Ground Breaker - Preston DeFrancis

A recent graduate of the MFA program in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California, Preston once believed that a career in the film and television industry was out of reach. Raised in the small town of Wheeling, West Virginia, he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. While there, he connected with a small but active filmmaking community in Cleveland and realized his dream was possible. He made his first short on Super 8 and decided to pursue graduate work in film.

Since coming to Los Angeles, Preston has been working nonstop, writing, directing and producing short films. His recently completed thesis film, “The Big Production,” was honored with finishing funds from the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers, and Directors Foundation. It is now beginning to play in festivals, and will be shown as the pre-feature short to the closing night film at the Ojai Film Festival.

While still in school, Preston made a living working as a sound recordist and video engineer. He recently spent four months in ten Eastern European countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Russia, working as a mixer on a feature-length documentary.

Preston completed his master’s degree in May, and has since started work at HBO Films. He is writing a feature with his “Big Production” co-screenwriter.

Ground Breaker Film - The Big Production

Bryce does everything big, especially when it comes to impressing his longtime girlfriend, Laura. On the night he plans to pop the question, he enlists the talents of his three closest friends. But when the engagement ring goes missing, the perfect evening becomes the perfect crime.  Bryce’s friends are the only witnesses... and the prime suspects. Each tells his version of the evening’s events quite differently - as a sitcom, a musical, an arthouse film, and more. Bryce must piece together the wildly divergent stories to find the ring and finish his biggest production yet.

Ground Breaker Questionnaire

How did you hear about HATCH?

My classmate and friend, Daphne Lambrinou, was a 2006 Groundbreaker with her film “Paperboat.” When she came back from the Fest, all she could talk about was what a great experience it had been – how much she had learned, how much fun she had, how valuable she felt it was for her career.

Why did you submit your film to HATCH?

Based on Daphne’s testimony! She sold me on HATCH with her enthusiasm.

If you are aware of our mentorship program, how do you feel about it?

How incredible that a film festival not only honors you by showing your film, but also brings you together with leaders in the industry.

What was your inspiration in making the film?

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that we all see the world through our own set of colored glasses. For a long time, I thought about exploring this concept in a drama. Maybe someday… for this film, I took the idea to humorous extremes.

Who is your mentor?

I’ve been lucky to have several mentors guide me; their support has been invaluable. Dr. Louis Giannetti, my undergraduate film studies professor, taught me my first lessons about the medium of cinema and, most importantly, encouraged me when I was first starting to pursue filmmaking. At USC, Tomlinson Holman’s wisdom has been a shaping force. My thesis mentor, Jed Dannenbaum, provided important artistic guidance and support.

Why did you choose to pursue film?

Filmmaking is, for me, the ultimate way to bring your stories to an audience – to make them see, for a short while, how you see the world.