I got my dailies every day, although I couldn't always look at them because I was usually preparing for the next day's shoot, both as an actress and as the director.
A director just pushes them a little this way or that way.
But out of limitations comes creativity.
I'm always moving forward.
As far as pacing the shoot is concerned, I know when I've got it. I don't think there's any reason to take ten takes unless you need them.
You have to examine a scene on the page first. Then you get into the basics of acting Who are you Who are you talking to How do you feel about that person
Even when you have a big budget, you can't just shoot everything.
The biggest challenge was that we had to shoot so quickly and with such a limited budget.
It's kind of dangerous to cut in the camera, but that's the only way I know how to direct.
Michael Ralph brilliantly plays the street prophet, a West Indian who foreshadows the Harlem riot.
Everything has to be well thought out - what do you really need, when can you do with less coverage.
But it was not possible to do this movie, in this matter of time, without a solid rehearsal period.
In scoring we have a lot that was not evident in the shooting. The radio is on all the time.
I design my shots. I walk the rehearsal as the camera and say 'this is where I want to be... I want this look.
I actually did a film called Stompin' at the Savoy,about four women who worked as domestics and were trying to get out of that life and into a better one.
The radio for these women is like television is for us today, which is really like looking at the radio.
It's rare to find parts where you see two women who relate to each other in that very natural way, with a lot of humor and pathos at the same time.
In the film world you don't often get much rehearsal time. Only on big-budget films do you have the opportunity to rehearse for a week or two.
Making this movie was a great opportunity for me to explore high-definition. I'm glad I got to see what the challenges are, what makes it better. It works wonderfully.
There was too much to absorb. So we had about an 8-day rehearsal, a lot for a movie of this nature.
It goes back to a style of moviemaking I remember seeing as a child, in movies like The Man With The Golden Arm, which I think was shot all on a sound stage.
There are some scenes that work beautifully in a moving, sweeping master, which is how I like to work.
Time management is a big part of the director's job.
As one who loves literature, art, music and history, I've been deeply rooted in the Harlem Renaissance for many years.
There was no question about who should play Lou Bessie. Crystal Fox brought to the role something that was really needed.
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