The Make It Podcast with Chris Barkley & Nicholas Buggs

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, Chris and Nick reunite for an Indie Talk episode packed with film industry insights, starting with Chris's powerful experience watching the James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro and a heartfelt shoutout to Carlton Adkins and the Enlightenment Film Academy's standing-room-only student film screening in Nashville. We dive deep into the evolving box office landscape, dissecting why certain legacy IP films are underperforming while YouTube-lore-driven films like Backrooms are shattering A24 records, and what that means for the future of indie filmmaking. We close with a rich discussion on George Lucas's comments about AI and audience testing, the Warner Bros./Paramount merger controversy, and a passionate defense of the theatrical experience as a community-building institution.

We also talk about:

• The cultural and historical significance of the deaths of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers in the 1960s, and how their simultaneous loss effectively ended a generation of Black empowerment leadership
• The nostalgia and community value of Blockbuster Video, including employee perks, the tactile VHS experience, and how video rental stores created a unique social ecosystem that streaming has failed to replicate
• The philosophical tension between George Lucas's belief in pure artistic storytelling and Kevin Goetz's data-informed audience testing approach, and what each means for the future of cinema
• The proposed Warner Bros./Paramount merger, the protests and petitions against it, what it could mean for creative competition and content diversity, and parallels to Disney's acquisition of Marvel and Star Wars
• The complicated cultural conversation around celebrities and public figures in the internet age, and how total transparency disabuses audiences of the idea that their heroes are perfect or infallible

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

James Baldwin

Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr.

Medgar Evers

Jesse Jackson

Al Sharpton

John Lewis

Dick Gregory

T.D. Jakes

Ray Charles

Stevie Wonder

Tom Holland

Zendaya

Tobey Maguire

Tom Hardy

Tom Brady

Carlton Adkins 

Kane Parsons

Markiplier

Kevin Goetz 

George Lucas

Steve Jobs

R. Kelly

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jason Momoa

Bruce Willis

Viggo Mortensen

Ed Harris

William Hurt

John Hurt

David Cronenberg

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Samuel L. Jackson

Bill Maher

Martin Scorsese

Kiefer Sutherland

Kevin Bacon

Christopher Reeve

Josh Plasse

Tom McCullough (PB's childhood friend)

Nicholas Galitzine 

Sam Harris

Charlamagne tha God 

Immortal Technique

Chris Ferguson 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Films & Documentaries

I Am Not Your Negro

Backrooms

Longlegs 

The Invite 

The Odyssey 

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Fifth Element

12 Monkeys

Moana (live action)

Moana 2

Toy Story 5

Toy Story 3

Superman 

Supergirl 

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Barbie

Everything Everywhere All at Once

A History of Violence

Inception

Iron Lung

John Wick

Flatliners

Fatliners (NSFW)

Masters of the Universe 

Snakes on a Plane

Mad Men

Be Kind Rewind

Heavy Metal 

Another Version of You

Companies & Organizations

A24

Warner Bros.

Paramount / Skydance

Disney

Marvel

Pixar

Netflix

Oddfellows Pictures — THR profile

National Action Network

Enlightenment Film Academy

Nashville Film Festival

Letterboxd

Blockbuster Video

Music

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out 

Places

Belcourt Theatre 

Oakland, CA

South Korea

Washington, D.C.

Jamaica / Caribbean

Websites & Platforms

The MAKE IT Podcast

Letterboxd

NashvilleFilmFestival.org

Products & Miscellaneous

Callwood Family Distillery (Caribbean)

Mastering Film Marketing 

Make It Academy 

VHS / DVD / Blu-ray

IMAX

Dolby

Disney Movie Club

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the remarkable journey of Caroline Locorriere, founder and lead coach of the Nashville Acting Studio, exploring how she walked away from a thriving commercial acting career in Los Angeles to discover her true calling as an acting teacher and coach. They unpack her empathy-driven teaching philosophy, which stands in direct opposition to the industry's notorious "whiplash method" of emotional terrorism, and examine how her three core pillars of acting craft — staying human on camera, accessing emotional life, and rigorous script analysis — create self-sufficient, sustainable artists. Drawing parallels far beyond the world of acting, this conversation serves as a masterclass in career self-awareness, psychological safety in creative environments, and the relentless tenacity required to survive in any subjective, competitive industry.

We also talk about:

• Why getting a talent agent too early can permanently damage an actor's reputation with casting directors and how Caroline advises building craft first before seeking representation
• The fascinating story of student Matt Williams, whose romantic performances lacked emotional depth because he had never been in love — and how Caroline's unconventional homework assignment (to go fall in love) led him to eventually get married
• The brutal reality of casting subjectivity, illustrated through a heartbreaking story of a highly talented student who auditioned flawlessly for David Fincher's Mindhunter but lost the role to someone Caroline felt was objectively less impressive on screen
• The role of tenacity over pure talent in sustaining a creative career, exemplified by former student Alan Powell, who wrote, produced, and starred in a film that reached number four on Netflix
• The mystical and deeply personal story of Martha, an 80-year-old Episcopalian woman with the ability to see auras, whose unprompted words to Caroline at a crossroads moment gave her the validation she needed to trust her instincts and pursue teaching

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Caroline Locorriere 

Matt Williams

Alan Powell 

Missy (Caroline's mother)

Martha (Episcopalian aura reader)

Toni Morrison

Shelley Duvall

Bear Bryant

Nick Saban

Meryl Streep

David Fincher

Konstantin Stanislavski

Shows / Films

Mindhunter

The Shining

Institutions / Places

Nashville Acting Studio

Belmont University

Ohio State University

Platforms

Netflix

Concepts / Methods

The Whiplash Method 

Sunk Cost Fallacy

"The three pillars of acting craft" — Caroline's framework

"Camera appropriateness"

Active listening/listening labs

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, Nick flies solo — without co-host Chris Barkley or Producer Papa Bear, who are both traveling in Italy — to discuss acclaimed independent filmmaker and producer Oscar Boyson and his feature directorial debut, Our Hero Balthazar, a darkly comedic psychological drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nick shares his visceral, gut-punch reaction to watching the film, unpacking how its unflinching portrayal of online culture, performative activism, masculinity, and gun violence caught him completely off guard and forced him to confront uncomfortable realities facing young people in modern America. The episode weaves together Nick's personal reflections on the film, audience poll results about social media, Gen Z viewing habit data, filmmaker quotes from Oscar Boyson, and a closing definition of success borrowed from Matt Damon.

We also talk about:

• How Our Hero Balthazar uses dark comedy and social satire to hold a mirror up to the uncomfortable realities of young people navigating social media, identity, and belonging
• Nick's personal Instagram algorithm experiment — and what it revealed about how social media can trap users in a cycle of consuming the same content repeatedly, potentially shaping their identity
• Gen Z viewing habits data from Deloitte's Digital Media Trends Study (2025–2026), including how much more time Gen Z spends on social platforms versus traditional TV and movies
• Why going to the theater is increasingly becoming an event-driven, culturally shared experience — and what independent filmmakers must do to get young audiences off their couches and into seats
• Matt Damon's definition of success — "all we have as the people making it is the love of the doing it" — and how that philosophy connects directly to the spirit of the MAKE IT Podcast

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

Oscar Boyson

Noah Baumbach

The Safdie Brothers

Ricky Camilleri 

Jaeden Martell 

Noah Centineo

Asa Butterfield 

Chris Bauer 

Matt Damon

Claire Huxtable

Films & TV

Our Hero Balthazar

Frances Ha

Uncut Gems

Street Fighter

Festivals & Events

Tribeca Film Festival

Platforms & Social Media

Letterboxd

Postly.ai

Canva

Riverside.fm

Research & Studies

Deloitte Digital Media Trends

Fandango Moviegoing Study 

Organizations

Water.org (Matt Damon's charity)

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

WHAT IS FILM BRIEF?

Blending journalism with artistry, Film Brief transforms film analysis into an engaging and informative listening experience. The goal is to reveal what makes each movie or series resonate—on screen and behind the scenes. For listeners, it’s not just a review; it’s an exploration of the art of filmmaking.

BRIEF:

In this episode, Nick dives deep on Toy Story 5, the highly anticipated return of Pixar's beloved franchise directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris, exploring how the film tackles the timely and thought-provoking theme of childhood imagination in a screen-saturated world. The episode examines how Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang face their most contemporary challenge yet — competing with a tablet named Lily Pad that promises endless digital entertainment — while unpacking the film's deeper philosophical questions about identity, connection, and what it means to truly grow up. Nicholas reflects on the emotional resonance of experiencing the film in a theater alongside family and community, ultimately framing Toy Story 5 as a love letter to imagination, collaboration, and the irreplaceable power of human connection.

TAKEAWAYS:

• The directorial pairing of Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris, and how their distinct backgrounds shape the film's artistic and emotional vision
• The symbolic role of the Lily Pad tablet as a representation of digital culture's competition with imaginative play, rather than a traditional villain
• The identity crisis sparked by an army of Buzz Lightyear action figures, and how the film uses their existence to explore what truly makes a person — or a toy — special
• Jessie's expanded emotional arc as she steps into the center of the story, discovering that leadership is about becoming who others need you to be
• The film's connection to Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey framework, and how Toy Story 5 quietly argues that no hero — and no healing — happens in isolation

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Films / Projects

Toy Story 5

Toy Story (original)

Toy Story 4

Finding Nemo

WALL-E

Ciao Alberto 

People

Andrew Stanton 

Kenna Harris 

Randy Newman 

Joseph Campbell 

Characters

Woody

Buzz Lightyear

Jessie

Bonnie

Technology / Products (Fictional)

Lilypad (the tablet, voiced by Greta Lee)

Organizations / Brands

Pixar

Ebook: "Mastering Film Marketing"

The MAKE IT Podcast

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating us, or leaving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

All Links: https://themakeitpodcast.store

Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the archives of the MAKE IT Podcast (Episode 174) to extract the raw, unfiltered reality of indie filmmaker Josh Bishop's journey — from his punk rock-influenced teenage years in Europe to premiering his debut documentary at South by Southwest after an extraordinary 11-year production process. They explore how Josh's philosophy of film as "a window in a tunnel" shapes not only his creative vision but also the production company he co-founded with his wife, Keturah, and how advice from his idol Jim Jarmusch permanently redirected his career. The episode serves as a masterclass for any creative — filmmaker, writer, or entrepreneur — wrestling with the timeless tension between authentic artistic expression and the brutal financial realities of independent creation.

We also talk about:

• The stark philosophical and structural differences between the European taxpayer-funded film system and the commercially driven American Hollywood machine, and what those differences mean for artistic freedom
• The profound influence of old-school New York stop-motion animator and punk rock musician Jim Starace on Josh's creative DNA and his lifelong rejection of "selling out"
• The psychological and professional whiplash filmmakers experience when they transition from the creative grind of making an independent film to the cutthroat business reality of festival circuit sales and distribution pitching
• The radical democratization of filmmaking technology, including a local filmmaker named Kd Amond who shot an entire feature-length horror film called Faye using only an iPhone 8, and what that means for the "I don't have the right equipment" excuse
• Josh's deeply humble personal philosophy of holding up a mirror to society rather than preaching — including his decision to spend four straight days shooting raw documentary footage in the aftermath of a Nashville tornado without any commercial agenda

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Josh Bishop 

Jim Starace 

Jim Jarmusch 

Keturah Bishop

Tomi Fujiyama 

Morgan Spurlock 

Elijah Wood

Stefan Pokorny 

Anthony Bourdain

Kd Amond

Martin Scorsese 

Bands & Music

Puny Human 

Norman Bates & The Showerheads — limited web presence; best found via Discogs

The Ramones 

Films & Projects

Down by Law 

Coffee and Cigarettes 

Made in Japan

The Dwarvenaut

Destination Fantastic 

Faye 

Companies, Organizations & Platforms

A Window in a Tunnel 

Grand Ole Opry

South by Southwest (SXSW)

Dwarven Forge

Kickstarter

Dungeons & Dragons

Legion M 

iPhone 8 

Cotton Bureau

Places

Iceland 

Netherlands (Holland) 

Belgium

New York City 

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support