Indiewood

What Do You Call A Filmmaker Who Does Everything? You Call Him Gedaly Guberek.

• Cinematography for Actors • Season 14 • Episode 1

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What if the best way to find your filmmaking voice is to learn about everything you can touch? We sit down with a true multi‑hyphenate, Gedaly Guberek, a writer, director, actor, editor, producer, VFX artist, and stunt performer to explore how curiosity can build a durable indie filmmaking career.

In our first episode with Gedaly, we dig into the practical craft of filmmaking, compare the freedom of indie sets with the narrow lanes of traditional studio films, and talk honestly about creative collaboration.

Like and subscribe to the Indiewood Podcast, share it with a filmmaker who wears a few hats, and leave a quick review to help more indie creatives find us.

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A Podcast for Indie Filmmakers

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YT: Cinematography for Actors

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."

SPEAKER_03:

Welcome to the Indiewood Podcast, a podcast about independent film and the many hats filmmakers wear in order to get those films made. Every month I am joined by one such filmmaker where we talk about their creative process and how they thrive in the medium of film. This month I am joined by a very unique guest who has like just such a cornucopia. You have such a cornucopia of of hyphenates, and it's such a unique mix that I don't think I've ever seen it before. Uh so I'd like to introduce uh writer, director, actor, editor, producer, VFX artist, stunt performer, Gitali Gubrick.

SPEAKER_02:

Hello.

SPEAKER_03:

Welcome to the pod.

SPEAKER_02:

Hey, thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I we met at a uh function here for cinematography for actors. Was it the announcement for League of Filmmakers? Yes, it was. Okay, yeah. So and we started talking, like, oh, I make films. And I saw one of your films, and I was like, what is this? This feels like a a throwback to like Hercules and Xena and like um what was that one? Willow?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, at least at least the one, the the big one that I saw that you did called um uh Flower of Battle, which was a lot of fun. And I was like, this is this is like a show. You made like a uh a full-blown show. So I want to talk to you about that eventually down the road. But I want to hear first about you and how you kind of not fell into, but how you how you picked so many hats to wear. And I guess most of it was out of necessity. But let's start, you know, where like this love for film came from and how you found yourself, you know, being so versatile.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Uh I think I'm if anything else, I'm passionately curious. And uh there's a lot of uh uh w when I was young, uh a lot of people were like, what do you want to do when you grow up? Like a job. And I never thought about it in a way that I had a good answer. I think I was always saying, you know, uh saying what the other kid said. Fireman, astronaut, whatever.

SPEAKER_03:

I said carpenter. I was like, I wanna build stuff. Building stuff is cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh but I I never thought about like jobs. If you if you went back and looked at my childhood, you might say like, oh, it's easy to put together because he had all these interests and did all these things. But to me, it's like there was never what I wanted to like have as a career. There was just things I was interested in. And I got interested in something, and then I tried to understand it, and I tried to take it apart, and then I tried to do it. So that ranged from filmmaking stuff where I got, you know, I would I saw Star Wars when I was like seven years old. I'm like, how did they do that? Cool. And then started learning and watching behind the scenes things. I got into computers. So I'm like, what is my dad was an electrical engineer, so I was seeing we had uh early um uh look at computers and and things like that growing up with that. So I'm like, oh, how do you do that? And getting into uh computer games and uh th even software like programming and things like that. I'm like, how do you do that? And then in middle school I built a computer by putting things together. So um anything I'm interested in, I just start like trying to figure it out. How do you do that? And and that uh led to things like web design and like so computer stuff, but also video cameras as a technical thing. So I'm like, okay, how does that work? And then start filming things with friends and how do I add lightsabers or how do I edit these together and make projects for school where they said you can write an essay? And I said, Nope, nope, I'm gonna make a movie. Uh so if that was ever an option, I uh I did that. I even made videos for classes that I wasn't even in because friends were like, hey, we need to do this for English class. So cool. And they're like, okay, here we go. I guess I'm directing their skit for Romeo and Juliet.

SPEAKER_03:

How did so did you go to film school? Because for me, I didn't go to film school until like later and uh until I went to grad school. And I just studied English and dove, dived, dived, dove into you know, literature and history, mythology, and like that was my that was kind of my foundation for writing and and in film, uh, even though I I I've done it you know for a while before that. But what about you? Did you go to film school?

SPEAKER_02:

I did not. I uh so I I I went to school for theater um and and that was my interest mostly through, you know, uh middle school through college um and beyond. But uh that was the performing and then got into directing from there and storytelling in general and all the various technical aspects um that go into a theater production, just because it especially because it's all right there. It's like you're with the crew and the cast and the the creatives uh the whole time. So I learned just by seeing it all and wanting to perform, but then learning other bits and pieces in that. So I got into uh learning about makeup and things like that. Where like in high school, you're cast as this old man. I'm like, okay, well, do I draw lines on my face?

SPEAKER_03:

We can we can add another multi-hyphen or another hyphen to to the list of so yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I I will I did I was a makeup artist uh for a little bit. Uh I didn't continue with that, but like it through learning uh that through high school and then college and then like working at a couple hunted house type things and doing that in there. Um and all of that is like I never really all none of these things were like, oh, this is what I want to do. I had teachers that were like, oh, you're gonna be a makeup artist, oh you're gonna be an opera singer. And you're like, no, whatever stuff.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Most of that was just these are skills that I enjoy. And all of it felt more like it was to help me be a better artist or a better ensemble member in a theater production or in a film production. It's like the more familiarity I have with these different things, the more I can collaborate with someone else, whether I'm doing it or whether I'm telling them what is needed, uh, or just appreciating my fellow artists who are even better at it than I am or will ever be.

SPEAKER_03:

It's such a uh good thing to kind of have this grasp on multiple things because it does make you a better collaborator. And it's interesting I hearing you talk about like your realization of oh, uh it's not that I want to do it, I just am doing it because it's making me a better creative, but I want to do something else. Because for the longest time I was like, Oh, I want to be a director. And then I started writing because I was making my own stuff and I was like, wow, I suck. Why is that? So let's go to back to you know back to film school and learn how to write. But now I'm thinking about my own career and I'm like, who am I? Like, am I a writer? Am I a director? Because I've done you know, cinematography and directing and writing and editing. I hate producing. But I've done a little bit of it just out of necessity, because you know, things fall apart sometimes and you're like, fine, I'll do it, I'll make some calls. Um But I'm trying to figure out like who who who am I now? Which is weird. I've never had a guest come on and be like, hi, here's something poignant. And I'm like, oh my God. Who am I? But like what do you consider yourself as then if if you had to pick a multi-hyphen, or if just like I'm a filmmaker.

SPEAKER_02:

I I think I would say that. It it's hard because fellow artists seem to get it. Yeah. Where if you say like, oh, I do this and this, and they're like, oh, I do a little bit of these things too. It's kind of the you know, the out there world that's like you are an accountant, and that is like you can do that, and people understand you have a career and maybe you have a hobby, and that's kind of what people are designed to understand. Uh, whereas I think fellow artists is like, oh yeah, I'll I'll do this, I'm gonna do that. I, you know, the people who like who do are like knitting and then they also do color grading and then they also uh paint and then they also do music. I'm like, okay, cool, you're an artist. Like I think people understand that there's this sort of nebulous shape to what that means if you are in that world. And if you're not, then you kind of need to pick a lane or pick a title that and you can get one more side thing. But yeah, so I I think it depends who I'm talking to. Most of the time I will just say I'm a filmmaker because that if someone is in that world, they say like, oh, tell me more and I can get into more specifics. And otherwise, like outside of that, people are like, oh, okay, that's your thing and that's fine. Um I used to say I I'm a professional distraction.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

I get paid and you pay attention. Uh-huh. Uh just like as I was more positive way of putting it.

SPEAKER_03:

I saw uh Seth McFarland who created Spawn speak at a I think it was the Phoenix Comic-Con. And he used very different words that were very derogatory uh towards like being an artist. And I was like, I don't know if I like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

But but I like your yours better. Yeah, yeah, your professional distraction. You talked about like this corporate mentality of like, oh, there's a label, like you're a VP, like here's your job description. And like going beyond that is you don't, you know, and I think that's I don't want to say sometimes that happens in like union stuff, you know, where it's like, hey, you're an AC, but do AC work. And I and I we my wife and I did a project in New York that I keep always referencing because I think uh it it has a lot of like parallels to a lot of things. We hired a director of photography who who moved from Chicago to sorry, from moved to New York from Chicago, and she said I was uh doing so well as an AC in Chicago, no one would hire me as a DP because I moved to New York. Um but I think in the indie space where like you thrive, you don't have that limitation. You could like, oh, I want to dabble. I wanna I wanna be a director of photography, I wanna be an editor, I wanna be a makeup artist, I want to be like everything you've done in martial artists too, right? Did I say that? Yeah. Okay. No, I didn't I said, yeah, but you're also a martial artist, yeah. And so it's like I think in the indie space uh we are allowed to be more um nimble and versatile versatile and just like have more fun. Not to say that you can't have fun in a studio gig, like sure you can, but there's just some people that do one thing. With that said, you know, how do you feel using or rephrase? With that said, having all this experience, what do you think makes you a better performer, a better director, better writer, having kind of this wide range of experience?

SPEAKER_02:

I think the more understanding you have of the whole process um brings a lot of advantages to anything else. Uh regardless of what you're doing, I think if you've done something else that's related, it helps. I think uh like I learned a lot about acting from editing. Really? Uh so and and or even just seeing an edit. So I I remember a project where I know for a fact that what made it in the final cut was after the director called cut. And uh it was just a piece of me like standing up and it was what they needed for the edit. Yeah. And I went that was like after the thing that I was supposed to be doing. And I saw that, I'm like, oh. Unless I'm absolutely sure that like we're stopped and we're like everything that is actually cut, I need to keep acting. Uh because the editor's job is to use everything that's available to them. They don't just go from director calling action to uh, you know, and whatever when I'm speaking. It's like any time I'm listening, any time I'm turning my head, any eye movement is a useful thing to an editor to create a good moment, to create uh some storytelling, to create different meaning in that edit. So me as an actor, uh it's a good idea to keep in mind, like, oh, everything's fair game. So now if I know that, like if I'm acting on a set, I'll just like, okay, let me just even if I know camera's still rolling, I'll just do a couple eye movements, like changing eye lines. Or if I'm if we do another take of something, then there's no sense in me doing the exact same thing. Let me try just slightly different positioning or slightly different pacing, that kind of a thing, and that gives the editor uh a better buffet of things to craft their performance. Like I'm not it's not me as a star or an like it's it's not theater where it's just on me all the time. It's their job to craft something out of what I give them. So the more I give them, the better that is. Similarly, um, you know, acting uh teaches you about directing of like, well, this is what I as an actor expect. So when I'm directing, like I can put myself in the actor's shoes. Like, how are they trying to live in that moment? What can I do to help them uh do that without trying to give them too much? Either a line reading or just like overburdening them with things to think about. It's like what we actually need in this moment is them to look over here and take a pause and it's like, okay, well, let me just step in there and see how I can communicate that in a way that is good for them. Um, versus some like there are some directors who have not had that experience and uh I've seen actors get frustrated by that a lot because they're like, they're giving me this and I don't have to give them this.

SPEAKER_03:

And um I saw a post of uh I think it was cinematographers, there's a post on Reddit, cinematographers talking about like the worst notes they got from directors, and someone said like, oh, we did I got a storyboard of six different angles of coverage for someone standing up. And then when there was a huge fight between two characters that was pivotal to the scene, the director was like, I don't know, just go handheld and walk around to 360 and let them do their thing. But then the director wanted to be in the room. So it's like, okay, well, then I guess duck every time the camera is gonna come out. I so yeah, I I think for a director's clarity is so important. And we've talked about this on the pod with other creatives. So like if you're not clear and concise, you know, that's gonna that's gonna tarnish the butt the butt but the note for the script or the note for the actor, the note for the editor, and I think communicating what because I I've noticed that everybody has a different perspective on ideas in their head. Yeah, and the biggest challenge is how can I use as few words as possible to communicate what I see in my head so you see the same thing. And 99% of the time they're gonna see something slightly different, which is where collaboration comes in, I think is really cool and fun. You started in theater, but how did you transition into all these short films that you made? And now like working as a director, getting hired by, you know, friends and and colleagues and just different people to kind of lend your expertise that that is this uniquely, you know, um unique combination of of skills. How did that transition into filmmaking from theater and uh how did you kind of how did you get to Flower of Battle, I guess?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, uh I think it was a back and forth because I I fell in love with film as a kid uh and really enjoyed it. Like I I got a camera in middle school and was making little videos and things like that. It was a Canon ZR10. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03:

Mine was uh XL2.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, also mini DV, mini DV days.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah back uh it was fun. Uh I was talking about that like workflow about someone recently where it's like if you wanted to reuse the tape, you put it in there, you put the lens cap on, you just film black so you don't accidentally get other frames of whatever you filmed before.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was a weird I I I don't think I ever reused a tape because I did a lot of live production. So I'd record, you know, like on on like lowest quality for like three hours onto those mini DV tapes and then oh my god, logging and capturing footage. So for those who don't know, who was like, oh you just click and drag, right? No, no, no. You had to plug your camera into the computer and you play it. Yeah, you play the uh the the footage from your camera into your computer and your computer records it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Which was so it takes the amount of time that it takes to play. And then if you want to take it back to a tape, you would play, I would like play it back on from the computer onto a tape, and then play that onto a VCR to like put in a tape so I could bring that video into school and say, look at this video I made. Um so got into it then and similar time was doing uh a little bit of theater stuff and then kind of like the film projects and in school lessened and my involvement in theater grew at like in high school and did community theater, like you theater there and uh the plays in high school. This is in San Diego. Yeah. Okay. Um so I was doing that a lot and and that you know opened my eyes to a lot of things because I was mostly performing. Um, but towards the end of that, I'm like, oh, makeup is cool because I got those roles where I learned that. I'm like, great. Um, and then learned you know, in the process, we did fight choreography and things. So I'm like, oh, cool. Working playing with swords and things like that. And I'm like, that's fun. Ended up uh in college going off and doing a lot of Shakespeare things and again more sword fighting in Shakespeare.

SPEAKER_03:

A lot of sword fighting in Shakespeare. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, big fan. So got interested in that kind of things. And also like, especially with Shakespeare, a lot of text work and research. And um, you know, I've always enjoyed learning history and other things. So I'm like, oh, that's a a good way to uh there's always research involved, so I'm like, okay, research. I'm kind of scratching the itch of learning history and and stuff while being physical and doing uh sword play or clowning, which was a thing as well, because I played a lot of the clown and fool roles in the case.

SPEAKER_03:

And just to kind of clarify, because because I don't know if a lot of folks understand what clowning is, because they think, oh, like red nose and you know it's not. It's more of like a more of a Grecian kind of Roman mask thing where it's can you elaborate more on the I would just say uh a comic physical performance might be a different way to put it.

SPEAKER_02:

Because if you look at vaudeville a little bit, yeah, a little more vaudeville. If you look at Cirque Soleil currently, even like there's a lot of clown roles, but they're not like what you think of as the classic like Barnum and Bailey, like big hair, crazy white face face paints.

SPEAKER_03:

A good comp, Charlie Chaplin. Yes. That's like film clown, and you know, that's uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And Chaplin was a huge inspiration to me. Just like my my uh my dad was a Charlie Chaplin fan, as well as Marks Brothers and Jerry Lewis. So I grew up watching a lot of these like just brilliant comic physical performer slash filmmakers who did a lot of different things. Uh Charlie Chaplin did a bit of everything. Jerry Lewis did a bit of everything, so it was cool to see him. Like, oh yeah, if they're like they're producing, they're often directing, they're acting, performing, they're st sometimes working on the music. So uh a lot of different things um in one production and just trying to bring their vision to life. And that was very inspiring to me.

SPEAKER_03:

What was the first short film you did that was like yours?

SPEAKER_02:

I would s uh I would say that would be burgled. So that was twenty fifteen? That that that felt like it was my film school and that like it was like after college, like I'd done stuff, uh, and I'd even like directed someone else's film that they like wrote and produced. Um, but that was one was like it was just an idea that was in my head that I had had in my head for years, but finally, after way too long for m what it felt like, I'm like, I'm gonna make this happen, it's a reality, and it it happened because I wrote it, because I held like I I made it happen. Um so you know, I did have a friend help me produce. My brother uh ended up coming on to co-direct just to be behind the camera because I was your brother's also director, and yeah, yeah. So he does a little bit of everything as well. Not so much on the acting side, but he has written, directed, edited. Um and but you know, so I was I was in it, like I was starring in it, and so he was him behind the camera, like directing on set. Uh he's like still my vision, but we like we co-directed, but being in front of the camera it helps to have someone behind the camera that I trust. So did that, you know, did the edit and came out and I'm like, okay, that was that was it. That was like how did you feel about your first film? Uh it's scared. me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. The first one's like, oh my God, I did it. And you look at it, you're like, oh, oh.

SPEAKER_02:

It it took me forever to make it happen. And because like that was scary. I'm like, I don't know if like I knew different things, but putting them all together felt like a lot. And by this time like I'd already produced and directed theater. Um but it was just like it felt like that was always in a situation where there were more there's more like support around like oh I was a part of a theater company or in school or or any of that kind of thing. So it's like this is it's just me. If it doesn't happen it's because of me and it if it does happen it's it's because of me.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a lot of pressure. Yeah. How do you deal with that? Yeah. Was it just too much chocolate? Was it just too much fun that you're like I it there's a lot of pressure but I'm having too much you know what it's the the pressure I don't mind while we're like in it.

SPEAKER_02:

Like on set, fine. I thrive in that. But it's everything at before or after that that's tough.

SPEAKER_03:

Do you feel like it's because you're alone before and after?

SPEAKER_02:

I think it's the alone but it it it feels like there's I like some amount of external pressure. Like if I'm if I'm acting um in theater or even directing theater and it's like it's someone else's company and like there's opening night and we have six weeks and it's going to happen. The curtain will rise and people will be there. That's a certain amount of like loose structure but with enough like deadlines and structure that's like okay this is happening. I'm going to put myself in that and and that is good. Whereas if it's just me and a film can happen anytime and there's like n there's no external deadline for it it's it's harder for me to get it going. But I think the reason why like it I eventually like because I had written it at some point maybe a couple years before and I'm like oh it'd be cool to do that at some point. And it became but it's just like so open-ended. Yeah I think I'll do it someday. At some point but like oh we're you know because it's not my job either. Like I had another job at the time. Yeah. And that was uh you know so I could easily put all my energy into work or other things. Um but at some point I'm like well I want to do it and it's like grating at me. So it it became like I was scared uh and I knew it would be a lot of work but it became more scary to not do it than to do it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So Okay. I'm like if I if I sit on this and I don't do it I don't like that feeling let's go for it. Let's just make it happen.

SPEAKER_03:

So how was your second film? Because the sophomore slump is real. You know and like I remember I did a short a long time ago called The Park and it was very small, very kind of tight and just you know a little experimental one of my favorite things, one of my favorite experiences that I've had so far and I've been ever ever since then I've been trying to recreate it. Then the second film I made I was like I'll just do the same thing. Bombed I I I didn't even finish editing yet. I was like I can't this is no one needs to see this.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So how did you like did you have the same experience with your second film?

SPEAKER_02:

What was the second I I feel like uh technically as far as like projects that I generated flower of battle would be the one after that. And but there were things that like happened before and after Burgled because like technically I like had an idea for a previous project that happened before Burgled um and was that I think it was before pretty sure um and yes uh so which is like doing a lightsaber fight with friends. So that was kind of a thing where it was like it was very clearly uh just for fun but you know I get together with one friend and someone else here is like oh Star Wars can I help? Can I help? So it's like it's it's just this thing where like oh it kind of comes together and so so I was in that and I like started it but I I didn't direct it at like I wasn't the producer. But being a part of that kind of gave me some confidence going into Burgle to do like a lot on my own and to raise money for Flower of Battle was a lot and then it shows because it's all on screen.

SPEAKER_03:

And I I I I keep like referencing it but I want to see for episode two because I it's just a I want to dive more into it. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And and I'd also like previously directed you know just been the director of something else. So and then after Burgle's like I'd acted in other people's projects and I think like I'd gotten more experience editing on other things and started learning um just separately color grading and more VFX stuff. So it's like doing all of these other pieces. And also my brother went on to uh co-write and co-direct uh a feature film. So like a very like a micro budget indie feature which was super fun. And just like seeing that process um and uh helping like I was I was helping onset and I did uh VFX in post for that as well. So there were like I was involved with uh overthing like plenty of other things over the years in various aspects so that by the time we got to Flower of Battle it was like I've gained a lot more uh experience in all of these different areas. Um I have more confidence about each of them separately now as a matter of putting them together and also not feeling quite as alone because uh my brother and I wrote it uh and like we're producing it together. So we had like and and we also really took our time with it. Like it was not a rush to do it. It was just kind of like every step of the way was like here's the next step here in in writing it. And we took a long time to do that and get feedback and and figure that out and then just there came a point where it was like okay let's make this exist yeah in recorded format.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay so here's my question to you because I think collaborators are important and help you you know not only have confidence in your work but also come in and support your work so you can get it done but also give you kind of deadlines. Yeah because if you're doing in a vacuum keep in the mic if you do it in a vacuum sometimes it feels like there's a a never ending deadline or maybe it just gets lost in the void and and so you seem to have a really good group of collaborators around you. Granted one of them's your brother so you know he doesn't have a choice but uh have your experience and this is something I've experienced and I've always wanted everyone I I've I always want to hear everyone else's take on it um like meeting bad collaborators and not necessarily people that are bad at their job but like maybe you just don't click you know and maybe they expect more of you than than they give back. So have you had that experience and how do you deal with it? Or have you gotten real lucky and like no everyone's been great.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean yes uh in not not for things that I have really produced myself um or like and when I say produce myself I mean like initiate because in a lot of these projects I've had other producers on board like Burgled I worked with uh my friend Barrett who like came on as a producer just because I was wearing so many hats so um and and for my last project that I shot this summer it like brought on my friend Maggie just to one you shot this summer. It's called Shadow of the Mages.

SPEAKER_03:

That's right. So yeah so Fantasy Adventure anyone who's listening go to Godali's Instagram what's your Instagram handle?

SPEAKER_02:

It's just at Godali Gubrick and spell my name I'm easy to find yeah uh we'll we'll we'll spell it out for those uh listening um at the end of the pod you have to listen to the other pod so yeah but I uh like scene that's coming out in a couple months now or okay okay so a little bit later um and but you know just being on other people's productions I see like oh there's a producer who uh is like maybe not clicking with how things are going and or they work differently and I think by the time I get to um things that I like projects that I initiate it's been on my mind so long that people kind of fall into place for like who I have worked with before or who I want to work with and things like that um or who feels right for the project. I don't think for the films I've run into that as far as collaboratives. People on set, maybe you know um but I've gotten very lucky with just like a lot of things it's like the people who are on set are the people you want on set are super supportive and working. Like I've also you know had other jobs and and worked in the corporate world where I just see like oh people are just kind of there and like learning how to deal with them. And I I don't mind that like I I it's part of the job is just knowing how to interact with different personalities and how to get a result out of different people. I think that's just a part of my job. But they're all I also know that okay I'm not going to hire that person to be my partner.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um you know it it's it's a marriage. So like who do we like I I I put a lot of trust in my close collaborators, whether like a DP or a composer or another producer um I want to give them a lot of trust. Like I I need to know that they're awesome artists and collaborators uh so that you know so much like the because well one it it takes a lot off my plate but also I want them to feel empowered to make decisions about those things because like for Flower of Battle uh Nikil Koparker who did a wonderful job on that but of like I can just say okay here's a sequence and he's like what do you think I'm like whatever you want go. He's like no he's great or like if for when we were doing Shadow of the mages talking with Maggie about like and and like what do you want for lunch on day three? I'm like pick something it's cool. Like yeah these are things like I want you to like just go for it.

SPEAKER_03:

You're giving creatives agency because you trust them.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah and also just saying those words I find in all parts of life make a big difference. Yeah someone's like what do you think I'm like I trust you yeah and just saying that people like okay and and 99 times out of a hundred I don't even know that if I say that to someone like I don't think I've ever had a bad result of just saying that. Yeah like there's just someone's like oh I'm trusted and like okay I'll just do it. And yeah maybe they're nervous. I don't know they do it and I I think it's a great way to go and I think it it's like it's a vulnerable place to be like if it's your project and your baby and you feel a lot but like it's it's why I want to get to know people uh to collaborate. Like I I don't want to like hire someone to be a cog in a machine. Like I want someone to feel like they're um an artist and contributing.

SPEAKER_03:

I like that. I like that and I'm really kind of uh excited by your team not your team but your group of collaborators and like the creatives you have in your circle. And then hearing you like your you know your past and your history not having gone to film school but like forge this film career and you know this this experience. But also this lands us on Flower of Battle which I think is a really like cool project and you know it it's getting a sequel to um but we'll we'll talk right a sequel?

SPEAKER_02:

So uh it well it was a short film I have a feature yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Nice okay so it's becoming a feature. Yeah so we'll talk about the short the short film Flower of Battle in episode two which will you know if you're listening uh many many weeks in advance it's coming up. But um for everyone listening thank you for listening um find uh different things that you like doing go go do go do makeup you know go edit go be in front of the camera go be behind the camera even if it's just for fun because I feel like it gives you a different perspective on the things you want to do. You know it makes you a better creative because you understand more of the other side. I find new collaborators trust me thank you uh see you next week and uh everyone listening thank you for listening thank you for listening to the Anywood podcast you can find us anywhere you find your podcasts or on YouTube on the Cinematography for actors YouTube channel see you next week.

SPEAKER_01:

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 cinematography for actors dot com.

SPEAKER_00:

Cinematography for actors Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit for more information on physical 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 actors dot com thanks