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Stars

A visual poem of romance depicting a man and his lifelong romance with a woman. He believes in the personification of love and the fact that one has to know love to find love. However, love seemed to find him, and sure enough, he loved it.

  • Koby Cole
    Director
  • Koby Cole
    Writer
  • Koby Cole, Emmanuel Aikins
    Producer
  • Emmanuel Aikins, Ohemaa Owiredua
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 9, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ghana
  • Country of Filming:
    Ghana
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Smartphone - 1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Ghana
Director Biography - Koby Cole

The third of three children, I was born in Middlesbrough, England, in 2003 to Ghanaian parents. We moved to Ghana in 2013, where my father set up a private medical practice. I attended Ghana Christian International High School, a private boarding school from 2015-2021. I, however began developing a profound love for writing in primary school, later finding comfort in the art of poetry. My love for films as well as for written works nursed my almost sudden interest in filmmaking. I believe the time is long overdue for the awakening of African cinema and the global projection of creative African voices for all to see and hear on the big screen.

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Director Statement

I originally wrote Stars as a love poem. Whenever I write a story or a poem, I always seem to have a certain vision of it on the big screen. Such a vision always aids my writing and, somehow, lets it flow. However, unlike my other written works, I seemed to have an undying urge to truly make this poem one that could be lifted right off the paper and transformed into something visually beautiful. With no equipment besides two iPhone Xs -which weren't even mine, hence a delay in filming since I had to negotiate with the owners before using their phones - and my cousin's laptop with which I had previously installed Adobe Premiere Pro, I took to filming the poem. From the get-go, I had it in mind to present the characters in the form of silhouettes for the majority of the film, allowing the viewer to then imagine the girl the way she is described in the poem. I chose to make the film in black and white because it would definitely add a certain level of detail to each silhouette. Besides the fact that black and white, I feel, also creates a beautiful picture for romanticism, I used it to tell the audience that this is a story of the past, hence the narrator also speaking in the past tense. I felt that, although we were limited in our resources such as lighting, we certainly weren't limited creatively and I tried to use the environment to the best advantage. Filming, which began in September, was delayed for roughly three months due to uncontrollable changes in the female character as well as the reopening of our schools after the COVID-19 lockdown. My first goal upon arriving home for Christmas break was to complete this film in any possible way. It was quite strange for me because I was quite unable to rest until I had gotten the film done in time for school to reopen. But I believe that in order to take the viewer on a journey, I must first embark on one of my own. Yet, despite the troubles of this journey so far, I know that this is "the beginning of a beautiful friendship" between my stories and my audience.