Dias Film Co.
Marcus Dias
Film Producer
Nottingham Trent University · BA Filmmaking
Dias Film Co.
Film Producer
Nottingham Trent University · BA Filmmaking
About
I'm a final-year BA Filmmaking student at Nottingham Trent University, specialising in producing, and I run my own production brand, Dias Film Co. I'm building a career as a producer in film and commercial work.
Alongside the filmmaking, I'm building the project management side formally. Later this year I begin an MSc in Project Management at Royal Holloway, with PRINCE2 and Agile certification to follow. The aim is to pair hands-on production experience with the budgeting and planning that producing at a larger scale demands.
For now I'm after production work, coordinator and assistant roles, where I can keep learning the craft while building toward producing larger projects of my own.
On location · Derbyshire, 2025
Case Study
A micro-budget thriller I produced in my final year, and the basis of my research project on what a producer actually does when the plan falls apart.
Official trailer · Producer · 2026
The film
An eight-scene drama about a young man fighting his way out of an underground contract. I produced it on a £1,500 budget with no contingency fund, plus around £1,460 of camera and lighting kit borrowed from the university at no cost. With no financial buffer to fall back on, every part of the plan depended on goodwill staying in place.
The crisis
One week before principal photography, the actor playing the antagonist withdrew. The schedule was a dependent chain built around his paid days, so losing him did not dent the plan, it collapsed it. His scenes fed directly into the climax, so there was no version of the original schedule that still worked.
The response
Rather than postpone the whole shoot, I co-wrote a two-phase plan: film everything that did not need the missing actor first, then recast and shoot his scenes as a pickup. To keep the two shoots matching, we kept a continuity log of stills covering every lighting setup, camera position and blocking choice. On the day, a missing prop became an improvised training montage, and a full power failure meant diverting the last battery charge to the camera and shooting on available light. No scheduled scene was lost.
The test
Instead of pushing straight to a final cut, I treated the rough assembly as a prototype and screened it for ten reviewers, eight peers and two tutors, using a structured questionnaire. The results were blunt, and useful:
The decision
The data made the call clear. The lead and the look were working, but the antagonist and the opening fight were not, and the antagonist carried the information the whole third act depends on. I recast the role and reshot the fight with tighter choreography across two properly scheduled shoot days. When a data transfer error wiped one scene afterwards, the team knew the material well enough to reshoot it in three hours.
"At this budget the producer is not the keeper of a plan. The job is to make something good out of whatever the plan leaves behind."
Selected Work
Lead producer credits
Producer · Short Film · 2026
Producer on my major final-year project. Managed a £3,000 budget and a cross-department crew of 15+ across film, set, sound and prop design, secured a barn location in Birmingham, ran a fundraising event, and built the scheduling system that kept the production on deadline.
Producer · Short Film
Produced a £1,500 detective short with a nine-person crew. Secured two demanding locations (Druids Inn and Cave) and, when the lead actor was injured mid-shoot, adapted the schedule and narrative to bring the film in on time.
Producer · Trailer Edit
Produced and edited the festival trailer for MAYHEM, curating highlights from multiple shorts to create a high-energy promotional piece. Managed tight turnaround and stakeholder feedback.
Producer · Camera Operator · Documentary
Produced and operated camera on a documentary examining Taylor Swift fandom in contemporary society. Handled the shoot logistics alongside the observational and interview footage, staying reactive to spontaneous, emotion-driven moments on the day.
On-set experience
Crew and performance work from across my degree. These roles built the on-set understanding — how a camera team works, how a director shapes a performance — that now informs how I produce.
Lead Actor · Short Film
Played the lead in a narrative short exploring memory and loss, carrying the central performance through the film.
Lighting · Short Film
Worked in the lighting department on a graduate-level narrative project, shaping the look of each scene and supporting the camera team on set.
Cinematographer · Lighting · Documentary
Shot and lit a documentary exploring sustainability through a visual language inspired by Polaroid photography, translating an analogue aesthetic into digital. Responsible for framing, lighting, and maintaining a consistent visual tone across interview and observational footage.
Filmography
2023 – 2026
| Year | Project | Role | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Final Contract | Producer | Short Film · Drama | £1,500 budget · multi-phase reshoot |
| 2026 | The One Inside | Producer | Short Film | £3,000 · crew of 15+ |
| 2025 | Blood Moon's Edge | Producer | Short Film | £1,500 · 9-person crew |
| 2024 | MAYHEM Film Festival | Producer · Editor | Festival Trailer | Curated from multiple shorts |
| 2024 | The Story of Us | Cinematographer · Lighting | Documentary | Polaroid-inspired visual style |
| 2023 | Beyond the Frame | Producer · Camera Op | Documentary | — |
| 2023 | The Red Letter | Lead Actor | Short Film | — |
| 2023 | LGV Final Film | Lighting | Short Film | — |
Professional Experience
Paid work beyond student films
Paid roles outside university, where there's a real client and a real deadline. This is where I learned to stay calm and keep a shoot moving when something goes wrong on the day.
| Year | Role | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Event Crew & Photographer | Moments for Eternity | Handled real-time risk mitigation during a live broadcast failure, protecting the client's key deliverable without disruption. |
| 2023 | Camera Operator | TV Londres / Atlas Voyage | Ran filming logistics across multiple international ports and shot promotional content with chef Luciana Berry. |
| 2023 | Production Assistant | TV Londres | Coordinated workflows for a crew of 6+ in a fast-paced studio, maintaining kit and meeting tight editing deadlines. |
Direction
Project Coordinator · Assistant Production Manager · Development Producer
These entry points align with my core strength in production organisation and planning. They allow me to build practical industry experience while developing the professional credibility needed to step into a full producing position.
Rogue Films, Pulse Films, Stink Studios represent the kind of production companies I want to be part of. Rogue and Stink are globally recognised for commercial and music video work — environments where fast-turnaround, high-craft production is standard. Pulse Films appeals to me specifically because of its development model; they actively cultivate filmmaker talent across documentary, narrative, and branded content.
I have accepted an offer from Royal Holloway, University of London to study an MSc in Project Management. My aim is to bridge practical filmmaking experience with formal project management theory. Alongside the masters, I plan to complete PRINCE2 and Agile certifications.
Skills & Development
I have produced student films with budgets up to £3,000 and crews of 15+, handling the producing end across the board: securing locations, organising fundraising, coordinating equipment‑sharing between productions, and running detailed schedules to hit strict deadlines.
On The One Inside, my major final-year project, I managed a £3,000 budget and a cross-department crew of 15+, secured a barn location in Birmingham, and ran a fundraiser and a detailed schedule to keep the production on track.
Alongside producing, I've worked hands-on across departments: camera and lighting on documentary and narrative shoots, cinematography, editing, and acting in front of the camera.
Knowing how each role actually works makes me a stronger producer. I can budget and schedule a shoot realistically, brief every department in its own terms, and step in to cover a gap when one comes up on the day.
Curriculum Vitae
Full production history, education, and professional experience — available as a PDF.
Download CV (PDF)Get in touch
Open to opportunities, collaborations & conversations
vinnydias2003@gmail.com