27 - From 1st AD to Director with David Gutel (Forty-Seven Days with Jesus, Ginger Root)

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:

6:00 - Pre-viz for a musical: Lidar mapping (real estate tools?!)

13:34 - Challenges: strikes, Texas heat, mechanical failures of picture vehicles (sinking boat!)

18:08 - Getting theatrical distribution partly through casting actors from “The Chosen” 

24:10 - Distribution resources - Fathom Events & Pinnacle Peak as a resource for independent films, getting distribution abroad through hitting minimums at home

26:30 - Getting distribution tips recap + David’s initial connection to distributors 

29:10 - Market festivals vs. competition film festivals

30:25 - From 1st AD to director

41:03 - First job as second unit director

45:19 - Challenging shoots: When to rise to a challenge vs. abandon impending disaster

55:30 - Recap of David’s path in the industry

58:30 - Is film school worth it? David’s experience paying $24k for CSULB

1:04:00 - TIME CAPSULE

CONNECT WITH DAVID: Instagram @davidmgutel / @fortysevendaysfilm 

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeadMediaStore

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

All platforms: @NoSetPathShow 

www.NoSetPathShow.com / bio.site/nosetpath