By Nick Christophers
Both Kyle Gaunt and David Frey have been in the film game for close to four years and have made some inroads in the process. They both attended Hofstra University and studied Film Studies and Production. Kyle for one had a love for films at the tender age of seven years old who began thinking of being a filmmaker in High School. While in High School he took a class in film which fueled his interest even more. He picked up his first camera in 2015 and began experimenting and began working on his first film project for a class assignment. Kyle would take it one step further and founded his first YouTube channel entitled “Kyle Gaunt Reviews”. On his show he would engage in critiquing films he saw either in the theatre, rented or old movies he viewed growing up.
“I had to understand the setting, ambient sound, and sound editing to make it all come together for my first project I did for my class. It was exciting staying after school every day working on that project, and I had a deeper understanding on how to make a movie as opposed to just watching them.”
David’s experience entering filmmaking was slightly different. He was first immersed into dancing among the hip-hop craze at the time. When he was around eight years old, he took part in small dance competitions and performing on stages. The positive response he received from audiences led him to think about going into acting. But over time this faded, and he began to become intrigued in critiquing films he would watch which was similar to what Kyle was doing. This new interest planted a seed in him with the idea of filmmaking. David’s desire to break into filmmaking was not only as an actor but to take on any role in the development of a project whether it be as an assistant director or even a grip.
David and Kyle would soon work on a project together titled “Kill Me Dead” it was based on Kyle’s senior thesis film. David was the sound man on the project, and it was an important role for him to take as it was a vital learning experience.
“Education can only teach so much, and the college of “hard knocks” was taking its hand on set. I am not saying I had a negative experience on set. Just a very hard lesson in how filmmaking is made. And the unprecedented fires that must be tackled even when you believe you were prepared as much as you can before a film shoot.”
They would move onto another project titled “Necklace” that was a more promising project to work on. The on-hands work allowed them to approach this project with better results. It offered a more controlled environment which permitted it to be more interactive and the fun part of filmmaking for both of them. In 2024 they both worked on a new project (not titled yet) which is a short horror film. The project is due to be submitted to a film festival in Connecticut. This specific film was created with an ensemble cast which permitted them to work on-set with special effects. For both this was the most enjoyable film to be working on. While in his junior year David did work on a project that was based on a book titled “More Then Courage” by Harold Coyle. But due to the pandemic it stalled the progression of the project. David also realized if he were to move ahead, he would need to touch base with the author and the publishing company. So, it has been placed on the backburner for now.
When it comes to festivals Kyle has been submitting films on the site Film Freeway. For his thesis “Kill Me Dead” was selected to The SoCal Film Awards. The other project we mentioned earlier “The Necklace” has been selected in ten different festivals. It had won an award from the One-Reeler Short Film Competition, and 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 in multiple in person festivals set in New York, California, Florida, and Georgia.
When it comes to a favorite genre to work in Kyle and Dave seem to enjoy the horror side of things. But are also open to explore various genres.
“Film Noir is a sub-genre but is something I was extremely passionate about. That passion can be felt in Kill Me Dead. My goals and process of writing have changed during the past year. While my goal is to create a different project each time to avoid possible typecasting, the kinds of stories I want to tell have altered. I take the strengths I obtained from one project and inject them into the next while exploring new genres. Most recently was a horror project which was made due to a horror film competition in my home state of Connecticut. It featured a dramatic confrontation between the leads, which harkened back to the entirety of The Necklace. So, I felt much more confident in my ability to unleash pure aggravation while stepping into new territory with bloody horror. Having worked on horror films, this was my first attempt at making one and the result was that it got selected for its respected festival. But I still feel like there was more I could have done,” said Kyle.
David is also a horror buff but recently is experimenting with a new film which 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.
“And readers reading this don’t have to agree with me, but I appreciate and enjoy feature films (even bad ones) rather than great short films. And there have been shorts that have inspired features. Which is great. Honesty, I have a problem with having unrelenting standards on things. So, I guess I am still working on my approach with how short films are and can be inspiring to current and future filmmakers,” 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 years 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 create amazing works as they grow in the indie film industry and beyond.
