How a $7K, 7-Day Movie Built Around One Extraordinary Person Became a Festival Hit
About this episode
Filmmaker Joe Burke and actor-writer-producer Oliver Cooper discuss the making of their micro-budget film Burt and its festival success.
Filmmaker Joe Burke and actor-writer-producer Oliver Cooper join No Film School to discuss the making and release of Burt, a black-and-white micro-budget feature inspired by real-life musician Burt Berger. The conversation covers how Burke and Cooper built a narrative film around a non-actor, shot the movie in seven days for $7,000, used a tiny crew to preserve authenticity, and pursued a self-distribution strategy through Filmhub after the film gained momentum on the festival circuit. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, Joe Burke, and Oliver Cooper discuss... How Joe Burke and Oliver Cooper first met Burt Berger and realized he could be the center of a feature film Why Burt became a narrative film instead of a documentary Working with non-actors and blending fiction with real-life details Shooting a black-and-white feature in seven days with a three-person crew Why the team avoided a traditional production model How they kept the production legal and professional while still working with almost no money The role of cinematographer Daniel Kenji Levin and the stripped-down camera package Raising finishing funds after the film was already cut Winning festival awards…
People in this episode
Host: GG Hawkins
Guests: Joe Burke, Oliver Cooper
Topics covered
- micro-budget filmmaking
- self-distribution
- working with non-actors
- film festivals
- narrative vs documentary
- production strategies
- digital marketing
Keywords
- Burt
- micro-budget film
- film festivals
- self-distribution
- black-and-white film
- non-actors
- narrative film
- DIY outreach
- Cinequest
- Filmhub
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Filmhub, Cinequest
More episodes of The No Film School Podcast
- Inside the Craft of Action With Emmy-Nominated Stunt Coordinator Victor Paguia
- The Art of Asking for Money for Indie Films feat. Madhouse Films
- How Microbudget ‘Sour Party’ Became a Steven Soderbergh Presents
- Secrets to an Oscar Short Film Campaign with Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
- The Assistant Route: Networking, Mentorship, and Building a Film Career & Community
- Designing Indie Horror: The Production Design of 'Obsession'
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