Making it Big on the Independent Film World with Darren Coyle

Kino Society with Owen Shapiro

Writing and producing a film on your own might sound like a distant dream. However, people like today’s guest will make you realize this is totally possible! Darren Coyle is an independent writer, director, and producer who has worked in all aspects of television and film production in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles for the last 16 years, mostly concentrating in producing true crime television and other unscripted content. Most recently, Darren wrote and produced his own feature film called "Chasing Sunshine," which was featured in various film festivals. Now that’s an indie inspiration!

Highlights:

• Darren’s talks about his journey from entering the TV reality industry as an intern to successfully directing and producing his own independent film
• What has really helped Darren to write his own films and get his ideas across pretty well was double majoring in English and theatre. Knowing how to express yourself clearly in the movie and TV industry is key.
• Darren explains the main differences between working for reality TV vs. scripted movies and TV shows.
• Short films and regular films are also very different from one another, from the length of its duration to the way it’s produced.
• Shooting “Chasing Sunshine” was a rollercoaster of emotions: Darren walks us through how he managed to write, direct, and produce his first short film.
• Finding jobs or projects to work for inside the TV and film industry is quite easy when you have friends and colleagues who know how you work and want you to be part of their creative process.
• Darren details some of the common mistakes he used to make as an amateur and he advises on how to avoid them.

To learn more about Darren, visit his website.

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