David F. Sandberg, Director of SHAZAM, ANNABELLE: CREATION, & LIGHTS OUT, On His Path From No Budget Horror Shorts To Studio Blockbusters

Today I am honored to be joined by director David F. Sandberg, known for major studio films like Shazam, Annabelle: Creation, and Lights out, as well as his no budget horror short films which he’s been releasing for years under his YouTube channel ponysmasher. 

David is about as great a guest as I can imagine on this show. His story is a case in point for making your own films and not waiting for permission - As we talk about throughout the interview, after years of working in documentary and animation, David decided to make some no budget short films with his wife Lotta. One of them in particular - Lights Out - was shot in just one day with no crew, and ended up going viral on YouTube. This attracted the attention of Hollywood and the rest is history. 

Throughout the interview we talk about David’s journey from no budget filmmaker to studio director, the biggest challenges he encountered along the way, advice for filmmakers who aspire to direct studio films, what makes someone a great director, and much more. 

Links from the show:

David on Instagram

David on Twitter

David on YouTube

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