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
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