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Low-Budget Rebels: An Indie Filmmaking PodcastIndependent Filmmaker Josh Stifter of Flush Studios and Robert Rodriguez's show "Rebel with a Crew," sits down and speaks with indie filmmakers, creative artists about life in independent filmmaking, and making it the crazy film business. Author: Josh Stifter
Independent Filmmaker Josh Stifter of Flush Studios and the Robert Rodriguez's series "Rebel with a Crew," sits down and speaks with indie filmmakers about life in independent filmmaking, the creative process, and making it in the crazy film business of low-budget film.Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com) Language: en Genres: Education, Film Interviews, How To, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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STORIES FROM SET - Disasters and Survival Making Indie Movies
Episode 18
Monday, 9 February, 2026
🎬 Welcome back, Rebels!On this episode of Low-Budget Rebels, we’re swapping theory for survival stories. This week is all about war stories from production — the moments where everything goes sideways, emotions run high, plans fall apart, and somehow the movie still gets made. These are the stories you don’t hear in film school, but the ones that actually teach you how to endure this craft.Every filmmaker has them. The days where the problem isn’t the shot list or the budget, but life, weather, people, or pure chaos. This episode is about how you respond when the plan breaks — and how resilience, adaptability, and stubbornness become your most valuable tools.We kick things off with Dan Lotz, director of Chlorine, The Long Con, and Sheep Theater. Dan opens up about losing his father during production and how that loss deeply affected the work. He talks honestly about grief colliding with responsibility, and the emotional weight of trying to keep a project moving forward while processing something that life-altering. Dan also dives into the unseen toll of visual effects-heavy projects, breaking down how ambitious VFX work can quietly multiply the workload in ways most people never realize until they’re buried in it.Next, Nick Psinakis, co-director of Cheat and Valley View Motel, shares how something as uncontrollable as snow completely reshaped his production. Locations had to change. Plans had to be thrown out. Expectations had to shift. What started as an obstacle turned into a defining element of the film’s atmosphere. Nick talks about staying mentally prepared for the fact that anything can go wrong at any moment — and how that mindset allows you to pivot instead of panic.Then we hear from Joe Sherlock, known for the Trailer Park Double Wide Trilogy of Terror, The Haunting of Heather Black, and the Weird House films, who brings the wildest stories of the episode. Joe recounts how filming in public spaces with an ape mask led to a hilariously chaotic misadventure, including the very real possibility of law enforcement involvement. He talks about having the cops called on productions, the importance of adaptability, and how filming multiple projects around the same locations can turn a stressful situation into an opportunity if you’re willing to think fast and shoot smarter.Finally, R.S. Trashley, director of the Homicide McLeod films and producer of Get That Dick, breaks down the slow burn of production chaos. Not one big disaster, but a constant stream of small things going wrong. He talks about learning to move forward through frustration, recognizing when to stop fighting circumstances, and making peace with the idea that finishing the project matters more than perfection. For him, persistence isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential.This episode is about endurance. About finishing when it hurts. About adapting when nothing goes according to plan. And about understanding that the scars you earn on set are often the ones that shape you into a better filmmaker.Huge thanks to everyone supporting Flush Studios on Patreon. Because of you, Low-Budget Rebels stays ad-free and honest, with room for real conversations about the hard parts of making movies. If you’re not already part of the community, you can join us at patreon.com/flushstudios.More hard-earned lessons are coming.Cheers,Josh
