Make sure you check out some of Toan’s work embedded for you below as you read this interview. After you’re done, view more at LoadIt Productions.

Can you tell us about yourself?
My name is Toan Tran and I’m from Load it Productions, which is a film production company in Dallas TX. Right now I’m the director and editor of the company.

How did you get started filmmaking?
I started out just shooting small things. Small clips. Not even movies or anything. In 2009 I started doing shorts with my friend, Otto. He ran JoyGasm, if you’ve ever heard of JoyGasm. We did comedy skits and I started acting. We started doing projects after projects and I thought it was really fun. I can really get my hands on this. I joined Load It Productions in February of 2011.

What editing programs do you use in your daily life?
I use Sony Vegas but I’m trying to transition to Final Cut and Adobe. When I first started though, I started on Windows Movie Maker… yeah haha.

Do you support yourself through filmmaking or through something else?
For my day job, I do wedding videos. I don’t really see it as filmmaking because filmmaking is more about creating a story.

My girlfriend is really supporting me right now. Since the wedding videos aren’t consistent because sometimes there’s like one wedding video in a month, sometimes there’s none, and sometimes there’s four, it’s really inconsistent.

Is it a struggle to be a young filmmaker?
It is a hell of a struggle. Many times I’ve had to abandon a project because of the budget. Sometimes I’ll come back to it later. When I imagine things I just imagine them, I don’t think about the budget. There’s no technicals, there’s no boundaries. Sometimes I feel that my projects are ahead of my time.

When we shoot things, we shoot them on a small budget. So we have to be smart about it.

There’s also a lot of struggles with locations. When I filmed Deception, we had to film every saturday, and every saturday they kicked us out. Since we film low budget and Guerilla style it’s hard to get permission to use locations.

How do you raise budget for film production equipment you use and for the films?
Before I had any equipment, I used to beg my older sister or friend, if I could borrow their digital pin and point. Shot many things and messed around with that a lot. When I got my first camera, which was a camcorder. I worked my day job at Costco pushing carts and attended Collin County as a full time student, while making car payments. I remember I stayed indoors and did nothing, but homework and sacrifice my social life many months.

As for me, I raise my funds by working for a private wedding company. It’s a learning experience and it can be very exhausting. Doing week edits are normal and I just got into same day editing. With those funds, I put some into savings and wait until I have enough to buy equipment, lighting, and props.

Currently at Load It Productions, we work at our day jobs to raise funds for our projects. Sometimes, we get paid from the people we do projects for, we put a percentage of that, it’s not awhile lot, but it’ll get there over time with consistency. We try to invest and purchase our own, instead of renting.

Since, we don’t have many props, we try to ask our friends and family to borrow things like lamps, skateboards, and if they have equipment, we’ll use that. I have some props I use from cheap stores or thrift stores. Old props work best, because they hold vintage value that has aged over time.

We are thinking about doing workshops to raise funds and give back to the community in a live presentation.

What or who are you inspired by?
Michel Gondry. His stuff is just trippy. I can’t even explain his work. It’s just something special. I also have a friend named Casey Chan, who’s out in California running Just Kidding Films. He’s one of the people that inspired me. I remember watching his reel and thinking, wow, how do I get my stuff like this?

Still Motion, they do wedding videos, except they make them into stories. They inspire me. Also quotes. I read a lot of quotes. Is that weird? That’s not weird right?

Nope, not weird.

Well I read a lot of quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson. He really inspires me about my well being.

What are your tips for young filmmakers?
Always be creating, there is merit in every thing you create.

Try to bring out your personal experience and include them in your creations.

Don’t over-think when you imagine, let it roam free. Because one day that idea might be worth more than you think.

Don’t be scared to make mistakes, because it might be a beautiful mistake.

You can check out Toan’s work at LoadItProductions.

Written by kevinhype