Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Leal.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was first interested in film when I was 12, I saw my brother making YouTube videos with his friends and wanted to copy him. The difference was I never stopped, I started watching more movies and TV shows and used them as inspiration for my own YouTube videos. Then I started making my little shows, when I was 15 I created a rip-off version of my favorite show grown-up, The Walking Dead. Then when I was 17I made a raunchy nonsensical sitcom show called Steward and Carl. I found it fulfilling to create content for my friends and others to watch. I enjoyed hearing about what my classmates and friends found entertaining the next day at school.
After high school, I stayed in New Jersey to start college locally but didn’t find it worthwhile because I wasn’t very interested in any of my classes. I started looking into schools for film and landed on SCAD because my brother was going to SCAD in Savannah for animation. I wanted to go to Atlanta however because I knew that it was an up-and-coming hub for the film industry and would be a really good opportunity for me.
But then it was 2020 and we all know what happened, I was stuck inside and itching to find something to do just like everyone else. I found myself on the phone with my good friend Eric McGill a lot during this time and we were both trying to brainstorm an idea to keep us both busy. We thought of this new idea where we could dress up as really corny superheroes and try to get a reaction out of real people in public.
So we started buying supplies and spending all of our free time (which was basically all of the time) together building two superhero suits one green and one purple. As we were working on them we started spitballing ideas on how to expand this idea. We thought of a show that Eric introduced me to called Nirvana the Band the Show where a band tries to book a show at a restaurant and it is mostly filmed in front of real people to get a genuine reaction. So we took inspiration from that. We created a story where we left parts open for public filming because it wasn’t something we could plan and we filmed it. We loved the idea of pathetic superheroes and had a lot of fun filming with a minimal script. When we finally posted it, it was the most well-received work I have done. It was relieving to know that the audience found it as entertaining as we did.
When I finally got to SCAD in the fall of 2020 it was alienating because I was stuck in my apartment alone in a city I had never been to going to school online, but once things started to open up again I started meeting people that had interests I had. It was crazy to me because being interested in the film was unheard of in my town and to be in a place where there are so many filmmakers was really exciting. I started getting on sets in the fall of 2021 with other SCAD students and making connections. By February of 2022, I got my first professional gig on a music video set. In the beginning of April, I got a text from a producer of a feature film that one of my connections had recommended me to. My first professional gig on a feature film which is a huge step for me. It’s shooting for 3 weeks starting at the end of June and I am looking forward to it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely been a weird path for me because I am traditionally an introverted person and the film industry is heavily connection-based. I think a big struggle for me was breaking out of my shell and trying to meet like-minded people, it was also super intimidating to me because it felt like I knew nothing about a real film set coming into SCAD and everyone around me was so knowledgeable. It was until I started asking questions that I realized everyone was very humble about what they did and didn’t know that they were happy to share the information. For the first time in my life, it felt like I was in a real learning environment. My biggest struggle has been getting out of my own way and it is still a constant struggle.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am currently pursuing the role of DP (Director of Photography) on film sets and a post-production role of editing. When I got to school I didn’t know what part of the film industry I wanted to go into, but when I met my mentor Van Dihn, he helped me figure out what I should be going for. He has been a huge inspiration to me and I owe him a lot when it comes to my professional career.
I would say the work I am most proud of is my web series Team Super created with Eric McGill. For me, it is the most creatively fulfilling because I am able to write, direct, act, and edit. Having no studio or company regulate what kind of content I produce is a freedom I am happy to have, and even though it is not monetizable, I do hope to pitch the web series once it is complete and potentially get it greenlit for an actual TV show.
Team Super was also liberating for me because I am introverted so it was a really big thing for me to portray a character who runs around in a green spandex suit in front of real people and has confidence with seemingly no shame. It wasn’t an easy character to get into but once I put on the suit it was kind of freeing to wear a mask. Something Eric and I both realized once we started filming in public was that people took notice of us, we had people coming up to us and asking for pictures, and everyone seemed to have an opinion about what we were doing, and it gave us all kinds of content to work into the show.
I think this show sets me apart from others. From what I have noticed film students want to go by the book, a film with the big cameras with the perfect settings, have the most professional gear and make their projects the best looking they can. But what Team Super has taught me is that as long as I have a camera, a mic, and a good idea, all the technical stuff isn’t as important. Of course, you want your product to look good, but if you have a bad story or an idea that falls flat, it is more noticeable than if your shot is a little too exposed or the sound quality isn’t crisp. That may be a controversial opinion but for me, you can achieve good storytelling with cheaper equipment.
I am very thankful for where I am at now and I owe a lot to my family and friends. My girlfriend Rebekah has been a life-changer for me, she has been a huge inspiration for me and helped me establish a good work ethic. Without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
From a young age, I was interested in filming videos. It was something to do when I was hanging out with friends and it was a good hobby for me. I was a super introverted kid and filming videos was a way for me to show my personality to others. For some reason, it never scared me to upload a video of myself, but talking to someone was always nerve-wracking. I was never the smartest kid in the room, but I had a childhood where I had to mature very quickly, so I felt like I was one of the most mature kids. I was a kid who always tried to make others happy and I think that’s why I became interested in film.
Contact Info:
- Email: kylejleal@gmail.com
- Website: https://kyleleal.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyleleal/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-WfPlrpL-h4mhp7HMeMag
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/teamsuper.mp4/
Image Credits
Dark Heart Videre
