After making his mark in a more than 30-year career as an actor, Clifton Powell has ventured to take his craft to the next level in the ever-changing world of film.
Due to the recent shift of methodology used in making films, a plethora of new opportunities has been presented to African American independent filmmakers. In the movie “Jada” Powell takes advantage of the independent film model to make his directorial debut in a film that focuses on faith, family and believing in yourself. The FrontPage recently talked to him to find out what that experience was like.
FrontPage: Tell me a little bit about the movie “Jada.”
Clifton Powell: It’s a family drama based around a family that the wife lost her husband in a car accident and they were living as a middle class family and found themselves displaced, and end up living in kind of a depressed neighborhood and some of the things that happen to them along the journey. They run into a pastor that helps them kind of get their lives in order and kind of helps them rearrange their priorities. Because you know when you make money and you’re living well, and you find yourself because of tragedy in a different place in life, that’s when faith really has to kick in. So it’s really about believing in yourself and having faith and family.
FP: So what was it like with this project for you making your directorial debut?
CP: It was great. Directing is challenging and I’ve been an actor for probably 35 years. And switching gears and getting into the inner workings of how a movie is put together is challenging but it’s creative and it’s rewarding. You have to have your right team. I learned about filmmaking and now when I watch movies, I look at movies from a whole different perspective. I’m still growing technically; I feel like my strength is working with the actors and getting drama out of the actors. But from the technical standpoint, I’m still working, learning how the shots are set up, learning the whole structure of how to do a movie. Black Lockett, one of the producers, allowed me, along with Rob Johnson and Darrell and Johnny, to try to find my voice as a filmmaker. It was a real creative and interesting process.
FP: I understand the film was written by a Detroit native?
CP: Yes and it’s a real story. I mean, when we did the casting there’s a young man name Juan and when you see him, he’s really the real deal. I wanted to try to make it as authentic as possible, with an underlying theme of faith and believing in yourself.
FP: What was it about this movie that made you want to jump out there as director?
CP: Well, as an entertainer, as an actor, you get to a place in your career where you have to start to think about recreating yourself, and then you put things out in the universe and think positive. And, really, the way it happened is Black and I worked together on “Civil Brand” and “Foolish” and “Lockdown,” and he asked me if I wanted to direct. And I think part of it was because they have faith in me as an actor and hoping that I can transfer that to the screen. So not only was I playing one of the lead guys, but I had the opportunity, via those guys, especially Black, to allow me to direct. [That] is something that I think as an actor you think about doing and when the right opportunity comes along if it’s God’s will, then it happens.
FP: What was it like making that transition between starring in the film and then getting back into the director’s chair?
CP: The thing about making movies is that when you see it, it’s a linear process. But when you’re actually doing the movie, you’re piecing it together like a puzzle. So you can actually start with the last part of the movie first. So what we did, we shot all of my stuff first. All of my scenes were shot first, and when I was on stage or in the pulpit doing my sermons, the DP (director of photography) of the movie would kind of look at the shots and make sure we had it all set up. So you set it up, then you got to do your scene and you come back. But basically the first two or three days we shot my stuff out so I didn’t have to worry about jumping back and forth.
FP: At the end of this film what do you want viewers to walk away with?
CP: I hope people will walk away with the understanding that if you have faith, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, which is a very small little seed, my father used to always tell me you can move mountains. And I think that’s what this movie talks about. I think we’ve all understood or seen people or experienced ourselves. I know I grew up in a very tough neighborhood in Washington, DC, back in the 60s and had great role models around me but it was still tough. And it was my faith that brought me this far. So I think, hopefully, people will walk away from this movie understanding that no matter what your place is in life, no matter what your lot is, if you have faith in God you can make it through. I think that’s what people walk away understanding about this movie. It’s not a huge movie but it’s a wonderfully shot movie. It’s not a perfect movie but it has a really nice story and I think people will really enjoy it.
To read more articles by Janaya Black visit www.michronicle.com. Janaya is the author of “Beautiful Rage: The Break of Dawn” which is now available in stores or online at www.black-smithenterprises.com.
