A terrific BEHIND THE LENS for you this week to finish off Black History Month as you’re about to hear my exclusive interview with director JULIUS ONAH talking about CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, as well as my interview with actor turned writer/producer/and lo budget no budget micro-budget filmmaker ELLA THOMAS talking KNOW MERCY.
CAPTAIN AMERICA is a first for Julius as while he is already an accomplished director, with BRAVE NEW WORLD he joins the high-octane world of the MCU. And for Ella, KNOW MERCY also marks a first as she ventures from acting into producing/writing as well as acting. And we’re looking at two ends of the financial spectrum with these films – big budget and spectacle Marvel versus a lo budget/no budget/micro-budget indie.
First up is ELLA THOMAS with KNOW MERCY, a film that is rooted in faith while exploring good versus evil, immortality versus mortality, and what it means to be human. Many of you are already familiar with Ella, notably for her most recent role in “Nightbitch”. What I love about this conversation with Ella is not only how we break down the film from her perspective as a writer and producer, but we delve into casting and performance – including her own – and the emotional depth of the characters, along with emphasizing the importance of grounded motivation and real interpersonal dynamics.
Reflecting on her collaboration with Perdell Richardson with this project, Ella also speaks to the challenges of guerrilla filmmaking, the necessary flexibility required due to funding constraints, and the support from the film’s distributor, Gravitas Ventures.
KNOW MERCY is available digitally and On Demand.
Then, I bring out the big guns and my exclusive interview with director JULIUS ONAH discussing CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD which has taken the world by storm as Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.
What I particularly appreciate with BRAVE NEW WORLD is that Julius gives us thoughtful dramatic moments that allow us to get to know Sam as his own person and not part of an entire group of personalities (aka Avengers) but see him wrestle with his own conscience and self-worth, trying to step out of Steve Rogers shadow and make Captain America his own. I love that Julius stayed true to himself as a filmmaker with the dramatic personal aspects of the story and then cocooned that with some explosive razzle dazzle action.
Now don’t expect to hear Julius and I rave about Anthony Mackie or Harrison Ford or Danny Ramirez or Giancarlo Esposito or Sebastian Stan in this interview. Their excellence goes without saying. We really went technical with the meticulous production values such as the production design, cinematography, editing, score, the use of negative space and strategic color schemes, and fight choreography, along with how all of these elements served the emotional growth and empathy of Sam Wilson and the tension with Thaddeus Ross. And we also talk about the power, delicacy, and beauty of cherry blossoms.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is now in theatres worldwide.
