SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking

The Acting Performance Of A Feature Smartphone Film with Mark Hadlow

Episode 59
The smartphone camera is the window to your story. As your story unfolds on your screen you are watching your film as you record it. Acting in front of the iPhone camera was a lot like acting in theater on a stage. Blue Moon was shot in one location with a small crew. Mark Hadlow is the lead actor in the film, Horace Jones playing alongside Jed Brophy (Darren Cates) as co-lead. The 85-minute feature film is an incredible performance and a great story that begins in a gas station lit up like a spaceship in the dark night. Episode 59 of the SBP Podcast brings a deep conversation with actor Mark Hadlow.
In this episode we speak about the making of Blue Moon and Mark shares some behind-the-scenes stories, including his real-life daughter Olivia Hadlow who plays Lucille Jones as Horace Jones’ daughter. Mark also shares a story about when he and Jed worked in The Hobbit, cast as Dwarf brothers Dori and Nori. One important part of the message from Mark is how you need to surround yourself with the right people and build a family that supports you.
If you are thinking about making feature films with your smartphone you need to realize it’s not an easy task as a filmmaker. You need to take the focus of your story out of the technology and captivate your viewer closely by the performance. While the technology inspires anyone who has a smartphone to believe anyone can make a movie with a smartphone, it requires some skill in storytelling. But the story is king. And to deliver a good story, the performance has to stand out. Mark shares and emphasizes the work that actors need to put into their careers in order to deliver a good performance.
“You can have the best camera and the best person that believes that they can actually film it because they’re really good at what they do. And they can see the magic of their camera angle and they can see what’s going on to film it. You could have the worst sound recording equipment but yet the person who’s doing the sound recording knows exactly—they’ve got the confidence to put it in the right place at the right time. You’ve still a good sound track, you’ve still got a good picture that you filmed.” Mark Hadlow.
Mark Hadlow has been an actor for many years. His work is spread between Hollywood films and television to theatrical performances. It is no wonder after listening to the lead actor in Blue Moon why the film is doing so well. Not only does the film look and sound amazing, but the story absorbs its audience into a story through to the very end. That is the magic of making feature films with smartphones. You can make features with amazing landscape with cameras that cost almost as much as a house. You can carry your audience through mesmerizing footage in that sense and you can still deliver a good story. But with a smartphone camera, we are still limited by the size and capabilities of the lens. Take away all that footage and you may be left with a short film.
Instead, focus on a great story and a great performance. Having confidence in your actors to develop their characters on screen and bring your audience inside the story to experience it as if they were there, in the middle of it…that is one of the virtues of smartphone filmmaking.
“Mark Hadlow, ONZM, is one of New Zealand's best known actors. He has performed in countless theatre shows throughout New Zealand. Mark has made dozens of film appearances, several television series, commercials and radio voice-overs in the thousands. He has directed many plays throughout New Zealand, some independent productions and for the Court Theatre in Christchurch. Playing the dwarf Dori in The Hobbit Trilogy, was Mark's third Peter Jackson movie. Mark has been nominated for and won several awards,” Mark Hadlow “loves the one man show format and ‘MAMIL’ written by his best mate Gregory Cooper opened in 2014 and has since numbered 179 performances to over 40,000 people throughout NZ with a highly successful 2nd season in 2018 in Christchurch at the Isaac Theatre Royal.”
"Blue Moon" by Stef Harris of Dark Horse Films is a thriller. It was filmed in Motueka, New Zealand and held its world premiere in the NZIFF in 2018 in New Zealand. It is currently in film festivals and won the Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest Houston film festival 2019.
Special thanks to Richard Vizor, one of the Executive Producers of Blue Moon for connecting us to this wonderful team, or family, in New Zealand.
SBP Podcast: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones.
Watch the trailer for Blue Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxmyCH8-ztk
Mark Hadlow on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352921/
Mark Hadlow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealmarkhadlow/
Mark Hadlow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mark_markhadlow
Biography: https://www.nzonscreen.com/person/mark-hadlow/biography
Listen to Jed Brophy podcast episode 55: https://sbppodcast.podiant.co/e/373e0139b4fe44/
Listen to Stef Harris podcast episode 54: https://sbppodcast.podiant.co/e/37387c24b3e82c/
Our Links:
Subscribe, support and listen to bonus episodes and more on Patreon: http://patreon.com/sbppodcast
SBP Podcast Blog: http://sbppodcast.wordpress.com
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.studio
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sbp-podcast/id1296673665
International Mobile Film Festival Website: http://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast
Hashtag: MobilizeStories Mobile Film Community Website: http://mobilizestories.com
Susy Botello on Twitter: http://twitter.com/susybotello
SBP Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ISEF0SZOLyRpw20loXzlo#upsell
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Are you starting a Podcast? Create a new podcast or network and use the code sbppodcast to apply a 25% discount and save: https://pcast.link/sbppodcast/
© Copyright 2019 S. Botello Productions™. All rights reserved.

Content and Creativity in Smartphone Filmmaking through MINA with Max Schleser Episode 58

We wanted to share an innovative project with our mobile filmmaking and smartphone video community. MINA 2019 has partnered with Goethe Institute in New Zealand. The (Hashtag) Nucleus competition for smartphone short films is a joint initiative of Goethe Institute and MINA (Mobile Innovation Network & Association). Join co-founder of MINA, Max Schleser on the SBP Podcast: The voice of mobile film™ to discuss the project and how you can be a part of it, in episode 58.
Film-makers and creatives are invited to submit short films of 3 to 5 minutes in length, exploring issues of the environment and sustainability. The best entries will be selected, and in November 2019 the winners will be invited to a screening of the films and a three-day workshop in Wellington (New Zealand/Aotearoa). The workshop will bring together your diverse creative talents to shoot a smartphone short film on eco-tourism. Call for Entries: the environment and sustainability in smartphone films. Submission deadline is August 15.
The project by Goethe Institute is a partnership with MINA which promotes a short film competition for smartphone films from Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Max discusses the possibilities and provides details of what types of films can be submitted to the competition.
We also speak a bit about how MINA continues to provide global creative and innovative filmmakers and smartphone video creators an opportunity to push the limits of what can be done with smartphone and mobile devices to create stories and experimental works of art using mobile cameras. Although MINA is currently based in Australia, their next event is taking place in China. The 9th edition of the International Mobile Innovation Screening features: Mobile, Pocket and Smartphone films; New Voices : Next Generation Smartphone Filmmakers; Mobile Cinematic VR & 360° Video Production; MoJo, Mobile Storytelling, and Micro-movies & Micro-formats.
“The Mobile Innovation Network and Association (MINA) creates interactions between communities, content and the creative industries.” MINA.pro
SBP Podcast: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones.
Watch a fun animated video with a detailed explanation of the Nucleus project in the description on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/tWVgVXVpQsY
Check out the links below to be a part of this innovative project between Goethe Institute and MINA and/or submitting a mobile film to MINA 2019:
MINA Film Submissions on FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/mina
MINA Website: http://mina.pro
Goethe Institute Website: https://www.goethe.de/ins/nz/en/ueb.html
MINA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MobileInnovationNetwork
MINA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MINAmobile
Our Links:
Subscribe, support and listen to bonus episodes and more on Patreon: http://patreon.com/sbppodcast
SBP Podcast Blog: http://sbppodcast.wordpress.com
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.studio
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sbp-podcast/id1296673665
International Mobile Film Festival Website: http://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast
Hashtag: MobilizeStories Mobile Film Community Website: http://mobilizestories.com
Susy Botello on Twitter: http://twitter.com/susybotello
SBP Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ISEF0SZOLyRpw20loXzlo#upsell
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Are you starting a Podcast? Create a new podcast or network and use the code sbppodcast to apply a 25% discount and save: https://pcast.link/sbppodcast/
© Copyright 2019 S. Botello Productions™. All rights reserved.

Storytelling with Smartphone Cameras with CK Goldiing Episode 57

We encounter stories throughout our daily lives. We are living at a time where we carry a tool that can capture a story and share it with the world.
CK Goldiing records his encounters and challenges with his smartphone and one of them is a film that is going viral. CK came to speak during the International Mobile Film Festival #MFF2019SanDiego and we featured his film, 61 Hugs which he shot with his Samsung smartphone. Episode 57 of the SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking is a conversation with CK on his last day before he flew back to the UK with a high potential to inspire storytellers to use their phone cameras to share their stories.
The conversation with CK began casually with his film, 61 Hugs. But it soon becomes passionate as we discuss the storytelling aspect of video and film. We speak about how a moment can turn into a great story and some of that has to do with what people are willing to share with you when they trust you.
The other aspect of recording moments is distribution. We asked CK his preference and one thing he shares is how he doesn’t limit the potential of his videos by restricting them to a particular manner of distribution such as a series. However, he does have a series of videos in his YouTube channel with some videos becoming popular. 61 Hugs is going viral, not as a part of the series, but as a film.
CK Goldiiing has his own marketing agency and he knows how to reach out to the press which he did for his film and his marketing skills are a great example of how you can help your film go viral. The main point he wanted to share was that his film was a human story. He also gives our listeners some insights on how to get traction for your film or story to get it press attention.
CK discusses giving his film “as much oxygen as possible.” In order to do that, he had to not feel “icky” about sharing the film, and that is part of the challenge for content creators. Where you feel like perhaps you have already shared your film on Twitter enough but, no you haven’t. And there are always people who may see it today who did not see it yesterday.
The experience of being a part of the film festival in San Diego meant a lot for CK, and he shares the essence of what drives us to organize it each year. IMFF 2019 was the 8th edition and we celebrated Stories! as the theme during the 10th anniversary since it was launched in 2009.
CK thanks each of the sponsors for this year’s film festival. He also challenged creators to listen to his advice on getting traction with their projects with a Seven-Day Challenge to “give oxygen” to their creations and share their results with CK. You can do that by tagging and following CK on social media below.
Watch 61 Hugs by CK Goldiing: https://youtu.be/QBLHB85yvwg
Video - Let’s Chat with CK in San Diego: https://youtu.be/M_gqaSeR6ls
Follow CK Goldiing:
Website: https://www.61hugs.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CKGoldiing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ckgoldiing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialCK/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3K7Qp6AYPmJBcW5Hioiqfg
Previous Episode 44 with CK Goldiing: https://sbppodcast.podiant.co/e/36e07d412c290e/
Our Links:
Get all the details about this year’s film festival: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/news/35-smartphone-filmmakers-share-stories-in-san-diego
Subscribe, support and listen to bonus episodes and more on Patreon: http://patreon.com/sbppodcast
SBP Podcast Blog: http://sbppodcast.wordpress.com
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.studio
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sbp-podcast/id1296673665
International Mobile Film Festival Website: http://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast
Hashtag: MobilizeStories Mobile Film Community Website: http://mobilizestories.com
Susy Botello on Twitter: http://twitter.com/susybotello
SBP Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ISEF0SZOLyRpw20loXzlo#upsell
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Are you starting a Podcast? Create a new podcast or network and use the code sbppodcast to apply a 25% discount and save: https://pcast.link/sbppodcast/
© Copyright 2019 S. Botello Productions™. All rights reserved.

Connecting Global Smartphone Film To Indiana with Nathan Bechtold Episode 56

The aftereffects of the 2019 International Mobile Film Festival are euphoric. There was an energy and vibe throughout the two-day event which had an impact with everyone who was a part of the event in San Diego. We sat down for a discussion two days after the film festival with the president of Indiana Filmmakers Network, Nathan Bechtold before his flight back to Indiana. Listen to Episode 56 of the SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking as we discuss the festival, the people, the vibe, the energy and the resources and opportunities IFN has for filmmakers in and outside Indiana.
We began sharing the Indiana Filmmakers Network with Nathan but we were both still “hungover” from the aftereffects of the weekend’s IMFF 2019. The information Nathan shared about IFN benefits everyone and anyone who happens to be, or plans to be, making a film in the state of Indiana. IFN has several hubs throughout the state providing a physical resource filmmakers. It also has a strong online presence through its groups on social media.
We share how IFN benefits someone who is looking to make a film with traditional equipment, since that is the base of their members. However, through a partnership with the #MobilizeStories Community Network by the International Mobile Film Festival, it is opening the door to filmmakers using smartphone cameras as well. In fact, IFN held a short contest for anyone in Indiana to make short films with their smartphones to feature in this year’s #MFF2019SanDiego and Nathan showcased them on Sunday as part of the program.
Episode 56 discusses IFN’s resources for all filmmakers regardless of what camera you use to share your stories as films and then we dive into what it was like for Nathan to witness IMFF in person.
Nathan’s biggest impression seemed to be the vibe and the support between all the filmmakers in the space where we held our film festival at Marina Village Conference Center. Nathan noted the welcoming atmosphere from the minute a filmmaker or attendee walked into the festival throughout the course of the program, the sessions and the entire event in general. People connected. People shared stories…and hugs. Although a podcast is an audio format, you can almost see the light in his eyes as he describes the experience.
Listen to the conversation which brings a lot of mentions from people we both know in Indiana. One of those people, whom we did not mention was one of the judges from the IMFF short film competition, Demetrius Witherspoon. Demetrius is also a member of the Indiana Filmmakers Network.
Follow Indiana Filmmakers Network (IFN) on Social Media:
Website: http://indianafilmmakers.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5382449841/about/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/indianafilmnet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianafilmmakers/
Our Links:
Get all the details about this year’s film festival: https://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com/news/35-smartphone-filmmakers-share-stories-in-san-diego
Subscribe, support and listen to bonus episodes and more on Patreon: http://patreon.com/sbppodcast
SBP Podcast Blog: http://sbppodcast.wordpress.com
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.studio
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sbp-podcast/id1296673665
International Mobile Film Festival Website: http://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast
Hashtag: MobilizeStories Mobile Film Community Website: http://mobilizestories.com
Susy Botello on Twitter: http://twitter.com/susybotello
SBP Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ISEF0SZOLyRpw20loXzlo#upsell
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Are you starting a Podcast? Create a new podcast or network and use the code sbppodcast to apply a 25% discount and save: https://pcast.link/sbppodcast/
© Copyright 2019 S. Botello Productions™. All rights reserved.

Jed Brophy in Smartphone Feature Blue Moon Episode 55

The way you approach a film as a director, screenwriter or actor, can be quite similar. It revolves and evolves around story, structure, and characters. Episode 55 of the SBP Podcast is a discussion with actor Jed Brophy. Jed has years of experience acting in many films you have probably heard of, Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, District 9…just to name a few. Jed is one of the principal actors of Blue Moon shot in New Zealand.
We spoke with Jed Brophy, who is in New Zealand – Aotearoa. He shares a bit of his career and experience as an actor in the feature film Blue Moon, shot entirely with the iPhone. Blue Moon was written and directed by Stef Harris.
Jed is an actor who has worked in many films. He’s also had the privilege to work in a number of Hollywood films. The stories he shares about his experience in both, traditional film and mobile film will inspire anyone thinking, or wondering about whether to dive into the world of making films using smartphones. You don’t have to make a feature film, but you need to start doing it at any capacity to realize the potential of what you can achieve as a filmmaker and storyteller using a smartphone camera.
Jed Brophy shares how the longest take in Blue Moon took about 11 minutes, due to the extensive dialogue in each scene. They broke the 85 minute feature screenplay into several parts for their performance during production. Blue Moon was filmed in a total of about 30 hours in a single location. Jed shared the differences between working on a film like Lord Of The Rings and Blue Moon from a personal perspective. The budget and cost for Blue Moon was about $12,000.
Jed explains how one of the differences between large action films and a mobile film, has to do with the number of stops and takes for each scene during production. When you have a big crew, much equipment and action scenes, such as in Peter Jackson’s films that Jed has worked on, there are many things that can go wrong. For a shadow that does not belong in a shot, to many technical malfunctions. All the stops extend the time of production and you end up with a few minutes of usable footage in a typical day. Wherein a mobile film like Blue Moon, you end your day with about 30 minutes of usable footage. Jed shares specific differences in crew size and equipment, which can also lower the production time in a mobile film set’s production.
Jed has played creatures in some films. He’s had to endure hours of makeup and prosthetics prep. He shares the experience of that experience. Jed also compares the difference and process he goes through playing creatures versus human characters.
Listen to this episode to listen to the entire conversation, including Jed Brophy’s projects and his views on mobile smartphone filmmaking.
Jed shares great tips and advice on making films using smartphones. He also shares a few stories regarding his experience working with Peter Jackson and the film industry in general. Jed Brophy is very excited about the potential of making films using smartphones and his views are very inspiring. What does Jed Brophy think about the future of mobile filmmaking? Listen to this episode and find out.
SBP Podcast: The Voice of Mobile Film™ is for everyone who ever wanted to or is curious about making movies and videos using smartphones.
Jed was also kind enough to send a message to the filmmakers taking part in the International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego April 27 & 28.
Watch the trailer for Blue Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxmyCH8-ztk
Jed Brophy on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0112400/
Follow Jed Brophy on Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrophyJed
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jed-Brophy-517155004963438/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jedibrophy/
Blue Moon by Dark Horse Films: http://darkhorse-films.com
Previous Episode 54 with Blue Moon Director Stef Harris: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking/blue-moon-smartphone-feature-filmmaking-in-new-zealand-864c2632b96f
Our Links:
Get Tickets to the International Mobile Film Festival April 27 & 28: https://www.freshtix.com/events/international-mobile-film-festival-2
Get all the details about this year’s film festival: http://bit.ly/MobileFilmRocks
Subscribe, support and listen to bonus episodes and more on Patreon: http://patreon.com/sbppodcast
SBP Podcast Blog: http://sbppodcast.wordpress.com
SBP Podcast Website: http://sbppodcast.studio
iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sbp-podcast/id1296673665
International Mobile Film Festival Website: http://internationalmobilefilmfestival.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sbppodcast
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbppodcast
Hashtag: MobilizeStories Mobile Film Community Website: http://mobilizestories.com
Susy Botello on Twitter: http://twitter.com/susybotello
SBP Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ISEF0SZOLyRpw20loXzlo#upsell
Smartphone Filmmaking Publication on Medium: https://medium.com/smartphonefilmmaking
Are you starting a Podcast? Create a new podcast or network and use the code sbppodcast to apply a 25% discount and save: https://pcast.link/sbppodcast/
© Copyright 2019 S. Botello Productions™. All rights reserved.