JS: Chris, we both know that this is a great, but difficult business to be in. What are some of the obstacles that you have ran into, or had to deal with?

CW: Egos! The egos that some of these people have are ridiculous. It seems that just because somebody makes a deal or has a little success, all of a sudden their heads grow bigger than the budget of their last piece. I don't get it. You would think that these people would be happy for themselves, but a lot of the time, it can make them arrogant and distant from the rest of the world. Also makes them want to try and abuse your talents in their favor without doing the right thing. They feel just dealing with them is good enough and you should be happy you have at least that. Sure, be proud of what you do, but remember, you are still just human. Things are not always going to go your way and there is always going to be someone out there who is better. Your creativity is not always going to be respected.

JS: Good call. Can you give me an example of one time where you felt that your creativeness was not respected?

CW: Yeah, when QUIET was picked up in 2003 by HBO. Most of the attention seemed to be centered around my cousin Sylvian White, who directed it. When they called out the show's title, we both went up there to be recognized. They were like, “OK, Sylvian, who is this nobody up there with you? Do you want me to call security?”

It seems that writers never get credit for what they do with a project, until the project fails. Then it is all, “Well, there was trouble with the writing. Script problems from the beginning!” Writers are looked at like being the bottom rung on the film ladder. We never get the credit we deserve, but we are the seeds of the film industry. It takes a good writer with good ideas before a film can even begin to be thought of. This is where a lot of good writers are looked past. It is much easier for someone to say that the writing was bad, rather than manning up and taking responsibility for themselves.

JS: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. OK, Chris, now is your chance to rant. What has really irritated you about this business? What kind of shit have you had to put up with?

CW: Where do I start? I would probably say the most ignorant thing that I had to put up with was people asking me why I cast white leads for one of my projects. They say, “Being a black filmmaker, why would you do that?” Can you believe that?! For one, I don't cast white, or black, yellow, purple, blue or whatever. I cast actors, not a race. The creed of the person does not matter, unless it has something to do with the story-line. Any other time, I just want the best actors I can get. A lot of the time people think that because you are a person of color you can only create films that deal with your people. Now this is bullshit. Just like Steven Spielberg can make Amistad or Color Purple I should be able to make Schindler's List. It's about telling stories and there should be no bases on color with that. Second, what is this deal with this new term going around calling a script or film “Urban”?

It seems like a subtle way to stereotype black filmmakers and films, if you ask me. This act is not intentional all the time, but it does happen. So many times where a film has a black cast it's always labeled as “Urban” but yet when you have a white cast its labeled simply as a film. You never hear critics or press come out of a film with a white cast and say “Wow that's a great white movie that's sure to be appealing to the white demographics”. It's as if to say White is Universal and needs no label which is crazy because guess what guys the world is made up of more then just white it's a damn rainbow out there. But yet when it's a cast with black actors “Urban or black, Latino” always come into play. That is probably one things that pisses me of the most, other than the egos. I just want to tell cool stories period.

Reader's Note: I could tell that Chris was very serious about his comments on this matter.

JS: What do you do differently in your films that will set you apart from other directors?

CW: Well, besides only trying to do great, unique films, I think that a majority of films with budgets up in the 40-60 million dollar range try to use a lot of the money just for actors, which is crazy. If a film can be shot for under 10 million and still be wonderful, there is no sense in spending another 40 or 50 million just for a known cast. Granted a lot of these actors are amazing and they deserve great success and pay but do you know how many films I could make from just their salary for one film…LOL..A lot! If you got that kind of money, put it towards the film itself, not just all on the cast. You know what else I want to stay away from?

JS: What's that?

CW: A lot of what seems to be the “In Thing” to do crazy rapid editing where it feels like it's going to give you a seizure! When used appropriately it can be a great and effective tool. But as with many things in life when abused it can really have a nasty after affect where you just get turned off. But, I guess that is some of the things that you can learn off of other people's mistakes.

JS: What else have you seen other filmmakers do that you now know that you do not want to do or put into your films?

CW: Twist endings. Although, at first the whole concept of the big twist at the end of a movie was good, but after you are expecting a big twist and then one happens, it makes you feel like you have just wasted your time with the whole movie or script, when you could have just watched the last five minutes of the flick or just read the last few pages of a script. Not saying that they weren't creative, but they are expected nowadays to the point the surprise. People in this biz are like sheep, when someone else does something that successful and works for them. Everyone else franticly jumps on the bandwagon to pretty much replicate that formula until its basically dead beneath the ground. Hollywood has the capability of giving putting out original content instead of the entire same rehash we see all the time. They just need to stop looking at the bottom line money wise oh how much a film makes opening weekend and realize it's all about the art of great storytelling. Tell a great story and the theater will always stay packed.

To learn more about Chris and his films please visit www.laststopthemovie.com, or to contact Chris White please email laststopthemovie@aim.com