Who, What, When, Where, Why?

History

The 13 Shot Films production group was originally formed by Carlton Gray, an actor, filmmaker and veteran. Carlton has been creating and editing film and media for more than three decades in all aspects. (he even designed this site!) Carlton holds a degree in Art History and a certificate in media design. In 2016, Carlton joined an acting studio in Wilmington, NC and saw the need for new actors to create reels for prospective agents and to attract casting agents for potential auditions or bookings. Carlton created 13 Shot Films for this purpose. Originally, Carlton produced and directed drop in films that would highlight actors’ abilities. This allowed groups of actors to drop into a multi-actor scene that would be ran multiple times starring different sets of actors. One of the drop-in films, “The Box”, even went on to gain a laurel in the Santa Barbara Film Festival and is still being used today as a teaching tool in our studio.

Carlton went on to create a training strategy in which actors not only practiced their craft but also learned the process of filmmaking in every facet. This included lighting, sound, camera, design and theory. Carlton designed an in-house system where actors were cast and also crew, working as a hive mind in order to create deeply moving and beautifully artistic narrative films. Many of those films have also gone on to earn their laurels.
Carlton eventually moved 13 Shot Films to the pacific northwest. During this time Carlton went on to study the Warner Loughlin Technique, Strasberg’s Method and eventually moving on to study the Meisner Technique intensively at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Carlton believes in continued education and still works today to build upon the successes of 13 Shot Films.

In 2020 Carlton’s love of filmmaking continued to move forward through the covid pandemic with 13 Shot Films being one of the first in the area to make the move to get Safe Sets International certified. 13 Shot Films continued to make films through covid with many area actors pushing through and dedicating themselves to the process.