PURPLE REELS THE GOGETTER: June 2009

I can't believe it's real... can't believe it's true... can't believe it's happening but finally it's true. When I was in bed the other night I just could not sleep thinking about the first day I would be directing my first music video. I had years of experience dating way back to middle school at Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School in Sacramento, CA.... to Howard University and on to France to witness one of the greatest experiences of my life. I dream this business and I look at the world through the eyes of film because it has actually become my life. It is overwhelming at first to be put in the director's chair because there is so much riding on your shoulders. After weeks of planning it all came down to doing what I do best and showing my crew the vision that I had. What is unique is that my crew is all new to the business and that gave me a lot of leverage as far as getting them caught up on some things. We have all of the equipment we need and a plethora of talent to work with. As far as equipment we are shooting on the Sony PMW EX3 shooting in high quality on HD. I am so

used to being on camera or editing so I found myself trying to do most of the shooting at times but realized I have to let my crew do their job. Once I got into the groove of things we were on our way and things moved a lot quicker and looked clean cut and smooth. I have a great DP who works well with my style and is willing to learn on the spot. It was exciting to finally be in charge of something bigger than myself and have the ability to make decisions that showcase my ability to direct a successful shoot. We have a three point lighting system along with a soft box and two other lights but we ended up only using four to block out the shadows.
Working with talent is something

that was quite new to me only because I had been used to doing documentary style productions. I made them feel comfortable by giving them the freedom to improvise and give their own suggestions about certain shots that I chose. Immediately they began to feel comfortable and everything fell into place after that. What is unique about this first music video is that it is in Spanish originally and so when I first heard it I went off of the music and the feel of the song to get an idea of what I'd write for the treatment. Then the second time I got it translated and then went back and wrote a second treatment and compared the two. I spent a while listening to the song over and over and going back over the translations before a lightbulb came on and I focused in on one idea. The song for the video is called "No Importa" and the artist is a reggaeton artist named Ito who is a local artist from Sacramento, CA but originally from Puerto Rico who is signed with Moodswinga Records. Reggaeton is making it's way to the top in the USA so I'm glad to be a part of something new. The song is actually available on Amazon.com and also on Itunes under Ito "No Importa."
This has been a very exciting time for me and it is only Day 1 of sh

ooting. Putting a production together is the most amazing feeling. However this has been a great learning experience because Directing is a whole new playing field. I know that I was made to do this because at the end of the day I'd do this even if you didn't pay me. While in France for the Cannes Film Festival I met some amazing Directors and Producers and one theme I remember them saying is that yeah this business may seem fun on the outside but there is a lot of pain for the most part. It is a grueling business that you have to be ready for. If you don't have tough skin then you will not make it. I'm a fighter and I have been through a lot, sacrificed a whole lot, and have taken more risks that I ever thought I would all for the love and passion of film. These next few days for me are all about FOCUS and putting my money where my mouth is. I want to put my heart and soul into it this time that's where the real test comes. It doesn't matter what equipment you have (although that helps) if you do not know what to do with it then at the end of the day it's just a waste.
A few days after I got back in California

we went down to San Jose to shoot a show for one of our artists on Moodswinga Records "Philly Slim." He was performing with a group who has a CD out called "Before I Die" with Scrilla C. That was such an exciting experience. We had on our Moodswinga shirts and when we took out our cameras they didn't really know what was going on or what to expect. For one the club that we went to was not a hip-hop club so it was rather weird to me that they were even booked their but that is neither here nor there. They ended up rocking the house anyway and once the video started poppin we got some great shots. What I like about Philly Slim is he knows how to work the crowd and be live for the camera as well. That will be the third music video I work on and I am definitely looking forward to that. I really felt proud of my crew that night because it felt like family. These past few days have been great. There have definitely been ups and downs but overall it has been a great learning experience. I am proud to say that I am finally living the dream.