The Burning Boat Show

In this new-format episode of the Burning Boat Show, we talk to Yes Theory’s Ammar Kandil about his short film in collaboration with Google, ‘Free Child’. The show begins with an introduction from Ammar, explaining their shared excitement surrounding the project’s completion. To provide some context, Mads rewinds to where his and Taylor’s relationship with Yes Theory first began; the Seek Discomfort commercial. He revisits their submission video and the commercial itself before sharing the moment where Yes Theory offered to be a producer on their documentary, ‘Our Deepest Fear’. Mads goes on to talk about being able to work on the documentary again, but interjects with a message from Ammar only weeks later, telling them of an opportunity to collaborate on a project with him and Google; a project that tells the story of Ammar’s life through the lens of Google Search. Ammar and Mads continue by sharing the novelty of their idea to have the film be told entirely on-screen. Taylor adds that with having such a constraint, they needed to create differently than what either of them were used to.Ammar follows this by sharing his gratitude toward Mads and Taylor, telling of their strong ability to understand him and tell his story authentically. Mads then asks him what it was like, to which he responds by confessing how safe he felt and the difficulty of being both the protagonist and director on previous projects. After a break of fake ads, Taylor and Mads discuss their choice to include precise details as well as Ammar’s positive reactions to these small insights told through a series of voice notes. They continue by talking about their decision to create a feeling of nostalgia, not only for Ammar, but also for the viewer and how, with the help of graphic designer, Anton Palmersen and composer, Bennet Jenisch, they were able to achieve the desired level of sentimentality. After describing the specific elements that were incorporated to do so, Mads and Taylor revisit the challenges of having to select photos and videos of Ammar that told his story in the best way possible, even if it didn’t always align with Ammar’s perspective. They follow this with a discussion of the almost magical way in which their selection and Ammar’s fit together in the final piece. Mads talks about their nervousness, but also their pride in the first cut before sending it to Ammar. At the time, the two of them were convinced that the project was close to completion. Ammar adds to this by reflect on his initial thoughts of the first edit, and his potentially unrealistic expectations. The three of them share their decision to try and take an alternative approach that would align more with Ammar’s vision for the piece; by incorporating an interview. At the same time, Ammar received feedback from the Google team, who talk about it being one of the best projects they’ve worked on at Google. Mads talks about the uncertainty a that moment, before closing with a question; ‘wait a sec, we’re about to change everything, is that really the right thing to do?’Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week’s episode is a particularly exciting one (as they all are, of course) where we discuss a completely new approach to podcasting and social media as a whole. Mads and Taylor begin the episode with an introduction to a temporary, more informal podcast setup before jumping into a recent conversation they had with Yes Theory’s Ammar Kandil. They share their thoughts on the idea of creating a different kind of podcast, one that is noticeably shorter and more produced. They reflect upon Burning Boat’s social media strategy until now and the potential downside this quantitative style of content creation has. Taylor continues by talking about their recent ’01:20 Challenge’ series and its seeming misalignment with their key values as filmmakers and as a business. He goes on to highlight the value of having a third person in the office and that this additional manpower may be better suited towards a more focused, specific role; podcast producer.Mads and Taylor go on to discuss the importance of taking pride in one’s work and how this confidence surrounding their secondary pursuits could in turn lead to them reaching out and promoting their content more. They follow on by talking about their qualms with social media in a more general sense and their having similarly conflicting opinions. Taylor opens up the conversation to an idea to create the ‘best podcast ever’ that provides value to their audience as opposed to merely pushing out content purely for entertainment purposes. He adds to this by expressing his thoughts to make an informational, filmmaking podcast that includes guest speakers relevant to the individual episode topics. Mads also shares his ideas, in particular to have the podcast include storytelling elements with sound design and narrations, all with the aim of creating a medium that is both entertaining and valuable for their audience. They end the discussion with a comment on the logistics of all this, in particular the amount of time that would be required for this new podcast format. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week’s episode is a rather sad one as Mads and Taylor say goodbye to their good pal and social media manager, Robin. Just kidding; the episode is actually Robin’s official welcome into the Burning Boat Boy family! Robin starts by reflecting on his time with Burning Boat thus far, pointing out how amazed he was with Mads and Taylor’s constant sense of motivation and drive. He follows on by commenting on the range of clients that they work with, a more diverse group than he initially expected. The boys share their thoughts on their very first Instagram Live video before talking about the difficulty of creating new content on a daily basis, specifically related to Robin’s role in managing Burning Boat’s social media presence. Mads steers the conversation towards the pitch for the documentary, ‘Our Deepest Fear’, and the struggles he’s been facing during the writing process. He draws attention to the challenges that come with working on numerous projects simultaneously as well as his battle with writer’s block. Taylor comments on the unique and ongoing nature of the documentary, predominantly the fact that many key scenes have not yet happened. Mads talks briefly about music being a prominent motivational tool, but how even this has proven to be more of a challenge than usual.The boys move the discussion on to the importance of intention and the ways in which they could improve both as and within the company itself. Robin and Taylor share their experiences working at post-production houses and the benefit of having an organised system from which to work. Mads continues by talking about setting goals and balancing short term intentions with more long-term visions for the company. Robin addresses his appreciation for the transparency they have as a team and the involvement he feels as an employee. Taylor talks about his lack of input in previous jobs and how different this is now, predominantly to do with the sense of pride you get with creating original work that is your own. Robin adds that while the feeling of involvement and having an input in what is created has its upsides, there comes with it a challenge to come up with new, quality ideas. Mads continues with his thoughts on writing the pitch and the difficulty of choosing one idea to focus on. They talk about the obstacle of having a budget to stick to, but the overall importance of choosing the strongest scenes no matter how much it costs. The boys close with a discussion surrounding the strangeness of podcasting and how different the setting often is to more natural conversations. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

Last week the bad boys of Burning Boat watched Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ (2020), twice, and gosh darn was it an experience! This week’s episode is therefore dedicated in its entirety to our thoughts on the film, some of which may be seen as SPOILERS so if you’re looking for a spoiler-free review, only listen until 20:30. Mads begins the episode with a declaration of love for Christopher Nolan, so much so that his son’s middle name is Nolan. He follows on by talking about his and Taylor’s approach leading up to the film’s release, the most prominent aspect being their tactically chosen lack of knowledge prior to the screening in order to embrace it with a fresh perspective. They talk about the preview screening experience and their ritual of arriving early to the cinema, before leading into a spoiler-free review; both Mads and Taylor address how difficult it was to hear the dialogue, in part due to incredibly loud IMAX sound experience. They point out how this added to the continuous sense of confusion throughout the film and the bizarre feeling of watching one scene while still trying to comprehend elements of the previous scene.Taylor compares ‘Tenet’ to the archetypal spy stories, namely James Bond and the feeling of disconnect we as audience members often feel towards these less relatable protagonist. Mads goes on to comment on the somewhat un-engaging story before countering this by praising the film as an amazing visual spectacle as well as its complexity and how hard it makes you work to understand what’s going on. Moving on to their review with spoilers, Mads highlights the uniqueness of the film’s concept and its similarity in ‘epicness’ with ‘Inception’ (2010). Taylor revisits the lack of empathy we have for the characters, the protagonist in particular, mainly due to how little context we are given with regards to his personal life and relationships. He follows this by addressing his wish to not speak negatively of Nolan since the two of them hold him in such high regards. Mads and Taylor move on to discuss the technical elements and effects used in the film, predominantly the use of real locations and stunts, something which seems to be a rare occurrence in contemporary cinema. They discuss the inverse-time effect and how it was achieved practically and without visual effects or cgi.Taylor revisits the overwhelming sense of confusion throughout and how this often detracted from the more impressive, captivating elements in the film. They continue with a break-down of the individual scenes and their use of the inverse-time effect before moving on to a discussion of sound design. Mads addresses the apparent combination of sound played in forward motion and reverse as well as how these small details add to the uniqueness of the entire experience. Mads and Taylor close by talking about the making of the film and the difficulty in creating such a spectacular piece in the midst of a global pandemic. They talk about how much effort Nolan put in to finishing the film as well as the fact that the composer, Ludwig Göransson, went to each individual artist’s house to record for the soundtrack. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

As promised, here’s part two of our ‘story’ breakdown which happens to be just as juicy as the first one! Mads opens by highlighting the challenges that come with tackling Act Two, a common point of difficulty amongst amateur filmmakers. He alludes to the idea of raising the stakes and the midpoint, both of which are imperative to consider when writing an engaging story. Mads and Taylor follow with a discussion about the importance of creating momentum and how beginner screenwriters will often write with individual scenes in mind, forgetting to string them together successfully and losing this sense of consistent forward motion. Following on from this, Taylor alludes to a previous project of his, explaining how he found writing in reverse to be a valuable approach when working on a script.The two then address the concept of pinch points, referring back to The Matrix (Lachowski, 1999) and the moments within the film where the concept applies; specifically the realisation that if you die in the Matrix, you die in real life. They go on to point out the fun and games section of Blake Snyder’s 15-point story structure, before moving on to a breakdown of Castaway (Zemeckis, 2000). Mads talks about the difference between the A- and B-Story, the first of which has more to do with a character’s ‘want’ and the second being crucial for their ‘need’ (watch the previous episode to find out more about the want vs. the need). He follows with a more broad breakdown of Snyder’s individual points of story structure from savethecat.com, after which Taylor highlights a number of other useful writing tools including Aristotle’s ‘Poetics’ and Dan Harmon’s ‘Story Circle’.They close by talking about the different kinds of character arcs; positive change arc, negative change arc, and flat arc. Mads reference Forrest Gump (Zemeckis, 1994) as an example of a positive change arc before moving on to a brief discussion of Harry Potter (Various, 2001-2011) as a type of positive change arc and The Great Gatsby (Luhrmann, 2013) as an example of a negative or fall arc.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week’s podcast episode is a really special one and quite a different format to our usual style; we loved it! Mads kicks off the episode with a talk about motivation, drawing upon the idea of death and how the finite nature of life drives him to work harder and make the most of his existence. Taylor follows by discussing the value of films themselves as a motivational tool, and the strong ability well-made films have to inspire. They go on to share their individual feature film ideas, Mads’ being a story of a self-destructive mountain climber whose focus and dreams change after falling deeply in love. Taylor goes on to share a recent concept of his surrounding the themes of identity, memory and trauma, and how these intertwine with the idea of morality.Mads continues by talking about his baby, the difficulty of finding a work-life balance, but how grateful he is to now be able to spend more time with his son. Both him and Taylor revisit the Seek Discomfort commercial and how amazing it was to work with Yes Theory. They discuss their excitement surrounding the creative freedom they were given as well as the opportunity it presented to them as filmmakers and as a business. Mads moves on to comment on the importance of consistency and quality, in addition to providing value to your audience when it comes to creating Instagram content. Mads and Taylor follow on by talking about their thoughts on validation; Mads draws attention to his wish for other people to enjoy the content he creates, and that he will always create with his audience in mind. Taylor notes that he adopts a more ‘self-validating’ approach to filmmaking; he believes that while it is important for others to appreciate his work, it is ultimately his opinion that he values most.They proceed with a discussion of their mindset, ‘burn your boats’, and how this mentality has played a highly critical role in their overall success as well as their milestones thus far. This is followed by a conversation surrounding their short- and long-term goals, both of which focus on a shift towards working on larger budget productions and a growth of the Burning Boat community. Mads and Taylor conclude by sharing their views on the idea of fear being a strength, highlighting the importance of perception in your experience of the feeling.Thank you again to all of you who sent us your questions, we look forward to doing another Q&A-style podcast soon!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This episode is #gold for anyone looking to up their screenwriting game! Taylor starts by drawing upon our tendency as young filmmakers to think more about what WE think is interesting and forget about the importance of theory. Mads goes on the highlight the difference between a character’s want vs. need, the prior being their external desire and latter being an internal desire. They follow with a discussion of the three act structure; set up, confrontation and the resolution. Mads and Taylor apply these story elements to Robert Zemeckis’ Castaway (2000), The Matrix (Lachowski, 1999) and Joker (Phillips, 2019), before calling attention to the parts in a film where these structural point usually occur. They continue by calling attention to Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting masterclass and his key techniques that make a good story; making the stakes as high as possible, impossible probabilities vs. possible improbabilities and creating an element of confusion.Mads and Taylor also underline the importance of building trust with your audience and the benefit of adopting a viewer’s perspective in the writing process. They close with a discussion of their first feature film together, Boris & Johan, and the ways in which it veered from this stronger, theory-based form of story structure.Oh and for those of you interested, we’re going to be revamping our Patreon page very soon, so keep an eye out for that!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

Another week, another sweet, sweet podcast episode! This one’s a good’n; Mads begins by talking about the documentary and a juicy new treatment he’s written for it. He reads the updated log-line to Taylor and Robin and explains his current intentions with the piece. They go on to discuss the growing theme of childhood in the film and how feelings of both pleasure and pain feed into the idea of nostalgia. Taylor also reflects on his experiences as a child, pointing out how children seem to have an innate ability to achieve an intensely focused state, also known as ‘flow’, which is harder to come by as an adult.The boys bring back their ‘Review Time’ segment, opening with a discussion of Studio Ghibli animations and the Apple TV show, ‘See’, with the one and only #hottiewithabody, Jason Momoa. They transition into talking about the ways children’s films are often equally tailored to adult audiences and the different themes that are frequently addressed in those films. They revisit a recent conversation about the importance of communication as well as the hurdles they’ve had to address since Robin’s arrival. The boys share their thoughts on work-life balance and the benefits that come from self-motivation in the workplace. The discussion closes with Taylor expressing his preference towards a less rigid work schedule and their ability to determine their own hours and the freedom that comes along with it.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

The podcast pals are back! After taking a slightly longer break than expected, the boys of Burning Boat jumpstart season 3 with an old face and new topic; social media. Joined by friend and newly appointed social media manager, Robin Watson, Mads and Taylor begin with a discussion surrounding their strategies for content creation and Burning Boat’s image as a whole. They address ‘the secret project’ and collaborating with Ammar Kandil from the YouTube channel, Yes Theory. They weigh in on the struggles of working remotely and the vast potential of having someone to focus purely on social media. Taylor and Mads highlight the importance of honesty as business partners and the difficulties of always having to come to an agreement, even when their opinions differ. Mads revisits the subject of the documentary on anxiety and depression, ‘Our Deepest Fear’, and his excitement to get things rolling again. He talks about his change in motivation behind making the doc and how having a kid has influenced his perspective on his brother, Karl-Emil, and the film’s theme of childhood. He also comments on being able to collaborate with other creatives and how hearing their experiences with mental health issues has affected him as well as the possibilities that come with these alternative perspectives. Finally, Mads and Taylor discuss the importance of story in filmmaking and the difference between creating and finding story in documentaries and fiction film. Robin Watson is an aspiring filmmaker and friend of Mads and Taylor. Robin helped film on Mads’ documentary trip three years ago and after completing his Masters in film practice in the UK, has decided to fly out and join the Burning Boat team for the summer to focus on their social media presence.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week’s episode kicks off with a #producertakeover! The boys of Burning Boat decided to give their new podcast producer and social media manager, Robin, control over today’s discussion. Robin opens with a question about what it was like starting the business and how Mads and Taylor’s vision for the company has developed over the years. Mads talks about their ‘fake it till you make it’ approach at the beginning and his realisation that it often takes a lot longer to reach certain goals than initially anticipated. Taylor adds that even though it may sometimes seem like you’re veering in the wrong direction, that path will inevitably lead you to the place you want to be.Robin continues by asking about their thoughts on community and where Mads and Taylor see themselves with regards to their audience and other creatives. The boys discuss their goal of having more like-minded people to collaborate with and the sense of appreciation they’ve gained from their recent increase in following and overall audience interest. Mads goes on to talk about the importance of creating original content and a growing focus on work that they can be proud of at the end of the day. Taylor shares his feelings of satisfaction around their current work situation and the freedom it has provided them with in the long run. The boys close by talking about what they value most in the other person, Taylor’s being Mads’ optimism and continuous focus on applying intellectual knowledge and research to the projects they work on, and Mads’ being Taylor’s constant striving for originality and making a piece feel like your own. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week we try something new. We only had 45minutes to record, so tested out this streamlined format to see what came of it. We talked about our failed application for the super patron grant and what that entailed. We also mentioned the thought behind said grant, which came from Jack Conte hearing a story about Harper Lee. Mad’s also brings up his current obsession, namely sleep and the book he’s reading about it called Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker. In light of this short episode, we’ll keep the description brief as well. Happy Weekend everyone. Check out our Website - https://www.whyburningboat.com/Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhyBurningBoat/Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burning.boat/Listen to our Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burning-boat-business/id1395110720Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week we start the new decade on The Burning Boat show with a new look and a new camera!We nerd out a little over new equipment at the start of this podcast, discussing purchases both necessary and unnecessary. There's a new addition to the line of gear, namely the Laowa 24mm Probe Lens. We also discuss the need for some new Podcasting equipment and whether it is smarter to allocate more money towards the sound recorder or microphones. We talk about the future plans of Burning Boat and ponder the need for an intern. Is it okay to hire someone for no pay and if so, what should you look out for. We also talk about Mads' new years resolution, which includes a new date for the iron man, a climbing schedule, and an attempt to read 40 books this year. This and more in the 58th Episode of The Burning Boat Show. Check out our Website - https://www.whyburningboat.com/Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhyBurningBoat/Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burning.boat/Listen to our Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burning-boat-business/id1395110720Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

We are back and boy has it been a crazy couple of weeks. This week we talk about how we came into contact with the guys at Yes Theory and how grateful we are for the opportunity they provided us. We talk about the highs and lows of creating the final Seek Discomfort commercial, as well as what we had been doing before and what we plan to do after. Namely, working on “Our Deepest Fear” a documentary focused on anxiety and depression. So many people have been reaching out giving their experiences with either anxiety and/or depression and the response has been extremely touching. It’s shown us how universal these issues are and motivates us every day to make this project the best it can be. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

https://www.patreon.com/burningboatThe guys from True Gum stopped by the podcast studio today! We've been working on a little video for them and decided it would be cool to get some insights into how their company started.True Gum is a sustainable plastic free gum made using sap from trees. Most commercial gum is made on a plastic core, and these guys thought why not make something more environmentally friendly. Their gum has been blowing up in Denmark and is starting to gain attention in Norway, Sweden, Germany and other international markets. We talk about their humble beginnings, making gum out of their home kitchen in pots and pans on the stove top, and how hiring their first employees three years ago was a scary step. With nearly 40 employees now, they have recently opened a new factory. We talk about how nothing in business is either 100% good or 100% bad. Landing a new client is great because you will be getting paid, but it also means producing more work which runs expenses higher. Not landing a client might feel like a let down, but can often be a blessing in disguise because it leaves the door open for potentially connecting with a new and bigger clients. Everything needs to be looked at with perspective. You can check them out at https://www.truegum.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/truegum/Check out our Website - https://www.whyburningboat.com/Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhyBurningBoat/Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burning.boat/Listen to our Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burning-boat-business/id1395110720Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

Baby we're back!This week we talk about moving into the new office and everything involved with that. We also talk about our newest intern and Robin returning for the spring.We also discuss personal finance and how setting up multiple bank accounts can help you keep track of you're money. Splitting the account as a business also allows you to have a more extensive overview of costs and profit. Prioritizing profit and salaries first forces you to find money and cashflow elsewhere. Finally we ask why some of these basic principals aren't taught in school and what else might be helpful in expanding a schools curriculum.Check out our Website - https://www.whyburningboat.com/Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhyBurningBoat/Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burning.boat/Listen to our Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burning-boat-business/id1395110720Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

https://www.patreon.com/burningboatOn this weeks episode we had Esben Seir as a returning guest. You can follow Esben onwww.nogravity.comhttps://www.facebook.com/nogravity.dk/https://www.instagram.com/nogravitydk/You can survive for 3 months without food, 3 days without water, and 3 minutes without air. Why are so few people unaware of the importance of breathing when its clearly the most essential life source. Esben starts every morning in the same way. Breathing. Before he gets up he will inhale for 7 seconds and exhale for 7 seconds. He repeats this between 4-7 times. Afterwards he drinks water with lemon followed by a joint mobilisation routine and stretching. He then moves on to his proper breathing and meditation routine. This takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. This is a routine Esben does not compromise on.Most people associate Christmas time with food, food, and more food. Esben, on the other hand, is planning a getaway trip to a summerhouse where he will be doing a minimum of three full days of fasting. Nothing except water. Not even coffee or tea. The mental and physical benefits are fascinating. Most people don’t realise that we have evolved to go long periods of time with very limited amounts of food. Esben strives to do 24 hour fast at least once a week and often only eats one meal a day. According to his clients the results can be felt instantly. When it comes to building powerful habits, three things are required. Knowing your WHY, a daily effort, and willpower, and in that order. You need to know why you want to start a new habit or why you want to replace a bad habit. What will you get out of it? How will it make you feel? What will it allow you to do? Change doesn’t happen over night. It takes roughly 90 days for a new habit to stick and the only way to get there is by doing it daily. Going to play football 2 or 3 times a week is great, but 15 minutes of daily movement will change your life. After the initial kick of starting something new, you will inevitably run into a period of decreased motivation. This is where will power comes in. Remember why you are doing it, stick to it, and make it through to the other side. The results will speak for themselves.  We are excited to be helping Esben start his own No Gravity Podcast in the new year. Stay tuned for his first episode and as always well see you next time on the Burning Boat Show. Peace Bitches.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

After some technical fuck ups we are back with an episode that has both audio and video- hallelujah. We’ve done a lot since the last podcast, mainly locking the cut for our first feature film. We talk about the editing process over the last year and the struggles that come along with that. We take a short dive into general story structures, both in scripts and books. Mads talks a little bit about his current writing project. We also get into negative thoughts, happiness and a purpose in life. By no means is this part well thought out, but theres a nugget in there somewhere. Enjoy. Check out our Website - https://www.whyburningboat.com/Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhyBurningBoat/Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/burning.boat/Listen to our Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burning-boat-business/id1395110720Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

This week we talk to Casper Christiansen, the host of Plantetinget, a danish podcast on all things vegan. We talk about his upbringing, what led to his current mindset, being patriotic about where you come from, the apocalypse, marathons, and psychedelics. This is a good one guys, enjoy!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

We needed a few weeks to reconvene and gather some thoughts, but we're back babyyy!This episode we dive into the Boris And Johan Screener Survey. What came out of the polling and how we plan on finishing the film.We also lay out the sequence of strategies we've used for client acquisition and our feelings on the various methods.We talk networking and going to a yes theory Youtuber event. Mads' also lays how pain and pleasure affect our decisions and behavior. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)

https://www.patreon.com/burningboatThis week Mads and Taylor went out to see ‘Joker’ by Todd Phillips and boy did they love it, even splurging a little to watch it in IMAX 2D. They also talk about the current Screener release of ‘Boris & Johan’ and the struggles that come with showing something unfinished. Finally they bring up new strategies they’re using at Burning Boat to acquire some new clients. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/burningboat)