5 Questions for Indie Filmmakers: Eboni Zamani, Danielle DeLoatch and Darrelle Williams

3 Piece Pictures Presents was well attended & supported 10/21. SIFTER @EboniZamani & filmmaking peers D DeLoatch & D Williams screening of their films: A COLD KILL, HEARTS TO THE SUN & DEAR LIFE YOU SUCK (Vol1) Ritz 5. Q&A to be posted to SIFT’s Youtube Channel pic.twitter.com/PCH26nqRz3
— SIFTMedia 215 Collective (@siftmedia215) October 22, 2021

3 Piece Pictures Presents: is a collective of filmmakers that presents the independent films and media of Black filmmakers in the Philadelphia region at local theaters and arts venues.

We’re offering people in the Philadelphia region or those visiting the city, the opportunity to support independent Black film online or in-person at local venues to support the recovery of artists and small businesses from the impact of COVID-19.
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Learning about this screening event made me say, perfect time for another addition to Tinsel & Tine’s 5 Questions for Indie Filmmakers series! Happy all 3 filmmakers wanted to participate. So below are 5 Questions for Filmmakers: Eboni Zamani, Danielle DeLoatch and Darrelle Williams

A COLD KILL – Eboni Zamani

**The murder of an older man by a suspected serial killer prompts a desperate search for answers.**

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for A Cold Kill and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Eboni: My main source of inspiration for A Cold Kill was “whodunit” films or shows like “How to Get Away with Murder”, “Scream”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

T&T: Let’s talk about the music (choices/collaborators/interesting tidbits) –

Eboni: Most of the music and sound effects came from various music licensing sites like Artlist.io. We wanted simple instrumentals and sounds throughout the film.

I worked with a good team of people that mostly came together last minute because a lot of the original crew couldn’t do it. I grateful for those who stepped up.

This will be the first film that I directed and produced that I didn’t write. The script is actually from a screenwriter in Virginia named Elwood Scales.

T&T: Are you the impetus behind 3 Piece Pictures? And if so, when did it start and how can other local filmmakers participate?

Eboni: 3 Piece Pictures is a new collective that myself, Danielle DeLoatch and Darrelle Williams formed because we were all looking for ways to present our work locally at the same time. We got to talking and realized coming together with other black filmmakers made the most sense. People are welcomed to reach out to any of us. We’re all pretty easy to find across most social media platforms.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get your film from an idea to the screen/streaming –

Many thanks to Niya Trusty, Amina Ogboro, Kima Scott, Darrelle Williams, Sol Tran, Kouri Taylor at the Moon Collective & Cheryl Tyler at Infinity Health Spa!

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films, which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker –

CHOCOLAT (1988) by Claire Denis
ROOTS by Gilbert Moses
CROOKLYN by Spike Lee
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE by Wong Kar-Wai
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND by Michel Gondry

@pearlsgirlproductions @filmphanatic – IG Eboni Zamani on everything else.

www.ebonizamani.com

HEARTS TO THE SUN – Danielle DeLoatch

Synopsis: A morning after turns into a day full of unexpected emotions and revelations. Blair a woman who is on a journey of self love finds herself rearing an unexpected hurdle… .allowing herself to fall in love with someone else. She has this unofficial relationship with Ty a guy she met at brunch. Ty is very easy-going sort of just leaves the ball in Blairs court, but he’s starting to want more. He finds himself falling for her and wants to show her it’s okay to fall for him. Blair believes that as long as she is in control she will not be hurt. Ty enlightens her on the importance of boundaries. Through honest conversation and the ability to be open to allow new things to flow Blair takes a chance.

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for Hearts To the Sun and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Danielle: As I’ve entered my thirties I saw myself and my friends truly understanding what self care meant. It’s not always spa days and cocktails sometimes it’s simply having boundaries. I define boundaries as a set of rules we set for others to know how to treat us but, there’s also that fine line where it’s hard to distinguish what are boundaries and what is you having your guard up. Now that we’ve set these boundaries how we do we navigate our current relationships and friendships?

I wanted to show what a woman would look like in that space and, I wanted to show a man that didn’t think she was too much.

T&T: Let’s talk about the music (choices/collaborators/interesting tidbits) –

Danielle: I actually spent a lot of time looking for the music for the film. I played around with a lot of songs in various scenes to get the right fit. Music adds so much to the storytelling, emotionally putting you in the mindset of the characters.

T&T: Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish? And if so, what pushed you forward? and/or What’s been the most memorable response you’ve received thus far from anyone after seeing your film?

Danielle: With this being my first film which I produced, I didn’t quite do my research on how long it would actually take to film. In my mind, I figured I had done all my pre-production and mapped out every single scene so, it would be no problem to shoot it all in one day. That was a big mistake. What I thought would be quick 8 hour shoot ended up being a long tiring 16 hour shoot. We were all so tired, cameras were dying and, I didn’t think we would be able to pull it off but our last and final scenes were non speaking shots for a montage so, it made it a little easier to push through. My actors were actually sleep in one of the final shots but, it worked.

My most memorable response would be hearing that my first film didn’t look like a first film. I was so nervous about showing it to anyone because of the expectation people had of me. But at the end of the day, all that matters is how I feel about the film. And I’m very pleased with how it all turned out.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get your film from an idea to the screen/streaming –

Danielle: My entire cast and crew just for rocking out with me from pre-production until we wrapped. They had my back the entire time. My actors Brittany Caswell and Rich Goode for really putting in the work and pushing through to the end, still being able to deliver no matter how tired they were. As soon as the camera stared rolling they were ready. My DP Steve who just kept going and helping me problem solve along the way. And my costume designer Tiffany who also let us shoot in her beautiful home and acted as PA while on set. Everyone contributed in such a major way. I’m so lucky to have been able to work with Eboni and Darrelle to be able to do this premiere together.

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films, which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker –

FORREST GUMP (Director Robert Zemeckis) – Man I just love Tom Hanks. Anytime Forrest Gump is on I’m watching it.

CORRINA CORRINA (Director Jessie Nelson) Whoopi Goldberg has always been my favorite actress since youth. Fun Fact: I actually met her on the set of “The View” and ugly cried.

BABY BOY (Director John Singleton) – Anything Singleton to be honest. I love his depiction of south central Los Angles. Also I know every word.

SELENA (Director Gregory Nava) – Once again it’s a movie from my childhood that I’ll watch anytime it comes on and I’ve always loved the music.

LOVE AND BASKETBALL (Director Gina Prince-Bythewood) – This is the movie I’ll always credit for making me fall in love with film. I remember the first time I watched it, I watched it twice back to back. The DVD had so many BTS features, I watched them all. It was the first time I ever watched a director’s commentary and hearing Gina Prince-Bythewood talk about each scene from beginning to end was so cool to me.

@FreckleAndTeaProductions (IG)

Dear Life, You Suck! (Journal Entry 1) –
Darrelle Williams

Synopsis: A married couple struggle with maintaining a healthy relationship while following their dreams. They find themselves at a crossroad when David who spent his life checking boxes decides to settle after his dreams are deferred. Causing a rift between two people who see the world differently.

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for Dear Life You Suck and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Darrelle: Telling the story of David and Savannah was important to me because I wanted to show black love from a different perspective. I wanted to celebrate black love by changing the narrative on a simple story. I wanted to present a young couple experiencing a tough season in their life and both be willing to make it work. I also wanted to highlight the journey of chasing our dreams and showing how its not easy. This is only a small view of their life so I wanted to touch on things that mattered to me.

T&T:Tell us a bit about the music of your film –

Darrelle: I chose jazz because it set the tone. For Dear Life, it created a sense of warmth. For me, I wanted the music to take people on a journey and jazz was the perfect choice.

T&T: Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish your film? And if so, what pushed you forward?

Darrelle: Yes! It took a lot of prayer and preparation. This film took three years to make. It was originally a feature film with an ensemble cast. In the process of making the feature, I hit so many roadblocks, including two failed attempts at crowdfunding. After a while, I ended up canceling the film altogether, just figured it wasn’t going to work. But that nagging feeling to tell my story wouldn’t leave me alone. One day I saw the add from Scribe Video Center about an 8-week production program and I had to jump on it.

Then I took David and Savannah’s story from the feature and turned it into a short. For me, it was a when preparation meets opportunity scenario. If I hadn’t gone through those years of working on the feature I don’t think I would have been prepared for the opportunity that came through scribe. I wouldn’t have gotten the film finished.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get your film from an idea to screening/streaming –

Darrelle: Firstly God, because without God the film wouldn’t have gotten made. I have to thank Scribe Video Center and my instructor Marie Hinson. Also, my script editor Ben Tobias who spent hours helping me craft the story clearly. Special thanks to my assistant director and classmate Danielle DeLoatch and sound man Mike Frazier. We were a small crew but we got it done. And lastly the amazing actors Hyresh Davis and Nastassja Baset. We only had three days to shoot and they did an amazing job bringing those characters to life.

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films, which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker –

DO THE RIGHT THING (Director Spike Lee)
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (Director Gabriele Muccino)
SHOPLIFERS (Director Hirokazu Koreeda)
COMING TO AMERICA (Director John Landis)
JURASSIC PARK (Director Steven Spielberg)

It’s really hard to narrow it down to just five. There are so many films that inspired me.

TRAILER
@dearlifefilm (IG) | @d_williams_filmlife (IG)