beauty products too at AskAliesh.com today. This chat will inspire you!

Hurricane Harvey victims need our help. The Red Cross is great to donate to, so is Team Rubicon or my friend Gordon “The Green Veteran” Soderberg’s GoFundMe. Gordon will be working with Team Rubicon in Houston helping people get their lives back on track.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour and 13 minutes of fun!

“I Am Battle Comic” is winning over audiences by storm, so get your copy today. DVD, digital download, stream, rent, buy – today!! Go to www.iambattlecomic.com or iTunes.

<a href=”http://www.commercialdirectingbootcamp.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Commercial Directing Bootcamp</a> will be in December 2017. Winter is coming.

Director Ben Giroux Pulls 60 Millions Views with ‘Back To The 90’s’ Video.

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Filmmaker Ben Giroux is a comedic actor/director/producer/rapper/writer and the creator of the viral music video phenomenon BACK TO THE 90s. Giroux’s music video collaborations with indie hip-hop artist Jensen Reed have amassed over 60 million views globally, resulting in endorsements from The Backstreet Boys and multiple weeks climbing the Billboard charts. Giroux currently stars as Mikey Munroe in Nickelodeon’s animated series BUNSEN IS A BEAST.Watch this before you listen, trust me you’ll love it:

“I Am Battle Comic” is winning over audiences by storm, so get your copy today. DVD, digital download, stream, rent, buy – today!! Go to www.iambattlecomic.com or iTunes.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is an hour of fun!

<a href=”http://www.commercialdirectingbootcamp.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Commercial Directing Bootcamp</a> is SOLD OUT for August 26th, in Los Angeles. Winter is coming.

How To Break Into Hollywood Like Director Of Photography Michael Svitak.

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Cinematographer Michael Svitak and I have been on quite a run lately, shooting spots for seven major automobile makers in the last year. Michael begged me not to put yet another director of photography episode up so soon so I’m going wait, and give ya’ll this teaser. A fascinating true tale of how a young Mike talked his way onto the crew of a Gus Van Sant film. Here’s our Brad Paisley film for Fender.

“I Am Battle Comic” is winning over audiences by storm, so get your copy today. DVD, digital download, stream, rent, buy – today!! Go to www.iambattlecomic.com or iTunes.

Thanks,

Jordan

This episode is 17 minutes!

<a href=”http://www.commercialdirectingbootcamp.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Commercial Directing Bootcamp</a> is SOLD OUT for August 26th, in Los Angeles.