Dirk Scribbler's Step-By-Step Guide to Making Movies About YOU

In the midst of watching the recent reworking of the legendary Roots miniseries, I was disappointed but not surprised by the large number of Black folk who complained, "I don't wanna see any more slave movies."  Thrown into the fire of disdain are also films about Black people being butlers and maids or marching under the "we shall overcome" banner.  At first, I was gonna write a post about why I don't have a problem with slavery movies and the like for two primary reasons: 1) they're a part of our narrative and, unfortunately, the remnants of the worst period in American history still rear their ugly heads in numerous ways in communities across the United States; and 2) I don't believe in letting the descendants and proponents of our oppressors off the hook, especially when they're still oppressing our people.  I also thought about taking a few gratuitous shots at many of those same folks don't wanna see any more movies about slavery, but have no problem listening to or watching us as drug dealers, substance abusers, promiscuous and/or misogynist lovers, money-hungry hustlers and heartless killers.  However, instead of launching a divisive diatribe and since this blog is New Problem Tuesdays, I decided to do some problem solving to help the disgruntled.  So for all of you rebels against 12 Years a Slave, The Help, The Butler or the new-age Roots or those of you who feel like Denzel Washington should've received an Oscar for X long before Training Day, I have carefully carved out a five-step guide regarding how you can be a part of the process of seeing more movies about you and people who look like you made.  Get your notepads ready...

EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT SOMETHING NEW IN ORDER TO SEE SOMETHING NEW.  It's easy to gravitate toward the same historical figures or types of stories because we know them well.  However, instead of focusing on that one story that you know like the back of your hand, you could find a compelling, intriguing and inspiring piece of Black history and culture of which you unaware.  Perfect example...between watching NewsOne Now and doing research for my post about the misconceptions of the Black Panther Party, I would've never known about the original Black Panther Party b.k.a. the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) of Alabama, all of the work that they did toward voting rights and that Stokely Carmichael had a huge hand in the development of that party.  Speaking of Carmichael, despite knowing about his extensive work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), I honestly didn't realize that Carmichael was the originator of the term "Black power" until this year.  Now what you want to see a movie, documentary or miniseries about may not be related--and you might even be that snarky know-it-all who's thinking, "Where have you been, Dirk?"  Nevertheless, whether you want to see something about one of our great social leaders, inventors or an under-the-radar movement, read up on it on your own before demanding it on the big screen so that you know as much about what you would be watching to ensure that it's properly represented.  While you're at it, have meaningful discussions with friends, family and anyone who you believe would be just as interested in it as you.  You have to learn and be able to speak about it as if you've lived it firsthand so that it's evident that you're really passionate about it and you won't be an island unto yourself with the information.

CAREFULLY PLAN YOUR ATTACK STRATEGY.  Now here's where the real fun begins because it requires you to actually state what you do want to see instead of wasting your breath and precious news feed/timeline space about what you don't want to see.  First, figure out a method of petition, whether it's an actual petition through sites like Causes.com, a letter-writing campaign or just building a huge buzz on social media sites.  Second, identify the people who you know will help to effectively spread the word.  Nothing says "I care about this" more than organizing a group of people who not only care about it as much as you do, but they'll be able to assist you in getting other people to care about it as well.  Think cult following and those people you know who could convince an entire community of people to jump off of the nearest bridge hand-in-hand just because they said so.  Third, plan to keep talking about it.  Don't just make one or two drop-in-the-bucket comments about wanting to see, for example, a film about Black Wall Street or (since we're kinda on the subject of Roots anyway) the Mandinka warriors; people tend to flock to what's trending, so you have to set the trend by persistently galvanizing sustained interest in it.  Once you've strategized to that extent, then you just might be ready for one of the most important parts of your plan to get that piece of Black history to the big screen...

TARGET THE PEOPLE YOU WANT AND/OR TRUST TO MAKE YOUR MOVIE.  Despite Will Packer, Mario Van Peebles, ?uestlove and Levar Burton among many being involved in the Roots makeover, some might take issue with the History Channel being involved and feel like there's some kind of deeper Hollywood agenda to keep reminding us that we were once slaves.  Well, if you don't trust that Hollywood has our best interest in mind, do your research on the filmmakers, producers, directors, production companies, studios, organizations and/or networks who you believe will passionately present and accurately depict the story that you want to be told.  If you can't stand anything that Lee Daniels' name is attached to, then there's always someone like Ava DuVernay.  If you really want to be ambitious and keep with the theme of untold stories of Black people, then seek out an up-and-coming, brilliant filmmaker whose claim to fame so far has been indie films.  Once you identify who you want to make your movie, use the aforementioned plan of attack to specifically petition them.  Let's say that you get Black Twitter involved in this campaign...many of these people in high places have Twitter accounts, so encourage your following to at Tweet the heck out of these people and use an effective hashtag that will draw even more attention.  After a while, one of three things will happen: 1) they'll overlook or ignore your persistence altogether and end up looking questionable; 2) they'll engage you enough because the public pressure was so fervent, but not enough to actually make the film--which will also make them look questionable; or 3) they'll be as interested as you are and want to make the movie as well--especially since they know that they have an audience.

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.  So let's say that Option #3 happens, the movie gets greenlighted by a studio and it finally makes its way to the theaters.  Here's where one of the biggest challenges come for us Black folk: actually spending money to support the project.  Black people are one of the biggest demographical groups who frequent the movie theaters, but there are two constant issues: 1) nobody knows that the movie is coming out or 2) people will say they want to see it, but don't want to pay to see it.  So when those trailers get released for your movie, you have to generate similar interest that people take in movies like Captain America: Civil War or X-Men: Apocalypse; sell it as an even better superhero story because it's about real people...our people.  Because you've already kept beating people in the head with the importance of making the movie, now it's time to stress the even bigger importance of paying to see the movie.  Just among people you're close to or see on a regular basis, do something like create an event on Facebook and invite a bunch of folks or call/text ten or more people who you know will definitely flood the theaters in droves.  If it's a documentary or miniseries on PBS or a similar outlet, then you can become a contributing member and encourage others to do so.  If it's something on cable or network television, you could treat it like Empire or the Super Bowl and host a watch party.  The more of us who are willing to lead the charge in at least doubling the production costs of the film with box office revenue or contribute to program funding, the more likely we are to see more of our stories being represented more often on a bigger scale because the demand for them will be validated by our dollars and support.

IF NONE OF THAT WORKS OR YOU'RE STILL DISSATISFIED WITH THE END RESULT, THEN YOU CAN ALWAYS D.I.Y.  When Metro didn't sell the toy buses or subway trains that they featured in a 1985 commercial, I figured out a way to make them myself originally using Crayola markers, Scotch tape and paper.  When I got to a point where I felt my particular struggle wasn't being represented in hip-hop music, I started writing rhymes and learned how to produce.  When I felt like the unique way that I relate to useful and useless information wasn't being written, I began this blog.  At the end of the business day, you often have to take matters into your own hands.  Nate Parker (of Red Tails and Beyond the Lights fame) decided to "control the narrative" and do the story of Nat Turner in the upcoming film, The Birth of a Nation.  Parker wrote the screenplay himself, petitioned financiers to invest in the film despite people telling him that it wasn't a "good business decision" and is directing, co-producing and starring in the film.  Now you might think, "But Dirk, I'm not any of those things and I don't have the same access that he does."  Fair point, but chances are that you know more powerful people than you think.  You probably know a few writers, some budding directors and producers, several talented actors and an influential investor or two, and those people probably know more people who could fill out the roster.  Once you emphasize your vision for the project, you could start a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter or GoFundMe and make the very first donation to manifest just how important this particular story is to you.  The same petitioning methods previously discussed for a bigger production can apply toward a smaller one.

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If folks don't wanna see any more movies about us being slaves, servants or marching in the streets, then that's their prerogative and I respect that.  I understand the frustration behind constantly seeing these images because 1) they conjure up the most horrible memories of our ancestors and our history and 2) the film industry is quicker to recognize us when we're in chains or cast in perceivably-negative lights than when we're portrayed in positions of power.  However, all of our stories can and should be told without shaming the more painful, seemingly less empowering side of the spectrum in favor of the more joyful and positive side.  Furthermore, all of these self-righteous statuses and often-ironic boycotts are just as detrimental as the slavery movies supposedly are, if not more, because they do very little to change the trajectory of our narrative.  I'm not saying that my suggestions are the alpha and omega of solutions, and I know plenty of folks who are already implementing these tactics.  I am saying that each and every one of us have the ability to be an integral part of seeing our stories told on a bigger scale and set a new standard for the effective representation of Black people as absolutely inseparable from American history.  If the combination of movements like Black Lives Matter and the mantra/rallying cry of the Golden State Warriors and their fanbase have taught us nothing else, then we've learned that organized demands rooted in relentlessness can work and there's strength in numbers.