Production photos courtesy of David W. King
Jacob Castillo Interviews SFSU Alumni David W. King, Director of One Night Only
Jacob Castillo: What was your inspiration for One Night Only?
David W. King: I’ve always been drawn to stories that are just a little bit odd. One Night Only was my first film in the ‘Core” film program at SFSU and my first foray into 16mm film. Because film is all we had and it being quite expensive to purchase and process, I tried to come up with an idea that would be easy to shoot, wouldn’t require a lot of locations and would satisfy my need to tell a funny yet strange story. Deciding to work with a young kid could have been a mistake but he was a dream to work with.
What was your experience shooting this film?
Shooting One Night Only was so much fun. We were a crew of about 8 plus the 3 cast members. We shot it in a room that we got for free at the Oasis Inn on Franklin (still there, I believe). We shot it in about 8 hours, using all of the Film departments gear. The Canon Scoopic camera – an old news camera – was the department’s “sync sound” camera but it was still super loud. We had to drape my DP in sound blankets just to keep the camera noise out of the film.
Why did you choose to attend San Francisco State University? Was there another school you wanted to attend?
I grew up in San Diego and started College at San Diego State University. When I decided to pursue film school, I wanted to look beyond LA and New York. I had some friends in San Francisco so I applied there. It was my first and only choice for film school.
Are you happy with the career path you have chosen? Were there any doubts about it when you were in school or after you graduated?
Right after I graduated, I started working as a PA on TV commercials, first in SF and then in LA. I then started finding work as a camera assistant and saw myself working my way up to DP and Director. It didn’t quite work out that way and after many years in and out of the film industry, I ended up as a commercial editor. If I had it to do over again, I might have tried to stay true to my dream of becoming a director but overall, I have no regrets.
Is there any work you have done that you are most proud of?
My second film at school, “At Nine Months” was also selected for Film Finals, got a really nice review in the SF Weekly, played at a few film festivals around the country and went on to be nominated for a Student Academy Award. It didn’t win but, you know, it’s just an honor to be nominated. 🙂
When did you know you wanted to pursue filmmaking?
I started college as a graphic design/advertising major. I took a film studies class as an elective, my freshman year at San Diego State. The professor not only taught history and theory but also filmmaking technique. I became fascinated with the process of making films and soon started researching film schools.
Is it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either?
For me, getting started is always the hard part. Coming up with the idea and then not hating it after working it out is the biggest hurdle. Once I get started, not much stands in my way of finishing.
What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you?
Engaging characters and story, told by someone with a unique point of view. (see below)
What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
The films of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, and Jim Jarmusch were my biggest inspiration and influences in school. Specifically, Godfather I and II, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Stranger than Paradise and Down By Law.
We get noticed because of our successes- but we create them on the back of our failures. We learn best from experiences where it doesn’t work. And yet we still only discuss the success, not the failure. What failures (of your own) have you been able to learn from? How did they change you and your process?
This is a tough one. It’s not so much a failure but right after school, I was in line for an assistant editor gig on Coppola’s “Dracula”. When I didn’t get the job, I decided to move down to LA. At the time, it felt like it was my best chance to work in the industry and that I’d never get another chance. Turns out, I was wrong. (still wish I had gotten that job, though)
Film, perhaps more so than any other popular art form, is the compromise between art and commerce. How has your art been shaped by both the money you have had or not had? Do you create with budget limitations in mind?
Compared to when I was in school, you don’t need as much money to tell the same stories. We were really limited by budget because of the cost of camera and lens rental, film stock, processing, work prints, access to a flatbed editor, negative cutting, etc. I could shoot One Night Only today on my phone and it would probably look just as good, if not better. So yes, I did create with budget limitations in mind but not so much anymore.
I am a big believer in the importance of social media in many aspects of the film process. Are you on social media and do you use it in your work? Why or why not?
I am no longer on social media at all. When I was running my own production company, I used Instagram and Facebook to some extent for marketing but now that I’m a staff editor, I don’t have much need for it.
When I got started there were two screens: the movie screen and the television screen. Now there are also computers, tablets, and phones. And screens are everywhere: the home, the bus stop, the elevator, the taxi cab. As a creator how does this affect the stories you tell and how you tell them?
Most, if not all, of my work now is in advertising so all of those screens are very important and necessary.
Is there anything you are working on now? Any new upcoming projects you are excited about?
I’ve always got a few stories kicking around but as I wrote earlier, getting started is the hardest thing for me. I’ve been talking to a few of my film school classmates about collaborating on a new project but nothing concrete. Perhaps this will light my fire?
** These interview questions have been adapted from Ted Hope’s “25 Things I Want to Know From New Filmmakers“
