Noyer on filmmaking, Tax Incentives, Folk Horror, and Directing Love is the Monster
What do you do when your folk horror film is deeply rooted in Finnish mythology, but the financing dictates you have to shoot it in Canada? You adapt, you pivot, and you get your movie made.
This week on The Filmmakers Podcast, Giles Alderson sits down with returning guest, writer-director, and genre champion Alex Noyer (Sound of Violence) to unpack the production of his latest feature, the creature-feature folk horror Love is the Monster.
Starring Madeline Zima and Leonardo Nam, the film follows a toxic couple whose trip to a remote wellness retreat plunges them into a deadly mythological ritual. Alex strips back the curtain on the grueling reality of independent film financing, sharing the exact strategic choices that moved his production across the globe to secure the best tax rebates possible.
🎬 IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
- Following the Financing: Why Alex pivoted from shooting in Finland (with a 25% cash rebate) to Northern Ontario, Canada, to capitalise on up to 40% in combined tax incentives.
- Directing Toxic Characters: How to keep an audience engaged when your lead characters are deeply flawed, and why Madeline Zima was the perfect collaborator to find the humanity in the horror.
- The Two-Camera Rule: Why Alex insists on running two cameras simultaneously at all times to protect his coverage and buy himself freedom in the edit suite.
- Language & Leadership: The unique challenge of directing an ensemble cast across three different languages (English, French, and Finnish) while maintaining complete control of the set's tone.
- Protecting the Edit: Moving from the chaos of the set to sitting alongside the editor, and why the script is completely rewritten once you hit post-production.
- Sending the Elevator Down: The vital importance of supporting emerging talent and fostering a collaborative, ego-free community in the independent genre space.
🔗 Links & Films Mentioned in This Episode:
- Watch Love is the Monster – Out now exclusively on the Amazon/Prime store (US & Canada).
- 🎬 Sound of Violence – Alex Noyer’s previous neon-soaked slasher feature.
- 🎬 Samodiva – Giles Alderson's upcoming folk horror feature.
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📱 Connect with Alex Noyer: Follow him on Instagram/X
🎥 Watch Food For Thought
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🌱 FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE.
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- 👕 PODCAST MERCH: Get your very own Tees, Hoodies, on-set water bottles, mugs and more MERCH.
- 📚 COURSES: Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE HERE.
- 🌐 ARCHIVE: Check out our full episode archive on how to make films at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com.
- Serena Gardner
- Mark Hammett
- Lee Hutchings
- Marli J Monroe
- Karen Newman
- The Filmmakers Podcast is written, edited and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson
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- Theme Music by John J. Harvey
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🌱 FOOD FOR THOUGHT documentary out NOW | Watch it FREE HERE.
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