Junior Ben Barker’s passion for film has been evolving for the past seven years.

Originally, Barker wanted to dive into acting, but his obsession with Lego-style stop-motion animations on YouTube sparked his interest in creating.

“I wanted to be an actor for a while, but I kind of realized that I wanted to be behind the camera,” Barker said.

Barker doesn’t know the exact number of films he’s made, he said, but if he had to estimate, his guess somewhere would be over the 30 range — with the first film he ever made being a Lego stop-motion movie.

For Barker, one of the special aspects of filmmaking is getting to share your creativity with others.

“I like that I’m able to show someone what I’ve been thinking about,” he said. “Show someone a story that I can create — and immerse someone in a world … I find that cool.”

When brainstorming a new short film idea, Barker’s inspiration often comes from a song.

“Usually, I’ll hear a song and I want that song to be in a movie,” Barker said.

While he won’t always put that song in the film, it inspires a storyline.

“The story will come off that scene, and then I’ll write a script, and then I’ll get people to do it,” he said. “Then I’ll go shoot it, and then I’ll edit, and then I’ll post it.”

When making his movies, Barker focuses on capturing “real moments,” he said.

He will often take out his camera in moments of authenticity, when his friends are doing something random and candid. He’ll sometimes record a night out with friends and edit it afterward.

A lot of his work is accomplished through the help of his friends, who take on most of the acting roles. They also help him with lighting and rearranging the set.

He works with students at La Salle, like juniors Emmett Hoelscher, Neil Kress, Oliver Bogya, Gus Zins, Charlie Bourne, Knute Whittington, and TJ MacMillan.

Earlier this school year, Barker submitted one of his short films, a high-stakes crime thriller called Men of Tennebraw, to the Texas Film Festival — an event which showcases the best international independent films, videos, and web series submitted — where he was awarded with the Best Action Film.

Barker added that he was surprised by his success.

“I thought ‘maybe my film wasn’t going to be good enough,’ and I think I learned that I definitely have what it takes to be up there with some people,” Barker said. “It was a high.”

In the process of making the film, Barker once again gathered up his friends and got to work.

“I got all my friends together, I texted them, I was like ‘Yo, do you guys want to be in a movie?’ and I got five of them together,” Barker said. “I basically took over my friend’s house for two nights.”

Despite Barker’s success, he has also faced backlash from outside voices.

“People have told me it’s cringe, or it’s not realistic, or like ‘what are you doing? You guys aren’t acting,’” Barker said. “I’ve been also told ‘that’s not a real pursuit or a real dream to have.’”

However, negative criticism has never interrupted his passion for film.

“I have one life, why would I do something I don’t want to do?” he said.

Throughout his experience in film, one of Barker’s favorite memories took place after Journey, when he acted in Hoelscher’s movie and filmed a scene of his own with a bunch of friends. Afterward, they got burgers.

“It was a really fun day and good bonding,” he said. “It was really nice.”

After high school, Barker hopes to go to film school in Vancouver, B.C.

“They have a good film program and it’s cheaper than going to California,” he said. “That’d be my go-to option.”

Barker’s dream is to be a director and create feature-length films. But looking in the distant future, Barker envisions himself becoming a freelance cinematographer.