Hump Day Hollywood (Indie Edition)

Samantha Hupp
Mar 26, 2025
3 min read

Midweek Conversations with Rising Indie Filmmaker- Brandon Slagle:

A candid chat with the storytellers shaping independent cinema

1. Describe your creative style in three words:

• WHAT. THE. FUCK

...or more seriously put, style, pace, nuance.

2. What was the moment that made you say, “I have to do this”?

• Watching the original Star Wars as a wee, wee lad in a decade long forgotten that had a lot of sepia tones. Also the original Halloween was the first movie I was taken to as that same wee lad, so that obviously had something to do with my future sensibilities and apparently even people I would work with in the future.

That was all well and good, and then in 1992 I saw John Woo's Hard Boiled, then in 1993 I saw El Mariachi, famously made for 7k before another 100 or so thousand in additional post production. That was the first time I knew that making movies was something attainable.

A fun epilogue to the El Mariachi story is that years later, working with Jeff Fahey on "Battle for Saipan" in Asia, I told Jeff this story and he said to Robert Rodriguez "hey, this guy directing the show I'm in now says he owes it all to you" - or something to that regard.

3. Indie filmmaking often means wearing multiple hats—what’s your biggest challenge?

• Post-Production is almost always a department where there seems to be less money than there should be, so I took years to learn as much about post as I possibly could so that I could fill the gaps. Let's just say I've used numerous pseudonyms...

4. If you could work with any filmmaker or actor, past or present, who would it be and why?

• Right now, Tom Hardy. Total actor package. Can act like no one's business and also fight. Perfect for my formula.

5. Tell us about your latest project—what’s the story behind it?

• The most recent one as a writer, entitled "Last Chance Motel" I co-wrote alongside Scout-Taylor Compton and Danielle Harris, who both deserve all the hearts. They also directed it together. It's something they've wanted to do for a number of years and was a fantastic and actually fun collaboration. There is also another movie I did revisions on called “The Midway Point” with Sean Ryan Fox and Alexandra Daddario's sister Cat that is one of my favorite projects to ever work on. That's been doing festivals but should have home release soon.

My next coming out as director is starring Marko Zaror of John Wick 4, who also produced and wrote...more on that later, though I can say it was a passion project of Marko's and should be a hearty action genre buffet.

6. What’s been your most rewarding moment in the indie scene so far?

• Stepping up to studio-released projects. I'm sure this sounds pompous as all hell, but that's part of the goal, or the proverbial step ladder.

7. What advice would you give to indie filmmakers or actors trying to break through?

• Take fucking business and marketing classes. A lot of them. Understand the audience, not your own tropes. ALSO - hopefully the project you are working on now won't be your last. Hopefully you make more movies. With that in mind, know that you don't have to overstuff your current show with everything you've ever wanted to put in a movie. Put in what really works for the story and then save the rest for later.

8. Where can we see your work and follow your journey?