We recently connected with Gabriel P. Gonzales and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriel P., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

For the last 8 years I ‘ve worked full time as a production designer and art director for the film industry. Although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the work I have always sought to one day transition to directing. Nearly two years ago I managed to scrape together a few bucks to be able to self finance a short film that I wrote and directed called “Hog”. This 5 minute dark comedy, although modest in scope and budget, gave me a major creative boost and further fueled my desire to make the transition to full time directing as soon as possible. During that same year, 2023, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA (Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild of America) strikes began. Although I supported the strikes and the contract negotiations were largely successful the film industry has been experiencing a major slow down in the wake of these strikes. My full time work in the art department dwindled and has yet to make a full comeback. The plan I had laid out after “Hog”, which depended on my design work to finance my directing projects, had been derailed. My next directing project, an ambitious werewolf short film, was put on ice. After several months of taking any work I could, I found myself starved for the creative work of directing again. Finally in late 2024 I decided regardless of what was happening in Hollywood and with my production design work, I was going to make movies, with or without a budget. I called a few of my close friends, we pulled together all the resources we had at hand and we began making stuff. To my surprise a strange momentum began to build. After shooting “Demoniac” a much cheaper horror short than the originally planned werwolf one, other friends and connections began to reach out and wanted to be involved in the projects we were doing. Since October of 2024 I’ve written three and directed 4 short films. All of which are now in “post production”. It feels like the last 6 month’s work has opened more doors than the previous 8 years and I feel I am truly growing as a director. Although there is still much work to be done before these 4 films are completed I am thrilled to be directing again and pursuing that dream relentlessly.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I went to film school at Azusa Pacific University to study directing. While there I discovered I also had a passion for production design and art directing. The school was small and had no design courses at the time so anytime I wanted to have something in the movie I was directing, I just had to make it myself and I got good at it. After I graduated I quickly learned first hand how competitive and limited the directing world was. Fortunately I had some new skills as a production designer and I was quickly able to find work in the film industry working in the art department as a prop master, set builder, art director and eventually a production designer. As a designer I’ve been fortunate to work on feature films, commercials, and television with some amazingly talented actors and artists such as Seth Rogan, Kevin Hart, Cardi B, Jason Mamoa, Kiki Palmer, Lily rose Depp and more. Being on these projects has taught me the ins and outs of all the various forms of filmmaking. I’ve used my on set opportunities to carefully study directors, cinematographers, and actors. My work as a production designer has given me the connections that I’m now using to kickstart my career as a director.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

People should go see movies in the theaters. Go often and bring your friends. And not just AMC and Regal but your local theaters as well, arthouse theaters, micro cinemas. Streaming is convenient but I don’t think it’s helped the industry or small filmmakers in the way people think it has. It’s been great for visibility for small/indie filmmakers, but it’s become harder and harder to make a living being in the industry full time and a part of that has been due to the significant loss of income from theater sales and the sale of physical media like DVDs, Blu-ray, 4K etc. Also streaming just doesn’t pay its cast and crew like former broadcast TV and move models.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The two most rewarding aspects of being a filmmaker are working with actors on set and watching audiences see your film for the first time. Being on set is exhilarating and one of the most electric relationships is the one between the director and the actors. Actors are the ones to truly bring life to the script to make imaginary characters come alive. I find it so thrilling when you come to a rehearsal or to set with an idea of what a character is and how they behave and then an actor brings something entirely new to the table and you have to rework on the spot what that means for the script and for the movie, its kinetic and exciting. The last and greatest reward is watching an audience react to your movie. It’s nerve-racking but there’s nothing like it. The last screening I attended at the Abstract Milk Film festival was probably my favorite, my short “Hog” was playing to a full theater at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana and at the end is a gruesome decapitation that always catches people off guard for a comedy and when that head lopped off the whole theater gasped and cheered. It was great. We also won best picture at that festival which was the cherry on top.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gabrielgonzalesfilm
• Facebook: Gabriel Gonzales

Image Credits
Actress (Cook) – Erin Hadfield Actress (Mistress) – Hailey Mauk Actor (Priest) – Tony Amendola Actress (Red Cave) – Aubrey Postier Photographer – Oliver Eldridge Camera Operator – Joe Adams Cinematographer – Andy Chen Producer – Ehron Asher Set Dressers – Jules Brown, Ekaterina Moysov, Tieran Harvey, Nicole Geller Production Coordinator – Nicole Miller Assistant Director – Ronan Arthur