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Problems with sound? Extras don’t show up? In this far-ranging conversation with filmmaker Juan Davis, a writer/ director with experience in sound, editing and just about every other area of film, we learn just how projects morph and problems can shape a stronger film in the end. From giving voice to the voiceless and showing a film about terrorism in troubled times to the art of transitions, arc and ambiguity, this conversation will inspire story makers of all stripes.
Juan is the writer/ director of a documentary, horror shorts, and a powerful new short film about a young middle eastern boy who witnesses war and is forever changed. He’s also just finished a feature script. We get the low down on the differences between documentary and narrative, and on Juan’s drafting and revision techniques, including reading the draft out loud to yourself, acting it out, the importance of taking notes as you go, and the depth of research he does. (You won’t want to miss the hilarious story of how Juan came to make a documentary.) Short film v. long? Juan talks about differences in set-up, hitting key points as fast as possible, starting with the most important part of the story right away, and getting your point across in a short time. We discuss the dearth of African-American horror filmmakers and why he’s drawn to the genre and how he’s doing something different with horror, including reversing character expectations. We also speculate about the reasons behind the reemergence of exposition in written narrative, and the practice of stealing shots from admired films.
Links:
Twitter: @the1juandavis
Facebook: director.juan.davis
A Hero’s Journey
On Directing Film
Juan Davis
Juan Davis was born and raised in South Boston, VA. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He is a graduate of Academy of Art University with a MFA in motion pictures and television. He also holds a BS from East Carolina University where his concentration was in media production. He started his career as a video editor, editing for a long list of independent companies. He currently resides in northern California and is an award winning filmmaker. Some of his films include, short film “Lou’s Prey” nominated for best cinematography in Academy of Art University’s prestigious Annual Epidemic Film Festival. It was also an official selection to the Hollywood Black Film Festival, acknowledged as the Black Sundance, the St Louis Black Film Festival and the Oakland International Film Festival. His documentary film “The Peacemakers” was the recipient of the best documentary award at the Equality International Film Festival,the Audience Choice Award at the I Hella Love Shorts Film Festival in Oakland, CA and it was nominated for best documentary at the Academy of Art University Media Awards. His most recent film “Rebel Child” has been officially selected to 11 film festivals and has been the recipient of two awards and 5 award nominations. He has also collaborated with a host of other filmmakers taking on various roles on different productions in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival–everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.
The hosts:
Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.
Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.
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