It’s all about telling stories

ASHEBORO — Ryan Camp’s career choice boiled down to music or film. Film won out.

“I’ve always been interested in making movies,” he said last week during the Sunset Film Festival in Asheboro, during which two of Camp’s films — “Premonition” and “You Are Loved Somewhere Else” — were shown.

Even as a young teenager, Camp and some of his friends would borrow a camcorder to make primitive videos. Then, as he got a little older, he became lead singer for a local rock band called Cynder.

In order to increase its visibility, Cynder’s members decided to create music videos. However, Camp said, the cost of having professionals do the work was “out of control. So I said, ‘I can try to do it myself.’ I was really trying to make quality content.”

Then in 2004 the band auditioned for a spot in MTV’s reality show, “The Battle for Ozzfest,” working with Ozzie and Sharon Osbourne. Cynder was chosen to compete against several other bands for the grand prize. Cynder went to the finale and wound up in second place.

After that season-long period, Camp said, he came back home and had to “figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Film and video seemed natural.”

He began photographing and videotaping events such as weddings and working with businesses around Asheboro. “That was eight years ago,” Camp said.

Then he went on YouTube and started “The Piedmont Motion Picture Show” to post his movies. He also used the channel to educate viewers in filmmaking. Now he’s up to more than 40,000 subscribers. He sells online courses and resources for filmmakers while also benefiting from ad revenues.

Camp said he has “lived here my whole life” and graduated from Southwestern Randolph High School in 1999. One of his classmates was Ty Brueilly, originator and director of the Sunset Film Festival.

Among Camp’s short films are “The Farmhouse” from 2017 and “Premonition.” They fall into the horror or thriller genre. On the other hand, “You Are Loved Somewhere Else” is a documentary focused on the closing of a beloved Greensboro tavern that showcased local music talent.

“I love doing documentaries,” Camp said, “something you have to be passionate about. I like to tell stories and I like to write.”

Camp said his goal for 2025 is to produce his first feature film. He has finished the screenplay for “White Owl,” which he calls “an alien abduction story.” 

Another project he’s working on is “Five Doors,” an interactive thriller that the audience can “watch and pick what happens next. I’ve done a pitch for it with a featurette.”

To help with these projects, he said, he’s working with Courtney Jones, who edits for Disney and has become “a mentor for me. He’ll help get my first feature out the door. I’ve only done shorts until now.”

As an independent filmmaker, Camp relies on access to internet sites to take his products “straight to the audience” without the need for the middle man for distribution.

Asked how he sees his career five years from now, Camp said he wants to “focus on teaching (his YouTube) audience while making feature films. I have no desire to be famous. I’m content on being in the background sharing stories.”

Another concept he’s come up with is a study vehicle to teach “directing as an introvert.” That would fit in with those with personalities similar to his own. He said that even as a lead singer he disliked talking in public. He said that in school when the class was to do recitations, he would volunteer to go first to get it over with and not have to wait in dread for his turn to come.

During the showing in the Sunset Theatre of his “Premonition,” Camp naturally sat on a back row out of the limelight. But at the same time, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to highlight a couple of his films.

“I’m looking forward to next year (with the film festival),” Camp said. “I hope it grows. I appreciate being part of it.”

He acknowledged that such events allow filmmakers to network with one another. “I’m always looking for creative people to work with,” he said.