Just Shoot It: A Podcast about Filmmaking, Screenwriting and Directing

Simon Cellan Jones https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148116 shares the story of his rise from the mailroom at BBC to become a director on "The Diplomat", "See", "Ballers", and "The Expanse".Then Matt and Oren get Simon to share some tips for working with star talent, like Mark Wahlberg, on his latest film "Family Plan 2". What's the difference between how Mark comes to set compared to Jason Momoa? And what are the factors that go into deciding whether to use a Podcar or a process trailer? The guys get into a lot more, and you can't miss this episode.The three wrap up with a chat about the gritty, cutting-edge films that came out of the 1970s. And they ask the question on everyone's mind: Will we soon see a new renaissance in cutting-edge filmmaking in the next year or two? Find out in this week's episode!Find Simon on Instagram @simon.cellanjones---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodCome to our event! RSVP at https://events.justshootitpod.com/Dec 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM Lawless Brewing Co.5275 Craner AvenueLos Angeles, CA 91601Matt's Endorsement: Use a warming tray / chafing dish and make hosting parties easier.Oren's Endorsement: "Task" on HBO. "I Love LA" on HBO. And the Robinhood Gold Credit CardSimon's Endorsement: Plant crocuses; yellow is great!

Ben Semanoff https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1032608/ shares how he made the break from camera operator to director. Lots of people want to do the same and you might be one of them. So you'll want to hear Ben tell you the one simple question too many people forget to ask. Matt and Oren also get Ben to open up about what makes a camera operator stand out. And the three talk about how Ben found himself in the unique position of being an irreplaceable crew member. And why that was a critical step to directing on Ozark, Stanger Things, and his newest show, Black Rabbit as well as long working relationship with Jason Bateman.You won't want to miss Ben's thoughts on why you need to always bring ideas to set, what it means to shoot the show in prep, and how to decide where to put the lens.Find Ben on Instagram @bsemanoff---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: The streaming service Peacock, because they feature Universal's old monster movies.Oren's Endorsement: Actors, in your auditions, be sure to perform an action that brings to life the location and fits the character you're auditioning for. Maybe even add yourself a line before the scene starts.Ben's Endorsement: Logitech G-Series Fits self-shaping, custom fit earbuds https://www.logitechg.com/en-sg/products/gaming-audio/fits-true-wireless-gaming-earbuds.985-001188.html And the book, "An Actor's Companion: Tools for the Working Actor" by Seth Barrish https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/169498881-an-actor-s-companion

Jonah Feingold https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3783212/ talks about connecting with your parasocial audience to create the films you want to make. And he shares why he got in front of the camera in his latest film, "31 Candles."Matt and Oren get Jonah to talk about filming in New York and how a living city creates one-off opportunities that plus your scene. And the three chat about product placement and the real benefit filmmakers can get from YouTube. You can connect with Jonah at jonahfeingold.nyc  and on IG: @jonahfeingold---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: "They Came Together" w/ Amy Kohler and Paul Rudd https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2398249/Oren's Endorsement: whisper.ai voice to text https://whisperai.com/Jonah's Endorsement: "Broadcast News" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092699/ . And do a silent take when on set.

Will Bridges https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2782297/ shares his method for making every meeting an opportunity. And he explains what he did that let him come from 10 years of working random jobs and trying to make shorts here and there, to becoming the newly discovered talent, suddenly writing for hit series like “Black Mirror” and “Stranger Things” as well as being a co-creator with Charlie Brooker.Matt and Oren get Will to open up about what he learned from "Shaun of the Dead" and how those filmmakers pitched. And they break down the process of showing decision-makers a concept and the steps needed to get them to truly understand what it will look like, feel like, and clearly see the audiences it will resonate with.If you're looking for ideas to improve how you direct actors, you too will get a lot from this episode. And Will goes into the secret of freeing up established actors to do their best work. And he's got some warnings about key mistakes many directors often make---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: "Paprika" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578Oren's Endorsement: Mike Birbiglia's "Working It Out" podcast https://www.podpage.com/mike-birbiglias-working-it-out/ and Za'atar spice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za'atarWill's Endorsement: "Tumor", the graphic novel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_%28comics%29 

Matt and Oren celebrate 500 episodes! That's basically one episode per week without dropping a beat, not even on Thanksgivings, since 2015.And while it's true "Just Shoot It" has changed a lot over the years. So too has the film & TV industry. It all started with a focus on auteur filmmaking. But the podcast took a definite shift towards commercial directing over the years.And while both Matt and Oren have successful careers and get paid to actually do what they love doing, neither broke out in a way that made them lose touch with what it really means to make it in the film and TV industry. Through the ups and the downs, both for the industry as a whole and for their individual careers, they've ridden the same rollercoaster as you.Matt talks about some dark times and how he made it through. And Oren and Matt both exchange techniques and ways of thinking that they picked up over the years to help them succeed faster. In the end, they wrote their own rules instead of waiting to "suddenly be discovered". Sure, luck was involved, but in a lot of ways, they learned to help luck take root. It's a real up-close look at where Matt and Oren are today in their careers, a look back at how they got there, and some introspection about what they might have done different.You can't miss this episode if you're looking to find tips and tricks to make it in film or TV in 2025 and beyond.---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: Molegirl aka "Tunnel Girl" on TikTokhttps://www.fastcompany.com/91299852/tiktoks-tunnel-girl-is-digging-again-much-to-the-internets-delighthttps://www.tiktok.com/@engineer.everything?lang=enOren's Endorsement: Adobe's Firefly Boards https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly/features/moodboard.html

Seth Worley https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2124394/ made money selling tools for filmmakers. And Matt and Oren get him to talk about ways filmmakers can make side-income today. Can filmmakers make money selling plug-ins and stock footage? And if so, how?But why make side-income as a filmmaker or working commercial director? Simply put: AI. And the guys get into a broader discussion how AI will change video and the impact AI will have in an already saturated marketplace of creatives. And they wrestle with tough questions like, what kind directors won't be replaced by AI?Like a lot of filmmakers, Seth's real passion is making good work. And he gets into his 9-year journey to complete his latest film, "Sketch". Did it change his life completely? The short answer is no. But you'll want to hear how making his feature film transformed how he worked from Nashville as a commercial director.This is the VFX episode you won't want to miss. And you’ll hear some great tips for making a Spielberg-reminiscent, Amblin-inspired movie for today's audiences.Find Seth on IG @thesethworley---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: Evan Monsma's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@EvanMonsmaOren's Endorsement: "Why You Should Shoot It Twice" from Frameset https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSrlQdtuLi0The latest episode from the podcast "Lonely Island and Seth Meyers " https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/laser-cats-5/id1738121304?i=1000732778308Edgar Wright on "Smartless" podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edgar-wright/id1521578868?i=1000731238799Seth's Endorsement: Sho Pizza Bar https://www.shopizzabar.com/ The album "Getting Killed" by the band Geese. https://geesebandnyc.bandcamp.com/album/getting-killed The soundtrack from "It Follows" https://music.apple.com/us/album/it-follows-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-deluxe/1842890406

How do you define your voice as a director? John-Michael Powell https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3119508/ talks about his new film "Violent Ends" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6902560 and the career journey that brought it to theaters.When the entire faculty of his art college told him to give up on becoming an artist, John-Michael moved to Los Angeles. He landed his first job at Bunim-Murray Productions, spending nights watching VHS tapes of "The Real World" and transcribing every line of dialogue onto scraps of paper. By day, he lived in a garage in the Valley off the 405 and close to the edge of moving back home.The better he became at editing TV segments with paper scraps thumb-tacked to a corkboard, the faster he spiraled towards mastering useless skills and boring stories about the way things were. But John-Michael had a knack for finding building blocks in any situation. Even alone, the work fueled him. But he still didn't yet know why that mattered to him.Soon things started taking shape: a Sundance award, editing a documentary on the Boston Marathon bombers, learning comedic timing from legend Jerry Zucker, and eventually an Emmy. Suddenly, he began seeing how the trajectory he was on, was nothing he imagined growing up in Arkansas.Listen as John-Michael shares about his career. Why Arkansas is a big part. And how it's all about constant discovery. You're really going to enjoy seeing and feeling why he’s in love with building his voice as a director and uncovering the secrets that await. Find him on Instagram: @johnmichael_powell---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: The cookbook "Let's Party", by Dan Pelosi https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dan-pelosi/lets-party/9781454956785/Oren's Endorsement: An interview with David Zucker on the podcast "How I Write: Hollywood Director Explains The 15 Rules of Comedy" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-zucker-hollywood-director-explains-the-15-rules/id1700171470?i=1000715428218John Michael's Endorsement: "A Dictionary of Color Combinations", by Sanzo Wada https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Color-Combinations-Various/dp/4861522471

Maya ‘Mayachka’ Margolina https://mayachka.com/ talks about her work with luxury brands like Coach, Rihanna's Fenty, Mercedes Benz, and MCM and how she craft treatments that get her work. And she reveals her own struggle to avoid being derivative while acknowledging that everything is derivative, at least somehow. In this episode, Oren and Matt unpack how Maya's unique cinematic form gets audiences to perceive brands in ways they never imagined. You might call it bridging the gap between a brand and a part of you brain that's from a completely different galaxy.  And though her unique perspective is mind-bending, much of her method is grounded in the same framework Matt and Oren have used in their comedy-focused work. You'll see similar beats with a familiar thought process and the same discovery call, but coming together in a completely different art form. And Maya discusses the details of working with movement directors and music supervisors as well as her interpretation of camera motion, pop culture memes, and getting the best performance from models and celebrities. Honest question. Are you someone who would never call something "hot"? Then this is the down to earth story of how to direct commercials for luxury brands that you've been wanting to hear! IG @mayachka____ (that's 4 underscores)---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: Hayao Miyazaki's. "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087544/Oren's Endorsement: the Roku remote has a headphone jack. And, r/barista on Reddit is hilarious https://www.reddit.com/r/barista/?rdt=37757 Maya's Endorsement: Flora AI https://www.florafauna.ai/ node-based AI with a UI reminiscent of Davinci Resolve color grading."Copycat" with Sigourney Weaver https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112722 Low Cinema in Queens NYC https://lowcinema.com/

Janek Ambros https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4471783/ doesn't use social media for self-promotion. And he tells up and coming filmmakers, you have to be annoying. Because in reality, that's what everyone in this industry is doing, including A-Listers.Besides if you're under 30, you're not supposed to know any better. So swing for the fence!! With a Sundance film under his belt and scores of other, Janek brings a filmmaker-sans-TV-commercial perspective, grit, and tenacity. And Matt and Oren explore his fascinating counterpoint take one how to make a career. Things like what makes a script that gets picked up. And where to start writing -- for character or budget.It's a fact-filled episode overflowing with juicy info!Find Janek on IG: @assemblylineent---Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPodMatt's Endorsement: "Singing In the Rain" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/Oren's Endorsement: "Gabby's Dollhouse", the movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32214143/ and the HBO show "Peacemaker" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13146488/Janek's Endorsement: "The Kid Stays in the Picture" audiobook by Robert Evans, read by Robert Evans https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Kid-Stays-in-the-Picture-Audiobook/B00CICHAN8 And “Adventures in the Screen Trade”, the book https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/william-goldman/adventures-in-the-screen-trade/9780446391177