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The Life of “The Project”
By Ryan Piotrowicz, writer/director of The Project
(from the 2008 Seattle True Independent Film Festival)
"Fake-ass niggas, list'ning to f-cking white boy down there," a voice called out from the project building above. "Get the f-ck out," someone else hollered from the imposing crowd that had gathered to watch me, along with a crew of twenty, shoot a scene for my first feature film, The Project. I yelled, "Cut" right before raw eggs came raining down on the cast and crew, a scary moment that could have turned ugly fast - but that's what you get when you invade other people's turf.
When I had lived in Connecticut, I had befriended a former member of the Latin Kings. His war stories from back in the day were intriguing (to say the least); great material for a film. So when he invited me to go camping with him and a few of his boys from the old neighborhood, I jumped at the opportunity. To my surprise, the majority of people that came up were a bunch of young kids from the lower East Side, ages 15 thru 18. For three days straight, these kids listened to rap music like it was a religion as they smoked one blunt after another. I could see the negative influence that media and pop culture had on these kids and realized that's what I wanted to write my movie about.
I moved to New York with an optimistic goal of making a film that would explore issues of race, class and the influence of media. My first step was to learn everything I could about the urban youth culture. I wanted to know what kind of media was influencing these kids, so I went out and purchased loads of hip-hop mixtapes, DVDs that gloried gang violence, and I did extensive research on the current state of rap music. I soon found myself becoming a fan of the music I had set out to critique. I had never been a fan of rap music going into this process, but within a few months it took up about 50 percent of my iPod. |
This new-found appreciation for rap was to be the driving force behind my decision to utilize a haunting hip-hop soundtrack in the film. If I could get a successful rap artist (Juelz Santana) to appear in the film, I would be able to tap into a rabid underground fan base and potentially move some units. I built a business plan around this idea, hoping it would become an enticing incentive for a potential investor. I was feeling really good about the possibilities for this film and I needed to dig deeper.
One night, after a few drinks, I though it would be a great idea to walk through the projects. It was 4 a.m. I wanted to talk to someone about the hardships of living in repressive conditions, and I wound up having a heartfelt conversation with a seemingly receptive guy - who then proceeded to pull a gun on me and steal my wallet. The police were able to apprehend the suspect, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was basically my fault, and I felt badly about it.
I felt responsible for some guy being locked up because I was putting my nose where it didn't belong; maybe I deserved to get mugged. My thirst for knowledge had started with good intentions and suddenly turned into an exercise in exploitation. Who was I to be making a social commentary about issues I know little to nothing about? I'm a white kid from the suburbs of Boston trying to make a film about race relations. |
A friend of mine had told me to write what I know, so I took a step back from the situation and put things into perspective. I decided to write a film about naïve filmmakers who move to Brooklyn to make a documentary about the hardships of inner-city life and, before they know it, find themselves involved in a world they know nothing about.
At the first test screening of The Project, a woman stood up and lectured me on how I had made a racist film. This critique was not the reaction I had hoped for, but her comment sparked a heated debate among the audience.
I had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and, as I listened to people express their opinions on the film, I realized I had accomplished what I had set out to do. -MPM
See MPM's review of the movie.
There's more information about the film at www.theprojectny.com
Photos: (top) Matt Servitto, (middle) Juelz Santana, (bottom) Dante Clarke; courtesy of Renart Films.
Run Time: 90 Min.
Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Piotrowicz
Cast: Michael Stahl-David, Jamie Proctor, Nicholas Webber, Matt Servitto, Juelz Santana, Dante Clarke, Bilal Bishop, Sebastian Sozzi
Producer: Timothy Duff
Director of Photography: Daniel Sharnoff
Editors: Adam Der Aris, Daniel Schecter |
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