Director Interview with Charles Officer
November 5, 2009
Charles Officer is the award-winning director of Nurse.Fighter.Boy as well as short films, and music documentaries. He has worked with K’naan, DJ Green Velvet and Bedouin Soundclash and when we asked him how he felt about filming Divine Brown for his second City Sonic he smiled a huge grin – turns out he’s known Ms. Brown since she was a very young lady. Another perfect match.
LL: Give us your “elevator ride” pitch: the concept for your film in three sentences or less.
CO: The film follows Divine Brown as she revisits her jazz roots at The Rex. There is a small reunion between herself and jazzman, John T. Davis, who she hasn’t performed with in over 10 years.
LL: You’ve known Divine for years. What did you learn about her on this shoot that surprised you?
CO: There is a beautiful little girl inside that woman, who loves to communicate through song. Well after we finished shooting at the Rex, Divine got up after the cameras had gone. She was like a kid in a candy store and we didn’t leave til’ close.
LL: Any advice for other filmmakers on how to work within the 4-minute time limit?
CO: Be specific. Because time flies when you’re having fun.
LL: How do you see the future of films made for mobile?
CO: I think its wide-open terrain for mobile films right now. It’s exciting because films can become more like a song. I think it’s only going to get better, as long as the medium isn’t bombarded with folks who only have money making on their radar.
