Coppola Told Me: Shoot It on Your Phone

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins welcomes back filmmaker Janek Ambros to dive deep into the wild origin and evolution of his second feature film, Mondo Hollywoodland. The conversation spans everything from a life-changing phone call with Francis Ford Coppola to the chaotic, experimental production process of an iPhone-shot psychedelic satire. Ambros shares how a rogue spirit, a skeleton crew, and the mantra "just make something" powered his creative journey. He also discusses the challenges of distribution, finding a cult audience, and why the edit room is his happy place.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Janek Ambros discuss...

• How Francis Ford Coppola inspired the DIY ethos behind Mondo Hollywoodland

• Why the film is more of a spiritual successor than a direct sequel to the 1967 cult doc Mondo Hollywood

• The experimental, no-crew production process using an iPhone and real locations

• Casting friends and local oddballs to match the film’s bizarre, countercultural tone

• How the film’s editing and narrator shape its chaotic narrative

• Navigating COVID-era distribution and marketing challenges

• Ambros’s dual approach to career-building: make art, but also think commercially

• Why learning to produce is essential for emerging filmmakers

Memorable Quotes:

• "You should just make a movie with your iPhone with your friends if you don’t have money."

• "We didn’t have a cinematographer. We have a camera op. That’s really it."

• "It was just totally the freest form of filmmaking."

• "Editing is definitely my favorite part of filmmaking. Everything else is a necessary evil just to edit."

Guests:

• Janek Ambros

Resources:

• More from NFS x Janek

• Screening Tickets – June 8, 6 p.m. at Lumineer Music Hall, Beverly Hills

• Mondo Hollywoodland on Letterboxd

• Assembly Line Entertainment on Instagram: @assemblylineent, 

• Mondo Hollywoodland on Instagram: @mondohollywoodland

• Janek on Twitter: @janekambros88

• Assembly Line Entertainment on Twitter: @assemblylineent

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