Halloween. Hereditary. Hellraiser. Not everyone loves scary movies, but many, like us, absolutely love them. Some filmmakers devote their entire career to the genre, and it's a staple genre for indie and up and coming filmmakers to capitalize on when starting their journey into feature films. But why?

That's exactly the question we sat down with writer/director and friend of the show, Wolfe MacReady, to discuss. Wolfe is a talented writer, director, and SFX artist, a frequent collaborator with Jonathan and Courtney on their films, and currently in pre-production for their first feature film, Giving Up the Ghost, a haunting tale about escaping not only an abusive relationship, but the (in this case, supernatural) ways in which it can continue to pursue us long after the relationship is dead.

So, let's dive in and talk all things horror! And be sure to check the links below to be a part of Wolfe's first feature film:

Back the film Giving Up the Ghost  by Wolfe McReady Here!
Learn More About the Film Here!

We all know the saying "writing is re-writing," but what does that actually mean? And when do you stop re-writing your script? When you start pre-production? The shooting draft? And even when your script is locked - does that mean your story is, too?

That's exactly the question Courtney and Jonathan work to answer in this episode of the Sights + Sounds podcast. And while every writer, and every script, and every story, is different, there are definitely some tried and true lessons to learn about getting married to one version of your script or story. Lessons that, if not learned, could ultimately prove to be detrimental to your film, even with your best intentions.

So, buckle up and tune in as we walk through these concepts and lessons that Jonathan learned the hard way with his films...so that you don't have to!

Biopics aren't generally known for being an edge-of-your-seat, box-office hit that gets the general public talking and raving. Don't get me wrong, there are some great ones out there, but we've all seen biopics that follow a predictable formula – you know, the rise, the fall, the redemption arc. But Oppenheimer? It's a different beast entirely.

Christopher Nolan took the concept of a biopic about a man most of us only vaguely knew about, and he turned it into a rollercoaster of a film. It's a masterpiece of filmmaking, and arguably Nolan's best film yet. So, what can we, as filmmakers, learn from Nolan's adaptation of An American Prometheus? 

That's exactly what Jonathan and Courtney set out to discuss in this episode. What sets Oppenheimer apart from cookie-cutter or purely Oscar-bait biopics we've seen before? How does Nolan take simple, uninteresting scenes and make them extraordinary? How does he use sound design to foreshadow and reflect back across multiple, non-linear story threads? Get cozy and tune in to find out. 

Join us for this captivating discussion about the art of filmmaking, subtext, sound design, and symbolic image repetition. Subscribe now and let Jonathan and Courtney be your guides through the world of film on The Sights + Sounds Podcast. Grab your popcorn, folks – it's showtime!