[Profiles] Jonas David, film director

by Ana Zarb | Mar 30, 2021 | Profiles

I met Jonas in 2020 when he was producing and directing a series of short films for his project, Challenge 44, which consisted of making 44 short films in the course of three months. I remember going to set for the first time thinking I would just observe the whole thing, but I ended up acting, sound assisting, and scriptwriting for some of his films.

Like this one, where we got to shoot in Lisbon’s south bay area:

From then on, I began to admire the way he works and decided he would be a perfect fit for the launching of this new series in my blog where I attempt to profile creative people whilst talking about their process. We sat down on a Saturday afternoon and had a very relaxed and pleasant conversation.

Background and education

Jonas was born in Ratzeburg, Germany, and got interested in the creative world at a young age, around 6 years old. Back then, he was fascinated with the power of fantasy storytelling and thought of becoming a writer in that genre. But, with the release of fantastical epic adventure sagas, such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, a new door opened. He didn’t have to only imagine those universes anymore, now he could see them. And just like so he was hooked on the film format and language.

His first project, at 15, was entitled Neverland, a story of four teenagers trying to escape a nightmare. He then went to acting school and did some acting-related jobs. But after a year, he grew apart from it, as he says:

“I’m not very fond of being in the industry as an actor. Unless you have some star-status, you don’t have a lot of leverage on which kinds of projects you do… If you get to act on any project that is paid, it is great. But that is not the space I want to move into. At the same time, I found my love in directing, because I was in charge of the story, and not of just one little piece of it. I will come back to acting at some point, I still love it, but now is not the right time. Good acting to me comes from a very rich life, so living this life first doesn’t seem too bad of a choice”

When it comes to schooling and formal education in creative arts, Jonas affirms it is not his favorite way of learning.

“Right now I have cameras, I have people, I have the environment around me… I don’t need anything. I don’t need a professor to tell me, my restrictions for my next short film that I have to shoot on celluloid and can only be 10 minutes long and… oh, by the way, here’s the topic you have to talk about in the movie. No, thank you.”

For him, a Do-It-Yourself approach to creativity can be just as effective and sometimes even more promising.

“Your own creation in comparison to the creation you aspire it to look like lacks something and you can figure out where the problem is exactly and then investigate. And because you investigate, it is your own thought and you find your own answers.”

The process

Jonas likes to start his projects with a moment of solitude in which he tries to figure out what exactly is he wants to transmit. He proceeds to an extensive outline each step of the way, constructing a story, its arc, and its characters. It is only after he has a clear idea of how each scene begins and ends that he proceeds to write them down.

As much as he “doesn’t like anyone in his head” during the writing, when it comes to the shooting, good communication is key, as well as a sense of collaboration. It can get difficult on-site when things get a little out of control, but it is important to love the chaos. Going through that process and conquering it, is very satisfactory and, in his opinion, is what makes him and others go back to it each time.

The process is something very personal, where right or wrong does not really apply.

“I don’t think there is a secret. Everyone needs to find their own answers. They can try different things. But for sure, there’s not only one way that things work out. Some people love to work in restaurants with other people talking around them, and others need a lockdown workspace. Everyone should consider their own needs and wants and should not feel restricted by however they are supposed to work. It comes down to all different aspects from outlining, to how many drafts you have.”

Recurrent themes and inspirations

Fantasy and fantastic worlds are a go-to style for Jonas, since, in theory, it is easy to create a whole new world and manipulate its laws, principles, and cause-consequence relations, as well as compare it to our real world. These are good elements for storytelling and entertainment.

Apart from it, the idea of exploring deeper themes like meaning, existentialism, and legacy in movies is very intriguing, he says, even though quite challenging. The interest for such subjects came from reading the books of Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, and Jordan B. Petterson, 12 Rules for Life.

In terms of craftsmanship, Jonas finds inspiration in the works of directors Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and David Fincher, but also in his mentor-figure, entrepreneur Shane Melaugh.

What is he doing now?

Jonas works for Ikario, a media company, producing video content. He also has a production company called Phantasy Productions. In his spare time, he goes horseback riding, creates a fantasy game, and helps out friends in their creative projects.

You can find more details about Challenge 44’s rules in this video, as well as the films on his YouTube channel.

Your friend,

Ana.