Torrance Colvin

Torrance Colvin

INDIEMOVIESONLINE.COM

An Interview with Torrance Colvin

Indie Filmmaking

by Mason Thompson

Flexibility is the key to surviving the rapid changes in the film industry.

Writer/director Torrance Colvin has followed a convoluted path toward filmmaking.

How did you get started as a writer?

Torrance Colvin: I’ve always enjoyed creative writing.  Elementary school.  Junior high.  From high school to college.  That’s always been a mainstay.  Both my dad and my high school English/creative writing teacher named Richard White really nurtured my writing. I wrote short stories, started several novels (finished two), and eventually gravitated to screenwriting.

What about directing?

Torrance Colvin: That was a function of failure.  I shopped several screenplays to Hollywood and received great feedback, but the budgets of my early works were too high for the subject matter according to the gatekeepers.  So I wrote an indie romantic drama and decided to direct it myself.

How did that go?

Torrance Colvin: We shot it in six days.  And actually got distribution.  If Blockbuster was still in existence it might be in the oldies and never seen section.

When beginning a film, what’s your process?

Torrance Colvin: First is write, rewrite, write some more, and then rewrite again.  When it finally gets to the production point, it’s all about making sure that the actors embody the characters that they are portraying.

And how do you ensure that?

Torrance Colvin:  Obviously, it helps to have very good actors.  I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Emmy winners and actors who make it easy on a director.  But I’ve also worked with first time actors and children.  Either way it’s about ensuring that the cast develops a rapport with the character.

So when a project comes to you, is it because of your past films? How’s that work for you?

Torrance Colvin: As a director, I get offered a lot of indie films, but as of late, I’m focused on producing my own works.  If something amazing comes along, I’m happy to take a look, but my focus is to produce films that resonate to me.  As for writing, I tend to do a great deal of uncredited rewrites and workshop with other writers.

You mentioned films that resonate to you, being that your company is 24k Black Films, are you only focused on Black Films?

Torrance Colvin: Black films are my primary focus because as consumers we tend to be underserved.  But I do step outside of that area if a project speaks to me.  For example, I directed the pilot for New Wall Street starring Hal Ozsan and Finola Hughes because I loved the script.  It wasn’t a quote-unquote Black project, but it was an amazing project.

What quality do you feel a writer/director must have to be successful in the industry? 

Torrance Colvin: You need flexibility as an artist to rethink and adapt your ideas to the project at hand. And you need thick skin.  There’s a great deal of rejection.  You hear the word no much more often than you hear yes.  So it’s important that you be able to not dwell on temporary rejections.  Regardless of how frequently they occur.

You’ve worked on big-budget projects and low-budget independent films. What’s the difference?

Torrance Colvin: The amount of money that’s spent. Obviously, for bigger budget projects there is a larger crew.  For certain projects it’s been necessary to have a large crew, but the one thing I truly enjoy about working on smaller projects is the comraderie of a small crew.  Especially when you’re fortunate enough to work on projects with the same small crew, such that everything runs seamlessly.

Well I know you have another commitment, but I appreciate you calling in.  I look forward to continuing this conversation in the near future. 

Torrance Colvin:  Pleasure was all mine.  We’ll chat soon.