When Will Dano, a Film Production Diploma student at Toronto Film School, was in his second term he was given the assignment to make a short documentary on something that was meaningful to him. Will said it felt only natural for him to make his short about his greatest passion, filmmaking.

Will has been making short films since he was a child. Shooting videos of his brother and using photoshop and cheap visual effects to create little stories. He has always had a love for creating something from an idea and telling the world a visual story.

“Filmmaking allows you to communicate things that language alone cannot because of the combination of music and visuals,” Will explained.

Will called his film “The Craft” and the narrative centred on his unwavering commitment to the art of visual storytelling and his promise to merge work with his passion for filmmaking. When Will handed his assignment in, “The Craft” started to make the rounds through faculty and staff at the Toronto Film School. Everyone was collectively struck by the project and by Will’s ability, so early in his program, to visually portray his passion for filmmaking. Eventually, it was decided that the school would commission Will to create similar short films featuring a student in each program currently offered at Toronto Film School: Acting, Writing, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Marketing for Fashion and Entertainment, Video Game Design and Development , Video Game Design and Animation and Film Production.

Watch a compilation of the videos here:

“It was a total shock for me, I never thought I would work on such a project until at least after I graduated,” Will said.  “I’m so grateful for the fact that Toronto Film School recognizes and supports student work to help them get a foot into the industry. It’s those kinds of opportunities that made me want to enroll in the Film Production Diploma in the first place.”

Will worked with the individual students to create their own account of what they love about their particular craft and then shot the students in stunning locations that represented their story visually.

“It was such a breeze working with all the students, it gave me a perspective on outside crafts that I never had,” Will said. “Their passion really speaks for itself, it couldn’t have been a more informative and entertaining experience.”

Will said he felt honoured to have had the opportunity to work on this project and that the school showed such a level of trust in a lower term student. He said he also learned a great deal from the practical experience.

“This project didn’t teach me one big thing, but it taught me many little things. Aside from filming and editing experience, it helped me get out there and work with many other people who I didn’t know before,” Will said. “The ability to rely on and work with others and create something together is such an unforgettable experience.”

Follow the Toronto Film School on Facebook and Instagram, where during the next few weeks we will release all of the student stories Will created about his peers.