Rising Stars: Meet Veljko Dronjak of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veljko Dronjak

Hi Veljko, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up I’ve often used to escape inside my mind especially during the difficult times in my life. It was a form of my coping mechanism. I had a very creative imagination which I intended to use in creating various scenery, people, worlds, images and events inside my head. So I eventually realized that I can implement my creativity in real life though various forms of art. The one that stood out to most to me was of course film. With film I saw the potential combining different art forms: literal, visual, and audio to present a various chain of events, in a unique setting that translates the desired themes to the audience trough a story. Soon enough I started attending film studies in my hometown Belgrade and later in Los Angeles where I got both my BFA and MFA degrees in film production. During my studies I’ve worked on numerous short and feature film sets, commercials and music videos. My roles were very diverse ranging from producing, directing, camera departments, lighting department, sound and sometimes acting as well. I was very fortunate to have a chance to experience all aspects of the productions which made me a even better and versed filmmaker. I’ve worked for couple of production companies where I was in charge of shooting and managing film content as well as bringing forth debt and equity instruments to various film productions which landed me the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood ‘s well know film veterans in the industry. Right now I’m have a couple of feature and shorts film on my slate which are scheduled to be shot thought this year and beyond. I’m constantly connecting with aspiring filmmakers and making unique stories for the sole purpose of spreading a positive message and inspiring others.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would be lying if I said it was. Like most roads mine also had bumps and obstacles that I needed to pass in order to continue on. Many times with the production and technical difficulties on set and outside of it. But I would take that as a learning experience. Because each obstacle, each trial that I ran across, overcoming it sometimes required a great deal of effort and sacrifice but nevertheless the experience that was gained was unparalleled.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In film my number one love will aways be directing. There’s just something about navigating the whole set, guiding the crew with your vision, translating that vision onto the actors, and cinematographer in order to get the desired effect what makes the profession incredibly appealing to me. Not only is it extremely creative but also just being there on set, live, in the moment as you gaze upon your work, composed out of inner creative though flow, coming to life on the silver screen is what makes it really valuable to me. Aside from directing, as a creative I dwelled into other visual departments as well such as videography and photography. Similar to directing It’s the visual and creative aspect what’s appealing to me but the difference is this time I’m lighting, composing and recording my own shot, which is something I love to do as well. While attending my film studies I used to photograph a lot of actors, record their reels and self tapes which has helped me gain lot of experience with directing them. This definitely came in handy on bigger film sets down the road. Outside of it, one of my leading professions in film is the role of a producer. Usually as a creative producer I’m in charge of gathering all the necessary key puzzle pieces from different departments to create the movie. Sometimes I also work as an executive producer that is in charge of pitching the project to the investment party, bringing forth debt and equity instruments to the project. Overall I love being involved in many different aspects of a production, and I think that by doing so will only further develop me as an artist and a filmmaker that I aspire to be.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a bit shy and timid, sometimes in my own head. But was also very creative and driven. I tended to play by myself more often than with others. I would say that I loved creating different worlds, characters, scenarios, writing and drawing them down which later on translated into film. Also I was always acting out scenes from the movies I’ve recently watched and portraying my favorite characters. I tended to write poems and songs about the girls I liked and tried to avoid things I didn’t like such as homework. But ultimately I always knew that deep down my path is the one of a creator and a storyteller which ultimately led me to pursue the art of film in the first place.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vex_d?igsh=d2lzN2djM29hbDBz&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15e25vADVm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veljko-dronjak-98940a20b