While a rough cut has been hanging around since last autumn, I have just completed my final cut of The Crisis, my second directorial effort. While LRC is a lot of fun as being essentially a fantasy film with elements of comedy, The Crisis is definitely a better indicator of where I am headed as a narrative filmmaker. Both dramatic and suspenseful, it also features strong hints of sexual depravity and senseless violence presented in an ambiguous manner which leaves the viewer with any number of personal interpretations. Granted, I’ve just begin to barely scratch the surface of what I am potentially capable of as a filmmaker within this realm, but the mere act of completing this project already has my head swimming with all sorts of new ideas for visual storytelling.

Unlike LRC, upon which I spent several months in preproduction all by myself, The Crisis came together in an incredibly quick fashion. (more…)

For my final project as I conclude my formal education in film and video production, I have assembled a demo reel consisting of my work to date. Projects represented include: LRC, The Crisis, Bombs Away!, and Shattered, various elements of each showcasing my work as a director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and actor. Uncredited skills include my work as an editor and (with Mode Nouveauxx) composer. I’ll be presenting my reel in person on April 19th before an audience at SAU Tech. It’s admittedly hard for me to believe it’s all coming to a conclusion so quickly.

Although my formal education in filmmaking has pretty much come to an end at this point as I prepare to graduate with my associate’s degree in less than three weeks, I will still continue to pursue higher education objectives. (more…)

It’s hard to admit when a project simply isn’t working, and that it’s time to cut bait and move. The more time and effort one puts into it only serves to make such a revelation, and subsequent abortion of said project, that much more difficult.

Having worked sporadically on the screenplay for Discothèque for just over approximately one year, I really haven’t done anything at all with it over the past couple of months. Yes, this semester of college has definitely taken up much of my time, but the reasons for this complete lack of attention go far beyond that easy excuse. To put it bluntly: Discothèque, in its current incarnation, just isn’t going to work. I’ve finally reached this conclusion on the basis of several important realizations: (more…)

To this point in 2012, I have been completely nonexistent as a blogger. It’s not that I haven’t been incredibly busy (which I have), but most everything I’ve done so far this year has amounted to preparation for bigger and better things to begin coming in the very near future. As I have to complete 18 credit hours in order to graduate in early May, school has been taking up a good chink of my time as of late. While I have found the college experience to be vastly rewarding upon multiple levels, I’m definitely ready to be done with it, at least on a full-time basis. I’ll still continue taking classes, but only as I work part-time towards a bachelor’s degree (for which my major is currently undecided).

The biggest news I have at the moment has to do with my name. Over the years, many people have correctly assumed that Stefan Diamante is not my real name; as of this week, however, I am excited to say that it is now indeed my legal name. All in all, the entire process of having a circuit judge sign off on my order for name change was incredibly (more…)

As yet another year winds to a conclusion, I’m choosing to end it with a bang (at least, for me) by announcing Studio Nouveauté‘s production of Discothèque in 2012. This feature-length film (with an estimated running time of approximately 90 minutes) is an ultra-stylish mix of suspense, drama, and action as various parties chase after the score of a lifetime in the course of a single night. They collectively race towards a head-on collision, with some falling by the wayside, until only three remain. Set amidst a sea of organized crime and seedy nightlife, Discothèque covers much ground from beginning to end.

I began writing the screenplay for Discothèque in the winter of 2010/2011 with the intention of producing and directing a short film which showcases much of the territory I ultimately wish to explore, and by which I want to define myself, as a filmmaker. As a result, the screenplay contains many elements of edgy behavior executed within an atmosphere of (more…)