JAMAICAN VAMPIRE SERIES offers different narrative in local film industry
JAMAICAN FILM-MAKER Lone Wolf is determined to change what he views as a onedimensional approach to creating films in Jamaica.
His first online series Campus, set in a college and follows freshman Shawn (Oshane Panton), who finds himself in a battle with the supernatural world when dead bodies start popping up across campus. The first episode debuted on YouTube three weeks ago, and has amassed almost 5,000 views.
“The reception has been just love on top of love. Everybody is looking forward to the next episode on December 6, which will definitely hook other people. It’s gonna be bloody, there will be some fight scenes and a lot of drama,” Lone Wolf told The Gleaner.
EXPLORING THE SUPERNATURAL
The horror series plays on the theme of good versus evil, as a vampire wreaks havoc on campus. Despite the blood and gore, Lone Wolf said he was not afraid of any backlash.
“I actually asked around and found out what people liked, and most of them said Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf ... supernatural stuff, so I am giving Jamaicans what they want,” the 23-year-old told The Gleaner. “I realise most persons are too scared to do something controversial, so most films done in Jamaica have one genre – it’s like the same one song being sung by different artistes. Well, I’m the artiste with a different song.”
Written and directed by Lone Wolf, Campus is a six-part series shot at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus. The director also scouted talent from the institution, but said this comes with challenges. Even though Campus was birthed one year ago, the first episode took time to film due to conflicting schedules.
“Some of the team and cast are students, others work, so we had been working on the first episode from November 2017 to April this year,” he said. “Even though I have some assistance, we don’t have a production studio, so I am basically a oneman production, which makes the turnover time really hard, so I put a one-month interval between each episode.”
The director also doubles as an actor in the series, as he plays the supernatural character Rogue. “Acting has been one of my biggest dreams, but I can never live my dream because if I am not behind the camera it will not be done properly. Luckily, I have some camera assistance so I get to experience that and get outside of my comfort zone.”
Despite the buzz around the first episode, Lone Wolf is not ready to pitch it to streaming services or television.
“This season is an introduction to Jamaica, to show what we can create,” he said. “Hopefully, we
ANEW music group is on the rise on the local scene. The group, which consists of Kool Johnny Kool, Krysi Webb and Kamau Imhotep, go by the name Kuzikk, and they believe they have what it takes to be the next big thing out of Jamaica.
Speaking with The Gleaner in a recent interview, each member of the group expressed how their individual paths in music led to the formation of the group. They explained that even though they each have to focus on their solo careers, there was no denying how well they worked as a unit, and how much the music they created together could positively impact the nation.
“We found that the synergy between us was seamless. It was effortless to come together and just sing and hold a vibes. Because of that, people have been saying for some time now that we should just form a group, come up with a name and touch the road together,” Imhotep explained. “We did that and we believe we will be a real force in music.”
GREAT SYNERGY
“We all have personalities that are similar, and as Kamau mentioned, the synergy between us is great, so we operate well as a unit. We have something that not only comes easy to us, but it’s amazing the kind of music we create together,”Webb said.
Although their material will be mostly reggae, the group refuses to put their music in a box. They note that as creative individuals, there are times when they will need to switch things up so their material resonates with the intended audience. “We do reggae, dancehall, international. We’re musicians – so we do a little bit of everything, we don’t have limits,” said Imhotep.
However, Kool Johnny Kool made it clear that although they may dabble in dancehall music occasionally, they will not be indulging in lewd lyrics. “Even though we’re saying that we do a little bit of everything, including dancehall, it’s clean dancehall. We don’t do the kind of dancehall with lewd lyrics. We do clean, positive music that uplift the people.”
The group is currently promoting a track called Do it Again. It is the first track that the group will be releasing as an official unit. The song has been out making the rounds on local airwaves and the group just wrapped up filming for the official music video. The video is slated to be released before the end of the year.