The No Film School Podcast

How do you edit a film that blends fantasy, comedy, romance, and the structure of a fable? Editor Sofi Marshall returns to the No Film School Podcast to discuss her work on Wicker, starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Marshall joins host GG Hawkins to break down the challenges of finding the film's distinctive tone, cutting comedic performances, and building a collaborative post-production workflow across three continents. She also shares how Adobe Premiere Pro, LucidLink, and Frame.io helped streamline the editing process, why practical effects made a difference in the cutting room, and what emerging editors should consider when choosing projects, negotiating budgets, and balancing their careers with life outside the industry.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Sofi Marshall discuss...

How editing I Saw the TV Glow influenced Sofi's career and brought greater visibility to her work

Why storytelling remains the foundation of editing, even as technology makes the process faster

Reuniting with directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson for Wicker after collaborating on Save Yourselves!

How Alexander Skarsgård's practical wicker costume shaped the editing process and preserved his performance

Finding the right balance of fantasy, comedy, romance, and fable-like storytelling in the edit

Managing a remote post-production workflow between New York, Budapest, Los Angeles, and Australia

Why comedy editing requires extensive experimentation, recutting, and test screenings

Collaborating with directors on alternate cuts and discovering creative solutions through multiple perspectives

Using chapter breaks to establish the distinct movements of Wicker

How Adobe Premiere Pro, LucidLink, and Frame.io improve remote collaboration, feedback, and editorial efficiency

Choosing creatively fulfilling projects, advocating for fair compensation, and avoiding burnout in independent filmmaking

Navigating parental leave, career opportunities, and returning to editing after time away

Sofi's next editing project, Thirsty Girl

Memorable Quotes:

"It's always story first, so there's just such a drastic difference between the way a film is written and how it comes across on the page, and then looking at the footage and looking at your first assembly and understanding how it's coming across as an actual film, and I think that's something that will never change."

"No. No, it is... It is the hardest. It is the hardest, hardest thing." — Sofi Marshall, on comedy editing

"Oh, obviously, like, this is, this is how to do that." — Sofi Marshall, on discovering the chapter-break structure for Wicker

"So I think just, just feeling like you are the creative force who's picking your projects, and you're not just taking whatever comes at you." — Sofi Marshall

Guests:

Sofi Marshall

Resources:

Sofi Marshall's website

Follow Sofi Marshall on Instagram

Previous No Film School episode: How 'I Saw the TV Glow' Editor Negotiates Creativity and Higher Pay

Wicker on IMDb

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What happens when a longtime podcast listener takes the leap into feature filmmaking? No Film School listener turned filmmaker Douglas A. Plomitallo joins GG Hawkins to share how he went from making 86 horror shorts to directing, self-financing, and securing distribution for his debut feature, Halloween Candy. Doug explains how he repurposed existing short films into a feature-length horror anthology, found a distributor, and built on that experience to create Halloween Candy 2. He also discusses balancing independent filmmaking with his full-time job as a director of photography for WWE, editing movies while traveling, stretching microbudgets with a skeleton crew, and learning to trust collaborators. His journey offers practical lessons on DIY filmmaking, cinematography, indie film distribution, and building a sustainable creative career.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Douglas A. Plomitallo discuss...

How a longtime No Film School listener went from aspiring filmmaker to releasing his first feature film

Learning filmmaking through 86 horror shorts over 15 years with his web series Scared Stiff

Why making mistakes, studying cinematography, and embracing constructive criticism can be more valuable than formal film school

Turning six existing Halloween short films into the feature-length horror anthology Halloween Candy

Finding independent film distribution by researching companies that release similar movies

How Halloween Candy found a larger streaming audience than its individual short films

Planning a horror sequel and building the foundation for a potential indie film franchise

Balancing a career as a WWE director of photography with writing, directing, and producing independent features

Editing a feature film on the road using Avid, DaVinci Resolve, After Effects, and portable hard drives

Stretching a microbudget by purchasing camera equipment, taking on multiple crew roles, and organizing shoots around locations

Shooting an hour of material in four days with a skeleton crew

Why trusting actors, welcoming better ideas, and admitting what you don't know are essential directing skills

Memorable Quotes:

"I feel like we learn more by mistakes, but here's the thing. It doesn't have to be your own mistake."

"Making my short films was my film school."

"If I lose my computer, I'm down a few thousand dollars, but the movie is safe."

"I'm not here to inflate my ego."

Guests:

Douglas A. Plomitallo

Resources:

Halloween Candy — Terror Films

Halloween Candy

Halloween Candy 2

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How do you adapt a novel that takes place almost entirely inside the stomach of a sperm whale? For writer-director Brian Duffield and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Kraus, the answer started with admitting they didn't know how to pull it off. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins speaks with Duffield and Kraus about bringing Whalefall, starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, from page to screen. They discuss the scientific research behind the story, the challenges of adapting a novel with dozens of flashbacks, building practical whale interiors with Wētā Workshop, and directing a physically demanding survival thriller. Duffield explains why acknowledging uncertainty helped build trust with studio executives and how surrounding himself with collaborative crew members made an unusually challenging production possible. Plus, Kanopy's Aaron Spears and Matt Lewis stop by to discuss the Crypt Collection, practical effects in horror filmmaking, and the movies that continue to scare them.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss...

Kanopy's Crypt Collection and its curated selection of horror films, from folk horror and body horror to low-budget practical effects classics

Why practical effects remain a valuable filmmaking tool, with examples from Night of the Living Dead, The Toxic Avenger, Chopping Mall, and other horror films

How Daniel Kraus developed the premise of Whalefall through extensive research with marine biologists and diving experts

How Brian Duffield discovered the novel through a social media post and pursued the adaptation before the book was even finished

Why admitting "I don't know" during early studio conversations about Whalefall helped establish credibility rather than undermine it

The collaborative screenwriting process between Kraus and Duffield, including condensing roughly 50 to 60 novel flashbacks into a much smaller number of cinematic sequences

How the filmmakers balanced the emotional father-son relationship with a scientifically grounded survival thriller

Building the whale's moving stomachs and internal anatomy through practical sets, puppetry, visual effects, and experimentation with Wētā Workshop

How Duffield assembled a trusted film crew and managed unexpected production obstacles, including malfunctioning underwater camera equipment and broken lenses

Using production design, cinematography, and visual exposition to help audiences understand the geography of a whale's digestive system

Why creating a collaborative environment where everyone, from production assistants to Oscar-winning department heads, can contribute ideas leads to better filmmaking

How working together on Whalefall changed Kraus's approach to screenwriting and challenged his assumptions about being a solitary writer

Advice for emerging filmmakers on choosing collaborators, embracing creative uncertainty, and staying open to unexpected career opportunities

Memorable Quotes:

"It's just hiring people you like spending time with."

"I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what the answer to this question is. I, I want help."

"Your definition of who you think you are as an artist or as a person or whatever, it's always in flux."

Guests:

Brian Duffield

Daniel Kraus

Aaron Spears — Kanopy

Matt Lewis — Kanopy

Resources:

Kanopy — Stream films free with your library

Whalefall — IMDb

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How do you bring Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to life for a modern audience while preserving its emotional depth? Director Georgia Oakley joins No Film School's GG Hawkins to discuss her new adaptation, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles as the Dashwood sisters. Oakley shares how she approached the film through the lens of sisterhood, longing, and the timeless tension between women's expectations and societal constraints. She breaks down her filmmaking process, from shooting on 35mm film and using two cameras to capture authentic performances, to collaborating with cinematographers Arnaud Potier and Tasha Back on naturalistic visuals. The conversation also explores casting, building chemistry between actors, adapting rehearsal techniques to individual performers, and navigating the pressures of an ambitious location-heavy production.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Georgia Oakley discuss...

(02:09) How Oakley landed the directing job on Sense and Sensibility and pitched her vision to Working Title

(03:24) Making the relationship between Elinor and Marianne Dashwood the film's central love story

(05:28) Why Austen's themes of women's independence, societal expectations, and romantic yearning remain relevant

(07:16) How modern hyperconnectivity and busyness have fueled a cultural desire for longing and human connection

(09:44) Using nature, stillness, and the passage of time to create intimacy in a period drama

(11:22) Oakley's pre-production process, including storyboards, shot lists, and adapting camera setups on location

(13:35) Collaborating with two cinematographers and using natural light and environmental details to build the film's visual language

(15:04) How shooting with two cameras allowed Oakley to capture simultaneous emotional reactions and spontaneous performances

(17:41) The challenges of shooting on 35mm film with limited takes and tailoring rehearsals to each actor's needs

(19:55) Filming at London's National Gallery under strict time and lighting constraints

(23:24) Building trust with actors through communication, personalized rehearsals, and relationship-focused preparation

(27:26) Casting Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles and developing their believable sisterly chemistry

(33:15) How Oakley uses intense focus and directorial intuition to recognize authentic performances

(35:50) Redirecting actors when a scene isn't working without undermining their confidence

(37:59) Sustaining creative energy through a demanding 50-day shoot and relying on a supportive production team

(40:15) Working with Old English Sheepdogs and embracing the spontaneity animals bring to a film set

Memorable Quotes:

"This is really a story about what young women are kind of led to believe they might reasonably expect from their lives versus what the world is actually prepared to offer them."

"We live in a moment where we're so kind of hyper-connected, and we've invented all of these ways to reduce time, you know, to save time, but then we have less time than we ever had before."

"So much about directing is about being able to tune everything out so that you can have a stronger relationship with the gut instinct."

"None of it is possible on your own, and sometimes it does feel like a bit of a weird solo mission when you're directing something."

Guests:

Georgia Oakley

Resources:

Sense and Sensibility (2026)

Blue Jean (2022)

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Saturday Night Live’s prerecorded sketches can go from first footage to national broadcast in roughly 36 hours. Host GG Hawkins talks with SNL editors Christopher Salerno and Mak Makower about the post-production workflow behind that turnaround, including their work on the Emmy-nominated “MAHAspital” sketch starring Harry Styles. They break down how footage moves from set to the edit, why line-by-line stringouts are essential, how they use Adobe Premiere Pro tools like transcription, Essential Sound, multicam sequences, and reverse match frame, and how sound design helps build tension before a joke lands. They also discuss the differences between editing SNL, commercials, and longer narrative projects, the importance of collaboration in the edit room, and the technical habits aspiring editors can develop to work faster without sacrificing storytelling.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests Christopher Salerno and Mak Makower discuss...

How SNL goes from Wednesday night table read to a finished prerecorded sketch airing Saturday

What happens when footage begins arriving from set on Friday morning

Why Mak creates “line-by-lines” containing every take of every scripted line

How organizing footage early allows editors, writers, and directors to make decisions quickly

Finding the visual language of “MAHAspital” while parodying HBO’s The Pitt

Using the structure and pacing of a trailer to increase the energy of a parody

Why Mak watched The Pitt during the edit to understand its characters and visual style

How Premiere Pro’s transcription and search tools make it easier to locate specific dialogue

Using the Essential Sound panel, EQ, reverb, panning, and the audio track mixer during picture editing

Why sound design can be essential to making comedy work

Building tension with heart monitors, ventilators, overlapping dialogue, and strategic silence

Keyboard shortcuts that speed up multicam editing and navigation through massive stringouts

How a longer commercial schedule can actually create new challenges by allowing editors to second-guess decisions

Editing Kate McKinnon’s Zoom commercial and balancing comedy with the need to sell a product

Why editors can function as storytellers, collaborators, and sometimes even therapists during long-form projects

Mak’s “puzzle-solving” approach to rearranging footage until a scene or story unlocks

Why trust, openness to feedback, and leaving ego outside the edit room matter on collaborative projects

How SNL’s dress audience functions as a real-time test screening

Why editors should continually learn new software, techniques, graphics, sound, and VFX tools

How YouTube tutorials and experimentation can help editors expand their skills and become more valuable

Memorable Quotes:

“There’s a real intuition you have to have and there’s a real understanding of rhythm and of, you know, how the shoot’s going to make this happen.”

“I feel like sometimes when you have too much time, it becomes almost more difficult.”

“And so, like, it really is about, like, finding each little bit that, like, will match with this little bit that, like, will actually tell a story.”

“As the tools change and as younger generations find newer ways to edit, it’s really important to just stay up to date and not get locked into your old ways.”

Guests:

Christopher Salerno

Mak Makower

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