Writer/Director: Christine Turner

Running Time: 10:00

For more information visit: www.sayitloudproductions.com

Awards:
• San Francisco International Film Festival - Finalist, Golden Gate Award
• FESPACO (Burkina Faso) - Nominee, Paul Robeson Youth Award
• IFP Market (NYC) - Finalist, Gordon Parks Award
• Denver Pan African Film Festival - Winner, Best Short
• Reel Sisters of the African Diaspora (Winner, Best Short)
• Black International Cinema Berlin (Winner, Best Children's Film)
• King Foundation/Heinemann Production Award at NYU

Official Selection:
• Tribeca Film Festival (NYC)

A young boy develops a crush on a girl on the basketball court. He sells his prize record collection to buy a new pair of basketball shoes.

Christine Turner is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and has screened her short films on television and at film festivals around the world.

What inspired you to make this piece?

It all really stems back to an embarrassing episode at the local Foot Locker when I was in the 6th grade. I was the star point guard on my basketball team, but somehow that didn’t stop my mother from announcing to me and everyone else within earshot, “You can have a pair of Air Jordans when you can play like Jordan.” I think there was a lesson in there somewhere.

Briefly tell us how you made your film or video: what camera and format did you use to shoot your piece, and what system did you use to edit it? What is your working process? Did you use any special techniques to make this work?

The film was shot on 16mm using an Arri SRII. We only used 8 rolls of film -- about as much as I could afford -- and we edited on Avid Xpress. When you have very little money it forces you to plan carefully. I relied heavily on my stick-figure storyboards and shot only what I needed. When it came to directing my actors -- most of whom had no acting experience -- I chose for them to improvise their dialogue a degree.

Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?

Nothing out of the ordinary: rain when you’re shooting outdoors, cars honking, music blasting, fist fights, that kind of thing. There’s no such thing as a controlled environment when you’re shooting in New York City.

What films/videos and makers have inspired you or influenced your work? And why?

DO THE RIGHT THING was a big source of inspiration, but I find that my fiction work is equally informed by documentary. With RUBBER SOLES I kept returning to WATTSTAX by Mel Stuart. Jim McKay made a little film called OUR SONG. He really knows how to get naturalistic performances out of his young actors -- so much so, his films are often mistaken for documentaries. If I ever make a film that’s mistaken for a documentary or make a documentary that’s so good people think it’s fiction, I’ll be one happy camper.

If viewers are interested in obtaining copies of your work for rental or purchase, whom should they contact and at what address and phone number?

Contact me at christine@sayitloudproductions.com