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…)

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…)

As the new year quickly approaches, I’ve been hard at work getting myself positioned for new and exciting advancements, personally and professionally. Many of my so-called resolutions are currently being documented on Stefan After Dark, including my aspirations for music, film, and photography. In short, I have some serious aspirations for 2012, especially after spending the past few years bubbling under, as it were, as I made significant transitions for the specific purpose of elevating my overall game to new and exciting levels.

While I have a number of big plans, particularly for Mode Nouveauxx and Discothèque, I’m still open for any and all creative and professional opportunities which may find their way to me. For a multitude of reasons too complex for me to delve into right now, the ushering in of an exceptional degree of widespread triumph is long past due. If nothing else, 2012 will prove to be quite the ride for everyone involved. (more…)

I’ve always been quick to state that the prospect of acting has never been a significant passion of mine, but following my “strong, silent type” cameo in LRC, I’ve actually become somewhat enamored with the idea of acting as a secondary film talent of mine, as it were. Having said that, I hadn’t anticipated taking the lead role in writer/director Chris Cooper’s short film Bombs Away! this autumn.

I have to admit, it was definitely fun being on camera, especially in a film which is absolutely unlike anything I would ever write, produce, and/or direct. In this incredibly oddball comedy, I star as Gertrude (yes, Gertrude): an excitable conspiracy theorist who displays quite a level of mental instability. As I take a technical approach to acting, I didn’t so much become my character as much as I imitated a composite of: Rusty Gartrell, Art Bell, a meth addict, and a negative stereotype of a Fox News viewer. Throw in my lingering sinus infection at the time, and Gertrude was alive and kicking. (more…)