We were lucky to catch up with Gedaly Guberek recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gedaly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I recently premiered a sword-fighting comedy short film called The Flower of Battle. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfwDhfbKHlQ )

This has been a labor of love in the works for a couple years. It began when learning about a real historical figure, whose Wikipedia entry said he was an “itinerant swordsman.” My brother (who co-wrote / co-directed) and I thought that sounded funny, and we were intrigued enough to start writing.

I’ve always been a fan of swashbuckler films like Zorro, Three Musketeer, and The Princess Bride, and saw this as an opportunity to make something like that. Despite being a genre that many people love, it’s just not being done anymore. Swashbucklers were popular in the early days of Hollywood, and gave way to Westerns and other types of adventures.

Today, swords have largely been replaced by guns and superpowers. But while the world experienced dark times, I yearned for a classic, light-hearted, and fun storybook sort of tale.

So we set out to develop a story, and after writing and feedback from trusted professionals, we had something we felt good about.

Other movies like this tend to rely heavily on action, period costumes, grand sweeping landscapes. Elements that most filmmakers will tell you to avoid when producing on a low budget. So we got crafty and put on our problem-solving caps.

A combination of research, planning, fantastic collaborators, and some determination led us to a product we are proud of!

We were accepted to the Academy-Award Qualifying Film Festival, LA Shorts, and then premiered online! The feedback has been wonderful and I’m so glad that others responded so positively to the film.

Gedaly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an actor & filmmaker that was inspired at a young age by classic adventure films. Zorro, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings.

I love stories with quests, treasure, sword fights, and exploring new lands. To me, the exploration of new worlds and feel-good action are some of the best magic that cinema has to offer.

I began acting on stage in high school and loved connecting with an audience, co-creating entertainment with a small group of fellow artists, and the non-stop learning journey.

Now that I’m producing my own films, I wanted to bring over some of the fun aspects of a theatre production. Many film sets seem like a randomly assembled group of people, who – aside from the department heads – usually have a very thin idea of what’s happening. So when setting out to produce The Flower of Battle, we ensured everyone was invited to the first script reading, got details throughout the prep process, and had time to learn the plan and introduce themselves before beginning production each day.

Safety is important so only a few people on our set were allowed to use the Sword props (they were not sharp, don’t worry)… but I also brought some foam swords that anyone could play with.

I think making art should be fun and a collaborative process, so I do my best to ensure everyone has a good time.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I’m not exactly self-taught, but I also don’t have a formal education in filmmaking. Just a lot of curiosity and lots of time online. The internet is a fantastic place to learn just about anything.

When I was just starting to learn about filmmaking in middle school, online forums provided community-driven education from peers. Today, there’s YouTube! I’m constantly watching tutorials from incredible directors, writers, cinematographers, colorists, VFX artists, and others to learn everything I can about the craft.

I wish I had started doing that sooner. I remember directing a short film for a friend many years ago, where I was also operating the camera. I’m tech-savvy enough to figure things out, but I wasn’t confident in blocking, composition, or choosing lenses. I learned plenty with that experience, but knowing the basics would have been helpful.

So now I consume all I can about every aspect of filmmaking. Even if it’s not a job I’ll end up doing, I want to make sure I can communicate intelligently to someone whose job it is.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to create entertainment that inspires joy & wonder. I love all sorts of stories and art forms, but the projects I create are the ones I’d most like to see.

I love creating something that makes people go “how did they do that?”, gets laughs, or leaves people feeling good.

As far as filmmaking goes, I think adventure movies are the best vehicle to accomplish that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gedaly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gedalyguberek/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/gedaly
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gedaly
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@razeefilms

Image Credits
Pearce Healey Charly Charney Cohen