When you set sail to make an indie film, you’re the captain — and not everyone aboard makes it back.

In this longest and most explosive chapter yet, I take you inside the final, brutal stretch of Vengeance Turns production — from the stunning exteriors of a Malibu horse ranch to the chaos of the last days in Big Bear. Horses, heat, exhaustion, broken rules, creative mutiny, and one unforgettable showdown that threatened to sink the ship… all before the ultimate wrap.

It’s the end of Chapter 3: Lockdown Productions, and with it, the end of the Vengeance Turns shoot itself. What started as a dream finally lands in reality — blistered hands, sleepless nights, and a film “in the can.”

We still have 2 more chapters to go... Tune in Next Week for "Post-Production Blues" before the final chapter... "Across the Finish Line"!

🎬 Links & Mentions:

• 🎟️ SPREAD: Pigs to Slaughter Premiere – Regal NoHo | Oct 30 7 PM
• ▶️ Vengeance Turns Volume One & Vengeance Turns: Volume Two (streaming now)
• 🎧 Lethal Voice Podcast Episode 9 (Chapter 3 begins with Cabin Fever Radio)

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

Directing a film requires vision — and then it requires managing an entire network of actors, crew, locations, animals, and much, much more in order to see that vision come to life.

I’m Robert Christopher Smith, and this is The Lethal Voice Podcast — my confessional where I dig deep and hold nothing back, revealing exactly what it took to bring Vengeance Turns from the page to the screen. Season One is called Turning to Vengeance, and tonight’s episode is “From KTown to Backyards in Gardena,” the penultimate chapter in Season One’s Lockdown Productions.

This episode dives into some of the most demanding and defining days of our shoot — from scouting the western town in Littlerock, to wrangling makeup disasters, to protecting actors’ privacy in precarious shooting situations. You’ll hear about compromises that became creative breakthroughs, about moments of frustration that nearly derailed us, and about the stubborn belief that this film had to be finished — no matter what.

Along the way, I share how Vengeance Turns transformed in meaning because of the sacrifices, grit, and belief of the people who stuck with it. It’s not just about indie filmmaking under pressure — it’s about refusing to let go of a vision, even when the odds (and sometimes your own team) try to push back.

LINKS & RESOURCES (drop them here before publishing):

• Previous Episode: “HQ and the Greenscreen Room”
• Vengeance Turns: Volume One (Tubi)
• Vengeance Turns: Volume Two (Tubi)
• “Reservoir Dogs”-style clip
• Instagram post with vegan wrap photo
• Theatrical Premiere tickets for SPREAD: Pigs to Slaughter (Eventbrite link)

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

I’ve been asked more than once — if anything can go wrong at any time when making a movie, why even make a plan? My answer is simple: I make the plan because anything can go wrong at any time. In this episode of the Lethal Voice Podcast, I take you inside the third installment of Chapter 3: Lockdown Productions — where our Gardena apartment doubled as headquarters, accommodations, and even a greenscreen studio for some of the wildest sequences in Vengeance Turns: Volume Two.

You’ll hear me talk honestly about casting chaos, compromises, and the night I told producer Dave Ross to “eff or walk.” You’ll also hear from Dave himself in an interview clip where he explains his side of the story.

As always, this is my confessional — where I share what went right, what went wrong, and why I kept pushing forward when it all could have fallen apart.

🎥 Links I mention in this episode:

• Welcome Matt (my first amateur feature, 2009) → [link]
• Episode 10 – 48 Hour Telethon & The First Day → [link]
• Episode One of Chapter One of the Lethal Voice Podcast → [link]
• Upcoming slasher/thriller SPREAD: Pigs to Slaughter → https://spreadthemovie.com
  
  

My first theatrical premiere is October 30, 2025 at Regal NoHo — check the site above for details and tickets.

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

A candid, high-stakes look at how a 48-hour livestream "telethon" jump-started Vengeance Turns during lockdown. ALSO -- casting wins, crowdfunding stress, day-one chaos, and the line between compromise and collapse.

One of the most magical—and painful—truths of filmmaking is that it only happens when a lot of artists pull together -- in the same direction. In this extra-long chapter of Turning to Vengeance, I am going deep on the lockdown era that pushed Vengeance Turns from script to screen: building the Cabin Fever Radio 48-Hour Telethon, restarting casting during COVID, and racing into the first day of production with more grit and vision than money.

You’ll hear how we rallied around auditions that brought Paola Luelmo (Rebecca/Mia), Azeem Vecchio (Simon), and Stacy Marie Turner (Mrs. Paine) into the family; why friends from Perry Mason—Kate Comstock, Tomer David, and Sean Hartman—became crucial collaborators; and how a wardrobe surprise, a location scramble, and the setting sun turned day one into a crash course in creative problem-solving... for all of us!

FOUND IT! Here is the link to the reading of "Perry Mason" from Cabin Fever Radio during the 48 Hour Telethon: https://youtu.be/FtbGBLG8-Q4?si=ZttvGYX2g9dmAaaa

Want to hear the Slick Talking Episode? CLICK HERE!

This episode reflects my personal recollections and opinions from that period; others may remember differently. Where I state facts, they’re drawn from call sheets, emails, and production audio/video. I’m open to sharing this space with anyone mentioned to add their perspective.

In this episode

• Building a 48-hour livestream during lockdown
• Casting wins & surprises (Backstage, returning collaborators)
• Crowdfunding vs. reality: expectations, audience, and strain
• Lake Elsinore shoot: period details on a micro-budget, racing daylight
• My “perpetual donation machine”—how I decided to dedicate personal royalties to causes tied to the film’s themes

Content notes: candid discussion of production stress; references to on-screen violence (no graphic audio).

Watch the films: Vengeance Turns: Volume One & Volume Two are streaming FREE on Tubi.

Next time: “HQ and the Greenscreen Room” (and you’ll hear from Dave Ross himself).

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

When the pandemic hit, filmmakers, actors, and dreamers everywhere faced the same question: would lockdown be wasted time, or could it be transformed into something new? For me, Robert Christopher Smith, the lockdown became a personal and professional crucible. From recovering after a brutal case of COVID to finding myself stalled on Vengeance Turns, I chose to use isolation as fuel.

In this episode of The Lethal Voice Podcast, we open Chapter 3: Lockdown Productions with the story of Cabin Fever Radio — the wild weekly livestream where I again teamed up with David Ruano along with a crew of actors to read Twilight Zone scripts, classic movies, and eventually, my own feature screenplay. It was part survival, part creativity, and part rebellion against paralysis. What started as our desperate attempt not to get rusty became a proving ground that set the stage for everything that followed.

Listen as I share how Cabin Fever Radio pulled together a community of storytellers in the loneliest time, how it kept Vengeance Turns alive when I had nearly given up, and how it ultimately brought in the producer who would push us forward — for better or worse.

Watch the Cabin Fever Radio Novelas reading of "GLADIATOR" at https://youtu.be/zfKVvCkF40c?si=EwXIFuYT7Yl53DjF

Listen to the "Slick Talking" episode! https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2509405/episodes/17499220-slick-talking-chapter-2-everything-falls-apart

Check out Andrew Ruano and his art at https://www.instagram.com/arystudio/

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

Ready for revenge?
This week, I continue taking you through the experience of shooting Vengeance Turns: Volume Two scene by scene as the story turns darker and Mia Falcone finally gets her revenge! You'll hear about how we executed out own stunts and the real-life horror of spending 19 hours on location. You'll also hear about the amazing child actors we worked with and if you want more information about that, check out this edition of the Lethal Voice Newsletter: https://lethal-voice.beehiiv.com/p/never-work-with-children-or-animals-how-our-youngest-actors-helped-vengeance-turns-shine. If you’ve already watched the movies, this is your chance to hear how we did it. If you haven’t… go check them out, then come back and dig into the behind-the-scenes commentary.

Vengeance Turns: Volume Two is available to watch FREE on Tubi NOW!

Want to read the official comic book sequel and dig in deeper on all my productions and projects? Sign up for the Lethal Voice Newsletter today!

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi!

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

**NEXT WEEK CHAPTER 3 Begins: Lockdown Productions**
Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

Ever wonder what really goes on while filming an indie production?
This week, I take you through Vengeance Turns: Volume One scene by scene, sharing the raw, unfiltered truth about what it took to make my first feature—from on-the-spot rewrites to on-the-set chaos, compromises to keep things on track, and the moments that made it all worth it! If you’ve seen the movie, this is your chance to pull back the curtain. If you haven’t… maybe watch first, then come back and hear the whole messy, glorious story.

Vengeance Turns: Volume One is available to watch FREE on Tubi NOW!

Want to read the official comic book sequel and dig in deeper on all my productions and projects? Sign up for the Lethal Voice Newsletter today!

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.

What if the sacrifice you’re making isn’t noble... just unnecessary?

In this raw and deeply personal episode, I share what it really looked like to chase my dream of filmmaking while living out of a rental car for four months in Los Angeles. From long nights folded into a pretzel in the backseat to the self-funded short film (Maddest Love) that helped me reclaim my purpose, this is the story of how desperation became strategy... and how one close-up on Perry Mason meant more than anyone could’ve guessed.

Also in this episode:
– A philosophical gut check on artistic sacrifice
– Guerrilla filmmaking on a shoestring
– Background acting as training ground
– Berg Studios, eyebrow close-ups, and Stephen Root being a legend
– The day I likely became one of the first background actors to catch COVID on set… and what it revealed

This is the moment right before Vengeance Turns finally gets made — and the world shuts down.

🎬 Want to watch the films?
Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Vengeance Turns: Volume Two are streaming now for FREE on Tubi.

📰 Subscribe to the Lethal Voice Newsletter
📸 Connect on Instagram: @onlyrobertcsmith

Support the show

Vengeance Turns: Volume One and Two streaming FREE now on Tubi

Grab the free comic + see exclusive content from Vengeance Turns and ALL my projects: Procrastagram.com

Rate, share, and share your lethal voice.