Episode
IFH 873: Film School Won’t Teach You This About Making Movies with Jason Kartalian
- Published
- Sep 22, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4149
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Summary
Filmmaker Jason Kartalian grew up around movie sets through his father, character actor Buck Kartalian, whose credits included Planet of the Apes, Cool Hand Luke, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. That early exposure eventually led Jason behind the camera, where he developed his own approach to writing, directing, cinematography, and independent production. In this conversation, Jason explains why the most valuable filmmaking lessons often happen outside the classroom, how directors can preserve an actor's energy by avoiding unnecessary coverage, why he likes getting an entire scene in a master before chasing additional shots, and why indie directors benefit enormously from understanding the technical jobs around them. Jason also breaks down his screenwriting process, from outlining and character development to writing a rough first draft and rewriting with fresh eyes. He explains how Seahorses evolved through collaboration with its actors, why production design and cinematography should reinforce a movie's central theme, and how he personally financed the film as a passion project before taking it through the festival circuit. Perhaps most importantly for independent filmmakers, Jason discusses why getting a movie onto digital platforms doesn't automatically create an audience. Distribution may make your film available, but getting people to actually watch it remains the filmmaker's challenge. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support .