Interview with Guernslye Honorés
Enthusiasm is infectious. The best feedback you can get from people is when they feed off your energy. Their eyes light up and they in turn use that energy to spread onto others.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kyle Michaels.
Kyle Michaels is a filmmaker specializing in the short form. For decades he has written and directed commercials, music videos, documentaries, and web series. Graduated by the Art Center College of Design and years of experience at Black Dog Films, a music video subsidiary of RSA (Ridley Scott Creative Group). Michaels’s filmography includes partnering with cameraman Mark Irwin (Old School, Dumb and Dumber), directing actress Natasha Leggero (Funny or Die), and short films nominated for the Burbank Film Festival 2022 (The Smart Sitter) and LA Shorts International Film Festival 2023 (Jane).
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I grew up in West Los Angeles. I am from a big family, the youngest of six brothers and sisters. We were a pretty rambunctious bunch playing football in the front yard and writing our names alongside funny stories and poems in the attic ceiling. We would make home movies and go on road trips to the forest or the Grand Canyon. Most of the time we would be challenging each other to silly competitions like who is the fastest runner with their shoelaces tied together. My father would play classical guitar and piano while my mom would sing Gilbert and Sullivan songs in the living room. Even though there were a lot of us and we didn’t always agree, there always seemed to be a group dynamic where we would come together when things were out of sorts and figure it out as a unit.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
We used to make home movies as kids. My parents and the six of us would play the cast and the crew as we would make full on productions. We lived in a very old and creaky house which was perfect for filming horror movies. Those were some of the funnest times of my childhood. We would shoot scenes and take out the VHS tape that we recorded from the camcorder, pop it in the VCR and laugh our heads off. We made comedies, horror movies, and adventure stories. I never thought that would be something I could pursue as a career. When I was 18 and in my first year at UC Davis, I decided that a career as a filmmaker was the path for me and I went for it. I moved back to LA, went to Santa Monica College, transferred to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, majored in film production and the rest is history.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
In the early 2000’s I was directing music videos. A rapper named Flycat from Milan, Italy was collaborating with a well-known Latino-LA based rap group named Sick Symphonies. One of the founding members, Big Duke, was shot in the neck attempting to break up a fight between a quarreling couple at Tommy Burger; a famous late night burger joint in the Rampart district of LA. He was left a quadriplegic due to the gunshot wound. Flycat, the Italian rapper, had a song called Los Angeles, about his adopted town and Big Duke was featured in the song. This was his first appearance with the group since his injury left him completely immobile from the neck down. I was tasked to conceive and direct their music video. I had never met anyone with that severe of a disability, let alone directed someone in that condition. I did, however, want to shoot him in such a way that his disability was not showcased in the music video. The day of the shoot I brought my crew over to Big Dukes house in East LA. He was in a very bulky wheelchair that had a headrest that went all the way up to the base of his neck. He was helped by his wife who, after getting him down from the handicap van to the set, had to suck phlegm out of his trachea tube that was still in his throat. Needless to say, I was intimidated by the moment. His voice was a very low whisper and I could hardly hear him. When you light a scene, you light for the set and then when the actors come in you have to make small adjustments to the lighting, sometimes it is best to move the actor rather than move the lights. Since he was already on his mark, and we were in a tight close up on Big Duke, I had to make a slight adjustment to his head — the only thing he could move. I humbly asked his wife if she could move his head and she very matter-of-factly put her hand on the top of his head and moved it every which way, “like this?” she asked — lovingly flopping his head around like a rag doll. We finally got him in the right place and shot the scene. After the shoot, we had the screening. We showed it in a packed loft in Downtown LA. There were a few hundred people there, most of them dressed in gang-style attire. The place went wild, especially when Big Duke came on the screen. I looked over at his face and he was over-the-moon happy. After the screening he asked if we could keep on showing the music video about five or six more times. His expression never wavered; the smile was plastered on his face the whole time and it looked like he hadn’t been that happy in quite a long time. It is not very often that as a filmmaker you get to have that kind of impact on someone. It was a moment that I will cherish forever, one that I could bring some sense of relief to a man that had been through an immense amount of suffering. It did show me the power of filmmaking.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I had the pleasure of working with Mark Irwin early on in my career. This was in the early 2000’s and Digital Cinematography was not mainstream yet. We were shooting digital and got a camera package from Panavision Woodland Hills and Mark agreed to be the cameraman. He had a very long career shooting scores of big budget features such as Old School and Dumb and Dumber, to name a few. Being a few years out of film school I had never worked with someone so seasoned. He couldn’t have been a nicer guy and one of the smartest people I had ever met. He looked at every decision from where to put the camera to lighting the set, all from a purely storytelling perspective. He had taught me so much about blocking actors and most of all he showed to me what it meant to be a professional. Not only was he donating his time to the project, but he was always available and super collaborative and worked within the tiny budget, with the same intensity as if it was a big show. He showed the stoke for filmmaking much like someone just starting out would, let alone a veteran cameraman. He rolled up his sleeves and was such a trooper throughout the whole process and I learned so much from him. Most of all I learned the humility and professionalism of those at the top of the industry show. As a young filmmaker that really made a tremendous impact on me. Fresh out of school I was able to get on-set experience with a veteran filmmaker and learn the craft as well as how to compose myself professionally.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mom was such a help to me when I was first starting out. She was, and still is, a very gifted painter and supported the arts as well as my filmmaking journey. She was always at my screenings and offered to help on my student films and even acted in the short I made to get into the Art Center. I was screening a film and we were using an old film projector. I remember looking over at her reeling up the film in the projector after the film was screened. That moment stuck with me — she was literally, wrapping up my creativity into a little ball. She always came to my screenings and shoots and was so encouraging. As an artist, you really need someone in your corner to support you — especially in something as challenging as film. The right emotional support can carry someone through the hard times and challenging circumstances a future film career poses.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Mary Anne Williamson has a quote that I absolutely love.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
I think this is such a great truth for everyone. All of us go through periods where we doubt ourselves and are unsure of our place in the world around us. I find myself thinking to myself all the time, ‘Who am I to think I am special enough that I might have something meaningful to say?’ The self-doubt can creep in and get in the way of what I want to accomplish. Her words give the self-doubting thoughts a way of disarming themselves. If you believe in helping the world around you to become a better place then you have a perfect path forward by being yourself and letting your authentic self emerge, so that others may benefit. People want to be inspired and it’s okay to be the one to inspire others — it’s not self-seeking, it’s a reciprocal way of giving that we receive!
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Filmmaking is at its best when it comes from a unique perspective. We watch movies to be engaged in an interesting story, to be entertained and moved. It is through diversity that those points of view that we might not have encountered in our life come across to influence us in ways we might not realize. First, when we are exposed to a group of people, they cease to be a mystery and it becomes easier to understand and relate to them. Second, we might find out more about ourselves when we find out about other ethnic groups, religions and genders. Last, we will find out how much we have in common with each other than ever thought before. Our culture becomes a much richer and inclusive place with a more diverse thread to it. Through the power of film and storytelling we have a vehicle to impact others and begin to have a shared experience — that commonality will bring us culturally closer together.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am really excited about developing my short film Jane into a feature film. Jane is about a young woman who is hitting her alcoholic bottom, and keeps digging. She goes to her first meeting and opens up to the group. Where the short leaves off the feature film emerges. In a sense, it is the beginning of her journey through the twelve steps, starting from step 1 — admitting we are powerless and our lives have become unmanageable. As the story weaves through the twelve steps outlined in the big book of AA, we find out that Jane and other women have different backgrounds and experiences, yet similar life goals.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I like the underground, the underbelly, the places in society that are in the shadows and try to give them a platform to shine in a way you might not expect. I directed a documentary for Homeboy Industries — an LA based non-profit that focuses on employment as a way for gang youth to get out of the downward spiral of drugs, gangs and institutions. I was lucky enough to work on a project that centered on high school aged kids that were making a rap album to raise money for Homeboy Industries. We went to a high school in East LA where they had a studio and we filmed them recording songs they wrote and performed as well as interviewed them for the documentary. It was a challenge to have them open up to me and share their stories on the documentary because I was asking questions about their life that they weren’t comfortable sharing right away. I thought to myself, how I might feel if someone was asking me personal questions about my life that I might not want to share with a total stranger. After putting myself in their shoes and being with them day after day, I was able to empathize with them even though our backgrounds were vastly different. We all have a way we can relate to each other on a personal level and gang youth are no different than any other teenagers, in that they want and need the same things we all do at that age — someone to listen to us, someone to care about us and a place to belong to. In the end, I was able to put together a touching documentary for a group of kids that were defying the odds and doing what they love. I also had a chance to interview Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, who was a larger-than-life figure. His whole mission was about those kids that came in through his doors. The transformations he was able to facilitate for a group of people that had a very difficult road, was amazing to be around. One person can and does make a huge difference in people’s lives — it was a proud moment for me to be a part of such a unique and transformative non-profit.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
- A director is like a CEO of a company. You wouldn’t go to Bank of America off the street and ask to be the CEO. Filmmaking is much the same way. Have something to offer the studio or the production company other than your talents. Anyone can be talented; bring some value that only you can bring. When coming out of film school I had an idea that talent alone would propel my career. Film is a business and it takes looking at it as such to begin to have success.
- Lick stamps. Find where you want to go and lick stamps. On the job experience is very important as a young talent. I worked at a Production Company in Los Angeles when I got out of school and it was an incredible experience. I was exposed to the inner workings of a film company that gave me exposure to the engine that drives the content we see on a daily basis.
- Be a part of a group of like-minded people. Find where you fit in and grow with that group. It took me a bit of growing pains to get out of my own artistic bubble and spread my tentacles to a group of artists. That has been invaluable for me as we depend on each other and help each other and support one another’s artistic endeavors.
- People want to be inspired; inspire them. Inspiration is the life blood of creativity.
- Enthusiasm is infectious. The best feedback you can get from people is when they feed off your energy. Their eyes light up and they in turn use that energy to spread onto others.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
For me, it’s all about the viewer. It starts with an inspiration and everything after that has to do with the audience. The job of a filmmaker, any artist for that matter, is to create an emotional response in the audience. The inspiration could come from a title, an image, a funny anecdote or a newspaper article. From that initial inspiration every single breath is dedicated to the emotional response in the audience. It starts at the macro level with story and character and beats, then bringing that vision to life with actors, wardrobe and set design and ultimately in the editing room with the tiniest adjustments to ensure that the viewer takes in the story how it is meant to be shown. It could work on a conscious or subconscious level. The viewer is in the story, going where you want them to go but most of all, filling in the blanks with their own ideas; that’s what keeps the viewer engaged.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would try to get everyone to learn how to surf a wave. Because of modern technology wave pools are getting more exciting and engaging. It has brought surfing to more people than ever before. People are surfing every kind of wave: from river surfing in Germany, to tidal bore surfing in China, to lake surfing in Michigan. Dancing and skipping and playing on big bodies of water is something everyone should experience. It works on your mind, body and soul. When you are out in the water catching waves your mind is hooked into the spiritual realm without much effort. The ups and downs of life seem to leave themselves on dry land. When you’re surfing a wave you are totally locked in and engaged in a playful and intense dance on the water. The ocean and its wildlife are both beautiful and mesmerizing. There are different types of boards and waves for different skill levels, so it can be for everyone. My life has changed for the better since I started surfing at age sixteen and I believe that everyone who will give surfing a shot and stick with it will be better off as a people, from the inside out — much as I have.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
I grew up in Los Angeles and remember watching the showtime era of the Lakers. From seeing him play and winning Championships, to his announcement of his HIV status, to being an entrepreneur and a real estate mogul, I would love to sit down with Magic Johnson over a burger and fries. The amount of people he has influenced and the courage he showed in sharing his HIV status with the world when at that time, everyone was really scared of what they didn’t know. I have friends who live in Leimert Park and coming from another part of town and seeing his movie theater next to the Crenshaw mall and opening Starbucks’ in parts of Los Angeles that other investors would stay away from was so impressive to me. He seems to always be at the forefront of cultural change and seems to go through it with such grace and still is so visible as a positive role model. I also want to ask him to take me through that baby hook shot in the 1987 finals over the Celtics to win game 4. What an amazing moment for Laker nation!!
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can find me on LinkedIn: Kyle Michaels
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Kyle Michaels: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.