Communicating Your Vision as a Director

[@ZachKing]

David, this is such a helpful video for filmmakers and such a cool insight into your pre-viz process, thank you for taking the time to make this!

[@3n3j0t4]

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[@jknMEMES]

You subscribed to ponysmasher as well?

[@astrocapsule]

Babe, wake up; new ponysmasher dropped 🙏🏻

[@cinephileasmr]

This man makes me want to keep going on so many levels. Thank you for never leaving the community you started so many years ago!

[@Vesohag]

"Does that mean you can't be a director?... Yes." The end. 😂 Never change, David.

[@Charles12]

He got us in the first half, not gonna lie

[@OSW]

I love how you're a world famous director, but you still take time out to make informative and engaging KZbin content. Congrats on your success and we're all rooting for you. Sláinte! 🇮🇪

[@proctoscopefilms]

The greatest high you'll ever get is when someone brings in something that not only shows that they understand what you have in mind, but that makes the project even better.

[@space_1073]

Having a massive blockbuster movie director who uploads typical youtube content as though a regular film youtuber is such a valuable resource for filmmakers everywhere.

[@mikal]

As an indie director, I can affirmatively state that you do WAY more prep than most people. Not that you shouldn't. It's better to be over-prepared than under.

[@goldengamers937]

This guy is so cool, like he literally made a video essay on his own films, so helpful genuinly its really nice to see a real un-press/adverising analysist of shots and scenes

[@Donvey]

Hey David. I talked about my frustrations with the industry on reddit a while ago, and you actually commented giving me some great advice. I love what you do, and you really do inspire me and so much others. Thank you.❤

[@NotDyllian]

I love that he uses blender and krita and finds models online, it creates the agency for new filmmakers to create as the barrier of entry is free and your own creativity/imagination

[@alcoholicgoat]

The fact that you were so hands on in pre-production, especially with animatics is insane.

[@ruseboy]

I can't describe how refreshing and honest it is to watch your videos, but this one in particular. As a CG Sup (and budding filmmaker) its a blessing to see someone so involved in the creative decision making process and your journey discovering tools that enable you to better communicate your ideas are so welcome. Your producers should love you! Being so well prepared must save a lot of time and money not to mention you're cutting out all the unnecessary miscommunication and uncertainty that can often occur in a typical post production hierarchy. I wish more directors were this involved, and selfishly that our paths cross one day ;)

[@Creamcups]

This video shows your talent as a director so well. It's apparent you have a real sense of how to work with your crew, your empathy for people is tangible. It's why your films always have a clear vision even when most people's vision gets lost in the studio system.

[@unbelievable_truth_band]

Will totally go and see anything this director makes, just for being the best guy. And fuuuuck, totally didn't get the reference to my favourite film Magnolia when I watched S!FotG!

[@rraptor158]

You have been an inspiration since your first short horror films. I am one in a sea thousands of comments but I hope to meet you one day as a director as well. Love this kind of content! No other director I know connects with their fans like this.

[@iamcavon646]

You just brought my dream of wanting to be a film director back to me. Depression knocked me off for a few years and I’ve lost the motivation, but you brought that back to me.

[@mauritanianex-muslim2485]

This video is worth a thousand masterclasses in directing. You are an inspiring person. شكراً ديفيد

[@HollyHargreaves]

David, as a horror short filmmaker, you are an inspiration. Love your videos🎉

[@NathanLathroum]

One of the reasons I ever finished my indie film was being able to look back at videos like these. Gave me a lot of confidence even when we had to deal with all the challenges. And now we're working on another one. Endless thanks for the inspiration to make stuff happen. 🤟

[@kikynessanez5060]

I don't want to be director, or similar... but I just CANNOT stop watching your videos and loving your work It shows me how much love and effort are behind production, and how we get the final product And how much hard work is done, how much detail It make appreciate your art more than anything and therefore, appreciate the final product I follow you since the horror shorts, and will ever do Your love for your art and your humbleness make us, your people, follow you forever Thank you for not forgetting us

[@bisheshshakya9417]

4:47 That [Screaming] 😂😂😂! It's so funny!

[@GreenGoatProductions]

You're not only a great director but really good at inspiring people to keep making films. Thx for all the great content. (Also, great shirt)

[@mnemosftb]

Never stop doing these, they are so appreciated

[@jeremymolinari6597]

Incredible video! Thank you for sharing your process, to call it inspiring would be an understatement. You are what’s best about the filmmaking community, thank you for doing what you do and being who you are.

[@matthewopteijnde]

Absolutely love this content. Mind-boggling that a director of your level shares something like this on KZbin. Gem!

[@IamSH1VA]

22:33 I love when big creators/directors appreciate & loves to use free/ cheap/ open source softwares…. *This video is filled with pure gold*

[@bryceontheloops]

no matter the reviews on Shazam 2, you are a great director and we all love these vids explaining your artistic process, I wish more Hollywood directors did this

[@Mastersh1t]

Sometimes im just baffled by the amount of work that goes into any movie. It the most advanced form of play in adult form. Makes me happy that there is room for it in peoples minds (and wallets). Thanks David for the inspiration

[@alcon835]

"It is a very outlandish concept that an actor would appear in a movie." oh wow, I'm dying. Love your videos. Thank you for all you do!

[@probot6515]

So down-to-earth for a massive blockbuster filmmaker, and I appreciate that. You went from small budget horror shorts to Lights Out and Shazam!. Keep making awesome shorts/films!

[@adashofbitter]

I can't believe how generous you are with your time, and how much you clearly want to teach others what you've learned, despite your wild success from shooting short films with your wife in your apartment to making films for a hundred million dollars. Thank you!

[@SilentLulamoon]

This is the best possible video to show to someone who wants to know what exactly a movie director does.

[@liquidsnow1]

I worked on some assets used for this project. The movie turned out great. Great work Sandberg and the entire team.👌👌👌

[@moviesaredope]

23:40 dangit, my guy. You got me laughing for minutes with that one 😂

[@darraghhynes5376]

As an aspiring filmmaker on the autism spectrum, I just wanted to say thay you're one of my biggest inspirations, David. I have made six short films (with one gaining six festival selections) and I truly feel like I would not have developed as much as I have without your advice and stories which I carved deep in my heart, especially your last piece of advice of sticking around on the "Random Advice" video. I hope to persue this as a career in the future and I just wanted to say thank you!

[@hi-five4960]

I feel absolutely unready and unprepared for the idea of doing all of this and having a creative grip on all of this. But like with everything, the first step is always finding out, so thank you Ponyemasher.

[@alexrechkin7]

David you are the best, i collect all of your "how to direct" videos, they are awesome and very useful, i even downloaded all programs you mentioned.

[@cinnocencesinema1100]

THANK YOU. as a first-time director still learning to communicate my vision effectively to my team, this is invaluable to me. not just for reference materials, but also in learning that we continuously tell the story and make revisions along the way. i'm learning flexibility along with how to tell the story. i was losing faith in my ability, but this is inspiring. thank you thank you Thank You!

[@thecommentor1804]

I should be doing my homework, but man watching these 25 minutes was so worth it. Really great insight into the process of directing.

[@MariaVosa]

Love how generous and enthusiastic David is with his craft. I hope he gets a new project soon that makes him as happy as he deserves to be. And more content for us! 🤩

[@julian9664]

I can see why this guy keeps working, must be a wonderful person to work with

[@MrLaserPony]

Not gonna lie that wrong bridge scene would be funny to see on film haha

[@ChromaMoma]

Thank you as always for providing so much insight into your process. Anything to get the job done!

[@oinkoinkinc.studios]

As an aspiring director, let me tell you that your videos are some of the best filmmaking content out there. You describe everything in such a down to earth and aproachable way it's insane. You're a huge inspiration!

[@jgjcreations7393]

Thank you sir for still doing KZbin and sharing such important insights and knowledge for us younger filmmakers to learn from !!! Also, PLEASE COME TO HORROR !!!!!

[@QuincyKane]

This is so great; thanks for sharing!

[@Kram_it_in]

Anyone somewhat interested in visualization in 3D space should learn the basics of Blender. A great tool only limited by your imagination... and computer specs. Alltid lika kul att se vad som händer bakom kulisserna. Tack för att du delar med dig av din kunskap!

[@orionpresley5921]

David, I hope one day you will made a video to show use, what was you ideas for a shazam 3 :) I'm really dispointed that shazam 2 failed, to me he was really good !!!

[@ramdogproductions]

Incredibly insightful and revealing - "actors are in movies" @23:39 haha Thank you David for taking the time to share your experiences and tips!!

[@matheusbastosdp]

I hope everyone watches this video appreciates the level of wisdom and transparency David shares with all of us. Like, the fact that all this amazing information and education is on KZbin for free for us to watch, showing the directors process at a studio level for a BIG blockbuster action film is insane. Filmmakers coming up 20-30 years ago could only dream of having this. Thank you, David!!

[@leofreaking]

5:45 love how this joke lands, made me chuckle quite a bit! Love your channel, always a pleasure to see a new video from you pop up. Cheers

[@Maximustemp]

Great to see modern day directors share their knowledge and breakdowns on the internet!

[@davidbjacobs3598]

What we see: Major Hollywood Director. The truth: Plays with action figures for a living. Love all these inside peaks to your process, and that you've continued them even on massive scales! On my last short film, Lights Out was a key reference. Thank you for the inspiration!

[@IsraelAgyemanPrempeh]

You’re an inspiration and your humility to come back to the community you started from always amazes me

[@ignaciocasini7773]

I adore u David, always giving hope and peace with a little bit of humor!

[@directorliam]

This video is so damn good! There is no one else like you David, what you make is so inspiring and exactly what I want and need to hear. Your videos are the best and Fury do the Gods was such a great movie!

[@JonathanAngelico]

Great video. A wonderful reminder that a movie is made in preproduction. It starts simple and you build upon those ideas. Thanks for sharing your process. Very inspiring.

[@jjstarrprod]

As an indie animation filmmaker, this feels so much like home to me. All the process you describe are stuff that I'm used to do in some shape or form, so it's really encouraging to see that even at the highest level o fHollywood blockbusters, these are tried and trusted methods. And btw, if you ever read this comment, Shazam 2 was a great movie ! I went to watch it twice in theaters, which is something I rarely do, unless the movie really got me. And this one certainly did ! I still believe that the first one was the superior movie (your really caught lightning in a bottle with that one), but this one certainly didn't have anything to feel ashamed of (if there's only one thing I wanted more of, I would have loved more Asher Angel. This little guy can act !). As for the box office bomb, please don't blame yourself nor anyone who worked on the movie. As a filmmaker myself, I can tell when everyone had fun making a movie, and this movie definitely beamed on this point (which is one of the reasons why I loved it so much). The sad truth is that it was caught in a perfect storm. After being delayed a few times, it came out after a poor streak record for superheroes movies (after Thor Love and Thunder, Black Adam, and AntMan Quantumania were all critically destroyed), the Rock's refusal to play ball (if he was the actual villain of your movie, that would have raked in quite a few more hundreds of millions, funny how he didn't want to be playing Shazam's nemesis in this movie, but ended up being Shazam's true nemesis irl) AND it came out after James Gunn's infamous January DC's reboot announcement. I know that Shazam 2 was pushed back from November to avoid a direct confrontation with Avatar 2, but at this point, I feel like your movie might actually have had better chances against Avatar 2 than against all the shitstorm it had to climb after all was said and done... Still, don't let that setback stop you from creating ! This movie was filled with fantastic imagery (Gosh ! that shot with Shazam rising in the air in the darkness with lightning sparkling in his back ! That was pure CINEMA, man ! This shot alone is worth the ticket price) ! If Superheroes and comics book movies aren't your thing anymore (but let's be honest, it's not the genre that is tiring, but the bts politics of big studios that inherently come with it), I have no doubt your creativity will spring you right back up somewhere else, right where you want to be ! After a good well deserved rest, keep going ! I'm very much looking forward for what you're gonna cook up next ! Take care, man !

[@jjstarrprod]

PS : Did you just dragon punched a dragon ?

[@trayneadjeifilms]

This was amazing insight. Really helps to see how much work you put in for every shot. Sometimes I think im crazy when I over think details and end up doing sub par work. Thank you for the inspiration!

[@Hrothmeir]

The crudely animated Ponysmasher cut of Shazam has joined the Tatooine Graffiti cut of Star Wars on my most-wanted list.

[@nebgol]

Continuing to be the most applicable behind the scenes source for a multitude of creative roles. Good stuff, smasher.

[@gunneone]

Can't appreciate enough that you are giving such good advice for free on youtube that others would take a lot of money for on master classes. Entertaining and very valuable at the same time. Thank you.

[@marcpaters0n]

This channel is pure gold for anyone interested in filmmaking.

[@spookmineer]

I can only imagine the grin when you first record the uppercut scene with an action figure and some drawings, and then see the end result. The unicorn was epic! That was something I never saw before.

[@atomsofstardust]

David, I’d like to thank you sooo much for making these educational videos, explaining everything and sharing your knowledge! You are an immense inspiration for probably every underdog out there, and I’m so thankful to you not only for all this wealth of information you’re giving us for free, but also for being a great role model! I literally always have the urge to create when I’m watching your videos! Thank you, sir!🙏🏻

[@guybrushmonkey97]

Great original song choice for the sequence btw

[@ramennoodles7328]

Those videos are so incredibly inspiring and i love that you’re still doing them

[@orenthedirector]

As an introverted Director in LA with dreams of making it big, I have to say a BIG thank you for these videos.

[@danarworya]

This is so cool! thanks for sharing the knowledge! I was a concept artist on this film and I remember your videos that got send to us! I was mainly on the Godrealm area. Loved how it all looked in the final film.

[@dragandragan]

Wow .. thanks for this David! I am so inspired by your talent, honesty and effort to share your process & lessons learned. Having said that... I would like to challenge you :) Can you make a kick ass no budget horror short film... with no crew and an iPhone? I think that would inspire a lot of us to get our lazy ass and follow our dream. Thanks again for your content!

[@pacsmaniac5589]

Hi David, I sincerely can't thank you enough for doing these videos and giving us insights, and I salute you for not forgetting where you started off!

[@SeanMarsalis]

Genuinely appreciate all the insight you give away for free. It's been beyond helpful over the years.

[@KlassicLoL]

So much fantastic insight! Really helps out aspiring filmmakers

[@uniworkhorse]

Man, this gives me much more respect for directors! You really have to have a strong vision and want to make the project the best it could be. Love seeing your previs and communication style, especially using action figures. I saw director Mike Diva use friends and action figures to previs SNL VFX heavy sequences and it makes the work look so much fun! Would love to see how you deal with conflicting creative opinions, especially when it comes to your own. I have a hard time considering other's perspective especially when it comes to direction so really interested in how you "contend" with folks as an introverted person.

[@ZahhibbDev]

This is honestly a treasure trove of good insights and thought processes when making anything really. It just shows how much thought goes into these things, but also in the end how easy some solutions can be through creative iteration. Love the content David, keep it up!

[@TheMaverickWerewolf]

Thank you for these videos. I've always wanted to direct films or even enter the filmmaking world somehow, in some way, since my early childhood. I had basically given up. Lost hope. But honestly watching Fury of the Gods and then finding your youtube after (I am embarrassed I didn't discover it after loving the first Shazam so much) have inspired me to start trying again. Love your films, love your work; wish you all the best!

[@mypal1990]

I'm glad you're still showing videos like these and show how much care and love a movie goes through!

[@jorgegrivera6687]

Mary Marvel used to be my favorite element from this movie, but that has changed and that is saying a lot!!! Thanks for such incredible content!

[@TheMoviePlanet]

Just went to see the film yesterday so it was a fun surprise to see this pop up today. Congrats on a fun film David and THANK YOU for putting the film's title at the beginning!

[@Exagerardo]

Muy bueno, ya lo usaré. Gracias from Argentina 🎥🎬💞

[@apixel.content]

Such wonderful insights, thank you for taking time to share this to the world!

[@tyleradams3490]

I finally watched this movie today, with my kids too. I've been hoping to see it so I could watch this youtube video haha. Great job! Let me tell you though... I was thrilled to see Diedrich Bader in this. What a gem. And then I cried for 12 minutes when that scene went down and he went, you know, down. Messed me up!

[@JasonMorrisphotocinema]

Perfect video from an expert 🎉

[@AllThingsFilm1]

A great example of how its best to use whatever tools you have at your disposal to convey your ideas and directions. It's more about the having clarity in your storyboards and animatics than about the tools that were used to create the boards and animatics. Great video.

[@DoctorBatmanMD]

Proof that playing with action figures pays off. Thank you David! :)

[@grosehorror4209]

Thank you for making these, David. Your videos with Lotta really helped me when I was starting my channel and I have now just made my 9th short film and gained over 1100 subscribers. Four years on, through trial and error I feel I have found my own voice. Your videos are the most solid foundation to help people start and you give us motivation keep going. I wish you and Lotta nothing but success in your careers and I will always be a massive fan. Please always keep making these, this is the most valuable filmmaking channel out there.

[@nkosanachiphazi6585]

Big time movie director has ordinary tools in his work flow. 🤯 I have truly been inspired

[@MrRichiarditya]

i love your works, also Shazam! 2 was really good. love it

[@fortheloveofbollywood4617]

I really appreciate everything you share. We love you sir.

[@BassemEssam]

Thanks David, your videos are always if not extremely inspiring and informative, are like hanging out with an older brother looking out for you and passing tips. Thanks for entertaining and educating us.

[@BackseatStreams]

Invaluable as always. I really think honest communication about the creative process is something that should really be more common. I always always think about the 'coats' situation from your first Shazam video whenever a 'mistake' is found in media, it's usually a necessary evil to make something far more important work!

[@ThatYoungMoose]

this lets me know to keep going. Thank you for always giving us so much tips and insights from big scale projects to small ones.

[@agusbaldivia4411]

Incredible! Thank you very much for this video for those of us who want to improve in directing, it helps us a lot! Hopefully more content like this Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina :)

[@ZachBobBob]

You must be an absolute Godsend to pre-vis artists since you know what the hell you're doing and do a bunch of it yourself and also to VFX artists since you can communicate your ideas so clearly.

[@nickelburg988]

I really liked the movie. The final battle was amazing.

[@scare_duardo]

David, I appreciate you so much. You’re immensely talented, and the humility and passion you put into your filmmaking is always on display. Don’t ever stop. So excited for your return to horror soon! Much love!

[@chaunceypierce8803]

Thank you for still taking the time to do this! It's greatly appreciated.

[@GrumpyWolfman]

Imagine walking around one day and seeing some guy on his phone seemingly talking to himself on the street, you ask him “hey, what are you doing? Are you an influencer?” And he says, “no, I’m David S Sandberg doing storyboarding for the new Shazam movie…”

[@alexanderwales7870]

Absolutely love these behind-the-scenes videos, especially as they're illustrative of concepts in filmmaking.