Raising $400K, Casting Without Names, and Writing the Iron-Core Story with Mick Lexington
Update: 2025-09-05
Description
In this episode filmmaker and novelist Mick Lexington joins me to unpack the development phase for his debut feature Mr. Jack - an existential New York drama adapted from his own novel.
Through the interview we dig into the process of raising a ~$400K production budget, why he brought on a dedicated fundraising lead, and how his “agile filmmaking” approach allows him to start elements of production ahead of principle photography. We also dive deep on writing craft - outlining, “killing your darlings,” beating procrastination with consistent routines and much more.
Topics include:
Mr. Jack - Website
Mick Lexington - Website
Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday.
Through the interview we dig into the process of raising a ~$400K production budget, why he brought on a dedicated fundraising lead, and how his “agile filmmaking” approach allows him to start elements of production ahead of principle photography. We also dive deep on writing craft - outlining, “killing your darlings,” beating procrastination with consistent routines and much more.
Topics include:
- Working with a fundraising specialist to raise a target budget of $400K
- “Agile filmmaking”: building momentum by shooting key exteriors ahead of produciton
- Casting strategy without star names and avoiding audience-misleading cameos
- Turning New York City into a story engine: LES & Williamsburg as living backdrop
- Writing cadence & anti-procrastination: consistent daily blocks vs. bursts
- Why the final rewrite is the edit - and planning for pickups and pivots
Mr. Jack - Website
Mick Lexington - Website
Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday.
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