Ladysmith’s Jordan Brock is proof that you don’t always have to conform to achieve good things.
In fact, Brock said he was encouraged to stay away from the horror genre when he produced his short film, A Kind of Hunger, at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School [GIFTS] last fall. That film has been nominated for an adult dramatic filmmaking award at the EyeLens Film, Video and Animation Festival April 21.
“I chose horror because I wanted to do something different,” he said. “I just wished that I had more time to throw in some more blood and guts.”
A Kind of Hunger portrays a young woman being followed by a seemingly obsessed stalker.
“I wanted to make it scary in a way that’s the underdog versus the person you think is totally going to win,” Brock said. “Being in a situation where no one else can really come and help you ... It scares me a little bit.”
Brock said he originally had plans to give the “stalker” in the film a weapon, but decided to leave the outcome up to the imagination of the viewer.
“I thought that would be a little more scary,” he said.
Brock, who graduated from Ladysmith Secondary School in 2011, produced the film during an adult intensive two-week producer program at GIFTS, located on an old logging camp on Galiano Island.
“The first couple of days, they teach you how to use the equipment and show you how things work around the school,” Brock said. “You only get one day to film your movie.”
Brock said he has always been interested in movies and filmmaking and was often “inspired by boredom” to create as a youth.
“My friend had a camera and we made claymation movies,” he said.
Although unable to attend the EyeLens festival, Brock said he is eager to see if his film wins. There are more than 140 videos entered in the festival, all produced at GIFTS.
To watch A Kind of Hunger, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9iT6bur5yU.