Knowing Your Neighbor: Lance Todd

DULUTH, MINN- Lance Todd is a film maker who lives in Duluth. He’s been a professional film maker for 15years, but he’s been making films his whole life. “It was never really a choice. I just, the second I can hold up that camera I was making movies.” Says, Todd.  He went to The LA Film School for two years and decided to move back home to Duluth. He said, ” All of the scripts I wrote were about Duluth and all I could think about was come back here and make movies.” When he moved back,  he was making films non-stop.

When he moved back to Duluth,  he realized learning the basics of film making in school, doesn’t mean there’s a “right” way to do it.  He goes on to say, “What makes a lot of films special, what makes a lot of film makers special is when they go against the grain and they try things their own way. And they do things that would be considered a mistake when you’re learning.” He’s proud that him and his team has won won awards for local films. His film “Beyond The Northwoods” has been watched worldwide and is now streaming on platforms such as Tubi.

He looks forward to his next project; it’s a science fiction film about Artificial Intelligence. His hope is that all of his mistakes, he’s made in the last 10years will make sense.  He says, “Expect to be confused.” His advise to someone starting film is to make mistakes and develop a voice.