Don Letts
When
producer Lincia Daniel met Don Letts at his London home, she found an
exuberant talent impatient to show the world what he can do.
Don Letts is keen to talk and as the interview commences, one is
quickly impressed by the sheer energy of this man. He speaks forcefully
– answering each question with passion and intensity. From time to time,
he spontaneously leaps out of his chair and paces the room as he talks
– waving his hands expressively for greater emphasis. Don Letts comes
across as a man with tremendous drive who is impatient to fulfil his potential
as a filmmaker.
Don began filming his first feature in the 70s. Entitled The Punk Rock
Movie, it was about the punk lifestyle and evolved at a time when Don
was spinning records at London’s first punk club, The Roxy. Don was the
first filmmaker to document punk and introduce punks to the delights of
reggae in the process. He is proud of what he sees as Jamaica’s unique
cultural influence. “Jamaica has given this gift to the world which is
bass and bass culture; and also an attitude.” With the completion of his
movie Dancehall Queen and the imminent biopic on the life of Bob Marley,
I suggest that perhaps we are seeing a revival of Jamaican culture. Don
disagrees vehemently: “It’s been constant! It never went away and it will
not go away now. It’s part of the popular culture!”
Jamaican culture wove the fabric of Don’s movie Dancehall Queen, which
he co-directed with his creative and business partner Rick Elgood. Rick
was also the art director on the movie. Dancehall Queen is a Cinderella
story set in the Jamaican culture. Marcia, played by Audry Reid, struggles
to raise her children with the money she earns as a street vendor. Desperate
to improve life for herself and her family, she takes on the guise of
a dancer, The Mystery Lady, and changes her life forever as she discovers
her own self-worth by winning the Dancehall Queen championship. Dance
Hall Queen Dancehall Queen was shot on DV (digital video) on location
in Kingston, Jamaica. The shoot lasted six weeks and was a personal challenge
for Don. “If you know Kingston, you’ll understand what a feat it was to
pull that off,” says Don. “It was like trying to make a film in the middle
of a carnival!”
The whole production was financed to the tune of an estimated US $400,000
by the entertainment entrepreneur Chris Blackwell through his film production
company Palm Pictures. “Blackwell created Palm Pictures to open doors
for Jamaican films in the same way that he opened doors for Jamaican music
with Island Records,” says Don. “He’s one of the people who’s taken a
leap of faith and is putting their money where their mouth is. I gotta
give him nuff respect for that!”
Don is proud that Dancehall Queen sported an authentic Jamaican cast and
this is something that Blackwell himself insisted upon. Although Dancehall
Queen was shot relatively cheaply, Don was determined to produce a quality
product and worked hard to maintain the highest possible production values.
He believes that Jamaicans have an incredible knack for making a problem
an asset and seems to have adopted this approach when he made the film.
“If you’re not trying to imitate Hollywood and you make your limitation
part of your ideas, you can go out there and do it.” This ‘do-it-yourself’
attitude has characterised Don’s career as a filmmaker. With no formal
training he has made over 300 music videos and films working with a range
of artists including Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols, Maxi Priest, The Pretenders
and The Clash. He is also a skilled documentary-maker and his long-form
work includes Bob Marley’s Legend and The Story of The Clash for MTV.
More recently he was nominated for a BAFTA for the BBC documentary Dancing
in the Streets (1997).
Don Letts has certainly paid his dues as a director so he was disappointed
when he didn’t receive offers of work after completing Dancehall Queen.
“My experience tells me that I’m a veteran - hardcore - but the way I’m
treated makes me feel like a newcomer. After Dancehall Queen, I did actually
think maybe I’d get into the loop but I’ve got to be honest, that hasn’t
happened.” Undeterred, Don is actively looking for a new film project
and is currently reading various scripts.
Dance Hall Queen In the absence of an infrastructure for funding black
films in the UK, he is aware that raising production finance is going
to be difficult. “We need people who are willing to commit and take a
leap of faith and back the actual product that might be the first of many.”
Without a steady stream of quality films by black filmmakers, Don feels
that black British cinema is yet to be born. However, he believes that
new technology has the potential to change this state of affairs. “You
can now pick up a DVC and if you have the intent, motivation and reasonable
ideas, you can go and execute it. You don’t have to beg the man for a
million.
His advice to young filmmakers is: “You’ve got to use every trick you’ve
got to kinda get through whilst trying to maintain some integrity. At
the end of the day, to me it’s all about whether I can walk down the street
with my head up and say, ‘Yeah, I’m Don Letts and I did that’. Whether
it’s successful or not. That’s one of my ground rules.” On the strength
of Dancehall Queen, Don Letts has every reason to walk tall and if other
film financiers follow the lead of Chris Blackwell, Don Letts won’t be
walking alone.
top
Editorial
So that was '99
Don
Letts
Producer
Lincia Daniel dances verbally with Don Letts
Blair
Witch
Project
weaves its magic
Thomas Allen Crossing the boundaries
Sister I'm Sorry A highlight of the festival - get your VHS copy
(c)Black Filmmaker Publications
1999:
All right reserved
