Indiewood

Nurturing Filmmaking Partnerships: How Actor Sarah Randall Hunt Collaborates With Creatives

• Cinematography for Actors • Season 9 • Episode 2

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Creative partnerships can make or break a project, but what happens when your creative partner is also your partner in life? Join us for our second episode with actor and producer Sarah Randall Hunt (1923, Chicago Fire) as we unpack the delicate dynamics of collaboration in filmmaking.

We'll explore how to create a foundation for successful creative partnerships, learn from Sarah's experiences on established sets, how to navigate the complex social dynamics of productions with long-standing teams, and how actors and crew members can contribute positively to any set, even when just passing through for a day.

We also explore how one can be supportive of artistic pursuits in a world that often dismisses creative work as "not real." Whether you're a filmmaker, actor, writer, or someone who loves an artist, there's something in this episode for everyone to learn.

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In the world of social media, and fast-paced journalism, knowledge is abound. But with all the noise, finding the right information is near impossible. Especially if you’re a creative working in independent film.

Produced by Cinematography For Actors, the Indiewood podcast aims to fix that. This is a podcast about indie filmmakers and the many hats we wear in order to solve problems before, during, and after production.

Every month, award-winning Writer/Director Yaroslav Altunin is joined by a different guest co-host to swap hats, learn about the different aspects of the film industry, and how to implement all you learn into your work.

"We learn from indie filmmakers so we can become better filmmakers. Because we all want to be Hollywood, but first we have to be Indiewood."

Yaro:

Welcome to the Indiewood Podcast, a podcast about independent film and the many hats filmmakers have to wear in order to get those films made. With me this week, I have a very talented actor, a very dedicated producer and a very green, yet eloquent and has good ideas, whatever that word is. Writer Sarah Randall Hunt.

Sarah:

He's also my husband.

Yaro:

Yeah, we're also married.

Sarah:

Yeah.

Yaro:

I asked Sarah to come on the pod to talk about a lot of really cool things, because she's a really cool multi-hyphenate. You are on this wonderful show now called 1923. And I wanted to really kind of dig into not only how you got to that point right, like being on a big show and working on a big show you got to that point right, like being on a big show and working on a big show but how all the different things you've done producing, writing, acting not only in film and television, but in theater, musical theater, you do an opera.

Sarah:

I mean I did operetta performances. But I've never been in an opera.

Yaro:

For a little bit yeah and I think, as we talked about your career in the in the first episode, this being episode two uh, there was a lot of talk about partnerships and support and like finding your collaborators and finding your community and something I've struggled with.

Yaro:

But I think what is unique about us is we aren't only married, we are creative partners. Yeah, and we made a web series together. We're currently producing another short and another feature and I think people look at that and they're like, wow, that's really cool. I'm like I want to do that, but I don't know if people really understand how difficult it is, not only because, like it's, it's a challenge to really let go of ego and, um, you know, when things are difficult, you really have to kind of not take offense or even like react, because sometimes that can be taken as offense. So we've worked really hard to be communicative and and supportive of each other and our endeavors. And then we made a web series that nearly broke us, but in a fun way. In a fun way. In a fun way. I think it was a really cool learning experience. Yes, but I wanted to get your side of the story. I know your side of the story.

Yaro:

We live together, but to tell people Because I think it's a really cool thing that we love sharing is this partnership that we have.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah, first of all, thank you so much for having me. You're welcome.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah, yeah.

Sarah:

I'm grateful to be here and I think you as well.

Yaro:

What do they say? Long time, first time.

Sarah:

First time long time, yeah, long time, yeah. First time caller yeah, yeah, that's it. First time caller long time listener? That's me, um, okay, so early on in our relationship I joked that like if we could survive an ikea trip, we could survive anything. Yeah, and we did and we did. And then the next level is if you can survive making a film together, you can really get through anything. Covid, wildfires, all sorts of other things have happened since we made Stupid Cupid and I actually think that you know we're going to try not to talk about our marriage the entire time. We're talking about partnership, because this has got to be a practical application for people who are trying to have good partnerships in filmmaking.

Yaro:

But I do want to add to that yeah, I think that's also important for people who aren't creative themselves but have a partner that's creative. Yeah, a partner that's in film how do you support them? How do you you know how do you treat your significant other who's trying to make it?

Yaro:

yeah how do you? Because I know that there are some couples, maybe not, you know, in our circles, but then the stories that I've heard, you know, in the in the filmmaking world, was like, oh, my partner was like, yeah, yeah, you can, you can, um, go do that thing like your little hobby. Yeah, yeah, well, that, or be like, but like when's it when? When are you going to get a real job?

Sarah:

when's that thing?

Yaro:

yeah pay off. When, when, how are we going to like? You know how are we going to like? You know those? I get those fears of like, okay, we need to pay rent, you need to be supportive, you need to think about long-term growth and retirement and kids, but that feels counterproductive because you're not really giving them the opportunity to shine and they're always going to be in the back of their mind like, oh, I'm bad, this isn't a real thing. I'm like there's guilt, there's shame, like all those powerful emotions and I think that's important to talk about.

Yaro:

So talking about partnership, yeah, I think okay.

Sarah:

So a little bit more about my life outside of filmmaking. That I think runs parallel to it is I am actually a soon-to-be certified project manager, which is a just basically a term that means like producing for business people, and it's a very similar skill set. It's very funny, but I've learned a lot about like, like, a lot of it, I think, is very intuitive, but it kind of boils it down to some high level things about communication and um, uh, communication is as much on the sender as it is on the receiver to confirm understanding and shared partnership. So if I say words and then you're like, oh yeah, I totally understood what you said, it's this and that's not what I intended, that is not your fault for not understanding my words, it's, it's both of our faults for not hearing right and not using the right words right. So, and in a partnership, I'm going to reference this book again because I just read it and it was amazing. So if you listen to episode one, I'm going to reference this book again because I just read it and it was amazing. So, if you listen to episode one, I referenced this once before, I'm going to do it again.

Sarah:

It's called the Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. I'll have your book Stellar. In it he also talks about how, in conflict or in conversation mostly in conflict like both parties have to show up 100% responsible. So often when we're talking about collaboration we're thinking of things as a 5050 shot, if you have two people in a scenario. But if you look at it, that you are 100% responsible for both you communicating something to someone, but also 100% responsible for them understanding what you are trying to say to them and also 100% responsible for them understanding what you are trying to say to them and also 100% on the reverse side is you confirming understanding with another person. So that's just like basics communication.

Sarah:

You wouldn't expect that to be so necessary. To like take some time to discuss, but especially when you're on a film set, you're moving super fast. Yeah, you got to catch that thing right before the light goes and it's a really busy time. Or you know you don't have a permit. You're trying to do this thing Any people, but it's a permit, yeah, but basically I think it really comes down to are you being clear? Are you all on the same page about what the end goal is? And that is also like a top-down thing from a producing standpoint or a director's standpoint, to make sure the vision is super clear. And then, with regards to like, I think we can get into the micro of that, but I think it has to start there.

Yaro:

No, I think you're entirely correct, because I think this happens in our personal life as well. Like sometimes we communicate and I'm like I say, and you're like, I don't like that. I'm like, okay, I need you to tell me what you heard.

Yaro:

And then you're like oh, I heard that you like to kick dogs and I'm like what? No, I want a pet dog. We're starting to get folks here. Go, sam, get out of here. Folks here, oh, come see, yeah. And so that also, I think is is crucial for partners working together on a project. Whether or not you're married, you know it's all about your intention and how you're communicating. That and also goes both ways. You know you're 100 responsible for both things communication and intention and having the person understand you. But then they're also responsible 100% for hearing you, for listening, yeah, and for double checking with you that. That is what they meant.

Sarah:

I think one of the most powerful things I've learned is confirming understanding is the key, I think, for excellent communication on both sides. Whether you're a producer who's trying to communicate something to somebody, making sure that person like having them like what do you? What did you hear me say? Cause I was like really I haven't slept.

Yaro:

Yeah.

Sarah:

I have no idea if I was even speaking English when I said this. Could you just mirror back what you think you heard me say? And then also if you're receiving something, if you're a PA or something and you know, I mean, it's also Fast and Furious time you can be like just double-checking. You meant two of those right. And then moving on. I think that helps you save time in the long run and it's also really respectful.

Yaro:

And speaking of respect, a lot of this communication also goes hand-in-hand with ego. I think, when you're talking about creative things and you're in different positions you're a producer, you're a director, you're an actor, you're a grip, you're a DP, you're a PA right, there are instances where maybe someone else has an ego and that's it. There's not going to be a perfect world where that doesn't exist, you know. But I think if everyone goes into a scenario where they're collaborating and they are focusing on communication, but they leave ego at the door, yeah, like I forget who, oh my God, she was the host of the Great British Bake Off for a while.

Yaro:

Oh, with the short hair yeah yeah, yeah, she has a Danish name. Really good Swedish.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah.

Sarah:

And so Names are not our strong suit.

Yaro:

She was on a show and she was like oh, I've been married for 25 years or more. And the guy goes how do you do it? She goes. Well, every obstacle we come to my goal is always to think of the other person, and my partner does the same thing. So you come into a situation and it's not about you anymore. It's about the other person, but it only works if they give that back to you.

Sarah:

Yeah, that's totally true, and I think when you're in scenario, you don't always have control of the situation you're walking into, especially as an actor. You're there for a day, you're there for two days.

Yaro:

You're there for three. You're there for a week.

Sarah:

Well, I'm glad you brought that up.

Yaro:

I'm sorry to interrupt because I want to talk to you about a couple things you shot. There were some big things and some little things still really cool and prestigious things and then I want to kind of connect that to how we work together. And so you recently shot an episode of Chicago Fire.

Sarah:

Wait, can I go back for a second? Yeah, why? Well, you were talking about ego. I don't want to lose it, okay.

Yaro:

Yeah, tell me about ego, and then we'll circle back to yeah, okay.

Sarah:

So you brought up ego. Okay, and as an actor, you're walking into a scenario and you know sometimes if you're just gigging on a thing or whatever you're walking into a scenario, or if it's a super short project like short, you don't always know what you're walking into and so you kind of got a little bit of the punches at whatever's coming at you, energy wise or ego wise. If that's the case and I think the thing that you have to remember is like this person is behaving this way because there's something that they need to feel that they don't right now you can it's really bad. You can be like picture them as a little child and what does this person need, and then see if you can just like not take it personally.

Yaro:

Yeah.

Sarah:

And cause. Most of the time it's not personal. True, it's really not, but it's. It gets it. It's hard not to.

Yaro:

Yeah, I do agree with you on that. Like there is, that that's a good way of dealing with with people that are having a bad day or might be too demanding.

Sarah:

But um demanding, but um.

Yaro:

What does come to mind is like a.

Sarah:

One person can only do that.

Yaro:

So much oh a hundred percent, like if you're in a long-term project, yeah, and someone's doing that every day.

Sarah:

No, I mean yeah, then that's conflict resolution skills and then maybe not build that anymore, because no is is a complete sentence. No is a complete sentence.

Yaro:

No is a complete, and so this is why I want to talk about chicago. Far because you came in there for a day, uh-huh, you came into a project that people which everyone was lovely, by the way.

Sarah:

Yes, there were no egos on that side.

Yaro:

This is why I'm wanting to bring it up, because these are people who have been working together for years, right? And then you come in for a day. My question for that was like how do you integrate yourself and communicate clearly in that where you're only there for a day? You know these people have a shared language. How do you as an actor or how can other people arrive at you know a project for a day? How can they better communicate with the people that have been there for years?

Sarah:

This is where I think being an independent filmmaker or as an actor, just like doing a couple shifts as a PA, and understanding what a set life is like is hugely helpful in you playing better in the sandbox with other people.

Sarah:

You know, I still screw up. I'm like what does the first do and all that stuff. Like I still do, um, but I think it's really important for you to know when is a good time to be a human being with another person and when is a good time to be quiet and turn into wallpaper. You know what I mean. Like, you kind of need to understand your place on the set and the working order of things in order to kind of make everybody's job easy, so you're not trying to talk to a star while they're like simultaneously trying to get audio on them or something like that too.

Sarah:

So, um, I think, in situations like where you're a date player or you're a co-star or you know you have a short period of time on set, I think knowledge is power when it comes to you understanding the vibe of what's going on. Also, we're all made of water. You know, like you, you can feel when something is tense, when you walk into a room and you need to walk in and not be like let me fix it well, like maybe energetically, you can try and help positively contribute to the energy in the room, but there's something going on and you need to be respectful of what that energy is and it might not be a bad thing, but you don't want to, you have to kind of, you have like you got to go with the flow.

Yaro:

Bring it back to communication. Yeah, you know it's also about listening, and so you're not just listening to the person that's talking.

Sarah:

You're listening to, to the vibe, to put it in Gen Z terms, and a lot of times too, that's not about you. Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I've heard actors take it personally that there were like 20 takes of this one thing or whatever, and especially in a scenario where there's a lot of crap going on and there's something highly technical or something that's not going well with the environment that you're in. We're not always going to be, as filmmakers, focused on making sure the actor knows that it's not their fault. I think in the best case scenario, people are like oh, this isn't you, this is for sound, this is for lighting.

Sarah:

This is whatever. If you're curious, you can say any feedback, anything you need to do differently, and if the answer is no, just keep doing your shit, keep doing your takes.

Yaro:

And that's why I think Chicago Flyers are a really cool example, because they had a really big special effect. You know it was out on location and a dog, yeah, in the cold.

Sarah:

There were a lot of elements that they were wrestling with and that team. They are such pros, yeah, um every day we're doing that, oh my gosh, and it's like a new thing every week, you know um, I mean, and they've been working together for a really long time 13 years yeah, long time well, this is also kind of a cool segue to unfinished business, because that was a pickup, yep, you know.

Yaro:

And so that film was wrapped and they needed a, a scene, and so they brought you in and and I think I want to talk a little bit about preparation, yeah, and how, uh, you know, partnerships can help preparation, because in that film, you, you, they were like we need you to play the secretary, who's german, and so you were like prepping an accent, you like, and did you learn your lines on the day?

Sarah:

Well, there were new pages the morning of, and I was improvising in a German accent. It was fun, but it was also scary. And that's the truth of and I think the lesson is here, not just for actors, but for filmmakers in general. You know you're going to have your stuff buttoned up because you don't know what's coming.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah.

Sarah:

You don't know what's coming down the pipeline and even though you think you have every plan for what you want to do, when you get upset you're going to get there and be like. This is not the magical kitchen that I envisioned in my brain no, and then it's going to be something completely different. The aesthetics might be different.

Yaro:

The dark basement.

Sarah:

It's damp. Yeah, be different, dark based. So yeah, you kind of have to in your preparation. You can have your own daydream or fantasy what that would be. But I think also just like planning for contingencies or getting thrown off center is is a great thing to experiment with and that's you know what.

Yaro:

What I wanted to kind of mention is for partnerships, especially for creative ones, coming in prepared. I think that's also really important. But here's my question for you as an actor how much is too much preparation? Like when do you over prepare? It's kind of. Then what's that word I'm looking for? Diminishing results, diminishing returns.

Sarah:

Yeah, I mean, I think anytime every actor is different. But, like, I mean, I love preparation because I feel more free, the more confident I feel and I feel more willing to experiment when I know the words within an inch of their lives. So when do you get stiff or rigid? I think that also applies to other filmmaking roles. I think it's not just actors. It's like where do you start to feel creative and play? And even like watching some of these roundtable discussions with the Oscar nominees this year, it's like two fantastic actors were talking about their preparation and they were disagreeing about how much prep they wanted.

Yaro:

Everybody has a different capacity and a gauge.

Sarah:

Yeah, and different pockets, and some people love the feeling of chaos, of like riffing, and, as a collaborator, you and your partner might have different styles of preparation, and how do you, how do you deal with that?

Yaro:

yeah, how do you?

Sarah:

yes, and how do you?

Yaro:

yes, and each other speaking of, yes, and I do want to talk about partnerships for creatives that are working together but also living together. Specifically, talking about us and I think this is going to help for other people we both had parts of our like points in our career where we maybe faltered a bit. We were like, oh, I'm not going to take that risk because I have to think about job, family, whatever, and I think it's important for your partner to not only be supportive of that but allow and kind of maybe push your partner to take risks Right, Because I think keeping it in itself is a risk Totally. When we were Every project is a risk. Well, I mean, it is, yes, but I think the way we did it was bigger than you intended.

Yaro:

Because initially you were like oh, I'm going to do one episode. I was like let's do seven.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah.

Yaro:

You know and you're like I don't know what the money's going to be.

Sarah:

I'm like I would buy it and I would take it.

Yaro:

So like you heard it here first, but like you know, I was trying to support you because you have this vision for Stupid Cupid, which I think was magical, and I was trying to be supportive in that area. But I think it goes both ways, because for me, you know, you are incredibly supportive in. But I think it goes both ways because for me, you are incredibly supportive in pushing me to do things with my scripts, with my directing, with my features, with my shorts. Because we're creative collaborators you're producing my work and I'm directing and writing and you want to star in them and you have starred in them. I think it's a synergistic collaboration. So like, oh, I pushed you to make a bigger web series, but I directed it, you know so. Like you had this opportunity to shine, but I also benefited from it.

Yaro & Sarah:

And I think that's what it is is synergy you know, in a creative partnership, what do you?

Sarah:

think, yeah, I concur, synergy, yes, I don't know.

Yaro:

I mean, I think like Because in the last year we've both been like pushing each other creatively, yeah, and I pushed you into a lot of uncomfortable things creatively. That then you know you're writing a feature now and I was like you should write more and you're like I'm never a writer.

Sarah:

And you're always doing the right artist yeah.

Yaro:

Which I've talked about before, which has been fun.

Sarah:

Took me a while to get there, hey, but like I think that's such a crucial thing to to do for your partners, to push them into creative unknowns that they could thrive in and so for people who maybe aren't creatives, who have a partner who's creative, or if you have a best friend who you make stuff with, I think it's, I think it's definitely a cool thing to just like celebrate each other's w's and l's and also um, you know, gently offer peaceful nudges of like. I just believe in you so much. I think you can. What, what, what if, like, what if? If you could have the fantasy version of this, what would it be? And then, and you know, sometimes when you're talking project collaborators, there's limitations in time or money, but I think a lot of times the um, the limitations are what are the creative problem solving?

Yaro:

Yeah, Because I mean, speaking of the work that we've done, there have been projects where we've had multiple limitations, like we can't shoot there, we've got to shoot for less. We've got to do more in less time. And then every single obstacle becomes an exercise in creativity.

Sarah:

Well, they're not all. Wins, they're not all fabulous.

Sarah:

We've done stuff that's never been yeah, and I mean, look like there's always cracks and yeah, and you, being the person who's like creating the thing, will be the one that sees all of them. Yeah, and maybe other people will notice a crack or two, but it's never as much as the original creators. But that's the whole process, that's the evolution. It is like okay, this is my favorite part about filmmaking too is like, oh god, this thing happened. Now what are we gonna do? And that's when the fun stuff happens yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yaro:

Bringing it back to the thing you said about, uh, being a partner to someone who isn't creative and nudging them in the right direction, I think there's also the opposite end of that. You know, if you have a creative partner and you think what they're doing isn't real and I'm using air quotes that's a problem Like that's going to be not only detrimental to your relationship but to like their career path, you know, and you're going to wound them as an artist and that's really tough, and so I think being supportive is crucial, and if you're not, if you, if you think that you can't, that's a conversation.

Yaro:

You should have because I feel like, uh, oh, there's some folks that I know where that's the case with. Like, oh, I want to try this thing, and their partner's like I get a job. You know, I'm like that is a job. Like people get paid to do this, it's hard to like really kind of make a consistent thing out of it.

Sarah:

But like you know and and as we've talked about on this podcast before, nothing you do is a waste of time yeah, well, I think you're magical because you also come from artists.

Yaro:

Your entire family, like the people who made you, are artists, and not everybody has that experience, yeah, yeah, so I, I, you know me being naive and you know, being kind of birthed in this fairy forest of artists. It's something you learn, you know, and this could be not only for partners, but also for family members, Like you know, and maybe even for artists that need to hear this. You know who've had family that maybe didn't treat their art well or support it?

Yaro:

Because, I've had that too, you know, coming from a family of artists. There was moment, there were moments where my art wasn't supported for a myriad of reasons. Right, and that was painful. But I think if you are one of those people who has a family member or partner, maybe a family member I think that's more realistic. Who's like I?

Yaro:

don't get it just Just be an idiot. Yeah, go go shake their hand, look them in the eye and say I want a job. You know, I Think it's okay to feel hurt, mm-hmm, but it's also, I think, important to realize that that's not true. And I also think what? Sorry not, not true. Being like your art isn't fake.

Sarah:

What you're doing is yeah, it's a real job, well, job, well, it's real to you. Yeah, and that's all that really matters on the street. I mean, I think we're only, as a society, and with scientific and sociological and psychological research, coming around to the fact that slapping yourself or like punishing someone for doing a bad job is so counterproductive. It is the worst thing you can do for creativity, for collaboration, for the long-term big picture success of a project, right?

Sarah:

not even just a product company a company is like look, you have to be able to give and receive feedback. That is super important, but that's about mutual respect and that is also about but, like the slap of the wrist doesn't work. What does is gentle, nudging, and I'm so grateful to know Alan Blumenfeld and Catherine James, who, just by watching their example of like loving creative expensive yes, and and then what, of loving creative expensive, yes, and and then what? And watching the two of them as collaborators and also business people, actors, filmmakers, like the multi-hyphenate artists that live here in Los Angeles, that they have this joyful sort of positivity about them that I really admire and aspire to cultivate. But I truly think the only thing you're doing when you're slapping somebody's wrist or when you're, it's disruptive.

Yaro & Sarah:

Yeah.

Sarah:

It's, and you will run into conflict on set. You will run into conflict in a relationship, and whether that be a business one or a romantic one, or a friendship one or a family one but it's the how you handle the next bit and some of the most amazing creatives I've ever seen cool as a cucumber the entire time. You know so, and there's. I used to wait tables in New York and Danny Meyer would talk about like he wanted his service to look like swans on the top and they're very elegant on top, but then kind of like crazy just trying to keep it moving so be the swan, be the swan.

Yaro:

I feel like we went from like how to be a good partner, how to be a good creative collaborator, to like collaborated, so like let's fix society.

Sarah:

I'm in hd. That kind of says I mean it's it all kind of flows into itself.

Yaro:

You know, yeah, like what we talked about in regards to you know, partnerships and creative partnerships, and like relationships all flow into, like how you raise your kids, like you know all this stuff that we were doing, you know, ago, like yeah, this is how you knock some sense into them is now traumatic.

Sarah:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, and on the other end, being willing to be so wrong, I think that's a great thing to cultivate. If you're trying to be a good collaborator, accept that you might not be right. Accept that, okay. Well, what if this person is coming to me with this idea? Let's explore that, collaborator, except that you might not be right. Yeah, except that, okay. Well, what if this person is coming to me with this idea? Let's explore that. If you have the time, great. If you don't, sometimes you gotta be the guy that's like alright, thank you so much for your beautiful idea. And on the next feature, we'll have time to do it. Yeah, but you know, happy, be willing to be wrong like that.

Yaro:

I think we'll end on that and be a swan, be a wrong someone, be the wrong swan. Thank you everybody for listening. We hope you enjoyed that ramble about collaboration and partnership and existentialism, the human experience. Yeah, be a swan, be wrong, have fun, play, listen and be open to opportunity and possibility yeah, great. See you next week. Bye, thank you for listening to the Inuit Podcast. You can find the podcast anywhere you find your podcasts or on the CFA YouTube channel.

CFA:

From the CFA Network. Cinematography for actors is bridging the gap through education and community building. Find out about us and listen to our other podcast at cinematographyforactorscom. Cinematography for Actors Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit. For more information on fiscal sponsorship donations because we're tax exempt now, so it's a tax write-off and upcoming education, you can email us at contact at cinematography for actorscom. Thanks.