MALTBY – Dalton Rose’s calling as a filmmaker began with a bit part in a western shot in his family’s back yard.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
“My dad made a terrible short film,” the 18-year-old recalled. “It was so bad.”
A black-and-white photograph of the cast and crew – with Dalton, then 9, standing with his parents, Tom and Carrie Rose, his brother and their parents’ friends – still hangs in the family’s kitchen.
“We all had so much fun,” said Tom Rose, who made the three-minute clip on a whim. “I put down the camera, thinking, ‘Man that’s a lot of work.’”
Dalton Rose picked the camera up. He’s been making short films ever since.
Today, he is one of 130 teenagers identified as the nation’s most promising young artists. Rose heads to Miami in January as a finalist for the 2005 ARTS Week, a program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts that rewards young artists.
Finalists are “the best of the best,” picked from nearly 6,500 applicants in the fields of dance, film and video, jazz, music, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing.
During the all-expenses-paid program Jan. 12-16, Rose will take part in workshops, interviews, performances and exhibitions. There also will be a chance to win cash awards of up to $10,000, scholarships and nominations to the Commission on Presidential Scholars program.
“The connections he’ll make he’ll be able to keep for the duration of his career,” said Vincent McAninch, a producer with Kostov Productions, a small Seattle-based production company. “And I think he’ll stand out like he has around here. … There’s just something about his work that makes it creative and unique.”
Rose interned under McAninch, a family friend, for two summers, the first when he was 14 years old.
“Right away, I saw that he was talented,” McAninch said, noting the first serious short film Rose made two years ago, titled “Umbrella.” “It’s great. Especially coming from someone his age.”
“Umbrella” – a playful short drama that features two of Rose’s younger brothers – earned him several accolades. The film was selected in 2003 for the University of Washington Student Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival. In both of those festivals, he was the youngest director to be featured.
“Umbrella” was soon followed by another short drama, “In the Laundry Room,” which this year also was selected for several festivals.
The family living room now has a corner dedicated largely to video editing. Included is a new digital camera that Rose received for his 18th birthday – a far cry from the small hand-held camcorder he had been using.
When Rose first started making films at 13, he made dozens at a time. “They’re really terrible, just kids running around. Chase scene after chase scene,” he said.
“Umbrella” and “In the Laundry Room” reflect a more thoughtful and creative spark, with music by composer Danny Elfman.
Then there’s a trailer for an imaginary movie, “Day of Arrival,” which Rose made with classmates at Woodinville High School. Aliens invade and barbecue sauce blood smears floors as a small boy escapes into the forest.
Two of his four younger siblings, brothers Taggert, 8, and Dylan, 16, routinely take center stage in Rose’s films – mostly “because they’re here,” he notes.
Rose makes most of his films on his own at home. He took two film courses at Woodinville High, but with internships already under his belt they weren’t very challenging, he said. The school’s own film festival has recognized him four times, twice each in 2003 and this year.
Lately, filmmaking has taken a back seat to college and scholarship applications. Aside from film, Rose also is a sketch artist, creating comic books with his brother. Now, he’s trying painting.
He hopes to finish another short film by February.
McAninch said he has enjoyed watching Rose grow as a young filmmaker and looks forward to what he produces next. “He keeps getting better.”
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@ heraldnet.com.
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