Harold. Film Director/ Screenwriter/ Producer

NOBODY LOVES THE FILMMAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I should be a little less dramatic. I think what I mean to say is the Black Filmmaker has got issues to deal with... This is not a “poor Black man” speech so don’t turn away. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that that’s the last thing you will get from me. The theory goes like this. Filmmakers, for now we will stick with Black ones, have two enemies. Both of them can either rip the heart and soul out of a film or prevent one from being made. Enemy number one, the “Studios” (cue scary music). I’ll be brief. All they care about is money (remember this!). I am here to say that there is nothing wrong with that. In some way or another everyone in the world subscribes to that and we all will make detrimental decisions based completely on that doctrine. If you haven’t yet you will. Hence the reason they will pay for some films and toss others out the window. Don’t be mistaken to believe making films is about making good films… Enemy number two of the Black filmmaker, “The Bootlegger” (cue sad music). Simple scenario. Black filmmaker makes a film or two. Convinces studio to make his latest and greatest film. They agree. He cast black actors. Bootleggers see an opportunity. Bootleg the film. Nobody goes to the theater. Film flops, relatively speaking. We (collectively speaking) find ourselves back to the reason studios don’t make certain films. Studio tells that filmmaker to fuck off! He’s struggling to work again. No longer making high profile films and in turn no longer casting Black actors in said high profile films. Boom, the reason, Mr. and Ms. Chocolate actor, you can’t breakthrough. Actors need to be more frightened of this then I. I can just start making films with an, other than Black cast and hopefully step right over this dilemma. For obvious reasons the actor doesn’t have a choice. The only person that seems to be immune to this is Tyler Perry. Studios love him. He’s bullet proof right now (I stress “right now”). I read a blog from a Black Director who’s doing fairly well for himself, (I’m proud of you by the way) and he said that bootlegging was a ploy to hold the “community down”. That day is dead. It ain’t got nothing to do with that. It’s about money. If you can’t make it for them, they ain’t got nothing for you. If I were the studio, I’d tell you the same thing. I have no solution to this problem. I just wish patrons of bootlegs could understand how many they are hurting by saving themselves $5. The real DVD is way better than the bootleg anyway, get with it. Well, like I always say… Throw some popcorn at the screen. See how good it feels. This time I truly mean it. Take it lyte.