The Making of my last PERSONAL SHORT FILM "MUSIC: A Marvin Gaye Story"

I had Marvin Gaye planned since I was a teen, after watching a documentary of his life-I knew one day it would happen.

Just like the same connection I had with Tupac, I came to find out Marvin and I were pretty much the same. Both came from a religious background, both torn between doing "God's work" or doing secular work through our talents. Both can be shy but very deep into our work, wear our emotions on our sleeves and most of all battle duality with our personalities-angelic and can be devilish. During Marvin's 30's-to his death, Marvin would suffer from depression and the drugs didn't help-I too would suffer within the last stages of my marriage, one point thought of Suicide.

Sometimes within the industry there are actors or people that you feel such a great chemistry with one another that you can't wait to work with them. I've known Toni Robinson-May for 5 years now; a wonderful, talented actress, poet and person who interns for my mentors Rosalyn and Crag T. Williams of Red Wall Productions and I always wanted to work with her.  It was the night where Stuart Productions gave a huge private industry party headed by Producer Emelyn Stuart (12 Steps to Recovery online show), and it was this night where I approached Toni that I wanted to do a short film on Gaye and she was a lock to play his ex wife, Janis. She said "OK" but looked nervous. Maybe she didn't believe me, I don't know but I had this planned to shoot around 2010 but I felt it wasn't the right time.

Tupac was created instead.

The Marvin Gaye script wasn't written yet but it was in my head. I saw it in a dream where Marvin would escape all the troubles in his own world by heading to the studio and sing his heart out giving himself peace through his music. At the same time, his wife would enter and just watch him from afar. He notices and invites her into the booth to share one last dance together. A somber moment for both that this relationship was over but the love will always be there through the music.

Never wrote it down.

Then my marriage of 12 years ended.

My marriage ended the same time I filmed JUSTICE and I was a wreck mentally, physically and spiritually. Its very hard for me to watch JUSTICE because I was so much in pain, pretty much the same pain my character Marc Justice was, after losing his wife. I knew for certain once JUSTICE wrapped, the Marvin Gaye project had to be filmed NOW or it will never get done. 

MUSIC: A Marvin Gaye Story wasn't just another "look at me and what I can do" project, THIS WAS PERSONAL. Marvin says "Great artist suffer for the people" and always wrote based on his lifestyle. If he was in trouble, he made the album "TROUBLE MAN". If he was going through a sexual phase, he created "LETS GET IT ON", I am the same way; therefore MUSIC is a personal release for me.

A release to let go, move on, forgive myself, learn from your past and start anew. Divorce is not a great thing at all, its very painful; however I've learned that I could do two things-Get better or get worse. 

MUSIC wasn't going to get made without the blessings from Marvin's ex wife Janis Gaye, a wonderful mother who went through a lot raising two kids on her own throughout the years. Janis openly shared her experience with me being married to a legend. Once she read the script, made some adjustments and approved, I knew this was all in God's timing and we kept a friendship to this day.

When I set the date with my cast featuring Toni, Emelyn Stuart's son Justus playing "Frankie Gaye", my niece Taylor Scott playing "Nona Gaye", along with my trusted crew Cinematographer Ryan J. Lee, Cameraman John Olivo, Make Up Artist Lillybeth Gonzalez and new jacks like Assistant Director Brenda Santana and Stylist, Still Photographer Sylvia Torres, preparation began in full force.

I listen, watched and read every material there is of Marvin 24/7, the same way I studied Tupac. This film will not mirror my previous short film DRUNKEN FREESTYLE: AN INTERVIEW WITH 2PAC where the musical legend shares his whole life story in a studio, drunk; I wanted this to be very intimate and personal showing the love he has for his family and passion. This short doesn't focus on his father, years of Motown, drug abuse and the tragic murder of his life.

The short, pretty much like most of my content, was funded by my own pocket and we didn't go over budget, in fact we went under. Filming went smoothly yet challenging because I'm directing at the same time plus I was nervous as hell. Hours later Hurricane Sandy would land in New York City and the last thing I wanted was to have my actors caught in the storm but we wrapped hours before.

So what do I expect from this short? Accolades from people watching in film festivals, a big time movie producer giving me money to distribute or to make a feature film version? A big time agent noticing Toni and the kids and want to represent them? That's my goal with ALL of my content.

But my main goal. THE BIG GOAL for this short film...

is to pay tribute to Marvin, Janis and her children. This is my tribute saying THANK YOU. If none of the above things I've mentioned before don't happen, I will not be bummed at all. This was something we, my crew needed to do and it got done through the midst of the storm. 

A storm that hit NYC hard but like every storm in our lives, we just gotta stay strong, hold our heads up high, find peace...

rebuild

restore

and like Marvin said in his song...

"PRAISE"

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