Jake Van Wagoner is a director, producer, and actor known for his work on Impractical Jokers and the film Christmas Time. His recent film, Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out, is a family friendly sci-fi feature that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. 

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with director Jake Van Wagoner to discuss:

Getting funding for the film from a family friend 

The unique title to the movie

Making a film the whole family could enjoy

Building the production team from many great connections

How directing is like being a father

Guiding the child actors in some challenging scenes

Shooting a 93 page script in only 15 days

Using children from his family to act as little aliens

The process of attaching Will Forte to the movie

Lessons he learned from his first feature, Christmas Time





Memorable Quotes

“We shot a movie in 15 days which is bananas.” [12:43]

“Will Forte is the sweetest man on earth…he’s the LAST sweetest man on earth.” [16:10]

“That’s probably my most embarrassing moment in the movie as a director.” [19:48]

“In the end, we are just making a movie. It’s not the end of the world.” [23:55]



Resources
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out



Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
https://nofilmschool.com/

Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool

Twitter 
https://twitter.com/nofilmschool

YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool

Send us an email with questions or feedback: podcast@nofilmschool.com!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices