Up-and-coming self-styled film-maker Gemmar McFarlane does more than write, direct, edit and act – he’s also a singer/songwriter with a passion for film and music. And through his business Gemagination Studios, he hopes to make an impact with his creations.

Far from the glitz and glamour of his most recent short film premier at Palace Amusement’s drive-in cenema, McFarlane had a typically ordinary start to his journey to become the multifaceted cinephile he is today.

According to him, it began with the escapism of television shows, feature length movies and even YouTube videos, but it was his first look at ‘behind the scenes’ content that really sparked his interest. He became fascinated with the creation of video and so endeavoured to make his own skits, a hobby that he developed significantly in high school which expanded his skills beyond just acting and editing to scriptwriting and directing.

“After graduating, one of the teachers who encouraged my talent gave my name to a local business to provide professional video editing services and when I got the pay cheque my parents and I realised, ‘hey, this could actually be taken seriously’,” McFarlane explained.

Describing his entrepreneurial journey, McFarlane recalls, “At that point I decided to open my own business offering production services which saw me studying business administration with a major in marketing at UTech. I later dropped out to focus on the business full time.”

He further told the Jamaica Observer that his decision to quit school was a difficult but necessary one.

“Due to the fact that I also live with a mental illness, bipolar type 1 disorder, after counsel from my parents and psychiatrist, I realised that I could only do one if I want to be both healthy and successful. So I chose the one that I thought would bear the most fruit for me based on where I was in my career,” McFarlane explained.

He continued, “Although my industry or the orange economy is more about your portfolio, experience and reputation than looking good on paper, being a self-taught film-maker with no tertiary degree still meant I would have to work extra hard to gain the same level of respect and negotiating power in the world of corporate production or marketing which is where the lion’s share of most production income is generated.”

McFarlane has since amassed an impressive track record. Through the studio division of marketing and business transformation agency It’s Pixel Perfect, he has worked with Express Fitness, H&L, GraceKennedy and Burger King, to name a few. As an individual through Gemagination Studios he has worked with Ity and Fancy Cat across their multiple sketch shows, on music videos featuring DJ Bambino, and Spragga Benz, among others. He’s also worked with Tessane Chin; Tami Chin and Wayne Marshall; the British High Commission Kingston; and Bignall Law.

However, his proudest achievement is his participation in the Spotlight Initiative. The project coordinated by UNICEF in collaboration with the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) was to explore gender-based violence by telling the stories of real-life survivors.

McFarlane’s team was one of the four selected to create a film.

“I wrote, directed and edited a short film alongside my teammate, Julene Kenyon, about Rhonda Glynn, a Trinidadian powerhouse of a woman who survived an abusive partner in her 20’s and went on to get her master’s degree and open her own business helping other women achieve generational wealth,” he told the Sunday Finance.

“The film is called Absolute Power and can be viewed on UNICEF’s YouTube channel. It premiered locally at Palace Cineplex’s drive-in theatre along with the three other films and had me over the moon with my first big red carpet feature! I plan to enter it into a few international film festivals this year,” he shared.

And while the local film industry is sometimes overlooked and rarely receives its flowers, McFarlane remains confident.

“I think the future of film is bright in terms of the endless possibilities of the kinds of stories we can tell, especially as larger audiences become savvier and are developing a taste for stories, and genres that are traditionally niche or Indie now becoming more popular. Locally I think Jamaica has the potential to do to film what we did to music and make a huge impact because it’s the same secret ingredients in our music that we infuse into our films — culture, authenticity and a unique style and pattern that you just can’t find anywhere else. The future of film looks like a melting pot of diversity which the international community is big on right now and we are literally ‘Out of Many, One People’, so the future of film is looking very Jamaican,” McFarlane opined.

As for his personal outlook, the 26-year-old shared his desire to work on more cinematic content including feature films and online series and winning prestigious film festivals which would lead to subsequent international releases. He also expressed his interest in one day sitting on the board of JAFTA.

He insisted that there are other passion projects he wants to pursue beyond film-making. In addition to fostering his music career, McFarlane aims to become a beacon for mental health and contribute to building a society that is more sensitive and supportive of persons struggling with mental health challenges.

He reflected on the path he took in joining passion with entrepreneurship and offered his lessons as advice to other aspiring creators.

He said, “Being a creative entrepreneur is a commitment to constant improvement, investment in your craft and problem solving. Producing has such a broad and flexible spectrum of responsibilities and required knowledge… educate yourself using any and all reputable resources and most importantly, find an idea and execute it. Take your losses on the chin and keep it moving”.

He further reassured that while it can be difficult, especially just starting out, it does get better over time.

“Unfortunately, creatives are faced with the universal challenge of constantly being undervalued and exploited, you often have to fight for the worth of your work especially when just starting out. It definitely gets better as your experience and reputation grows but you have to pull yourself out of the boxes they try to put you in as soon as you notice you’re in there until they accept your true value,” he advised.

The film-maker believes he’s in a good place for now but knows he’s not done yet.

“…I want a journey of success, not a journey to success. So if every day I’m doing something I’m passionate about, knocking down goals and operating to the full capacity of my potential and making meaningful impact wherever I am, I am successful. I won’t let anybody tell me what that should look like,” he contended.

“I want to [make] movies/shows that not only entertain but really touch people on a deeper level and make them think about the themes of the film long after they leave the cinema. I want to introduce Jamaica to atypical genres and themes that are quirky, unique and maybe even a little uncomfortable, but always entertaining,” McFarlane asserted.

The young creator also shared his ultimate vision of himself and the theme of how he approaches his life.

He said, “I’m not the smartest, not the most skilled, not even the most talented at what I do. I just have very vivid dreams that I woke up and decided to make real. I don’t need to be the best, or the most popular or the richest, I just want to be impactful and live a life of meaning and purpose”.