New York filmmakers Kyle Gaunt and David Frey have been in the film game for close to four years and have made some inroads in the process. Both are graduates of the prestigious Long Island university, Hofstra. They studied film and earned degrees in the art form. David and Kyle took different paths at first before meshing their talents to create films. Kyle was fueled by the love of films while taking a class in High School while David was first immersed in stage performances. 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.
When David was around eight years old, he took part in small dance
competitions and performing on stages. This desire to grace the stage
triggered an acting bug in him. 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.
"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. 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.
Eventually they 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. This led to another project titled "Necklace"
that was a more promising project to work on. Only a year ago 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.
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Kyle has been submitting films on a site called Film Freeway and he entered his thesis "Kill Me Dead" which was selected to The SoCal Film Awards. The other project we mentioned earlier "The Necklace" had 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.
"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."
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. 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. Both talented artists are on their way to create amazing works as they grow in the indie film industry and beyond.
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