Meet The Team
DIEGO RODRIGUEZ GARCIA
Producer, Director, Editor, Cinematographer, Actor
Founder of DARG STUDIOS: Diego Adrian Rodriguez Garcia was born July 30th, 2002 in Mexico City, Mexico. In 2008, Diego's family moved to Calgary, Alberta. In Canada, he studied at Queen Elizabeth High School, where he graduated in 2020. He later began studying at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 2021. In 2022 he graduated from SAIT.
Diego Rodriguez Garcia has always had an interest in film. Even from a young age, he watched the behind-the-scenes of his favourite movies. Diego prefers the use of practical effects over the use of CGI, This is why his all-time favorite film is Terminator 2: Judgement Day. He also loves martial art films. This comes from his own background in Martial Arts. Diego is a Taekwondo second-degree black belt (ITF). One of his favourite sagas is The Karate Kid. He is fascinated with Cobra Kai. Diego also has a love of sitcoms such as The Office, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and Parks and Recreation.
Diego is mostly seen wearing a hat on set. Diego has a passion for directing and editing. He often edits projects on his own time. He soon found a passion in the camera department, something he never saw himself in before. Diego's newfound love of operating the camera paved a new goal of one day being a director of photography.
DIEGO RODRIGUEZ CHAVEZ
Producer, Director, Editor, Camera Operator, Gaffer, Grip
Diego Rodriguez Chavez had a passion for film from a noticeably early age. Diego always had a passion for the MCU (MARVEL Cinematic Universe) he fell in love with the way those films were made since the premiere day of the first Avengers (May 4th of 2012) he found a curiosity for what true filmmaking is. He had a dream to one day be a freelance editor once he left the FVDO program at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) due to the connections he made along the way.
Later in 2012, he went on a trip to visit some family in Vancouver, Canada he learned that not only was filmmaking part of his family's history but also that most of his family from both his mother's and fathers' side were involved in the film industry. He decided to take a leap of faith and involved himself with different projects from an early age with his family. Along the way he found out that his distant uncle was the so-called inspiration he had been following for this entire time he found out that his uncle was part of the editing team for the first Avengers that he admired for the longest time and from that point forward the only thought in his career path was "If someone so close to me can do this what's stopping me from being in the same shoes." He later found love in the camera department during SAIT's very own film and production course working as 1st and 2nd assistant camera and from there he decided to include it in his career path as camera assistant/editor. His goal is to move forward in his career to become a director of photography/editor.
KAINÉ DORMAAR
Colorist, Camera Operator, Gaffer, Grip
From a young age, Kainé always loved movies, they were a way to escape into another universe for them. They’d always loved being creative expressing it through story writing creating worlds full of their own life, however after watching the Rurouni Kenshin franchise’s first 2 films Kainé realized that they wanted to go into film and video production. Being accepted into SAIT’s film and video program brought so much excitement to them.
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Initially going into the program intending to be an editor, Kainé found that they enjoyed being onset in the camera department more but also found a passion for color grading. Fascinated by how color really affects the end result of a film, Kainé had aspirations of becoming a colorist working in the camera department post-graduation. While influenced by films such as The Green Knight or Lamb. Kainé found the people that they had been inspired by their classmates the most, each one had a different view, perspective and aspirations in the industry. Being able to grow and learn alongside each and every one of them brought warmth to their heart cherishing every memory they’ve made together.
GRANT MCHALE
Writer, Script Supervisor, Sound Mixer, Set Decorator
Grant grew up in Kelowna BC where he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do after high school. When the pandemic hit and everyone was forced to stay inside, he started watching more and more movies. The film that made him decide to go into the film and video program was Bong Joon-hos Parasite (2019). After starting the program, he grew to appreciate all kinds of movies from slasher horror movies to musicals. After graduating in 2022, he hopes to pursue writing and wishes to direct his own movies and tv shows.
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JENN MCLEISH
Producer, Director, Writer, Actress
Jenn McLeish is a Calgary-born local filmmaker who has a passion for integrating the use of funeral urns in every short she writes. She first developed her love of the performance and visual arts in elementary and high school where she would participate in the theatre club and shows. While taking business at SAIT, she volunteered to act in the film and video production students' films which led to her meeting some amazing crew members who helped make her vision for Ruby and Good Soup come true.