From 1st AD to Director with David Gutel

Show notes

David Gutel’s theatrical directorial debut “Forty-Seven Days with Jesus” hits over 900 theaters this March! In this episode, we get into how David set his feature up for success through casting from similar popular series “The Chosen”, distribution resources and tips for independent films, how he used real estate tech to pre-viz musical numbers, why he decided to do a faith-based film after initially being hesitant and how he transitioned to directing after 8 years as a 1st Assistant Director.

Breakdown

1. 6:00Pre-viz for a musical: Lidar mapping (real estate tools?!)
2. 13:34Challenges: strikes, Texas heat, mechanical failures of picture vehicles (sinking boat!)
3. 18:08Getting theatrical distribution partly through casting actors from “The Chosen”
4. 24:10Distribution resources - Fathom Events & Pinnacle Peak as a resource for independent films, getting distribution abroad through hitting minimums at home
5. 26:30Getting distribution tips recap + David’s initial connection to distributors
6. 29:10Market festivals vs. competition film festivals
7. 30:25From 1st AD to director
8. 41:03First job as second unit director
9. 45:19Challenging shoots: When to rise to a challenge vs. abandon impending disaster
10. 55:30Recap of David’s path in the industry
11. 58:30Is film school worth it? David’s experience paying $24k for CSULB
12. 1:04:00TIME CAPSULE

Connect With David

Instagram @davidmgutel / @fortysevendaysfilm
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeadMediaStore