DEAN MILAN
director, producer, cinematographer, photographer, colorist
10) Forever in Frame
Short Film, SCAD
May 2024
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Never before have I worked with a child actress, or ever told a story that was so driven entirely by characters and a drama narrative. I was pleasantly surprised with the experiences I absorbed when I made this, it was fantastic! We had 6 weeks from the week I wrote it until the weekend we needed to shoot, and I was so grateful that I was able to find a producer who could help make this a reality. We did it!
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I couldn't be more grateful for how many people really put their work in this, and were helping make my dreams come true. I made sure to return the compassion and love for everyone who joined the project with solid planning and ample supplies on set.​​​ It was a great opportuntiy for problem solving skills and teamwork, and it paid off.
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When I casted my child actress and her parents, I was so lucky to find one who was fully committed and effectively communicating from the very beginning, and it was perfect that her parents were equally willing to play themselves in the story! They loved the project, and complimented how it went and my capacity during hard times. It meant the world, and now it's published with submissions to film festivals!
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Shot with:
RED Komodo, BMPCC4k
DZOfilm Vespid Primes, Rokinon Cine DS Primes
9) SHOEI Helmet
Spec Ad, SCAD
March 2024
This project only came through because nearly everyone involved put in 110% of their time, energy, and effort into my concept! This project has such a fast and choreographed sequence of scenes, and we had 3 days to shoot it, even though it was 8 total locations.
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I also had the opportunity to place myself in a major position as my own producer, securing shoot dates, schedules, financial reports, and relationships with the people I wanted to film with. Whether they were corporate or a local location, I was able to make it happen! So I'm incredibly grateful for them.
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I have a huge love for motorcycles, so being able to create another spec ad for my commercial production course with Prof. Thelin was exciting and bigger than our initial 15 second midterm project. Overall, I learned so much through his class and about all the inner workings in the advertising industry, and I pushed myself to the limits with this one.
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Shot with:
RED Komodo
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
8) JADA TOY Car
Spec Ad, SCAD
February 2024
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Carl Thelin's industry experience and expertesee is exceptional! He is easily one of the sharpest professors I've ever met at SCAD, and I enjoyed his Commercial Production class greatly.​
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The only other instance I created a spec ad was my Toy's for Tots donation video years ago, and I recall the project fondly. Making something fun, energetic, and cool for a toy car was exciting! I rented some PAVO Tube LED lights, studied the JADA Toy brand, hired a voice actor from FIVERR, and played around with fluid cinematography.
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The funniest part of the project was actually how I was able to execute the car on the night time track shot. I had gone to the private gym in my apartment building, with the permission of my property manager. I set up the toy car on the treadmill, with it, some lights on a tripod, a camera, and me underneath a thick black blanket. Another friend got the treadmill started up at a medium speed, and played around with angles for about half an hour. I got it!​
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Editing this together was fun, and even played with an HDR (Rec. 2020 HLG) export for the first time. That's the format that iPhone shoots in for HDR clips, using the 10bit depth to utilize more contrast and colors. As long as you have a display that can take advantage of it, that's also the format YouTube picks up on.
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I reached out to JADA Toys on Instagram, sharing the creation I had made! Their social media manager loved it so much, so they took it up to their corporate marketing office to see if they could, with my permission (that I granted), share it on their page. They did indeed, and I got a little shout out! A personal favorite project.
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Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema
Camera 4K
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
Nanlite Pavotube 30C
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7) Breaking Bad: Tuco Poisoning Scene
Emulation, SCAD
November 2023
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Junior year has begun, and I had the pleasure of taking Stanley's Film 329 Cinematography class! Our major final group project was the task of emulating a TV show scene of our choosing, to match the cinematic style and flavor of the scene.
Many would recognize the picture frames alone! Breaking Bad, Season 2 Episode 2. Walter and Jesse want to get Tuco killed with poison, and try to get away with it. Everyone who contributed to the project loved the idea of this shoot!
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Selecting the cast and the experiences I had with the crew were phenomenal! Lucy and I worked diligently to analyze and apply the cinematography style of Breaking Bad's scenes. We embraced their framing, choice of focal length, camera movement, editing, and color grading. JD, who played Tuco, had coincidentally shaved his head before we offered him the role, it made it all the more attractive to cast him! Everyone who acted loved their role, and totally got into it!
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Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
6) The Breakup
Short Film, SCAD
March 2023
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A couple has just finished a film at the movie theater, but they both feel differently about this blockbuster! Actor who? This is quite the life changing movie to watch *wink*.
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This film production was a major pinnacle of experience for me currently attending SCAD. This was the result of the Film 232 class for camera and lighting. Assigned all the same script, we were encouraged to create a short that used the same dialogue, ​but had its own stylistic or scenic spin to it!
Our professor, Alan Caso, had already invited students from the performing arts department to join a traditional auditions set up. Attending this was worth it! I'm so happy I picked Camryn and Myles to play Erin and Rodrigo; I really got to learn about being a true director instead of other crew positions.
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Overall, everyone did an absolutely incredibly, efficient, well-communicated job! I couldn't have had a more amazing team, and we knocked this out in hours, it was unbelievable! We had our celebratory Wendy's afterwards, as they were the only ones open that late. Fries well earned.
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Shot with:
RED Komodo Camera
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
5) Bye Bye Kitty!
Short Film, SCAD
November 2022
What a project! This short skit production was made for my Production 103 class. As my final came along, we had to produce a physical prop and utilize it in a way related to our major. I made my "laser blaster" out of car parts, and filmed a one minute video with it!
Making this was so exciting! I went to a junk yard to collect random parts and see what I could make look like a funky space age weapon, and was amazed with the potential. I drilled into it, added bolts and nuts, and put it all together too!
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My friend Aynsley was my actress, and we went along to the outskirts of the city and filmed! Safety was my biggest concern, so I had made sure to have water and a fire extinguisher. It went incredibly well, and we were able to control the set successfully.​
Filming this was also a wonderful opportunity to experiment with CGI in After Effects. I loved learning about keyframes, animation, and other rendering effects to emulate my laser abilities. My skills in sound design also played a huge factor for the energy buzzes and booming flames! Overall, went great and looked beautiful.​
Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
4) Martha Lapeyre
Fashion Design Short, SCAD
May 2022
My first year of college was such a beautiful and engaging experience. Networking and meeting people with a love for art in so many different flavors has probably been the most inspiring feeling. I love how I can translate my skills, experience, and social skills for other people, and I've been building a solid reputation for myself.
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When other people begin to refer to your name for tasks, it blossoms an exciting and spontaneous way to meet others and explore new projects. Working with others like fashion designer Martha, lets me delve my mind into a whole other framework of expression and language different than mine.
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She and I stood side by side the whole time, combing through images, searching for scenery, filming, and building the editing together. It shows how valuable a diverse spectrum of talents in a pool of artists can make something stunning—a fantastic job.
Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8
3) Blood Pressure
Music Video, CBHS
April 2021
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This one was a ton of fun! We got to create our music video based on a pre-assigned song choice. We accepted the challenge and wanted to go further than we ever had before. Completing this short took a lot of team effort in an extraordinarily short amount of time.
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We explored abandoned areas, used vehicles on set, and invested in props. This project was the first time we focused on action sequences and blocking more than a script or characters. It was solely a visual experiment with no dialogue. It was nice to create non-traditionally.
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Because of that, we played with visual tricks, drone shots, tools, props, moving cameras around, cleaver camera placement, and dressing the characters. The drive you experience during the get-away through the whole video is the adrenaline we felt during production. An entire project based on the "fun part!" The ultimate getaway.
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Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Rokinon Cine DS Primes
2) Breathe by Saving Herald
Music Video, CBHS
April 2021
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Saving Herald was the largest and most popular indie rock music group that was organizing from the people in my high school! It was the classic story of a high school band coming together with their debut projects and branding, and it was perfectly parallel with my AICE project at the time - produce a music video!
I was so happy to collaborate with them to create their first serious release to put themselves on the map. It was my first chance to set up a multi-cam shoot that wasn't for sporting events so we could get coverage of their group performances, blended with solo moments for all the members indivudually.
Editing the film was a new way of learning how to keep the energy in the pacing alive with no stale cuts, using plenty of dynamic footage of unique locations on our set. The team had the opportunity to provide input for the video's outcome, so it could truly be them from the beginning, all the way. Overall, fun project and I hope they're still doing their thing today!
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Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Sirui 35mm and 50mm 1.33x Anamorphics
Rokinon CINE DS Lenses
1) Man's Best Friend
Animal Documentary, CBHS
November 2020
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A local town in South Florida hosts a special animal needs store. They bring the healthiest food that dogs and cats deserve. They also host events for puppies and their loving owners. ​
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My goal when exploring their story was to embrace a natural connection with the pair of owners that operate the store, Gustavo and Ileava. Conducting their interviews was easily the most enjoyable and rewarding part for me, and I effectively got an emotional connection and important moments from them.
I do as much research about the interviewee as I can before I record our conversations, to get deeper insight beyond what I can already gather from basic investigation. I loved the stories they told and what their history really meant to them.
Shot with:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8