Watch out Steven Spielberg! Step aside Wes Craven! Dustin Darbone is taking his place in the filmmaking world.
Hailing from Baton Rouge, 15-year-old Bishop Sullivan High School student Dustin Darbone made his director’s debut in the competitive spotlight with a short film entitled “Rosedown Plantation.” His nine minute masterpiece began as just a school social studies project, but began making waves after winning the 2002 Silver Award in the 14th Annual Louisiana Video Shorts Festival put on by the New Orleans Video Access Center.
“It is really quite an accomplishment,” Amy Baskin, executive director of NOVAC said. “This young man has a sophisticated sense of filmmaking–something many career filmmakers are still working on.”
Darbone began making films at age 12 but the interest was there all along. Writing stories and scripts in his early years, Darbone began realizing he had a talent for creating fiction. His love for writing and filmmaking led him to a yearlong career with his dad, Eddie Darbone. At Treasured Video Productions Dustin and his dad film weddings, graduations, first communions, confirmations, beauty pageants and other events. But those aren’t Dustin’s only interests.
Dustin prefers making horror films and comedies. He wants to get a reaction out of people, whether to scare them stiff or make them roll on the floor with laughter. His casts for his movies mainly consist of his friends from school. Donnie Haney starred in Darbone’s “Rosedown Plantation.”
The film is a sort of “mock-umentary” of the St. Francisville plantation. Darbone and Haney are dressed to kill as they approach the overwhelming plantation. With bits of humor, they explore the plantation with all its secrets and past happenings.
Among the many directors he could choose from, Darbone says Kevin Smith, creator of “Clerks” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” is his favorite director.
“I like his sense of humor and the shots he uses in his films,” Darbone said.
The shots Dustin uses are creative; the angles create a different style not seen much in films of today, said Eddie Darbone, his father.
Darbone’s next film is set to be a feature film entitled “The Happening.” Without giving too many details, the film is generally about leprechauns. Darbone cast many of his friends in this film and shot more than 12 hours of footage. All he has left is to edit and cut it to the length he wants.
Aside from filmmaking, Darbone’s other passion lies in music. He plays bass guitar and wants to start a band with his friends. The only thing the band’s lacking is a female singer to carry the vocals of Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osborne cover songs. He enjoys playing good old rock ‘n’ roll. He’s also learning Cajun music in hopes to one day play alongside his grandfather, who plays in the Hackberry Ramblers.
For more information on Dustin Darbone or his film “Rosedown Plantation,” call Treasured Video at (225) 925-2972 or visit www.treasuredvideoprod.com.