Coffee Break Chat: Barbadian Filmmaker Stockton Miller
by Karen Rollins Mar 4, 2019
Barbadian filmmaker Stockton Miller loves telling stories.
When he was a young child at school, he even wished he could show his friends the images inside his head, and that thought is what kick-started his interest in making films.
Stockton has since developed his directing, writing and editing skills and is forging a career as a talented filmmaker. He has over 4,850 people subscribed to his YouTube channel. And, in 2018, a short film he made went viral when Barbadians thought the computer-generated ‘creature’ in his movie was real and loose on the island.
Yello asked Stockton about his passion for film. He told us about his current project and his aspiration to become the first person from Barbados to win an Oscar.
Tell us a bit about your childhood / schooling.
I’m from Six Men’s in St Peter. I attended the Half Moon Fort Primary School and then St Lucy Secondary (which is now Darryl Jordan Secondary School).
When did you discover your passion for film?
At school I used to write a lot of stories and share them with friends. I always wished that I had some way to show them what was in my head, and that’s when I decided to become a filmmaker.
What was your favourite movie when you were younger?
One of my favourite movies, which I still enjoy to this day, is a film called The Cabin in the Woods (2011). I like it so much because it’s a unique film.
You became well known in Barbados for a viral video of a ‘creature’ in Waterford, St Michael which people thought was real – how did that film come about? What did you think about the reaction to it?
The video with the creature came about because I usually make VFX (visual effects) videos and upload them to YouTube.
I had a following of people from America watching my YouTube channel and one of them offered me a computer-generated imagery (CGI) model to make a video. I made the video and sent the finished product to a friend. He sent it around saying it was real and it just grew from there.
Some of the reactions were funny because people even put out voice notes claiming they’d seen the creature!
Tell us how your filmmaking career has been developing.
My filmmaking career has developed a lot. I started in 2011, I’m self-taught, but now I have my second full-length film showing in local cinemas which shows how far I’ve come.
What’s been your proudest achievement so far?
My proudest achievement so far is making the first science fiction /monster movie in Barbados.
What projects are you working on now?
A seven-episode series based on the viral video called: ‘The trident – the land we call home’.
What do you think about the film industry on the island?
The film industry on the island is in good hands but the government and the people in charge don’t care about it because they don’t take it seriously.
What are your personal goals for the future?
My plan for the next five years is to have about 20 internationally-acclaimed films screening all over the word. I also want to be the first Barbadian to win an Oscar.
What do you love about Barbados?
There are so many reasons to love Barbados!
Where do you like to hang out with friends?
My friends and I usually just hang out around the house and go to the beach.
If I was visiting the island – what should be top of my ‘to-do list’?
The first thing a visitor to the island needs to do is socialise with Barbadians. Go to Oistins, for example, mingle with the locals and get some amazing food.
What advice would you give aspiring filmmakers on the island?
Even if you don’t get help, always finish what you start. Always push yourself to finish what you start.
