As a filmmaker myself I suppose I can understand why filmmakers tend to be secretive about their projects – especially while still in some stage of production.

The reasons may not necessarily be universal, and are instead individual to each filmmaker; but the problem with this is that it makes our work here difficult. Not that you should be completely transparent during your process (although we certainly won’t stop you if you so choose). Consider it all part of your marketing strategy – a synopsis, casting, a photo here, a piece of promo art there, a poster, a clip, a trailer, an interview, an on-set visit to report from, even just an announcement of what you’re writing currently, etc, etc, etc.

And what those teases (strategically spread out over a period of time) inspire, is fanboy/girl excitement over what might be coming when your film is eventually, completely done, and ready for exhibition – excitement that keeps your fanboys and girls engaged and interested. And by the time you’re ready to show what you’ve spent the previous year (or however long your production took) working on, there’s already enough of an awareness, and just as importantly, an anticipation for what you have to exhibit.

I’d like to create (or at least entertain) that kind atmosphere within what we call independent black cinema. Of course there are always those few detractors (can’t please everyone), but those who love your past work (whether shorts or features), or those who are curious, will most certainly appreciate being teased. And that excitement can be contagious, spreading to those who are indifferent, and maybe even win over disparaging types.

So keep your fanboys and girls happy.

I recall after debut films by the likes of Darren Aronofsky, Harmony Korine and David Gordon Green were released years ago, and very well received; they were crowned with what I’d call Artiste reputations, and rabid fanboys and fangirls of each would salivate at every single piece of news that was reported on each of them, or projects they were working on, no matter how seemingly insignificant. I’d like us to encourage and maintain a similar kind of euphoria and thrill for indie black filmmakers especially.

In a related conversation with one filmmaker, I was told that indie black filmmakers (black talents, really) aren’t necessarily used to being covered this closely and thoroughly, given that they have long been mostly ignored by mainstream websites; except those who make a big enough splash. And even then, awareness via coverage on mainstream sites isn’t necessarily guaranteed – certainly not the kind of near-rabid coverage you’re get on a site like Shadow And Act. In addition, your audience may not even read those mainstream sites, which doesn’t at all help in creating this fanboy/girl culture I’m talking about.

But the point this filmmaker was making to me was that because black filmmakers aren’t necessarily used to this kind of close and continuous coverage, especially at this level (we may not be Deadline, or Variety, or The Hollywood Reporter, etc, but our numbers are healthy, and our readers are loyal and eager to learn about you and your work), there’s an adjustment that has to take place, and trust that needs to be built.

You tell me.

Many of *us* (black people) routinely lament the perceived lack of interest in, and thus coverage of black films and filmmakers (especially indie black films and filmmakers) in what we could call the “mainstream” media (this site’s thriving existence is proof of that); although the more *militant* among us have said explicitly that what it comes right down to is wanting validation from white people, essentially a nod to Frantz Fanon’s theories on feelings of “dependency and inadequacy” black people experience in a “white world;” an inferiority complex, if you will, whether you agree with that or not.

So the first question is for the filmmakers: how much importance do you filmmakers put in coverage of black cinema by non-black media outlets? In talking to black filmmakers over the years, I’ve discovered that many feel they need that kind of press because black audiences (generally speaking of course) are more likely to take the work seriously, or pay closer attention to it, if it’s covered in Variety, for example, or The Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, Deadline, etc.

Black filmmakers feel that black audiences (again, generally speaking)  hold those outlets in higher regard than specifically black culture sites, with the feeling being that, getting a write up in Variety, for example, can be of immense value to their film, not only because it might raise the overall awareness of the film, potentially broadening its reach, but also because it gives the work an *importance* or *validation* in the eyes of black audiences.

To be clear, I’m not saying this is the thinking of every black filmmaker, or every member of the audience; but I’ve talked to enough folks on both sides over the years to recognize that these feelings (whether imagined or real) do exist enough that this is worth discussing.

Another question I’d ask filmmakers is, for those whose films have received attention from any of the major industry sites, just how much difference has that made in the reception of your film by audiences (of all colors)? Can you say that you’ve seen a definite, quantifiable impact on the success (or failure) of your film, especially since there is a general perception that “black films” rarely cross-over?

There’s the added question of whether “black films” directed by non-black filmmakers (read: white filmmakers) are more likely to be acknowledged within the mainstream (read: white) press than “black films” directed by black filmmakers; but that’s another post on its own entirely. However, I wanted to at least mention it to say that I’m aware of that conversation and how it fits into this particular discussion.

But I also look to black audiences with the same question: how much importance do you put in coverage of black cinema by non-black media (mainstream) outlets? How much value do you put into seeing a “black film” written about (whether it’s an announcement or a review) in The Hollywood Reporter for example, over any comparable black media site? As black filmmakers suggest, or seem to believe, do you feel that a write-up in a major trade validates the film’s existence in any way, over a write-up of the film on, let’s say, Shadow And Act for example? And if a black media outlet covers a film, but it doesn’t get any coverage by any of the few industry standards/stalwarts, does that in any way lessen your interest in it, or do you see less value in it?

Are these thoughts even conscious, intentional ones, or is it a matter of years of programming, or the inferiority complex Fanon theorizes?

Or do you feel that none of what I’ve presented here are issues at all, as far as you’re concerned, and thus a conversation isn’t even warranted?

The point here is to stimulate discussion on issues that I don’t know if we really talk about; matters that are said, but within groups of like people, and hardly ever to those we really should be talking to, leading to assumptions about the other, which doesn’t at all help.

As the title of the series states, “Notes On Working Towards A Fanboy/Girl Culture In Black Indie Cinema;” and I feel that the success of that journey partly depends on a trusted “value system” between filmmakers, audiences and the black media. Or as Melvin Van Peebles suggested to me when I interviewed him a few years ago – working towards being an entirely self-reliant, self-sustaining unit.

We (those who write for S&A) are routinely telling you, the readers, what black filmmakers we’re excited about, and who you all should be paying attention to. I’d like to turn things around and instead have you tell us (and others reading) what black filmmakers you are excited about (who you are a fanboy, or fangirl of, to keep in line with this post’s theme) and/or that you think we should be paying more attention to, but, for whatever reason, aren’t.

And by the way, I’m not just referring to black American filmmakers; I’d like to read comments naming filmmakers from all across the Diaspora.

It would also be great if you can tell us what it is about the filmmakers you list that excites you, why you’re a fanboy/girl for each filmmaker, or at least, tell us something about their work.

In my case, email questions I often receive from filmmakers usually include general advice on the filmmaking process; not that my opinion matters more than anyone else’s. After all, I think how we each receive cinema is really dependent on each individual’s experience. We’re not the Borg collective; at least we shouldn’t be.

I find it difficult to reply to those kinds of questions because they are often so general or broad that an answer would require pages and time to compose.

But in thinking about it further, it hit me. My general response to those general questions would be: make me feel something.

Easier said than done, I suppose. But that’s really what it comes down to for me.

The feeling doesn’t have to be positive either; just tickle me more than a little bit – whether you make me laugh out loud, cry, angry, sad, happy, frustrated… something… anything. There’s nothing worse, in my humble opinion, than walking out of a screening, feeling indifferent, or apathetic to what I just saw and experienced. A shrug is not what you want from your audience – at least I don’t think so.

The question then is, how do I, as a filmmaker, ensure that my audience does feel something?

You really can’t guarantee anything, to be frank, until you actually show it to an unbiased audience. But I’d also say that if, as you’re writing it, it makes you feel something, chances are, that same feeling will be felt by others. The question is how universal that response to your film will be – in essence, how many people will agree, and whether you care how high or low that particular number is.

But I would suggest being bold, brave and provocative. Go there (as the saying goes) with your story – to that place where you are maybe scared to explore, or think others might consider strange, bizarre, “too much,” too honest, too anything. But don’t do so just to be gratuitous, or as a gimmick. The saying that reality (or truth) can be stranger (or any other like terms) than fiction, is true. Just be honest (especially if it’s a personal story), and/or make sure it all makes sense within the confines of the narrative. The question about whether any work of art can be original anymore is asked often; and in response, I say that the personal is where the originality comes from. We’re each unique in our own ways, and thus our POVs are our own.

In an environment in which what I call assembly line filmmaking seems to rule, very little actually stands out anymore; and I think that’s because many up-and-coming filmmakers (of all colors) try to emulate existing formulas. It’s as if their intent from the beginning is to create something that they think Hollywood would want. But one key problem there is that they are usually working with budgets that are far less than the average studio film, thus the results just don’t resonate, and the films instead look and feel like cheap knockoffs.

I’d suggest that’s the wrong approach. Instead – and I think there is indeed a precedent for this – take risks and you just might find that Hollywood will come calling, assuming that’s your end goal. The precedent I speak of are all the young filmmakers who were bold, brave, unique, with their own voices, who made their first films independently – films that earned them lots of attention, and eventually signing on with agents, and are now making multi-million dollar feature films backed by studios.

I’m certainly not suggesting that this method has worked, or will work for everyone, but if I were writing a script for a film right now, I wouldn’t be thinking of what current title or style of filmmaking I could emulate. We are already influenced by what we have seen, so you can’t entirely escape that. But I wouldn’t do so (be influenced and try to copy) intentionally.

As an indie filmmaker, this is probably the absolute best time for you to experiment, because once the studio system swallows you up, your freedom and control goes right along with that.

This was actually going to be a much shorter piece, so in closing I’d say again, be bold; take risks; go there; be provocative; experiment, not only with ideas, themes, and genres, but also with styles of shooting, editing, sound design, etc; know the rules and then break them; be fearless. And be personal. They say that there’s nothing original anymore, but the best way to be original is to be personal.

All of this being just one man’s opinion of course…

So how do we create this fanboy/girl culture within indie black cinema? Ultimately, to summarize this post, as I see it, it lies with all of us – filmmakers, audiences, black media, even black film festivals, etc – playing our individual parts. Think of an orchestra – an organized group of musicians who play together on various instruments to produce wonderful symphonies. It’s an intentional act; active and decisive, not passive, working in unison towards a collectively-valued end. To once again quote Melvin Van Peebles, working towards being an entirely self-reliant, self-sustaining unit.

The goal here is to generate healthy discussion. I think there’s still a lot of work to be done on all sides, and I’m simply trying to move the conversation forward beyond the usual. To quote Biggie, spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way…

Your thoughts?