Film and Media Production
Production Management, Directing, Editing, and Sound
(W)all the World's a Stage
In collaboration with Greek scholar and performance artist Christina Banalopoulou, Dilliplane served as artistic director for (W)All the World’s a Stage: Reimagining the Common Amid the Pandemic Lockdown, an international digital performance curation exploring alternative possibilities for sharing work and connecting artists during the physical distancing and relative social isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project compiled and disseminated art aimed at critiquing the necropolitical orientations many governments took toward containing the virus as well as those focused on reigniting shared visions of communal and relational care. Combining digital exhibition on the relationalsoma website with the liveness of public exhibition through the projection of the pieces onto a neighborhood wall in Athens, Greece, this project blurred the lines between the global and the local character of community, between art’s ephemerality and endurance, and between the digital and the material manifestations of public life.
The Hummingbird
Set in 1940s Los Angeles, The Hummingbird (2009) is a short film noir about a femme fatale who commits a double murder and then tries to frame her lover for the crime. As co-producer of this tale of love and betrayal, Daniel worked alongside producer/director Melody Encheff and cinematographer David Libertella to realize the project’s film noir aesthetic, ensuring that the lighting, costumes, and shooting locations all supported the desired effect.
The Evening Journey
Originally titled “What People,” The Evening Journey (2008) is a short film about the hope invested by the people of Fishberg, a poor and isolated fishing town, in a train that passes through every night. As a key member of the production team, Dilliplane oversaw the pre-production and production process, contributing to both the technical and creative components of the project in collaboration with producer Alex Israel and Director Ye’ela Rosenfeld.
Pandemic Picnic
Based on a character created by collaborator Christina Banalopoulou, Pandemic Picnic is a silent short film directed and edited by Dilliplane in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The piece interrogates the sensory experience of security as achieved through extensive insulation and isolation, exploring a variety of conceptual questions: What sensations are muted or spoiled under this regime of securitization? What feelings are unlocked or intensified? How can this new distribution of sensibility generate new ways of connecting with others through the spaces in-between?
The 8th Samurai
As Unit Production Manager for writer-director's Justin Ambrosino The 8th Samurai, Daniel oversaw the budget and shooting schedule for the film's first unit production team. Set in 1950s Japan, the film follows Nanshu, a poor aspiring actor, as he endeavors to break into the booming Japanese film industry through a role as the eighth samurai protecting a village from a group of bandits in an epic feature film.
Production Management
Because of his organizational skills and attention to detail as well as his flexibility and adaptability in problem-solving, Dilliplane quickly developed a reputation in production management. Recognizing these skills and characteristics, producers eagerly and rapidly promoted him into positions of increasing authority and responsibility. For instance, he became Assistant Production Coordinator on one of his first professional gigs following his move to LA, for Eagle Tide Films's 3 Days Gone. He gained experience coordinating large production crews and managing budgets in the hudreds of thousands.
Assistant Direction
Daniel learned to transfer his stage direction skills to directing for the screen by working as 1st Assistant Director on short and independent film projects. With a Community Collaboration grant from Reed College, he was able to work alongside filmmaker Dan Harris as the casting director and 1st AD on a short film titled Mind Feast. In Daniel's first feature-length project, he served as 1st Assistant Director on acclaimed playwright and filmmaker Layon Gray's feature film Virgins of Venice. Daniel's extensive experience as an assistant director has advanced his creative and technical filmmaking knowledge, ultimately improving his work directing his own short films.
Sound Production
Dilliplane has worked in sound production both on-set and in post-production, including as the on-set sound technician and boom operator for two of critically-acclaimed director James Gunn's early short films, Peanus and Humanzee.