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February 17, 2025 16 mins
In this episode of The Successful Screenwriter, host Geoffrey D. Calhoun sits down with filmmaker Fritz Frauendorf to discuss the challenges of breaking into the film industry through short films. Fritz shares his journey from film school to directing Manic Man, a short film that went viral, garnering over a million views. He reveals the marketing strategies that worked, the lessons he’s learned about storytelling, and how he’s leveraging his success to build a feature film. If you're a filmmaker trying to make your mark, this episode is packed with valuable insights!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
  • How Fritz transitioned from film school to directing short films
  • The importance of visual storytelling in short-form content
  • The marketing strategies that helped Manic Man go viral
  • The role of local film premieres in networking and career growth
  • How short films can serve as proof of concept for feature-length projects
  • The balance between artistic expression and audience engagement
Key Moments:
  • [00:38] Geoffrey introduces Fritz Frauendorf and his journey into filmmaking
  • [01:11] Fritz shares how he got started in film school and his early projects
  • [02:32] The strategy behind making Manic Man a concise, powerful short film
  • [06:19] The importance of local screenings and community support
  • [07:36] The role of social media and paid advertising in promoting indie films
  • [08:13] The impact of viral success—opportunities and industry recognition
  • [10:42] Why attending local film events can lead to unexpected opportunities
  • [11:44] Lessons learned from making multiple short films
  • [12:56] The shift from experimental filmmaking to crafting audience-driven stories
  • [14:59] Expanding Manic Man into a feature-length film and the creative challenges ahead
About the Guest:
Fritz Frauendorf is an independent filmmaker and director known for his viral short film Manic Man. A graduate of the New York Film Academy, he has spent years crafting short films that explore themes of mental health and dissociation. With multiple projects under his belt, Fritz is now working towards developing a feature film that expands on the concepts introduced in Manic Man.

About the Host:
With films on network television and streaming platforms, Geoffrey D. Calhoun is a screenwriter, author of The Guide for Every Screenwriter, and passionate about teaching. As the host of The Successful Screenwriter, he shares insights from top industry professionals to help writers and filmmakers succeed.Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
  • Manic Man short film [Link]
  • Fritz’s film production company: Fritz and Lewis Films Instagram
Connect with Fritz Frauendorf:
Connect with Geoffrey D. Calhoun:

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with fellow filmmakers and screenwriters! Let us know in the comments what marketing strategies have worked for your short films.Hashtags: #Filmmaking #ShortFilms #Screenwriting #IndieFilm #FilmMarketing #ManicMan #MentalHealthInFilm #ViralFilm #FilmmakerLife #Screenwriter
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
You are listening to the IFH podcast Network. For more
amazing filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, just go to ifhpodcastnetwork dot com. Hey,
I'm your host, JEFFREYD. Klhoun, and I'd love it if
you join our community at the Successful screenwriter dot com.
You'll get access to seminars, workshops, OSCAR nominated screenplays, and

(00:24):
even open writing assignments from producers. Get all the tools,
resources and support you need to launch your screenwriting career
for free. Now onto our show. All right, welcome to
the podcast I've got on. Filmmaker Fritz Frauendorff. Thanks for
being on. Well, I wanted to bring on the show

(00:47):
because I want to talk about the struggle of doing
short films, trying to break out, trying to find that success.
And it looks like you've done it. You've made a
bunch of short films and then the latest one went viral,
and I want to kind of talk you about that. Well,
walk me through it, man, give me, give me the
origin story, what led you to making short films and

(01:07):
how did we get to a viral hit?

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, so it started about what is twenty point five now?
If I guess about eight nine years ago I was
graduating high school. You know, I always wanted to make film.
I was about thirteen.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
I took my film cool.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Okay, I got into a school call there in New
York so much at me.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
You might have troded that to that. Yeah, good experience there.
I definitely.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
During my time there, I made a bunch of short films,
and then I got top to him to make too
or three different pisis because you know, one of the
programs in New York makes you know, a little bit
bigger short. Yeah, funny time, it's kind of cool four
years ago already lend it to you a little bit.

(02:10):
My little small projects. Now, my later short film called
max Man Kinds, I decided to you know, it's takes
a lot of the I get.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
The gold and design. How do shorts film into my
own towns? You know?

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Okay, struggles in the film, such goals and moreover. It's
even when I was published. In my mind most time,
it's like I couldn't really practice, not.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Really go anywhere. But what's next?

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Man? Know, this is like really concise, like four minutes
powerful message that they would Yeah, this is the visual
story time, just a kind of what's the different mission?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Implication and what form.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Actually, yeah, the audience he starts to thirty minutes more.
That's like philosophical like kind of locate some kind of kicked.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Off it and they gets at you kind of you
know people mean they can touch themselves and.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
You know, relatable and you know, a month marking on
the promoting it holding height a couple of ents for
you know, kind of even go buy brand and hopefully
repeat the process in the final you know, keep the project.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
So tell me what you know, give me the log liner,
a little bit about what manic man is the story
behind it.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, yeah, it's a couple of different Like the log line,
certain kinds of party, who had SoCal anxiety after party,
lady over to.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
A kind he starts to the goal. Yeah that's going
man a little bit. Yeah, that's one of the personality.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Is this influenced by anyone that you know that deals
with that kind of mental issue.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
It's a little bit. It's more like, Okay, I've been
doing for whole years and well I've been in overwhel
kind of wanted Yeah, take over, but tell a friend.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Thro a couple of experiences like that.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah a.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Good Yeah, sure, that disassociative behavior. I mean, I'm like,
I'm like the king of of social awkwardness, panic attacks,
and not understanding how people work, which is funny because
I'm a writer. My whole job is to observe and
report people essentially. But I think that's also one of

(05:06):
the reasons why I write is because I want to
understand people in the most intimate ways, because I feel
when I was growing up in school, like everybody else
had a book and how to socialize and I never
got it.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
So I didn't get it.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
So I totally understand that.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
Yeah, I was like, yeah, like, what do I like exactly?

Speaker 1 (05:39):
I am? So I'm interested in the marketing perspective here
that you said you did differently with Manic Man than others.
And one thing I know is with these type of things,
sometimes you'll try and market close to where you live
and then kind of build your way out. Other people
try and build your way out, but they're missing the

(06:01):
local audience, which can kind of help move the needle
as far as you know, getting numbers, getting watches, getting views.
And you were telling me that you sent up some
some local viewings. Do you think that's what was really
working for you? Is that you said I'm just going
to promote this thing to people locally and see if
I can get it expanded from there.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, one of the persons.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
Together, mm hmmm, I couldn't quite get enough people to
come together. A little bit difficult people like dolls. Yeah,
I think that's kind of the way you can promote
people to come together and do your project and build

(06:49):
the community.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
My think there was more so just report.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Well went to keep people and I really explored I
kind of focused all three of them. And it's a
little time of my protector and about fifty people show up,
and yeah, it was in a cool little event. It's
kind of cool to.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Take like better, you know the kind of people. Yeah,
I can tell a little bit.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Uh were you you doing a lot of social media campaigns?
Were you just pumping money into boosting posts or I
mean what was working for you?

Speaker 2 (07:36):
A little bit of both A lot of times the
media a hybrid of or gass And that's awesome.

Speaker 3 (07:43):
I've been doing that.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Wow before minute of that doesn't going to wrap up
a little bit right now. And a lot of my
sort thanks something I think yours. I've been trying to
get a quest to get you a little the recognized.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
So you've hit a million views, it's gone viral, which
is amazing.

Speaker 3 (08:16):
Congrats.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
Are people reaching out to you? Are you starting to
see some opportunities? Are you forging relationships.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
A little bit? I mean the podcast.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Probably the biggest so far. Grateful h Yeah, I've had
people sort of reached out on social media, project doing
just brought on to co direct something from someone I
have not.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Finally, that's cool working and people been wanting to work
with me.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
I get talking like that good break, Yeah, but like
open you know, and work and yeah, I'll tarn that okick.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yeah, you could say I'm an overnight success. It just
took me fifteen years.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
To get there. You know, you had a overnight Yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Then people are like, I have heard of you. So
I just want to talk about local film premieres because
that's essentially what you did and actually like the power
behind them. Because I was at a film mixer locally,
the Royal Star Film Mixer. A bunch of filmmakers go there,
it's a good time, and a random actors said, Hey,
I have this film premiering locally. We're having a bunch

(09:38):
of people. Would you like to come? And I said,
you know, randomly, I said, Okay, I didn't know anything
about the movie, but I said, I'm just going to go.
I go watch the film. It was cool, it was
a good movie. I enjoyed it, you know, classic indie
indie film. And then I just I gave I met
the one of the producers. We hung out for a minute,
gave them my car and said, hey, if you ever
need anything, let me know.

Speaker 3 (09:59):
I'm a writer. Walked off.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
Never heard from anybody, you know, for the longest time.
Then randomly, months later I got a phone call say, hey,
you know you were at my film premiere and you know,
do you want to work on a script. I'm like,
I didn't even remember going to the film premiere at
the time. Like that is getting cold called. I said, sure,
ended up working on the script. It was a great project.

(10:21):
It got paid for it. Everything they're trying to get funding.
My point being, if you're out there and you're somewhere
in the film community, if somebody invites you to a
premiere of a local small movie, go go support them,
make the connections, and you get to watch a movie
for free. I mean it's kind of awesome.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
I'll be.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, no, no, I'd like that, Yeah, from all these
people anymore and in the ground, but it's probably work
your tough out there, and you know, people learn about

(11:14):
what they're doing. Not the only wait people.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Also, yeah, they're not going to find you. You have
to you have to find them and then hopefully you
make a nice enough impression to where they come back
to you.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
So tell me.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
I mean, you've made all of these different films, short
films and built up into this. What have you learned
progressing and improving stylistically more efficiently through production over the
course of making all these short films.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
That's the test thing I've learned a sports films and anything.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
Everyone good. Yeah, residents time probably the most one of
the things basically can crop quickly and you have to
come like your audience more quickly or you make people

(12:15):
see the market to them that type of audience. A
lotom I really start to the law a little bit
realized some maybe it was a good morning, the kind
of really into or at least watch more with Man,
but most.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Fighting the language that pick that people want more Instagram.
You know he's the one like similar.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
I mean what I'm hearing, you know, please correct me
if I'm interpreting is wrong, but it sounds like, you know,
at first you were that film student artist really trying
to get out there and play around and just express
yourself within the medium. And then it sounds like over
time you've really kind of honed your art into a

(13:16):
craft as well, to where now let's see how we
can really grab the audience. Is that Okay, that's fantastic.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Man kind of couldn't do a bit more. I want to.
You know, you definitely learn as you do what people
don't like.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
It's a little bit, but you know the goal of that.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah, that's the challenge.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Hm.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
That's sounds like you've done it. Yeah, all right. Was
there anything I didn't ask you that I should have?

Speaker 2 (14:07):
No?

Speaker 3 (14:07):
He did really really, Yes.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
The only thing I was gonna laborate on more is
my friend traumatic talking.

Speaker 3 (14:15):
To him about it. He was actually then the very
good port film that.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Okay, be that.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
Often built together to really liked.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Yeah, I have a friend, Yeah, sure have to kind
of make it happen. Yeah. When I come to the seper,
I think might have an Y're gonna have different.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
That's interesting. That sounds like a fun challenge actually for
the actress to kind of get together and figure out like, okay,
what mannerism should we share and what should be different?
Yeah that sounds cool man. Well, congratulations and when you
when you finish the Manu band feature, you know, let's
get you back on.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
Is there any social media links that you want people
to reach out to?

Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah? Sure. The main social media I'm using is m W.
I have mainly definitely on Instagram. Yeah. Those are the
name to callow you know, very at all? Right man.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
The short film is magic Man Fritz. Thanks for coming
on the show. Awesome, Thanks for listening. If you liked
the show, please subscribe and share on your social media.
Make sure to visit us at the successful screenwater dot com,
where you can chat with us about anything and everything
screenwriting on our dedicated forums. I'll see you there.
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