Dear Contributors

My name is Derek Nguyen and I am the director/writer of "Dilation." As a UCLA student who studied English and pre-med, I struggled to find avenues in which I can pursue my passion for film. Throughout my years, I found that UCLA was full of individuals like me, all dreaming of the cinema. We became a family, and we all realized that instead of finding opportunities in film, we should make our own instead. "Dilation" is that opportunity.

Our team truly stretched our filmmaking muscles with the high production values and concepts of "Dilation." From the very beginning, we knew we were going to take risks not commonly found in our other student shorts. We shot in 5 different locations in a weekend, ranging from a warehouse in the Fashion district to a bar in Sherman Oaks (thanks again Bar Tribute!). Moreover, we aimed to utilize equipment found in professional film sets that we've never been able to use before, such as external recorders, cinema lenses, Quasar light tubes, dollies, stabilizers, you name it. We even shot extensive action sequences through the streets of LA and put together ambitious production design with neon light ropes and Quasar light ing rigs. These risks and challenges enabled us to not only strive to make a great short film, but also to grow from a learning experience like no other. 

As we've finished production and are moving into post-production, we need your support. As students, this film was fully funded by us, and we want to share our passion project to the world. Your help will help us submit this film to festivals, as submissions can easily pile up. Furthermore, it will alleviate our VFX, composing, editing, and overall production costs so we can keep on moving forward with "Dilation." Most of all though, your support will encourage us students to continue pursuing our passion for film.

Our Team

Derek Nguyen - Director

Derek recently graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in English. Derek has directed branded content for GreenLight Media + Marketing, Lamborghini Newport Beach, the RDS Automotive Group, and KPOP Foods. He also has interned in development for Atlas Entertainment, and has directed multiple music videos as a freelance director. As a director and producer, Derek strives to stretch the boundaries of storytelling through whichever medium he's working with, from music videos to short narratives. 

Angel Herrera - Director of Photography

Angel is a second year in UCLA’s school of Theater, Film and Television. As a cinematographer, Angel’s primary focus is in furthering the story through image and color. When not on set, He enjoys volunteering with Spyhop, an organization that helps young people utilize media to enact positive change in their communities.

Anisha Joshi - Producer

Anisha is a rising senior at UCLA studying Business Economics, Communication Studies and Film. She loves producing because she can combine her love for business with her love for film. She wants to be a part of films that challenge the status quo of films today. She recently represented one of her short films at the Cannes Film Festival and is super excited to see where Dilation can go!

Rafael Perez - Producer

Rafael Perez recently received his B.A. in English with a Film Minor From UCLA. He is an aspiring screenwriter but enjoys producing and other on-set responsibilities for the experience. He has interned with Pathfinder Media and AMBI Distribution and has worked on various shorts, music videos, and web commercials. He spends an inordinate amount of time at the movies and would be broke if not for his MoviePass subscription.

Chrisly Macaraeg - Production Designer

Chrisly is an incoming senior at UCLA majoring in Communications and minoring in Film & Television. She has previously interned for Conan O’Brien, Vox Media Entertainment, and is a current intern in for the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She hopes to pursue a career as a Segment Producer in late night television. In her spare time she enjoys being a Production Assistant or Designer on short independent films, as she finds smaller sets to be great places to meet cool, likeminded, and driven individuals.

Stephen Heo - Editor

Stephen Heo is currently a student at UCLA pursuing a B.A. in Design Media Arts with a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media. His background in the digital arts is highly self-motivated and self-taught, finding his roots in an online gaming community on YouTube at 11 years of age. Since then, Stephen has been deeply exploring the intersections of visual imagery and sound design through mediums such as photography, graphic design, visual effects, and motion graphics to create immersive and emotional narratives. 

Trailer

Other Team Members:

Bruce Kasra - Associate Producer

GA Yoo - Associate Producer

Lyon Sung - Production Coordinator

David Benzeevi - Production Coordinator

Sura Tewolde - PA

Tiger Zhong - PA

Rohun Vora - Best Boy

Susie Hunt - 1st Assistant Director

Alexander Croce - 2nd Assistant Director

Emily Abbot - Script Supervisor

Noah Schwartz Casey - Casting Director

Em Turner - Casting Associate

Nicole Oshima - Casting Associate

Samantha Wong - Casting Associate

Lisa Chen - Production Designer

Bianca Hoang Dang - Production Design Assistant

Holdyn Bray - Makeup Artist

Johnny Odabashyan - Story Board Artist

Baotran Truong - 1st Assistant Camera

Daniel Vallejo - 2nd Assistant Camera

Ava Corales - Grip/Gaffer

Rom Zarchi - Grip/Gaffer

Garrett McKenna - Drone Pilot

Sheldon To - Sound Mixer

Noah Wittman - Sound Mixer

Haylee McDonnell - Sound

Simone Frank - Sound

Fernando Vasquez - Assistant Editor

Catie Soo - Assistant Editor

Ryan Du - Assistant Editor

Joshua Castillo - Behind the Scenes Director

Chloe Huybens - Behind the Scenes Camera

Katelyn Darrow - Behind the Scenes Camera

Diane Lee - Behind the Scenes Editor

Neil Bickford - Composer/Sound Design