Director Daniel Bogran made a film that could be spoiled with just a few words and it would change the entire dynamic of how you watch it. So I'm not going to do that. But the "how" behind him filming THE KILLING MOON ("A wealthy couple's lake vacation takes a sinister, seductive turn when an attractive stranger shows up wounded at their door") is definitely worth a conversation. It had its international premiere at Raindance in London this year.

So is his short film LOW (2019), now streaming on YouTube. You'll see a few familiar actors on LOW, and how he was able to keep his crew together for over 6 years is certainly something we talk about.

New Orleans, tropes in films like this, we talk about it all with Daniel for the pod.

In this episode, Daniel and I discuss:

• how to prevent spoilers for a film with a big twist and the process of writing it;
• how he got into filmmaking through editing -- and New Orleans;
• what was the best way to stay in touch with a team as he moved from different projects seven years apart;
• how he stuck with this film even when producers wanted to put in other directors;
• are producers that blunt about taking a writer off their project?
• why Raindance and the social media plan for the film;
• thoughts on release strategy after a viral YouTube hit;
• the stereotypes of New Orleans;
• turning tropes on their head in a film and using misdirection;
• what the reaction to his film has been.

Daniel's Indie Film Highlight: FALCON LAKE (2022) dir. by Charlotte Le Bon

Memorable Quotes:

"[Editing] is something that's ... completely unique to filmmaking. Every other part of filmmaking comes from something else."

" I think a lot of it is just developing almost like a secondhand language."

" I personally like cliches and tropes because they are very potent. They have a lot of power in them and a lot of expectation that's built into them."

Links:

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