Young film-makers produce Trini horror movie

Mikkell Khan, 25, and Christopher Anthony Din Chong, 28, met while they were both pursuing the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film Production at UWI. They worked on a number of projects together and realised that they were imaginative, innovative and, perhaps most importantly, goal- oriented and focused.

While in the school Khan formed Diamond Films and IT and Din Chong set up Forward Ever Films and Mosaic Entertainment. They began working on school projects and also took on other sideline projects.

Khan said, “The dynamic between us helped us to be more productive. We had a similar trend of thought and we complement each other’s talents.”

They co-produced the documentary film Coolie Pink and Green directed by Professor Patricia Mohammed. Last year, that film was presented in India. The plot for 3 Line was inspired by a trip to San Souci and the script was written on the long flight to India.

The film, which is named after a colloquial term for cutlass, is based on six friends who are preyed upon by a family of sadists in a paradise setting.

Din Chong says, “It’s the usual paradigm, where you take a few good looking people to an isolated location and do them some wickedness. But we incorporated some Caribbean folklore and tradition into the storyline.” The film has been entered into the Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.

CREATE Strategies (Consult, Research, Evaluate, Advise, Technologise and Enforce) was established in July during the middle of shooting 3 Line.

According to Din Chong, “We started filming in March and we finished editing in October. So while we were shooting and editing, we started this company. The government wants to diversify the economy and move away from oil and gas driven industries. We really feel that the film industry is developing rapidly and holds a lot of possibility for great returns.”

They have worked with companies like Clockstoppers Limited, The Muslim Community Network, Premier Road Maintenance Company, National Open School of Trinidad and Tobago and Fuad Khan and Friends.

Din Chong explained that product placement has a greater impact than the typical ad. “The film industry is growing and we hope that both public and private enterprise will view film, music videos and documentaries as a medium of advertisement. So our company is offering product placement. People use commercials as a snack break, but by incorporating brands, logos and products into these new media, the message will be more effective. So it’s a fresh way of marketing products.”

To have a meaningful and lasting memory on the consumer, the product must create an experience, the young entrepreneurs say, pointing to watching James Bond film and seeing him step out of a certain luxury car. CREATE Strategies hopes to work with small companies and watch their clientele base grow into an established firm. “We want to develop mom and pop franchises into the next conglomerate. We want to grow with out client. So it’s a mutual advantage.”