David F. Sandberg

David F. Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker. He is best known for his collective no-budget horror short films under the online pseudonym ponysmasher and for his 2016 directorial debut Lights Out, based on his 2013 acclaimed horror short of the same name.[1] He also directed The Conjuring Universe spin-off horror film Annabelle: Creation (2017), Shazam! (2019), the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe, and the experimental film I Flip You Off for Four Hours (2020).

David F. Sandberg
Sandberg at the 2019 WonderCon
Born (1981-01-21) 21 January 1981
Jönköping, Sweden
Other namesponysmasher (online alias)
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2006–present
Known for
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2013)​

Early life

David F. Sandberg was born on 21 January 1981 in Jönköping, Sweden. According to Sandberg, he grew up watching films and making his own using his dad's VHS-C camera. He worked in a video store as a teenager, and saved up money to buy his own camcorder for filmmaking.[2][3]

Career

Beginning with animation and documentaries (2006–2013)

In his late teens or early twenties, Sandberg began working at Film i Jönköping, a local film center in Jönköping, initially as an intern. He learned more about filmmaking from Svante Rosberg, the film commissioner who ran Film i Jönköping when he started, and whom Sandberg considers his mentor.[3]

Starting in 2006, Sandberg found moderate online success making animated short films; according to Sandberg, his first online successes were his films För Barnen and Vad Tyst Det Blev, the latter of which garnered 1.7 million views on YouTube. As a result of his increased visibility, he began to receive offers for animation work; his first job was working as a consultant on the TV show Myggan on the Swedish Channel 5.[4]

He continued working at Film i Jönköping, primarily working on documentary projects. From 2006 to 2009, he worked on several documentaries for Arvsfonden, the Swedish Inheritance Fund.[5] His last collaboration with Rosberg before his retirement was Animera = Göra Livlig, a 2010 documentary about senior citizens creating animated films.[6]

In 2009, he moved to the city of Gothenburg. He continued working on animation and documentaries, and began collaborating with producer Claes Lundin. In 2011, they completed and sold an animated documentary series called Earth Savers, and in 2013, their documentary short Ladyboy premiered at Cinequest Film Festival.[2][7]

Shifting to feature films (2013–present)

In 2013, he began to shift his focus away from animation and documentary works and towards horror short films. According to Sandberg, his original goal with filmmaking had been to make horror and sci-fi films, and he felt he needed to have some existing work in that field in order to get funding for future work. Lacking any funding of his own, his shorts were made with no budget—his equipment and props consisted mostly of items he already had or could buy very cheaply, and his only cast and crew were himself and Lotta Losten, his wife. He released his films on both Vimeo and YouTube, using his alias ponysmasher.[3]

In 2013, he released his second horror short, Lights Out, which centered around a monster that only exists when the lights are turned out. The film was a viral success, and quickly garnered millions of views. According to Sandberg, his life changed "in every way imaginable" after Lights Out; he began receiving tons of messages from film industry people who wanted to work with him.[8]

One of these contacts was Lawrence Grey, a producer who wanted to adapt Lights Out into a feature-length film. Grey brought screenwriter Eric Heisserer and producer James Wan on board to collaborate and produce a script with Sandberg, who would also direct the new feature.[9] The film (also titled Lights Out) began production in mid-2015, and premiered at LA Film Festival in June 2016. The film was a massive box office success, grossing $148 million on a $5 million budget,[10] and a moderate critical success, earning a 76% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 58 out of 100 score on Metacritic.[11][12]

Sandberg next directed Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to supernatural horror film Annabelle and the fourth film in The Conjuring Universe. The film was released in 2017 to positive reviews and box office success.[13][14][15]

In 2019, Sandberg directed the DC Extended Universe superhero film Shazam!, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film received positive reviews.[16] In April 2019, TheWrap reported that New Line Cinema is developing a sequel with Sandberg returning to direct the sequel.[17][18]

Personal life

Sandberg was diagnosed with atypical autism when he was a child.[19]

Sandberg married actress, designer, and photographer Lotta Losten in 2013. She has featured in many of his short films, including Lights Out.[20]

Sandberg and Losten moved to Los Angeles together circa 2015.[21] Sandberg's younger brother is Joakim Sandberg, creator of the Iconoclasts video game.[22]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Notes
2016 Lights Out Directorial debut
Based on his short film
2017 Annabelle: Creation
2019 Shazam! Also voiced the uncredited roles of Travis[23] and Mister Mind and performed the Crocodile-Men[24][25]
2020 I Flip You Off for Four Hours
2023 Shazam! Fury of the Gods
TBA The Culling

Shorts
Year Title Director Writer Producer Cinematographer Editor Composer Actor Notes
2006 Vad tyst det blev… Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Role: Boy (voice only)
Also sound department
2011 Animera = Göra livlig Yes No No No Yes Yes No Documentary short
2012 The Drawing Box Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Role: David/David's Brother
2013 Ladyboy Yes No No Yes No Yes No Documentary short
Cam Closer Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No
Lights Out Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
2014 Pictured Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No
Not So Fast Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Role: Man
Coffer Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No
See You Soon Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No
2015 Attic Panic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Role: Ghost
2016 Closet Space Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Role: David
2020 Shadowed Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
2020 Not Alone in Here Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No

Television
Year Title Director Composer Animator Notes
2011 Earth Savers 6 episodes 5 episodes 2 episodes Documentary series

References
  1. Slotek, Jim (July 21, 2016). "'Lights Out': David F. Sandberg goes from YouTube to Hollywood". Toronto Sun. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  2. "10 things you may not know about David F Sandberg". Warner Bros. UK. Warner Bros. July 21, 2016. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  3. Sandberg, David F. "More than you ever wanted to know about David F. Sandberg". dauid.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. Astfors, Nicklas (December 20, 2011). "Vad Tyst Det Blev - Långfilmen". MrFilm (in Swedish). Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  5. "Filmproduktion" (in Swedish). Region Jönköpings län. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  6. "Animera=göra livlig (2010)". Swedish Film Database (in Swedish). Swedish Film Institute. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. "Ladyboy". Cinequest. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  8. Thompson, Simon (21 July 2016). "'Lights Out' Director David F. Sandberg Talks Going From Zero To $5 Million Budgets And His Hollywood Horror Story". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  9. Zeitchik, Steven (June 8, 2016). "How David Sandberg turned a viral-short sensation into a horror feature with 'Lights Out'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  10. "Lights Out (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  11. "Lights Out (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  12. "Lights Out Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  13. "Annabelle: Creation Is a Potent Prequel". Retrieved 2017-08-13.
  14. Borys Kit (July 21, 2016). "How New Line Cinema Is Making a Killing in Horror". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  15. Kristine Walker (July 2, 2016). "'Annabelle 2' Release Date, Latest News & Updates: 'Annabelle' Sequel Bringing More Evil Dolls To Haunt Orphans? Instagram Photos Hint Start Of Filming". Parent Herald. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  16. Borys Kit (July 2, 2016). "'Shazam!' Is Next DC Movie to Shoot (Exclusive)". Hollywoodreporter. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  17. Gonzalez, Umberto (April 8, 2019). "'Shazam!' Writer Henry Gayden Will Return to Write Sequel (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  18. Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 22, 2020). "'Shazam!': Zachary Levi And Cast Reveal Title Of Sequel, Remain Tight-Lipped On Details – DC FanDome". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  19. "Shazam! Director David F. Sandberg Has Uplifting Message For Aspiring Filmmakers". ScreenRant. 2021-01-03. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  20. Mintchell, Fredrick (July 22, 2016). "Lights Out's David F. Sandberg and Lotta Losten are living their own Hollywood rags to riches story". World Tech Today. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  21. Sandberg, David F. (February 25, 2016). "The Making of Closet Space". Vimeo. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  22. Sandberg, David F. (23 January 2018). "My little brother's game that he's worked on for years by himself is out today!https://twitter.com/konjak/status/955713655043166209 …". Twitter. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  23. Sandberg, David F. [@ponysmasher] (April 2, 2020). "Travis, the asshole boyfriend, is played by yours truly. #QuarantineWatchParty #Shazam" (Tweet). Retrieved April 3, 2020 – via Twitter.
  24. Patches, Matt; Polo, Susana (April 5, 2019). "Shazam director reveals the voice behind his post-credits scene tease". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  25. Sandberg, David F. [@ponysmasher] (April 2, 2020). "I played all three crocodile men. It was extremely uncomfortable . #QuarantineWatchParty #Shazam" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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