Brandon Rice was born in Denver, Colorado in 1985, but moved to Los Angeles at an early age. There he began making short films, including stop-motion animation shorts with his beloved Lego collection and action figures. Brandon wrote and directed his first narrative short “Start Hunt: Adversary” in 2002/2003, shot on a HI-8 camcorder. The film was a good start for the budding filmmaker and over the next few years Brandon continued to write, direct, shoot and edit a variety of short films. Brandon developed a storytelling style early on that embraced few resources, using creativity to overcome obstacles.
In 2006 came Brandon's biggest project yet: a 45-minute long Christian action film, “Smuggler's Ransom” starring Anthony Tyler Quinn (“Boy Meets World”). Shot over four days during the summer of 2006, it was picked up by Cloud Ten Pictures (“Left Behind”) and released nationwide on DVD in the summer of 2008. Over the next several years, Brandon would serve as producer, editor, and writer on several faith-based feature film projects. During that time he also began working as a wedding filmmaker and fell in love with telling love stories. In 2015 Brandon moved to Nashville, TN and started his own production company Brandon Rice Films and quickly became one of the premiere wedding filmmakers in the country. In 2017 Brandon started releasing educational resources for other wedding filmmakers focusing on vulnerable, intentional filmmaking that looks to move past the technical side and focus on story.
Subscribe to Brandon’s YouTube channel and stream his custom playlist today.
Here's our one-on-one with Brandon:
Soundstripe: What do you enjoy the most about filmmaking?
Brandon Rice: I love filmmaking because it is a way to tell a story that engages emotion. I care deeply about the emotional journey of people and I think when we make films, we have the sacred honor to connect to a part of people that not many other forms do. I want the films I make to connect with people on a deep level, that many may not even realize was there before.
SS: How do you determine the music for the type of content you create?
BR: Most of this is done based on feeling. I listen to all sorts of music and when the music feels right, in combination with the story and footage I’m working with, I just know it. I wish I could say there is a formula to use, but it really is based on what I feel.
SS: Where do you get your inspiration from when creating your films?
BR: One big thing I get inspiration from is nature. I am not sure about you, but when I step out of my house and witness a beautiful sunset, a storm, the moon, whatever I encounter, I feel something. When I make a film, I want people to witness that feeling about the human spirit. I want to show that human beings are one of the most beautiful parts of nature and that humans are truly the “last frontier” that is an endless well of discovery.
SS: Any recommendations or tips you have for aspiring filmmakers?
BR: The best recommendation I can give is to be yourself. Don’t try to be anyone but yourself, and keep learning who you are. The more you get in touch with your heart, the better you will be at doing that with others, and then communicating that in a film. I wish I had known that when I was younger. For so long I took my cues from others around me, or from filmmakers I idolized, but I missed myself. Don’t miss yourself, even while you’re learning from others.
