Interview with Tosin Coker

I am a filmmaker of both West African and American heritage. I ventured into filmmaking when i realized a career in computer animation wasn’t offering me the creative fulfillment i yearned for.  With no field experience at all, i took on a bet from an associate to direct a music video – a bet which would drive my entire career as it was on the set of this music video that I discovered what i was born to do – filmmaking.

Following this discovery, an innate desire for me to expand my knowledge of filmmaking and advance in the industry, drove me to undergo various industry-related studies including receiving an MFA in Motion Picture & Television from The Academy of Art University San Francisco.

My experience spans the fields of entertainment licensing, music publishing and marketing as well as new media.

In 2006, I worked on Lotto Nigeria Wheel of Fortune TV show as new media, animation director & line producer.

I have produced, directed and edited music videos for many international talents, documentaries, 8mm and 16mm silent narratives and short films including the award winning short film ‘Doorways’ starring Emmy Award Winner Diahnna Nicole Baxter (‘Scandal’, ‘True Blood’ ) and Elimu Nelson (‘House of Lies’ , ‘Things Never Said’ and ‘Private Practice’). ‘Doorways’ toured the national and international film festival circuit in 2011 and 2012; including Pan-African Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival bagging several official selections and awards.

I am currently developing my theatrical feature debut, Finding Neptune and an untitled Psychological thriller bound for principal photography in spring of 2015 and 2016 respectively.

My work as a director could be described mainly as vividly depicting the screenplay in a coherent and commercially entertaining way while retaining the artistic integrity the screenplay provides. As a director, I have to be a firm leader and a strong collaborator with the aim of maximizing the potential of the creative people I work with, through providing an atmosphere that encourages free flow of ideas and diverse creative expressions – some of which I may need to reject diplomatically.

In my opinion, a great director should have a strong overall vision for a project and he/she must be able to motivate the cast and crew enough to key into this vision.  While working on set, I need to have a firm understanding of what works in a scene and what crushes a scene as well as when to yell “CUT” the instant I get the performance I am targeting within the often limited allotted time set by the producers and the assistant director.

Most importantly, I have to welcome all criticism and/or praise received from the audience and critics because I believe honest feedback plays a pivotal role in my progression and improvement as a film maker. In addition, my reputation as director  is on the line with every success or failure of the film(s) I direct.

I have always been artistically inclined. I started out drawing and doodling as a kid which was later developed into computer animation and Visual FX in my first degree. Before long, i realized i was never going to get  the fulfillment I needed from animation – sitting behind a computer all day, seven days a week wasn’t nearly as exciting as I thought it would be. I was asked to direct a music video for an artist and the creative challenges from that experience reinvigorated something in me, enough to pursue filmmaking further.

I look for stories or scripts that speak to me. What I find interesting in life or what I find challenging I tend to want to interpret artistically in motion picture. I also tend to love the unconventional, abstract and mysterious because I think they pose for excitement and challenge in artistic expressionism.

That filmmaking can be quantified as a hobby. It requires some talent, a lot of skill, appreciation and passion for the art and a whole lot of patience.

I feel filmmaking is an ever learning craft. Reading and researching about filmmaking is second nature to me. It is important for me to consistently educate myself in this field in order to remain artistically relevant and keep up with all technological advancements made available to the industry. There are many free resources on the web readily available to filmmakers to develop their craft which I urge every filmmaker to take advantage of.

I tend to read  books from Judith Weston, Louis Levinston and Steven D Katz. I also enjoy reading African American literature from Toni Morrision, African literature from Cypran Ekwesi, thrillers and sci-fi, fantasy books.

I tend to look for actors, writers and producers that are excited and willing to collaborate to create characters and situations that are both believable and complex at the same time. I see characters as real personalities with complexities similar to that of everyday people so I want actors who are ready to do their homework by adding layers to the characters, stimulating excitement for the audience. I also try to avoid cliches and exposition in the scripts or real drab dialogue. I enjoy working with producers who respect the creative process and artistic integrity of a picture.

Working with talented people always helps so I am quite particular about who I can work with. Whoever I work with needs to be passionate about the project, have a good understanding of what story is being told, and put in their utmost best in whatever department/designation given to them in order to achieve that common vision set by the director.

Finding Neptune is a film about a young couple dealing with secret addictions and how these vices deteriorate the couple’s relationship.

A good deal of preparation and the drive to exceed expectation on all fronts from the cast and crew

Every aspect of a production is creative. All the artistic choices in a picture should be deliberate and creative, from lighting aesthetics to editing style, to pacing and choices. The color palette, production design and even musical score are all working together creatively to illuminate the story being manifested by the actors.

Most directors don’t just stumble upon projects, it usually would be a director taking the initiative to create something, putting their best foot forward in order to make a lasting impression on industry professionals and the world at large. Determining your target audience and marketing to them through festivals specific to your audience is a great platform to network as well. A great business plan and producer can make a strong combination, and not only a big budget by itself. A point to note is that many of the top independent films at the prestigious festivals in the past 3 years where shot for less than a million dollars so kick out that DSLR and start telling film worthy stories.

I think crowd funding is a wonderful tool available to directors nowadays. Another advise would be to find a good producer and a unique script and source for equity investors from relatives and friends, remembering that not all films need a million dollar budget to be made.

Someone dedicated to bringing out the best in his or her character and offers layers to bring out some complexity in that character. In other words making the characters theirs as opposed to relying on the pre-assumed cliche character archetype set on the surface level of the script.

I tend to produce most of my work but in terms of working with producers, I like working with people who are just as committed as me on the project. Obstacles in financial pursuit or logistical acquisitions should never be a deterrent for a good producer.

Seek a good commercial screenplay, music video or documentary, shoot it on a shoe string budget but with a great and unique artistic vision and market that product hard at which ever outlet best suits the product.

Orson Wells, David Fincher, Sam Mendes, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorecese, and  Quentin Tarantino to name a few.

I would single out Orson Wells for his director’s vision in ‘Citizen Kane’ and ‘A Touch of Evil’ which remain unmatched till date. He really put his best foot forward by carving out an amazing picture where the mis en scene was paramount in Well’s mind. The shot composition, lighting, blocking, timing,  pacing, editing are creatively flawless.  Wells had a hand in everything creatively and brought out precisely what he wanted and it’s still a piece unrivaled today -ageless and purely beautiful.

Dare to dream and continue turning your dreams to reality through your art while honing your craft because your dreams help shape and connect the world.

I have had an interesting career so far and I feel it’s only beginning but I have been privileged to work with wonderful collaborators thus far. I started out directing music videos for a few west African Artists then I did a few short films while in film school.

My first big shot came in the form of ‘Resurgence’, a film I shot in San Francisco, touching on infidelity, betrayal, emotional and psychological abuse in a marriage starring Veronique Blanc Meyere. In 2010, I made Doorways, a film that deals with the economic challenges faced by many young single mothers in the United States whose dreams are hindered because of the financial hardship plaguing society. It stars Emmy Award Winner Diahnna Nicole Baxter (Scandal, True Blood) Elimu Nelson (Things never said, House of Lies) and Matisha Baldwin (Tyler Perry’s What’s done in the dark, The unit)

Doorways’ was a student thesis project for my master degree consideration that was shot in 2010. It made its world premiere at the Epidemic Film Festival in San Francisco, a red carpet event hosted by the Renowned Academy of Art University in San Francisco where it was nominated in the Best Picture and Best  Director category.

It had subsequent premieres at the very prestigious Cannes Film Festival, 20th Pan African Film Festival, Urban Suburban Film Festival, Texas Black Film Festival and won the Neglected Bloodlines Award for its message and theme at the Action On Film International film festival in 2011 amongst others. I went on to showcase the film at functions supporting diversity and woman empowerment which was instrumental in putting me in contact with major players and collaborators in Hollywood.

My short film finding Neptune which starred James Edward Shippy (Cinnamon Girl, Southland, Rachael Thomas (Laps, Life of a King) and featuring Shauna Baker (Drunk Towns finest) premiered at the 2013 Capital City Film Festival winning an award and was also selected at the 2014 Langston Hughes Black Film Festival to critical praise.

I am currently developing the Finding Neptune feature based in part on the award winning short which commences principal photography next spring.