Ep 292: Stories Unite Us: Erin Mae Miller on Producing "If I Tell You"

Show NotesProducer, director and Ignite Studios founder Erin Mae Miller joins Damien Swaby for a wide-ranging conversation about the realities of independent filmmaking and her new feature If I Tell You.Erin began her career in unscripted television, working across productions for Discovery, TLC, History and VH1. She describes documentary filmmaking as being like sculpting from a block of marble — discovering and shaping a story from the material reality gives you — while scripted filmmaking is more like painting something that first existed in your imagination.She discusses working on Love & Hip Hop, the importance of extensive pre-interviews when dealing with vulnerable documentary participants, and why filmmakers have a responsibility to ensure contributors retain agency over deeply personal stories.The conversation then turns to If I Tell You, Ignite Studios' debut feature. Erin first encountered the screenplay while working at Big Indie Pictures and couldn't forget it. After leaving the company, she contacted the writer and began what ultimately became an eight-year journey to get the film made.Erin discusses adapting Lisa O'Donnell's Closed Doors from its original Scottish setting to northern Minnesota, finding the isolated Boundary Waters community of Ely, casting young lead Etienne Kellici from approximately 3,000 submissions, working with director Tessa Blake and creating the film's carefully controlled visual palette.She also opens up about the changing economics of independent film, the impact of streaming on traditional international financing, and why producers today need to think about the film they write, shoot, edit, distribute and market.The conversation also tackles AI and filmmaking. Erin sees possibilities for technologies that could make historically expensive recreations achievable for independent productions, while arguing that documentary filmmakers must be extremely careful not to destroy the audience's trust in the reality they're watching.Finally, Erin reflects on beginning her career as a stand-in and photo double for Kristen Bell and Isla Fisher, why she ultimately chose producing over acting, and her belief that films can influence our collective cultural narrative.If I Tell You opens in select AMC cinemas across the United States on August 27.In this episodeErin discusses unscripted TV and Love & Hip Hop; ethical documentary interviewing; working at Big Indie Pictures; the eight-year development of If I Tell You; casting a child lead from thousands of submissions; shooting for 25 days in Minnesota; colour as an affordable filmmaking tool; the changing economics of independent film; AI, authenticity and documentary ethics; and why “stories unite us.”https://www.ignitestudios.tvhttps://www.ifitellyoufilm.com