Cinematic Heartland : Filmmaking Podcast

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

All of your dreams are on the other side of fear. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

One season while I was coaching varsity softball at Osage, Iowa, we had the team mantra of “Climb the Mountain.” That may seem really strange because we don’t have mountains in Iowa. But it meant something to the team and that’s all that matters.

As independent filmmakers, we face limitations but what we need to know is that they are not show stoppers. Don't have money? Don't worry. Limitations lead to creativity. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of inspiration and motivation to kick off your creative week.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

~ Harriet Tubman

Actor Carly Neel joins Cinematic Heartland to discuss her experiences on and off set and gives us her insights into the acting profession. Carly starred in the I Like Ike Films productions Oliver Short, Run, and had a supporting role in Tea Party. She was nominated for best actress under the age of 18 at the 2018 Utah Film Awards and won a lead actress achievement award from the Iowa Motion Picture Association. She currently resides in New York City and she is chasing her acting dreams.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

We hang motivational and inspirational messages around us everyday but do you read them? Do you listen to them? Do you heed their advice? Here's your sign that maybe you should.

Kevin welcomes very special guest, Alex Ferrari, to Cinematic Heartland today. He has three podcasts to his name… Indie Film Hustle, The Filmtrepreneur, and Bullet Proof Screenwriting. He is the author of Shooting for the Mob and Rise of the Filmtrepreneur. He operates Indie Film Hustle TV and is continually educating, informing, and advocating for the independent filmmaker. He has built a media empire from the ground up by turning his films into money making businesses and he is here today to say that you can do the same and that it’s within your reach. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

While I was coaching travel softball, I came across a college football coach by the name of Chip Kelly. The mantra he used with his team was “Win the Day.” I quickly incorporated this into the every day routine of my team and even had it printed on the back of our t-shirts. This philosophy, this attitude very easily transcends into every facet of life including our creative ventures.

Do you need to go to film school? Should you go to film school? Kevin answers these questions on today's episode. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

Think wild thoughts. Think about what you want to do and who you want to be. You only get one time around this ride. Make it count. 

Today on the show Kevin talks with Jacob Foster. Jacob appeared in the I Like Ike Films production “Run” in which he won an Iowa Motion Picture Lead Actor Award of Achievement for his role as the Irish hit man, Cirus, and he also appeared in the touching drama “On Top of the World.”

Hear about Jacob's experiences on and off set during the filming of both of these films and his advice for aspiring actors. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

Depression is when you are focused on the past. Anxiety is when you are focused on the future. Focus in on today.

Kevin welcomes a very special young lady on the show today… Avery Knudson. Avery appeared in three I Like Ike Films productions… Oliver Short, Tea Party, and Run. She has also played the lead in a couple of locally produced musicals… The Little Mermaid and High School Musical. She has a very powerful singing voice and just an incredibly focused, determined, and talented young actor.

Avery was awarded the Best Actress Under the Age of 18 for her role of Danika in Tea Party at the 2019 Utah Film Awards. She also won a Lead Actress Award of Achievement at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards and Best Young Actress at the Los Angeles Independent Shorts Awards for that same performance.

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

It’s okay to lose. Now there is a message that is counter to what society teaches us.

Every director has their own unique style in how they prepare to shoot a film, while on set, and how they handle post-production. On this episode, hear Kevin's approach to these things. 

**PLUS A SPECIAL BONUS**

At the end of the show you can hear a full track off his band's first CD. It's a song called "Road to Nowhere."

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

Know what you want to accomplish and focus on the process rather than the outcome. ~ Nick Saban

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week.

Tony Robbins has a saying… “You can’t always control the wind, but you can control your sails.”

Why would anyone want to listen to me? That's something many of us struggle with on a daily basis. We're creating something and putting it out into the world but will anybody care? Kevin discusses his own struggle with getting over this hurdle and what he does to combat it. 

Ignite Your Inspiration is a weekly quick burst of motivation and inspiration to kick off your creative week. 

As Mark Twain once said... the two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why. 

On this episode of Cinematic Heartland, Kevin gives his thoughts and insights on screenplay structure. Does your screenplay need a structure? Is one structure better than another? Is there only one correct structure that you can use? 

In this episode, Kevin tackles the tough questions of having to live in L.A. if you want to work in this business and how to create more realistic dialogue. Also, are you wondering about that cool, rocking track that starts and ends each episode? Kevin provides the answer. 

Have you sat down and evaluated where you are at in your filmmaking career whether you are a writer, director,  or actor? Kevin Isaacson walks you through a pivot he performed recently on his own career and what you should be looking for in evaluating your career and if you should make a similar pivot.

Welcome to episode one of Cinematic Heartland. I’m your host, Kevin Isaacson, a Midwestern filmmaker with I Like Ike Films. You’ll hear my insights, thoughts, trials, tribulations, and celebrations as an independent filmmaker located in the middle of America. 

On this episode...

Introduction

Coronavirus and the Independent Filmmaker

Check This Out - Cool, innovative, and helpful things for your filmmaking journey.