Ep 19: Ryan Bury – Burning Shade Productions, producing movies and reading a book a week.
Ryan Bury is originally from Perrysburg, Ohio. Since graduating Bowling Green State University, he has lived and worked in Los Angeles. He’s been the post-production manager on TV shows like America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, The Secret Lives of Americans and more. He’s a co-founder of Burning Shade Productions, and together with Sean Cruser he has written and produced many short films and features.
“Save up a little money and just do it.”
In this episode we learn about how Ryan got into filmmaking, his passion for Classic films, his move to Los Angeles, and how he connected with Sean Cruser to form Burning Shade Productions. We dig into Ryan’s writing process, his work in TV, what he does as a producer and his year of reading a book a week. He even reveals his cocktail of choice. Hint: It tastes like a campfire. Some great stuff in this one and it’s always fun to catch up with Ryan.
“What would Billy Wilder do?”
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5 Key Takeaways
- As a writer living in Los Angeles, it’s crucial to get work that pays the bills and allows you the time to write.
- Everything seems to move extra slow in LA. Don’t loose sight of your goals and keep making progress.
- Keep a small notebook and jot down any idea you have, good or bad.
- When writing dialogue ask yourself, “Would the words alone be enough to captivate the audience?”
- Don’t be someone that sits around and waits for something to happen. Go make it happen.
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Burning Shade Productions
Co-founded by Ryan Bury and Sean Cruser.
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Show Notes (Ep 19)
Intro and where Ryan grew up [01:30]
- Los Angeles
- Perrysburg, Ohio
- Toledo, Ohio
- Bowling Green State University
- Silver Pictures
- Home Improvement
The movies Ryan was obsessed with as a kid [04:30]
Majoring in Film Production at BGSU [06:40]
Meeting Sean Cruser and writing process [09:40]
- Sean Cruser
- Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Michael Wiese Productions
Moving to Los Angeles [16:11]
Getting steady work in Los Angeles [18:39]
How Burning Shade Productions came about [20:29]
- Burning Shade Productions
- RED Epic Dragon
- Botch
- A Friendly Night Cap
- Waiting for a Call
- In Your Dreams
Finding Actors and Crew [24:26]
The making of Adrift [26:08]
What’s next for Burning Shade Productions [31:18]
Biggest Obstacles or Fears [32:54]
How to get self in writing zone [34:36]
How do you improve your skills [36:28]
The book a week project [38:47]
- Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
- Baccarat
- The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans
- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer
- Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
- Pigme by Chuck Palahniuk
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
What are you most passionate about right now [49:59]
Drink of Choice [54:27]
Favorite writers and filmmakers [55:38]
- Ingmar Bergman
- Akira Kurosawa
- Woody Allen
- Danny Boyle
- Richard Linklater
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Spotlight
Final advice for novice filmmakers [59:58]
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Ep 18: Gary Arndt – Everything Everywhere, how to blog like a pro and travel for 9 years.
Gary Arndt has mastered the art of world travel. He sold his house in 2007 and has been on the road ever since. A short time into his journey he decided to take his blogging and photography seriously, and within 4 years he went from amateur to winning multiple awards.
“Travel allows you to see connections between places.”
Gary has been to all 7 continents and has visited over 175 countries and territories. He has one of the larger collections of National Geographic magazines in the world, he’s gone dog sledding in the Yukon, bungee jumped in New Zealand, landed on an aircraft carrier, ridden in a Formula 1 car, and scuba dived all around the world. The list of adventures and accomplishments go on.
“The ability to adapt is much better than the ability to plan.”
In this conversation we talk about the genesis of Gary’s travel bug, his decision to hit the road, how he taught himself the art of photography and blogging, the success of Everything Everywhere, some of the biggest mistakes beginner bloggers make, the worst question Gary constantly gets, what he wishes people would ask him, some of Gary’s recent adventures, his podcasting, his obsession with Game of Thrones and what’s next for Gary. Whether you’re a traveler or a creative there is something in this episode for you.
“Build an audience and the money will come.”
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6 Key Takeaways
- Don’t spend too much time planning for a trip. Details will inevitably change, and you can learn more about the area from the locals once you are on the ground.
- Politics are increasingly split between a cosmopolitan world view and a parochial world view. Travel allows you to see how others live; that your way is not the only way to lead a good life. It removes the fear of the “other”.
- Don’t worry about things like Google Analytics and Instagram posting times, especially when your work is not remarkable. You need to improve the quality of your writing, photography, etc. first.
- Web traffic is not your audience. Traffic is a way to build your audience. You must create content that is compelling enough for people to want to come back and spread the word.
- Travel is a great way to learn. By observing other cultures, learning the history behind UNESCO sites, having conversations with people; you can begin to make new connections and have a greater understanding of the way the world works.
- Never ever ever go to a nightclub while traveling. Nothing good ever happens at a nightclub.
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Show Notes (Ep 18)
Intro and recent travels [02:03]
Where Gary grew up [04:07]
- Appleton, Wisconsin
- National Geographic
- Boy Scouts of America
- National Geographic Magazine Vol. 1 No. 1
Genesis of the travel bug [06:40]
Selling house and traveling the world [11:46]
Things done while traveling that normally would not [16:16]
Travel now compared to travel when started [19:09]
Learning from travel [22:33]
The dangers of travel [23:59]
Everything Everywhere the blog [26:50]
How to improve photography [31:13]
Blogging turning point [37:45]
How would life be different without the blog [43:50]
Why podcasting [45:10]
- This Week in Travel
- The Global Travel Conspiracy
- Berlin, Germany
- Easter Island
- Machu Picchu
- Nan Madol
- Tahiti
- Bora Bora
- Cook Islands
- Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia – by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Bali
What bad questions do you get vs. questions you want [53:37]
Is it hard to disconnect [56:07]
Biggest obstacles to making the leap [57:27]
Could the world use more travelers [58:50]
Favorite recent trip [01:00:22]
Most obsessed with right now [01:03:47]
- Game of Thrones
- Kindle
- Dan Carlin – Hardcore History
- Marco Polo
- Lawrence of Arabia
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty
- Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings
Final advice for travelers [01:11:25]
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Ep 17: Matthew Scott – How to light a scene, share your failures and work toward mastery.
Matthew Scott is an Australian cinematographer living in Tasmania. He is constantly exploring and pushing for the mastery of his craft. He also enjoys cooking, retro games, playing piano and going on adventures with his lover.
“Share shit. Be a voice.”
In this episode we dive deep. We talk about how Matt quit high school, got a job, and focused on his love of photography. How he later quit his job and decided to pursue a career as a cinematographer. We dig into his all or nothing attitude, his process for lighting a scene, working with crew members, improving his craft, his desire to share his work through his blog mattscottvisuals.com; including his successes and failures, and the pressures and pleasures of living his dream as a director of photography.
“Set ridiculous challenges for yourself.”
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5 Key Takeaways
- A great formula for lighting a scene: Block, Light, Rehearse, Tweak, Shoot.
- Play games with yourself to improve your craft. Try to guess exposures on set. Guess what shot will come next while watching a movie. Set ridiculous challenges for yourself; restrictions like sticking to one focal length or f/stop.
- When you’re starting out, don’t worry about being completely original. Take what you learn from others and try to make it your own.
- After getting a decent camera, and learning it inside out, spend your money on lighting. Start with two soft sources and two hard sources.
- Share shit and be a voice. Post your camera test of your cat. Share whatever you’re working on or interested in. It’s a great way to connect with others and it can lead to opportunities down the road.
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MTS Films
An great camera and lighting test directed, shot and edited by Matt Scott.
Show Notes (Ep 17)
Born in India and blessed by the Dalai Lama [01:54]
Where Matt found his love for creativity [05:09]
When did it seem like cinematography could be a viable career [11:41]
When did Matt get his first video camera and post program [14:35]
Was there a point when he decided to start making films [17:48]
Cinematography workshops and internet for inspiration vs comparison [22:00]
How long has Matt been blogging [30:47]
Tips for lighting a scene [31:30]
Tips and tricks for lighting without a meter [43:42]
How much has blogging and analyzing movies played a role in your growth [50:03]
Where should a new cinematographer invest their time and money [58:02]
How Matt creates his lighting diagrams [01:06:31]
Learning Davinci Resolve [01:09:45]
How knowing color grading can help on set [01:14:33]
Things that Matt does to improve that others do not [01:17:05]
Matt’s routine for preparing for a new shoot [01:20:17]
The biggest decision that has propelled Matt as a cinematographer [01:23:24]
How much you consume vs produce [01:29:30]
Biggest influences [01:32:30]
Up-and-coming projects [01:38:30]
MTS Colour [01:41:01]
Some favorites [01:44:29]
Final advice for photographers and cinematographers [01:49:33]
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