Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Nguyen.
Dylan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always had a love the arts since I was little. From elementary school art class, playing clarinet in a band from 7th-12th grade, being in dance, to photography and film. High school is when I really got into filmmaking. I was band historian for three years, took a photography which also had video, then the school offered a video course for the first time in my senior year; of course, I jumped into that! I also met Zachary Dyck and Carter Van Meter along the way who share the same passion. I didn’t really know what to do when I got into college, I wasn’t necessarily good at anything else so I decided why not take my passion for creating art and film as a career. Since graduating high school in 2013, I teamed up with Zach and Carter to make these fun short films.
Eventually, when we all got to the University of North Texas (we are different ages and some of us did community college first), we began to market ourselves with the help of our families and got some clients all around the metroplex. From corporate videos, real/commercial estate videos, music videos, recitals, events, and more; all while still creating films! I have even toured some parts of the United States as a dance and media assistant for a dance convention.
In 2016; Zach, Carter, and I decided to make a name for ourselves and created Rigid Motion Films. We spent countless hours trying to figure out a company name that we liked. Then, one night this one popped up and it sounded cool! The same year, I decided to create Ancora Productions, to serve as my film portfolio. The name derives from “Ancora Imparo”, Italian for “I’m still learning”, attributed by Michelangelo. As I am still learning and honing my skills to the craft, as we all are in some way or another.
Has it been a smooth road?
I would say it has been a pretty smooth road. Having such supportive family and friends definitely help. My parents didn’t push me to go one way or another in terms of my career choices and have supported me in all my endeavors in art. Rigid Motion films is two going on three years officially in the making and we are continuing to grow. I think one of the main struggles we have sometimes is juggling school, work, and business; but we make it work. I graduated in December of 2017; Zach and Carter are projected to graduate in May of 2019, so juggling our schedules can be difficult too. As well as keeping a flow of work so that we can further build our careers and company. We have known each other for so long that we are basically family, and would like to eventually add to our roster.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Rigid Motion Films/Ancora Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
Rigid Motion Films is a video production company in which I am a co-founder, executive producer, and social media manager for. Ancora Productions is also a video production but serves as my portfolio. I am proud that we have become this successful in only a couple of years and that we are still college students or just graduated. I feel what sets us apart from others is that we are able to do so much at such a young age.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Technology is ALWAYS improving. So, we are constantly going to have to invest in those technologies as an industry and adapt. For example, it’s crazy that just a few years ago we though Full HD (1080p) was it, then Ultra HD (4K) came along and now, we even got 8K! Camera, drones, gimbals, lights, and other filmmaking equipment will keep being improved and so does the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rigidmotionfilms.com
- Phone: 8172350826
- Email: rigidmotionfilms@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Panel Q&A: TJ Webb – UNT Short Film Club, Award: Austin Under the Stars Film Festival, Wedding: Zachary Dyck, RMF Shirt: Movemeant Illustr8ed, Blue & Red Light: Monica Bartley BTS for Hello Henry by RMF/Zachary Dyck, Looking at sheets with Ciara: Cody Prenn BTS for Skintight by Ciara Boniface, Audio by the pool: Nicole Lefteau BTS for Deep as the Sea, Blue as the Sky by Matt Rosenblatt, Looking at script with Emma: James Cummings BTS for The Big If by RMF/Emma Pritchett, Talking with Matt & Emma, James Cummings BTS for The Big If by RMF/Emma Pritchett, Zach, Carter, & Dylan, Justine Stroemer
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