Crafting Violent Endings w/John-Michael Powell - Just Shoot It 498

Crafting Violent Endings w/John-Michael Powell - Just Shoot It 498

Author: Filmmakers Matt Enlow & Oren Kaplan October 23, 2025 Duration: 1:31:03

How do you define your voice as a director? John-Michael Powell https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3119508/ talks about his new film "Violent Ends" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6902560 and the career journey that brought it to theaters.


When the entire faculty of his art college told him to give up on becoming an artist, John-Michael moved to Los Angeles. He landed his first job at Bunim-Murray Productions, spending nights watching VHS tapes of "The Real World" and transcribing every line of dialogue onto scraps of paper. By day, he lived in a garage in the Valley off the 405 and close to the edge of moving back home.


The better he became at editing TV segments with paper scraps thumb-tacked to a corkboard, the faster he spiraled towards mastering useless skills and boring stories about the way things were. 


But John-Michael had a knack for finding building blocks in any situation. Even alone, the work fueled him. But he still didn't yet know why that mattered to him.


Soon things started taking shape: a Sundance award, editing a documentary on the Boston Marathon bombers, learning comedic timing from legend Jerry Zucker, and eventually an Emmy. Suddenly, he began seeing how the trajectory he was on, was nothing he imagined growing up in Arkansas.


Listen as John-Michael shares about his career. Why Arkansas is a big part. And how it's all about constant discovery. You're really going to enjoy seeing and feeling why he’s in love with building his voice as a director and uncovering the secrets that await. 


Find him on Instagram: @johnmichael_powell


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Help our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/JustShootItPod


Matt's Endorsement: The cookbook "Let's Party", by Dan Pelosi https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dan-pelosi/lets-party/9781454956785/


Oren's Endorsement: An interview with David Zucker on the podcast "How I Write: Hollywood Director Explains The 15 Rules of Comedy" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-zucker-hollywood-director-explains-the-15-rules/id1700171470?i=1000715428218


John Michael's Endorsement: "A Dictionary of Color Combinations", by Sanzo Wada https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Color-Combinations-Various/dp/4861522471


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Behind every film you've ever loved is a collection of hard-won lessons, creative struggles, and moments of pure luck. Just Shoot It: A Podcast about Filmmaking, Screenwriting and Directing pulls back the curtain on that process. Hosted by working directors Matt Enlow and Oren Kaplan, this podcast operates like a long-form conversation between peers, delving into the granular details of building a life behind the camera. Each episode features an interview with a filmmaker, but the focus is less on promoting projects and more on dissecting the craft. You'll hear directors, writers, cinematographers, and other artists break down their approach to story development, the visual language of a scene, working with actors, and the practical realities of navigating a career. The discussion is grounded in the hosts' own experiences, making the advice tangible and the pitfalls relatable. This isn't abstract theory; it's a field guide compiled from the trenches. Whether you're an aspiring director, a seasoned screenwriter, or simply fascinated by how movies are truly made, this podcast offers an honest, unvarnished look at the art, business, and relentless problem-solving that defines filmmaking. Tune in for a masterclass that feels like a coffee shop chat, where the goal is to demystify the journey from script to screen.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Just Shoot It: A Podcast about Filmmaking, Screenwriting and Directing
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