It seems that the film world is taking on a new look and that look is the strong emergence of the Indie filmmakers. Individuals like Kyle Gaunt and David Frey have pursued their passion to create thought provoking films and have made inroads. They both attended the well-known Hofstra University which is in Long Island, NY. Studying Film Studies and Production they both utilized their knowledge in different ways at first. Kyle had developed a love for film at a very young age and always dreamed of creating his work. This was when he was in High School where he took a class in film. Using his knack of innovation he began his own YouTube channel entitled “Kyle Gaunt Reviews” where he was critiquing films, he saw either in the theatre, rented, or old movies he viewed growing up.
His soon to be “partner in crime” David, was first interested in dancing and performing on a stage when he was in grammar school. While performing on stage he was welcomed with positive vibes and investigated acting. As time progressed, he became more interested in what Kyle was doing, which was critiquing films. Eventually, the acting bug took root and hence David began to look into it.
“I did small, friendly dance competitions after learning the craft and hone in on the technique. Nothing too big, or grand, but just performing on stage had given me a sort of awe. Seeing the audience cheer and clap would give me the confidence to have me go from just dancing to trying to act as well. Then later down the road, eight or nine years really, I lost passion for performing in front of crowds. But watching films and being a “critic” after watching them has always been a hobby of mine. And a thing I enjoyed doing even after watching a movie. So, watching movies as a hobby and performing on stage has always sparked a passion for filmmaking,” added David.
As if fate planned it the two Hofstra graduates combined their talents and produced their first project entitled, “Kill Me Dead” which was based on Kyle’s senior thesis film. Kyle and David would work together again on another more promising film titled “Necklace” which they both admitted was a more fun and interactive project to work on. Only recently they took on another film (not titled yet) which is a short horror film. The project is due to be submitted to a film festival in Connecticut. They have submitted their works to festivals and have gained praise. His thesis film “Kill Me Dead” was selected for The SoCal Film Awards. The other project we mentioned earlier “The Necklace” has been selected for ten different festivals. It won an award from the One-Reeler Short Film Competition and an Honorable Mention nomination by the SoCal Film Awards. In addition, it qualified as a semi-finalist at the Serbest International Film Fest. Outside of these accomplishments, Kyle and David had also been selected for multiple in-person festivals set in New York, California, Florida, and Georgia.
Both David and Kyle are horror buffs, but David took a different turn recently by experimenting with a new film that falls into the Western genre. The project is in its fourth year of development only because David is always fine tuning the script to his specifications till it is where he wants it to be. Ironically, based on what David has worked on so far, he is not a huge fan of short films but would rather release a feature instead.
“As of now, besides the three films as mentioned before, we have worked on a bunch of
other projects that didn’t have us lead the helm. Many of them range from other short
films from our peers to also a commercial that we did in Pennsylvania this past July.
He mostly writes and directs his films, while I mostly assistant direct and produce the
films he makes. But I think we are trying to change our approach and are going to see
how our next project proceeds when we are done writing and ready to move to the next
step. Our next goal is a feature. And we hope we can discuss that very soon,” said David.
A current project that David and Kyle are currently percolating is an action/crime/suspense/thriller film. They are hoping to present it as a feature not a short. It is under wraps now, but they will be circling back to develop it by year’s end. For David, aside from horror, Revisionist Westerns are a specific film genre that he enjoys the most. Both talented artists are on their way to creating amazing works as they grow in the indie film industry and beyond.
