Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Grauberger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Last year I completed a short film called “Valkyries Lantern”. This was a very personal project that I Produced/Directed/Co-wrote/Dp’d and Edited. Feeling frustrated creatively, I wanted a project to push creative boundaries. I wanted a chance to dive in, and let my creative side run wild. My goal was to let that side dream up anything without limitation. I told myself, “try to execute the creative vision, and if it sucks, cut that scene, but don’t cut it on the front end (like we usually do). Rather, dive deep into it and go for it!

So I dreamed up 5 interconnected characters and storylines for the film. Each character was unique both as persons and visually. I had to build sets from scratch (an astronaut’s re-entry capsule), create a 20ft wall of rain, to show a night fisherman battling a thunderstorm, rent high speed cameras, and much more. I didn’t limit my vision. I dove in and made it.

It was a wonderful experience that culminated with a sound design session inside Warner Bros for the final audio mix. I could have never imagined it would go that far!

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a filmmaker primarily with a background in Cinematography and Art Direction. As a child and teenager, I was a charcoal artist and painter. While being a film buff, I never lost that fine art side, as I dove into the filmmaking process. I primarily think of myself as an executor. In college painting class, I was amazed how 20 students could paint such visually different paintings, all while staring at the same vase/bowl of fruit in class. I became intrigued to note that the subject is important, but the real secret sauce to creativity is the execution.

This is a double edged sword in my opinion, because execution is only earned through long hours of practice. As I focus on creative processes with clients, my main interest is how we will execute the vision? It’s vitally important to me to not cut corners at this stage.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think most artists require time to create. This is the single hardest resource to acquire as a creative. Time is money, and money spent must be quantifiable by business standards. But the creative process is so seldomly quantifiable in a logical way.

The best thing we can do as a society is to separate these concepts. Creativity requires time and inspiration to connect to the muse. Creatives must find this and be able to allocate time for this search. The business side must allocate time for this to truly find inspirational work.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am usually attracted to projects that increase understanding from a different perspective. I think we all have natural proclivities, biases, and perspectives. This is unavoidable as human beings. I love how art can broaden one’s perspective to include another’s. This doesn’t necessarily negate one’s original thought, but rather, widens the view, to include another’s.
In my view, this is the power and most beautiful thing about art. It can create a path to empathize.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charcoalpictures.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/charcoalpictures_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charcoalmotionpictures/
• Other: www.instagram.com/dotdavid
• Valkyries Lantern Full Film: https://vimeo.com/charcoalpictures/vl-fullmovie?share=copy