-Who is Antoine M. Dillard?
First I want to say that It is an absolute pleasure to be here at Wild Filmmaker. Thank you for having me. My name is Antoine M Dillard, I am an independent filmmaker with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Effects. I’m originally from New Castle, Delaware but I’ve lived all over the United States. I’ve lived in Delaware, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Florida, Colorado and now Georgia. Which has definitely helped me gain a wider perspective on life, which in turn has helped my storytelling. I’ve been working in independent film since 2010, first as a VFX artist then eventually as a filmmaker.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I’ve always been a storyteller, ever since I was a kid creating comic books on lined paper and crayons [laughs]. It was really more of a journey to find my medium as opposed to one particular event that made me want to be a filmmaker. Coming out of college I just wanted to create cool visual effects. I landed my first gig as one of many VFX artists for a film called The Otherworld. After a few more projects like Hecate and Inner Dimension (TV Series) I had some down time. So, I decided to give filmmaking a try and tell a short story based on a story I created when I was 8yrs old.
I had been refining this story from 6th grade until my sophomore year of high school and always wanted to tell it. It was extremely ambitious so I decided the best way to go about it was to create a short film that would introduce one character from my story, establish the world, and focus on just two characters on screen. It was a sci-fi detective film noir called Rise of the Avalanche. After I finished that film, I just knew this is what I wanted to do.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
ABSOLUTELY! I mean, it already has, you see it today. Little kids that grew up watching Star Trek became inspired and are now astronauts and engineers for NASA. Kids in the 80’s and 90’s who watched The Sandlot became baseball players BECAUSE of that movie. Cinema has done that since it’s existence for generations and continues to do so today. This is why it’s so important to put out quality films, films that inspire, films that ignite the flames of imagination. Hopeful films, adventures and stories that bring us wonder.
-What would you change in the world?
I would just really like people to slow down and enjoy things more like I did when I was a kid. Revel in film, life around them and the people closest to them. I would love for the world to put greed aside and start enjoying the little things again.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
That’s a GREAT question! I actually don’t know. How you view film has changed so drastically in my lifetime alone. From theaters only, to VHS, to DVD, Blu Ray and now streaming. No matter how it’s viewed in the future, I hope that the film industry gets back to its roots in 100 years and focuses on the story instead of the dollar bill.
