The No Film School Podcast

In this episode, No Film School host GG Hawkins speaks with director Charlie Tyrell and editors Davis Coombe and Daysha Broadway about The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. The conversation explores how the team shaped an essay-driven documentary around AI, parenting, authorship, and uncertainty, while also breaking down the collaborative editorial process, the ethics of making a film in real time about a rapidly changing subject, and the analog craft choices that gave the project its tactile visual identity.

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


How The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist uses a filmmaker’s journey into impending parenthood as a narrative device for exploring AI anxiety and optimism


Why the team chose an essay-documentary structure while still grounding the film in Daniel Roher’s on-camera perspective


The challenges of shaping a documentary whose subject kept changing during production as AI news evolved in real time


How Charlie Tyrell, Davis Coombe, and Daysha Broadway each found their way into filmmaking and documentary storytelling


The creative and ethical complications of having a co-director also function as a subject within the film


How the filmmakers balanced accessibility, complexity, and emotional honesty while making a movie about a massive technological shift


The editorial collaboration behind the film, including remote workflows, shared creative decision-making, and leaving ego at the door


Why the team intentionally avoided using AI in the film’s creative workflow


How Premiere Pro Productions, transcription tools, Blender, After Effects, Dragonframe, stop-motion builds, and practical effects supported the film’s handmade aesthetic


Where the guests currently land on the spectrum between AI optimism and AI anxiety as working filmmakers and editors


Why the guests believe the biggest question is not just what AI can do, but how people choose to use it

Memorable Quotes:


“It actively wrestles with it in real time, both thematically and in the way that it was made.”


“Everyone kind of just left their ego at the door and showed up to do the work.”


“Filmmaking only brings suffering.”


“I don't feel like AI is the big bad. To me, the people are the big bad.”

Guests:


Charlie Tyrell


Davis Coombe


Daysha Broadway

Resources:


The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist


Synopsis: From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and Navalny, a father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.


For resources and ways to join the apocaloptimist community, visit theaidocgetinvolved.com

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GG Hawkins speaks with filmmaker Pete Ohs for the first installment in a quarterly 2026 series tracking how he releases four films over the course of the year. Using OBEX as the case study, Ohs breaks down the film’s microbudget production, Sundance 2025 premiere, U.S. acquisition by Oscilloscope, and the realities of theatrical rollout for independent films. Their conversation explores how booking works, what filmmaker participation in Q&As can actually do for a release, and where creative energy, audience-building, and sustainability meet during distribution.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Pete Ohs discuss...


How OBEX was made with Albert Birney in and around his Baltimore home


Why the film’s Sundance 2025 premiere led to a U.S. deal with Oscilloscope


What sales agents, distributors, and theater bookers each do in an indie release


Why January became the strategic release window for OBEX


How theatrical runs expand based on performance, per-screen averages, and momentum


Which Q&A appearances felt worthwhile in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Baltimore


What the marketing campaign looked like, including social assets created with Continue Agency


How Ohs thinks about audience response, Letterboxd reviews, and the digital release


Why preserving energy during release may matter as much as inventing new promotional ideas


What Ohs is testing next as Erupcja begins its release

Memorable Quotes:


“The walk from here to the bathroom is also recovering time.”


“They said he couldn't do period pieces on a budget.”


“I just love that it's proof that somebody watched it.”


“There are limits to the time and the energy, and that you can have all these ideas, but they're just ideas until you kind of do them.”

Guests:


Pete Ohs

Resources:


Pete Ohs’ quarterly 2026 distribution experiment series


Previous Pete Ohs interviews on No Film School

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Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge report from Austin during the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival, reflecting on how the event felt different after the convention center overhaul and how the festival’s film and tech worlds collided more directly than ever. They discuss the growing tension between filmmakers and artificial intelligence, the value of human intuition in directing and storytelling, standout panels and screenings, and what Ryan learned while serving on the narrative shorts jury. The episode also highlights how SXSW continues to champion bold filmmaking, practical craft insights, and the importance of in-person creative community at a moment when AI is reshaping the industry.

In this episode, No Film School's Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge discuss...


How SXSW 2026 felt different on the ground after the festival’s reorganization across downtown Austin


Why AI became one of the defining themes of this year’s SXSW conversations, panels, and screenings


Ryan’s takeaway from Steven Spielberg’s SXSW appearance and his emphasis on intuition in filmmaking


The documentary The AI Doc and how it framed AI through both filmmaking and fears about the future


The tension between slick AI-generated imagery and the value of human-made, lived-in artistic choices


Ryan’s experience serving as a narrative shorts juror and what he learned from watching all 19 shorts in competition


Why short films need to stand on their own instead of only functioning as proof-of-concept features


How filmmakers today are reaching an incredibly high level of craft across directing, cinematography, and performance


The narrative shorts that stood out to Ryan, including Supper and Souvenir, which won the jury honors


Jourdan’s spotlight on Mantis Stream (Like and Subscribe) and why inventive midnight filmmaking still feels vital


Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters as a bold opening-night film and a perfect example of SXSW’s creative identity


What they learned from SXSW panels on documentary storytelling, virtual production, immersive audio, and emerging filmmaking tools


Why film festivals and in-person artistic gatherings feel even more essential in an increasingly virtual world

Memorable Quotes:


“The human hand of it is the point of art.”


“I’d as soon eat nails, then use AI in my films.”


“Go to festivals, make friends, make art, mess up.”

Resources:


No Film School SXSW coverage

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In this episode, No Film School host GG Hawkins speaks with editor Sonny Atkins about shaping fear through sound, rhythm, and restraint in the horror feature Undertone. Atkins breaks down how the film’s audio-first concept influenced everything from the script to the cut, why long pauses and musical timing can heighten dread, and how a deeply personal story about grief and caregiving evolved through the editorial process. He also shares practical insights into working scrappy on a low-budget feature, using Premiere Pro’s Productions workflow, speech-to-text, temp sound design, and test screenings to refine both story and suspense.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Sonny Atkins discuss...


How Undertone began as an audio-driven concept and why that immediately stood out in the script


Why sound design became central to the edit, not just an atmospheric layer


The challenge of building horror around what the audience hears instead of what they see


How Ian Tuason’s personal experience with caregiving and grief shaped the emotional core of the film


Discovering story solutions in post, including the addition of a saved voicemail from the protagonist’s mother


Creating distinct sonic and visual worlds between the downstairs living space and the mother’s upstairs room


What it took to make a low-budget Canadian horror feature feel polished and cinematic


Why Atkins cut his first assembly extremely short, then built the film back up from its essential skeleton


How rhythm, blank space, and even drum rudiments became part of the team’s language for suspense


Using Premiere Pro’s Productions workflow to keep a feature edit organized and responsive


How speech-to-text helped manage ADR, offscreen dialogue, and hundreds of audio files


Why editors should mock up sound ideas early for test screenings instead of waiting for the final sound team


How Frame.io helped organize notes with timecode-based feedback


Why humor can be an important release valve inside horror


Career advice on longevity, mentorship, process, and closing the gap between taste and ability

Memorable Quotes:


“Because in this film, sound isn't just part of the atmosphere, it's the engine of the story.”


“A lot of it's about rhythm and where to leave blank space, and that kind of stuff.”


“The people who make it in this business are the people who don't quit. It's a longevity game.”


“If your focus is really just not about making the work really good and working a lot, you can sort of inoculate yourself against having your heart broken over and over again.”

Guests:


Sonny Atkins (IMDb)

Resources:


Undertone on IMDb


The Gap by Ira Glass


Taylor Mason on editing Him for No Film School

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Writer-director Amy Wang joins the No Film School podcast to discuss her debut feature, Slanted, and the long road from film school to theatrical release. In conversation with GG Hawkins, Wang reflects on leaving Australia for AFI, building a creative community in Los Angeles, learning to write as a practical path to survival in the industry, and what happened after Slanted premiered at SXSW 2025, won the Grand Jury Prize, and eventually landed distribution ahead of its 2026 theatrical release.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Amy Wang discuss...


How Fight Club inspired Wang to pursue filmmaking as a teenager in Sydney


Why she left Australia for AFI and what it was like arriving in Los Angeles as an international student


The real value of film school, especially for community-building and dedicated creative time


Why learning to write became the key to sustaining a filmmaking career after graduation


How a Black List script helped open doors in Hollywood


The emotional and personal origins of Slanted


Why body horror and comedy became the right form for exploring race, identity, and belonging


How Slanted went from a logline to a financed feature


What production and post looked like on a tight timeline before SXSW


What it felt like to premiere at SXSW, hear audience reactions, and unexpectedly win the Grand Jury Prize


The reality of selling an indie film in today’s market, even after major festival recognition


What Wang learned from working with Bleecker Street on the theatrical release


Details about her next feature, Crescendo, set in the world of competitive piano

Memorable Quotes:


“If you don't come from money, if you don't have a famous uncle and you don't want to work at Starbucks for the next three to four years after you graduate, you need to learn how to write.” (12:48)


“You can't let the highs be too high and you can't let the lows be too low.” (16:31)


“It doesn't matter what I do, it doesn't matter who I am, how I speak, my personality is like, what my thoughts or how intelligent I am, people will always see my face first.” (19:08)


“As long as you keep going, as long as you keep learning and changing and growing, I think you don't need to be the best throughout your life to be able to have a career in this industry.” (40:56)

Guests:


Amy Wang

Resources:


Slanted official film page


Applying for Your O-1 Visa to Work in Film and TV

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