This post is the third and final article on filmmaker Raeshelle Cooke. After rereading the previous sentence, I am amazed that at such a young age Raeshelle has already created a solid, cinematic portfolio for herself—so much so, I have had a plethora of information about what she has already created and accomplished. I gathered together more than enough information to write another two posts! It has been an honor to write about her work. While I have written a lot about her past cinematic endeavors, I thought it would be a good way to start this blog by asking her what recent awards she has attained.
Raeshelle’s RMC Pictures logo.
Here’s her answer:
My film Wrath City [2017] was accepted to the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2018, but it didn’t win any awards. It was also nominated for two Best Short Film awards at two film festivals but didn’t win. However, the film screened at many international film festivals across the country and it was very well received.
My film Mt. Washington [2016] was accepted as one of four films to screen at the 2018 Real to Reel Film Promotion for Omari Hardwick.1 The event would initially be held at The Apollo but was later moved to another location in NY. So, no awards, but still some other things to be happy about.
How did your love for movies get sparked?
It got sparked when I was really young. One of the reasons why I love old movies even today is because during a period of time when my father was working and we had electricity, my mom would put in her favorite VHS tapes and watch old movies like many of the ones I’ve already named like Grease, The Breakfast Club, Die Hard, Terminator, Planet of the Apes, Predator, etc. It was because of her that I knew of those films. She used to play them in the VCR. My love for that visual media was sparked back then. I had a wild imagination as a young child, and I don’t know, watching films really turned my imagination on.
I used to create storylines in my head and act them out. I did the same when it came to cartoons. I love great old cartoon series, and my brother and I created our own series and drew a lot. To help others discover that pleasure, we need to show them movies that we love. I personally love showing people movies that I love, and watching their reactions and talking to them about it after. When I do that it’s like I’m watching for the first time. I think that’s a great way to spark that love and imagination in others. Just share your passion.
What are personal attributes that make for a good filmmaker, and what do you do to foster them?
Raeshelle appearing with three other filmmakers during a Q&A at the Real to Reel Film Promotion for Omari Hardwick held in NYC.
Being personable and friendly, being humble and open-minded. DEFINITELY being open–minded. I take workshops about how to direct from actors, for God’s sake! I had to be open–minded and drop the ego. When I’m directing a film, when you work with a DP it’s very collaborative. Gotta be open–minded and willing to take the DP’s suggestions. The most beautiful images and scenes come from that. Even other members of the crew will have amazing feedback about things you never would’ve thought about.
On Wrath City, I had made a rough cut, and I sent it to the crew for feedback. Our sound man actually gave really useful advice about the cut, about cutting out scenes and dialog that I thought I needed and really wanted, but to cut it out anyway because it would be better. I actually followed that advice and cut out some scenes and dialog and it made the film better. Just being open–minded goes a long way and makes your work better.
You are a collaborator. How have you discovered members of your team and how do you keep the relationship with them strong?
I had no idea there was even a film community in Massachusetts before I met this guy Court who I had befriended several years back at my old job. He actually introduced me to the community. Before I had gotten my own car, he used to drive me just so I could meet people. He was oddly very nice and generous for doing that, haha. But anyway, I meet people by creating films, posting on film-related FB groups, meeting their friends in the film business, and helping out on sets when I first started. That was another great way I met people. I go to film festivals and meet people that way. If I work with a person, and only if we vibe and it was a good experience, then the way I keep in touch is adding them on social media, keeping up with what they’re doing, helping them if they need it, keeping them updated on the progress of our film, etc. Working with them again if it was a good experience, things like that.
Picture was taken on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles against an art wall. (Photo credit: Happy Spirits Studio.)
Many in the film business are believers in the importance of social media in many aspects of the film process. Are you on social media and do you use it in your work? Why or why not?
I use my personal FB page and Instagram account to promote my work mostly. I also use Twitter and LinkedIn, but way less. I do use IG and Facebook a lot, though; but those are also personal pages, so I know I’m not using them in the way I should, lol. But then again, who makes up the rules for how you should and shouldn’t use these things to represent yourself?
I’m representing me, right? And who I am is a filmmaker, an artist; a music lover, a nerd, a romantic; I’m not an activist but I do tell it like it is when it comes to black human rights; that’s who I am so that’s how I represent myself.
Sometimes I can jump on people when it comes to ignorance. I need to learn how to be calmer in those situations. I need to learn some coping techniques for that, lol. But for the most part, I’m okay with how I portray myself on my social media. On my business page, it’s strictly business. But in my life, I like different things, so I’m not a person that’s all about business, and I’m not at all just all about film, either. I guess that’s why I hardly post on my business page even though I am doing a lot, ha! I need to post about my work more often than I do. Managing my business page bores the hell out of me. I don’t like managing FB pages. I need to hire someone else to do it. I have other things I think about and would rather do with my time than to sit there and manage a FB page if I’m honest. I’ve been heavy into my creative work but I don’t post about it as much as I could on my FB business page. Only on my personal page do I do it more often, and even there I need to post more. I have to be better I know. But my personality makes it difficult for me to be better on social media, lol. When it comes to managing FB pages I . . . I just don’t care. I need to hire someone.
Not that long ago there were two screens: the movie screen and the television screen. Now there are also computers, tablets, and phones. And screens are everywhere: the home, the bus stop, the elevator, the taxi cab. As a creator how does this affect the stories you tell and how you tell them?
The only way that affects me is after I make my first feature film. I have to figure out a way to get it distributed to the computer, bus, game console, tablet, plane, and phone screens. For me, those screens mean more money. It’s a business. Creatively, it doesn’t affect me, unless of course, I choose to make a feature film in a genre that shows to be particularly financially rewarding in all those different screens.
Wrath City [2017] TRAILER from Raeshelle Cooke on Vimeo.
“This clip is a 58-second trailer to my latest short film called Wrath City (the one that will be premiering). It’s about a fictional, angry town and a Haitian woman who’s being deported out for committing a horrible crime. The story makes commentary on police brutality and Black Lives Matter.”
When you get angry at a movie, what sets you off? Are there common qualities in cinema today that you dislike? Is there something you try to subvert or avoid or rebel against in your work?
Raeshelle with Wrath City actors Leica Lucien and Claire Elizabeth Davies before screening the film at the Boston International Film Festival.
I’m going to be obvious here and say, ignorant representations of black people, particularly black women. I watched two films from the same indie filmmaker where the black woman in the film was verbally and physically abused. In one of the films, he had her in there looking like a slave, and she was getting beaten up, raped and items thrown at her. For no reason. It made no sense. I actually asked the filmmaker why he feels the need to do that to black women in his writing and in his films. He is a white male director, so I thought it was very interesting that he portrayed the woman that way in the film, and made the other woman in the other film abused like she was held captive by white men who were just berating her. Why? I was disturbed by it all in general.
I also don’t like when black women are portrayed as loud and obnoxious and ghetto. I don’t know any loud and obnoxious, ghetto black women, and I know many black women. Switching to television, I don’t like how overly sexualized black women are. They’re usually portrayed as side chicks or a mistress, or just very sexualized. It’s always about sex and men with these black women on television. Not that there’s anything at all wrong with men and sex, but it’s a pattern I’m seeing where the storylines revolve mostly around sex and chasing a man. We’re not desperate, trust me.
I also feel there aren’t enough of heterosexual, masculine black male representations in film and television; it’s like it’s purposely being erased. There’s maybe one here and there, but mostly, the black man is the “girlfriend” to his friend, gossiping with his female friend, creating drama alongside her and acting like an exaggerated black female stereotype. We don’t act like that. Then on daytime television, you have the court shows like Paternity Court where many young black women go on there and talk about how they’re pregnant and don’t know who the baby’s father is. Then they start crying about how they have no father and that that’s why they sleep around and are having a bunch of babies. Even though I grew up in a two-parent household, since 12 I have not. And I do not have a father now, and I’m still not at all like these girls they bring on those shows.
I have my life together, no kids, and I think it’s important to always have the mentality that you are a boss, no matter who you are, and live that way. I’m not a victim or a fatherless girl you should feel sorry for. I think of myself as a boss that you should take seriously. We are not at all what they portray us to be on television. And don’t even get me started on indie films where they have women of any race in sexualized roles, not bringing anything of value or importance to the film or scene; just directors wanting to see naked women in person for the first time.
This photo was taken during a Q&A at the Real to Reel Film Promotion for Omari Hardwick held in NYC.
If there is one or more thing you think would make the film industry better, what would it be?
I’d add more films where there are relatable and original stories and interesting, memorable characters. I believe that the industry is filled with very mainstream/commercial films. I don’t want to sound like an old film snob, but I’m going to say it anyway. The old black and white movies from the 40s-60s, for me, had great story-telling, acting, characters, and writing. My opinion is that we need more focus to be on the actors when we’re directing films. I think we should prioritize writing, and we should prioritize how to get the best performances out of actors more so than just on camera angles.
We need more independent voices in films and more authenticity in the writing. We need filmmakers to take risks more often and not just make films that are just safe. Your film doesn’t even have to make a statement, but maybe it can be about a real experience that you’ve had, or someone you know that has had one. Be more vulnerable in your writing.
As an example, I know a filmmaker who attempted being vulnerable in a film they made, but the story left out a ton of details, so I couldn’t connect at all. I could tell the filmmaker was holding back. They basically dipped their toe in the vulnerability water, and then that was it. I felt there was a lot they weren’t showing in the film, not purposely, but because they weren’t being honest with themselves. I really wanted to watch the film because I always felt this person kind of hides behind a mask because they’re afraid to show their true self. And I was looking forward to seeing the filmmaker be vulnerable finally. Then they weren’t. I just feel if you are going to attempt to be vulnerable in a film, then go all the way and do it.
Raeshelle giving a Q&A about her film Wrath City that recently screened at the Hip-Hop Film Festival. Today, Wrath City is touring with the festival on its tour stops in Kenya, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Paris, Japan, and Brazil.
Current work?
I wrote and directed a webisode off the new web series, One Law, that’s coming out. My webisode is a black female’s perspective on feminism and the 2016 election. I was influenced by 12 Angry Men [1957] when I wrote it. The producers of the web series say the entire series will be released this year.
I am also shooting later this year The Richest Woman in Foolope County, a short film that seeks to enlighten people on generational wealth–building and real estate investing, but also the ignorance of perceived wealth. The film is told as a fable, and I was influenced by The Twilight Zone2 when I wrote it. In November I will be packaging Wrath City and The Richest Woman and taking them as samples to the American Film Market in Santa Monica to pitch a television series idea. So I’ll be prepping all year for that! I always tell myself, even if nothing comes of this, at least I planted the seeds, and those seeds will grow at a later date. At least I’m taking action and trying. Just being there and being present is important. I can make my own stuff happen, and I want to meet a couple people while I’m out there too. It also helps that I love the west and southwest; the climate and the desert, I mean.
Hattie McDaniel‘s great–grandnephew contacted me and expressed interest in having me direct one of the documentary projects he’s working on regarding his family. This is a 5-10 year production, though, as there are many projects and many female directors involved, so I am going to follow–-up. I’m really honored to have been presented this opportunity.
This picture was taken in a field in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Leah Astore Photo.)
Lastly, I shot a short film in LA and in Santa Monica in October called Not in Love 3 [2018]. It’s directly based on 10cc’s 1975 hit song, “I’m Not in Love”. The film is narrated by the song and I’m still trying to get permission to use the song. 10cc’s former manager, Harvey Lisberg, from the British Invasion, who was a very successful manager in the 60s and 70s, called me and told me he really liked the film and even expressed interest in working with me. He saw an email I had sent to a publishing company in LA and called me directly. I was stunned. He said he would be okay with me using the song, but I still need the permission of a record label. But the movie is about a woman who’s convinced herself that she’s not in love with the new man in her life because she’s still in love with her ex–husband who died in the Navy.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading the last three posts about Raeshelle. You can view more of her films and videos at the following links below:
< www.vimeo.com/raeshelle >,
< https://raeshellecooke.com/ >.
Notes:
The featured photo above is taken of Raeshelle on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California while she was shooting her film Not in Love. (Photo credit: Happy Spirit Studios.)
1 Real to Reel Film Promotion for Omari Hardwick.
“Omari Hardwick was in town for Gentleman Jack Real to Reel, a national short film contest and local screening tour for emerging Black filmmakers. The actor gained nationwide popularity playing the ruthless character Ghost on the popular TV show, POWER. His love for the arts has also taken him inside a music studio and on the stage at many poetry slams.
“This is the year of the gentlemen. Gentlemen Jack, that is. The Tennessee Whiskey brand teamed up with “Power” star Omari Hardwick and CodeBlack Films to support, celebrate and highlight bold, up-and-coming African American voices in film, with its Real to Reel contest.
“This picture was taken in an abandoned shed somewhere in Providence.” (Photo credit: Slavin Productions.)
“Beyond his acclaimed role as James “Ghost” St. Patrick, Hardwick is more than meets the eye. Incredibly layered and cucumber cool, the 43-year-old, whose talents boasts of writing and spoken word, describes the importance of Real to Reel,
‘It’s a rare opportunity for new filmmakers to screen their work for industry insiders. As a writer and actor who owns a production company, I am personally excited to collaborate with Gentleman Jack on such necessary recognition of Black talent behind the camera.’
“Rewarding artistic excellence, inspiring creativity and entertaining content, Real to Reel provides a platform for aspiring filmmakers” to make their voice heard- visually and emotionally . . . The short film contest also launched a seven city screening tour, with stops in Hardwick’s home town of Atlanta, St. Louis, New York City and Chicago, with it’s final stop in Miami Beach, Florida during the annual American Black Film Festival.“
Source of above–stated quote:
Wilson, Angela. “OMARI HARDWICK, GENTLEMEN JACK TEAM UP FOR ‘REAL TO REEL’ FILMMAKERS COMPETITION.” Source, THE NORTHSTAR GROUP. , 23 June 2017, thesource.com/2017/06/23/omari-hardwick-gentlemen-jack-team-up-for-real-to-reel-filmmakers-competition/.
2The Twilight Zone
Original series (1959–64)
First revival (1985–89)
Second revival (2002–03)
Third revival (2019)
3Not in Love
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. As the sole author of the Penitent – Part I, and the Penitent – Part II, and as the sole proprietor of Copper Beech Press, I have a material connection to these books, as well as to the publishing press, I have just listed. Other than my previously stated novels and publishing press, I have no material connection to the brands, products or services that I have mentioned here. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
© 13 February 2019 by A. Keith Carreiro
For information about my series, The Immortality Wars, please go to my home page: https://immortalitywars.com/