Dan Lantz(III)
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Dan Lantz was born in Schenectady, NY, and moved around as a kid before settling in Philadelphia, PA, where he still lives today with his wife and three sons. Growing up, he was interested in baseball and model airplanes, but as a high schooler, his focus turned to filmmaking. After reading a magazine article on Industrial Light & Magic, he was inspired to create his own short film. The film won a featured spot on Dick Clark's TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes solidifying Dan's decision to purse a life in the TV and film industry.
Lantz has filled many roles over his career: production assistant, grip, camera operator, director of photography, editor, visual effects artist, production designer, writer, producer, and director. This journeyman jokes that "paying your dues is an understatement." He spent the first twenty years of his career making TV commercials and reality TV shows before he transitioned into narrative short films, beginning with "Felix Melman". That film won several awards and led to Lantz writing and directing more shorts and a web series.
In 2011, Lantz directed two low-budget feature-length horror films that got the attention of a few industry contacts. This led to him directing his fourth feature film "Bloodrunners", a Prohibition-era vampire thriller starring Ice-T (Law & Order) with a worldwide release on all major platforms in 2017. Most recently, he achieved his dream of creating a film twenty-years in the making about a medieval knight in the modern day.
"Alpha Rift" is that film, an action fantasy about a young slacker who discovers he is next in a long line of guardians who protect mankind against dark forces. As the era of superhero action-comedy films surged onward, Lantz adapted "Alpha Rift" from an earlier screenplay through the lens of tabletop gaming. The story's 90's origins imbue the film, shot in his native southeastern Pennsylvania, with a contemporized sense of nostalgia. As a tale of the eternal fight between good versus evil, it also speaks to Lantz's sensibilities as a filmmaker, "I am sincere in my storytelling and I believe in the good in people. In other words, I am a dreamer, not a cynic."
With more projects on the horizon, including the horror-comedy film, "Hayride to Hell" and a "Star Wars" parody, Lantz aims to bring a smile to his audiences while continuing to push himself creatively. "Good enough isn't good enough. For me personally, I want the most out of life and I'm not afraid of falling on my face a few times trying to get there."
Lantz has filled many roles over his career: production assistant, grip, camera operator, director of photography, editor, visual effects artist, production designer, writer, producer, and director. This journeyman jokes that "paying your dues is an understatement." He spent the first twenty years of his career making TV commercials and reality TV shows before he transitioned into narrative short films, beginning with "Felix Melman". That film won several awards and led to Lantz writing and directing more shorts and a web series.
In 2011, Lantz directed two low-budget feature-length horror films that got the attention of a few industry contacts. This led to him directing his fourth feature film "Bloodrunners", a Prohibition-era vampire thriller starring Ice-T (Law & Order) with a worldwide release on all major platforms in 2017. Most recently, he achieved his dream of creating a film twenty-years in the making about a medieval knight in the modern day.
"Alpha Rift" is that film, an action fantasy about a young slacker who discovers he is next in a long line of guardians who protect mankind against dark forces. As the era of superhero action-comedy films surged onward, Lantz adapted "Alpha Rift" from an earlier screenplay through the lens of tabletop gaming. The story's 90's origins imbue the film, shot in his native southeastern Pennsylvania, with a contemporized sense of nostalgia. As a tale of the eternal fight between good versus evil, it also speaks to Lantz's sensibilities as a filmmaker, "I am sincere in my storytelling and I believe in the good in people. In other words, I am a dreamer, not a cynic."
With more projects on the horizon, including the horror-comedy film, "Hayride to Hell" and a "Star Wars" parody, Lantz aims to bring a smile to his audiences while continuing to push himself creatively. "Good enough isn't good enough. For me personally, I want the most out of life and I'm not afraid of falling on my face a few times trying to get there."
