Brandon Cole

Writer/Director at Death Calm Studios
Assistant Director, Director, Editor, Producer, Screenwriter and Special Effects Technician

Duluth, Minnesota

Member Since:
January 2017

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

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About Brandon

Brandon Cole is a freelance writer/director currently based in Duluth Minnesota. He also works as a versatile crew hand specializing in Assistant Director, Production Coordinator & Special Effects. He is considered by many colleagues a staple of Northern Minnesota film-making.

Though he began his creative process at a young age, Cole began his official journey into the Entertainment industry at the age of 16 as a radio host for WTIP Community Radio in Grand Marais Minnesota. Where he produced & hosted the shows "Metal Maniacs" & "Rock Revived" from 2004-2012. Winning "Producer Of The Year" in 2006. He also worked tech at at The Grand Marais Playhouse from 2005-2007. From 2005-2010 he also sang and collaborated with many local bands & music acts.

In 2010 Cole moved to Duluth Minnesota to focus on a career in film. While attending Lake Superior in 2011 Cole began laying the foundation for a studio. After minimal success the studio underwent an identity change & image make over. Death Calm Studios was born & their first short "The Dark Room" caught the attention of the local industry. After ups/downs and management changes Cole eventually handed ownership of Death Calm to his business partners Heather Olson & Scott Hensley so he could focus more on the creative process. Though he no longer owns the studio he is still involved in all of the creative and executive decisions. To date Death Calm Studios has produced more than 20 short films. Many of which Cole has directed & written. Several have also been written or co written by studio owner and Director Of Photography Scott Hensley. Including the 2017 short film "The Doll" (made for the Halloween fifty/50 Reel Challenge) for which Cole was nominated for Best Director. Hensley was also nominated for Best Script & Best Cinematographer. In total the cast and crew received 13 nominations though they did not take any awards home. In 2019 Death Calm scored it's first award with the film "Vote Murder" (Made for the Duluth 48 hour film festival) won best editing (edited by Victoria Tanley.) The film was quickly followed with "Blood Harvest" (made for the Halloween fifty/50 Reel Challenge) which won best trailer (edited by Victoria Tanley) and was nominated for best practical effects. (Alita Cottrell, Kirk Eckstine & Doug Engie.) Colle & Death Calm are currently working towards their first narrative feature along side several more shorts and a possible feature length documentary partnership with another studio local to Duluth.

Unique traits: Quick Thinking Makes Managing Films Easy

Gender:
Male

Height:
5' 11"

Weight:
280

Body type:
Heavyset

Hair:
Long

Hair color:
Brown

Eyes:
Brown

Ethnicity:
Caucasian

Badges

Certifications

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Credits

The Washing Machine (2020)
Film Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
A.D.D. (2020)
Film Director
Sloth (2020)
Film Director
Christmas Slasher (2020)
Film Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
A Troubled Mind (2020)
Film Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Most Terrifying Places (2019)
TV Series Additional Crew
Blood Harvest (2019)
Film Director
Vote Murder (2019)
Film Director
Lover Gone (2019)
Film Miscellaneous Crew
Modern Witches (2019)
Film Editor
Hate Storm: A Prologue (2018)
Film Editor
Bring Them to Me (2018)
Film Editor
Gleahan and the Knaves of Industry (2018)
Film Special effects
Christmas Break-In (2018)
TV Movie Miscellaneous Crew
Unfollowed (2018)
Film Art department
Highway of Hope (2018)
TV Movie Production manager
Before I Wake (2017)
Film Editor
Jill (2017)
Film Editor
The Doll (2017)
Film Editor
House Warning (2017)
Film Editor
Lurking in the Dark (2017)
Film Editor
Virginia Minnesota (2017)
Film (Comedy and Drama) Location management Add a Plot »
Nobody's Son (2017)
Film Miscellaneous Crew
Another Side (2017)
Film Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Strange Nature (2017)
Film (Thriller) Miscellaneous Crew Based on a true unsolved ecological mystery, thousands of hideously deformed frogs have turned up in the waters of Minnesota. As seen through the eyes of a one hit wonder single-mother and her 11-year old son, a small town struggles with the unknown when the deadly mutations move beyond the ponds.
What Doesen't Kill You, Makes You Wander (2016)
Film (Short and Western) Director In this post-apocalyptic western, a woman re accounts her childhood by campfire light. The film was produced by Death Calm Studios for the 2016 Minneapolis 48 hour film festival.
Cold November (2016)
Film (Drama, Family and Thriller) Miscellaneous Crew A 12-year-old girl being raised within a matriarchal household is taken through the right of passage of killing a deer for the first time. Expectations dissolve into chaos, and Florence finds herself alone, relying on instinct and training to follow through with her decisions, pull herself together, and face becoming an adult in the North American wilderness. Written by Karl Jacob
No Blood of Mine (2016)
Film (Mystery) Miscellaneous Crew Victoria, a smart and pretty girl from a poor neighborhood in Duluth, accepts a loan from a North Dakota gangster to keep her Williston trucking firm afloat. When the business fails, she takes off for home under the cover of darkness only to be tracked down by the gangster and kidnapped. Forced to make a choice, Victoria must decide between joining the gangster or face incriminating evidence linking her to her wealthy Father's murder. Written by Wesley Ellenwood
The Great Christmas Light Fight (2015)
Television (Reality-TV) Miscellaneous Crew Four families will compete each week to transform their homes for the holidays in just 21 days.
Bump in the Night: A Horror Haiku (2014)
Film (Short and Horror) Director This 17 second horror haiku shows a girl in bed, troubled in the middle of the night. The film was made by Death Calm Studios for a 2014 contest.
The Dark Room (2014)
Film (Short and Horror) Director Supernatural Horror. A man unknowingly unleashes a dark entity from an old camera. This film is a re-imagining of the foreign film Lot 254 and the second student film by writer/director Brandon Cole. It is also the first official release by Death Calm Studios since changing their name from Charboneau Productions six months earlier.
What Do You Wanna Do? (2014)
Film (Short and Horror) Director A psychological horror film about a girl wrestling with her own schizophrenic demons. The film was commissioned by Samantha Lovold and is a twisted take on the script from writer Brandon Leno. It is the third student film from director Brandon Cole, who agreed to assist Lovold on the project after their previous collaboration on The Dark Room. Written by Brandon Cole
The Trail of Terror (2014)
Film (Short and Horror) Sound department Add a Plot »
Of Man and Monster (2013)
Film (Short and Horror) Location management Add a Plot »
The House (2012)
Film (Short and Horror) Director A psychological, suspense horror film meant to loosely mimic elements of the film Halloween. It is the first student film from writer/director Brandon Cole. The film was originally released on October 31st 2012 under Charboneau Productions. The film was re-released 2 years later after Cole officially changed Charboneau Productions to Death Calm Studios in late 2013. Written by Brandon Cole
Hamlet 2020
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director