This is part 5 of my in-depth interview with independent film director and writer Dennis Dortch, creator of the Sundance Film Festival Award winning film A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy (which is available on DVD).
The interview has covered the motivations for Dennis Dortch, the inspiration of the film, working in the film industry, the actors, writing, and other insights. If you want to see the other parts of the interview they are in order:
Sundance director Dennis Dortch interviewed by Michael Vass
Director Dennis Dortch interviewed by Michael Vass - pt 2
Part 3 of the Michael Vass interview with Sundance noted director Dennis Dortch
Part 4 of the Michael Vass interview with Sundance noted director Dennis Dortch
Conclusion of interview:
Michael Vass : No I can understand that. By the way how old are you now?
Dennis Dortch : I’m in my mid 30’s
Michael Vass : Oh that’s not that old at all. That is a good age. I’m not that much older but I’m older so that’s a good age. So it's something that, the achievement that you’ve gotten at this point. It's something that’s easily achievable you don’t have to wait till your 50 or 60 to get it done.
Dennis Dortch : You know what it is, I wish I’d done this earlier. Cause I had this idea and I had a short film idea Slam Dance in 99. I had an idea, the name, I had the short script version of Black and Sexy. But it took me literally a decade to really get it going from there and I think it really was just life literally.
I think the filmmakers who are young hot shots make films but they don’t know shit after that. It's kind of hard to follow up. I think it's life experiences that make good filmmakers. Even people like George Lucas; to be a good film maker a writer a visionary. I think the new 20’s are the 30’s and the new 30’s are the 40’s.
I didn’t really find myself until I hit 30. I didn’t find out what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to be creative. But I didn’t know how I was going to do it or how I was going to express it. I went to film school by accident. I didn’t know any thing about festivals. I just wanted to be creative and someone told me to do my short film at Sundance so I did Slam Dance.
I got into it with Slam Dance and I was like oh cool, but I didn’t know how to do that stuff. It was not in my world. I didn’t grow up with a video camera in my hands or a mommy and a daddy who were pushing me to do something with the camera. I sort of stumbled into it and found that I took to it. So I think it took … you know I got married and I have kids so its a lot of distractions. So it took me a while and in the time that it took me is the time that I needed if that makes any sense to you.
Michael Vass : Yes it get the fullness of what you needed to be to make what you needed to have. To make your vision become real.
Dennis Dortch : Exactly instead of half assed doing it.
Michael Vass : Yeah, I understand that completely. That’s a good thing to mention; a lot of people aren’t thinking about that sometimes. That little bit of extra time to get the experience to get the full vision is more important than just getting it out now.
Dennis Dortch : Exactly, instead of being that hot shot director and all that.
Michael Vass : No, I understand that … We’ve covered a lot and I’m sure that if we had all the time in the world I could probably give you another dozen different things I would want to ask you, but I love the work you’ve done. I’m very interested in the work your doing and I’m going to ask for just a little peek into what is that next project.
I know you mentioned its bigger, it’s a little different than what we’ve seen so far, that’s always a good thing. It’s a mix of art and contemporary or commercial I should say. I’m just wondering, 'gee is there a little teaser I can give to all my readers out there?'
Dennis Dortch : Ah no…no … I have to keep this secret. Its just a little superstition I have that if I talk to much about it I’m going to lose it. You know in order to tell the story you have to really want to tell somebody and I take that desire to want to tell somebody and I fit it into the writing. So I can’t really talk about it; but what I can do is tell you about another project that I’m doing. A web episodic online it’s a spin off of Black and Sexy.
Michael Vass : I understand, absolutely, so what is that?
Dennis Dortch : It’s called Black and Sexy Besides. What I’m doing is taking the movie and myself and some of my friends writer/directors are re-imagining what happened after the movie or some things about the movie like for example what happened after Her Man.
So there is an episode online now that you can take a look at if you wish. That is our first episode, our first attempt to see about extending the world of Black and Sexy. We currently shot this weekend and we will be shooting more in a couple of weeks to see what we are going to do with it. But its for the spin off of the movie.
Michael Vass : Definitely there is something that will tied over all my readers till we get a chance to see the next thing. That’s always a good thing and I thank you for giving me that.
End of the interview
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