In this episode filmmaker Alec Goldberg joins the show to break down how his micro-budget comedy pilot Soft Boil went from a bootstrapped production to a blind submission acceptance at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
We talk about Alec’s path from documentary and commercial work into scripted narrative, how a key creative partnership with lead actor / co-writer Camille Wormser shaped the project, and what it took to pull off a festival-ready pilot on $30,000 across a handful of shoot days.
Topics covered include:
- Why Alec believes casting + voice was the “X factor” (and how to recognize it)
- The tactical micro-budget choices that mattered most (locations, rehearsals, scheduling)
- How to direct comedy with improv-friendly actors without losing the spine of the scene
- The producer “role-splitting” approach that let Alec focus on directing
- How Alec thinks about finding your “voice” as a filmmaker, and why it’s so critical
- The films and filmmakers shaping his taste (Kaufman, PTA, Von Trier, Aronofsky, Kubrick)
This is Episode 266: Getting Into Sundance With A $30K TV Pilot
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