Meet David Filmore | Writer, Director, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Filmore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
Having an “end to my career” is not something I’m willing to admit will ever exist. I don’t intend to be mortal. If I have to have my brain transplanted into a robot body in order to live forever, I’m perfectly happy to do that.

That said, my career goal has always been to create a large body of work that I can be proud of. I want to have created numerous movies, TV shows, and books that bring joy to people, and that will hopefully remain relevant for years to come.

On the “Benefits All Humanity” scale, I rank entertainers, artists, and storytellers up there at the top of the list. Right alongside doctors, scientists working to cure diseases, and dogs. In your darkest moments, oftentimes the only thing with the power to lift your spirit is watching your favorite show, listening to your favorite song, or escaping into a good book. Adding to that catalog is some of the most honorable work you can do.

I’ve never been motivated by fame or money. Creating quality work that connects deeply with audiences is all that matters for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The last project I worked on is usually my favorite one. I tend to not revisit things I worked on years ago. My most recent completed project is an animated short film called ‘Pancake Panic!’. Which is about a silly bird who accidentally throws her pancake out the window, resulting in a butterfly effect that impacts every being in the universe. It’s funny, it’s scary, people are murdered, there’s maple syrup, it’s bonkers. It won a bunch of awards, and did really well in lots of film festivals around the world, including an Oscar-qualifier. To build on that success, we’re currently developing it as a TV show, which is very exciting.

Getting to this point wasn’t easy though. Not surprisingly, Hollywood’s representation of how Hollywood works is far from reality.

I think young creatives often think their success is going to happen like it does in the movies. That one day someone is going to spot them, slip them their business card, and say “You’re so special and talented! Come with me, I’m going to make you a star!” In reality, if anyone does say that to you, chances are they have a van parked nearby with blacked-out windows.

The truth is, that nearly every single professional job I’ve ever worked on came about due to me putting the project together in some way.

Trying to build an entertainment career in LA is a bit like being stranded on a deserted island. The sooner you realize that no one is coming to rescue you, the sooner you start building your own raft. It’s hard work, but if you keep at it, you’ll get there in the end. I learned early on that if no one will hire you, you just need to hire yourself.

The best advice I can give about being successful in the creative arts (besides hustle), is to develop your artistic sensibility. And that requires you to actively seek out the odd and peculiar. Seriously, the weirder the better. Go to underground art shows and experimental theatre, watch rando clips of Japanese game shows on YouTube, tumble down demented rabbit holes on Reddit, read obscure fairytales and mythologies, play D&D, take improv classes, and watch every foreign language movie ever nominated for an Oscar. After doing that, your brain will mash it up with the rest of your personal life experience, and start giving you interesting stories to develop.

This will help you find your own voice. Telling stories from your own unique perspective are the kinds of stories people tend to enjoy hearing the most. That’s what I did, and it’s worked for me so far.

The other major element to all this is finding “your people”. As I said earlier, filmmaking is a team sport, and you need a gang of co-conspirators to make a movie that’s worth watching. Find the best and most talented people you can, and then barnacle onto them for dear life. You will make their projects better, and they will definitely make yours better too. No single person is talented enough to make a great movie all by themselves. So it’s imperative to always be open to working with new people you’ve just met. Just make sure they don’t have a sketchy van parked nearby.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fun things to do. Being obsessed with the history of Hollywood, I don’t think a visit to LA would be complete without seeing the classic movie sights.

An absolute must is to visit famous filming locations that are sprinkled around the city. Some of the most fun are places like Griffith Observatory. It’s a gorgeous building and museum, that has great views of the city. But also where iconic scenes from ‘Rebel without a Cause’, and the tunnel scene from ‘Back to the Future 2’ were filmed. While in Griffith Park, I’d stop by the Bronson Batcave, where a lot of old TV shows and movies filmed in the past. It’s also a location I used for my movie HERO MAN, so I know it well.

Then I’d head further afield to Santa Monica Pier. There are tons of old-timey rides to enjoy, but make sure to skip on over to the small aquarium hiding underneath the pier. It’s easy to miss, but it’s a real gem, and well worth your time. Afterwards, I’d drive out to the beach at Point Dume, where the final scene from ‘Planet of the Apes’ was filmed. Every time I’ve gone there, it’s been mostly deserted, so it’s the perfect spot to get your California beach fix.

I would end the trip by spending at least a day at Universal Studios. The Harry Potter land is probably the highest overall quality theme park I’ve ever experienced. That park holds special memories for me, as that’s where I proposed to my lovely fiancee, Lillee. We accidentally drew a large crowd, and it was ridiculously adorable! Seriously, watch our proposal video here:

It must be said, beware all who visit Los Angeles! You will never want to leave, and your family will never understand why.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank America. All of it. Even the parts that have angry snakes and tarantulas. I emigrated from Australia, and when I arrived in LA I didn’t know a soul. Everyone I met here was extremely generous and inviting to me.

Film is a collaborative endeavor. No one makes a movie completely by themselves, and if they did, it would probably suck. When I directed my first feature film (HERO MAN), I was incredibly fortunate to have Lila McLaughlin as my Assistant Director. That job title doesn’t begin to describe all the different responsibilities she carried on that movie. But simply put, there is no frame of that movie that wasn’t drastically improved because she was involved with it. I will never end my crusade to have IMDb officially credit Lila as the “Hardest working human on a movie in the history of Earth”.

That movie opened a lot of doors for me, and I could never have made it without her comedic talents, and never-ending patience. I’m glad to say I’m going to be lucky enough to work with her on our next project, an animated comedy feature for adults.

I was going to name every person who has helped me over the years. But unfortunately, ICANN sent me a harshly-worded email warning me that if I did, the Internet would run out of pixels, causing it to explode like the Death Star.

Website: www.plutonianfilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidfilmore

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilmore

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DavidFilmore

Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2592697/fullcredits Trailer for ‘Pancake Panic!’ short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87KOSFPMf8w

Image Credits
David Filmore Plutonian Films LLC