Having been a professional actor for the last couple of years in North Carolina, Clinton resident Nathanial Carter knows that it is not easy to find work in the film industry.

But he has not let that stop his dream, and with perseverance and a renewed sense of purpose Carter decided the best way to make his mark was to make movies himself, starting with a small production that ended in a regionally-known film festival.

Letting nothing stop him, Carter recently put a star in his career portfolio, by acting and writing a short film that was featured at the Cape Fear Film Festival in Wilmington.

The film, Love Byte, is something that he had been wanting to write for some time.

It is a body of work, Carter established, that focuses on control and power.

“I try to tell a story that will be entertaining and will open people’s minds and make them think,” said Carter.

This is not the Sampson County native’s first attempt at writing. While this may be the first script that has been made into a film, Carter has actually written four different novels that have never been published.

“I like writing screenplays because they get the message across quicker,” said Carter of his current style of writing.

He stated that his idea for Love Byte came from witnessing a guy talking into a walkie-talkie phone.

“It looked like he was influenced in what he was doing,” said Carter.

So, he took the idea and turned it into a script about someone seeking to influence and control the president via the Internet.

“I wondered what would happen if someone could be controlled,” Carter explained.

While the film may only be approximately nine minutes in length, he stated that viewers have a tendency to question who is actually in control, even as the credits roll.

“I intentionally left the ending open, allowing viewers to think about what actually happened,” said Carter.

Those who traveled to Wilmington to see the film during the festival may have noticed some familiar settings. This is because Carter suggested to director Blake Godfrey that he use the now defunct restaurant, Wired, for part of the setting.

“We shot it in three weeks,” said Carter, noting of that time in 2008, four days were spent in Clinton.

As to why this location was perfect for the film, Carter stated, “Naturally, we had to have a location that fits. It has to be believable.”

In addition, they also shot some scenes at Hugh McRae Park in Wilmington in the middle of a hurricane.

“That was interesting,” said Carter, “It was a learning experience, but it was excellent.”

While his film didn’t receive any of the awards at the film festival, Carter stated that the award comes from knowing that he and his film were just being seen, and he got a film to be added to the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), a well known webpage in which all films of television and the silver screen are listed. For Carter, it’s a thumbs-up to his film.

“You have to have public interest and opinion to be on imdb,” Carter commented.

Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by e-mail at silife@heartlandpublications.com.