T.J.PARSELL - PRISONER NO MORE

If you are anywhere near Croton Falls, NY this Saturday night at 7PM, this is important stuff. A truly unique, individual and courageous story. The article below is reprinted from lohud.com

In 1978, T.J. Parsell was 17, living in Michigan as a member of a family deeply mired in bad decisions. His father, grandfather, several uncles and his older brother had all been incarcerated at one time or another. Yet, even now, 35 years later, he’s not sure what spurred him to pick up a toy gun and pretend to rob a pretty girl at a photo booth — mostly, he says, as a way to get her attention. It was the wrong kind of attention: She handed over $53, which, Parsell says, he took and ran.

He was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to Jackson State Prison, where the scared, skinny, nonviolent teen was immediately singled out. “On my first day there — the same day that my classmates were getting ready for the prom — a group of older inmates spiked my drink, lured me down to a cell and raped me,” he recounted in a 2006 Op-Ed piece for The New York Times.

It was a pattern of abuse that continued for nearly five years of incarceration. Along the way, Parsell was “sold” to an inmate who eventually ended up protecting his “fish,” came to terms with the fact that he was gay, fell in love with a fellow inmate and managed to complete high school behind bars.

Against all the odds, Parsell, who struggled with drugs and alcohol, graduated from college and had a successful 20-year career in the software industry. Now a third-year film student at the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Parsell will be at The Schoolhouse Theater in Croton Falls on Saturday to present three short films; two are based on his bestselling book, “Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison,” (Da Capo Press, 2007).

Although not quite ready for the Sundance Film Festival, Parsell was nonetheless thrilled to be in the company of Martin Scorcese and Helen Mirren last week at the National Board of Review’s annual film awards gala. “Not as a filmmaker, no,” he laughs. “As NYU. film students, we get to go to the screenings, and also to volunteer. I was a volunteer at the event.”

Still, his fledgling film career is a positive goal. “I am having a second childhood and run around with these young people,” he says. “But I have my moments; you know, you have these raging arguments with yourself, ‘should I be doing this?’ I am 51 and I figure if I don’t do it now...”

Parsell’s film is still a work in progress, but it’s as unflinching and candid as his book. He says the retelling is part of recovery, so much so that he speaks out all over the country; he served as as president of Stop Prisoner Rape (now known as Just Detention International) and has served as a consultant to the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.

“I have a really amazing adult life; I feel very fortunate, exceptionally fortunate that I was able to get out,” he says. “On one level, I am a testament to the inherent ability of the troubled teen to be able to transcend his circumstances and become productive. I deserved to be punished, there was no question about that,” he continues. “And there are people who say, ‘you get what you deserve’; that if you don’t want to be raped, stay out of prison. But, you see a young kid going in there, and yes, he is troubled, but he doesn’t deserve that. I think that’s what I am trying to capture.”

“T.J. is an amazing person; what’s he’s done is to turn incredible hardship and injustice into advocacy to help keep others safe,” says Lovisa Stannow, executive direction for Just Detention International. “He’s been an exhaustless champion against prison rape and trying to ensure teenage offenders are placed in appropriate settings.”

Parsell actually filmed part of his film in Jackson State Prison, and scenes were shot in the the very cell where he was once incarcerated. “Shooting our film at Jackson Prison was actually empowering; for eight days, I owned the prison I was in,” he says. “I was low key about who I was, so when a guy from the prison said, ‘I am going to Google you tonight,’ I was a little nervous. The next day, he came back and said, “I Googled you, and I realized you are responsible for a lot of the rules we have in here. That was an incredible experience.”

The Prison Rape Elimination Act, signed in 2003, is part of the reason for those rule changes. Says Parsell, “in the last eight years, there’s not a correction department in this country that hasn’t been involved in the conversation; everyone has been engaged.”

Laying bare the story of what happened to him in prison was also emotional for his family, but Parsell says he prepared them all, and in a strange twist, it was their support that helped him move on with his project. “My parents, as any parents would be that lost sons, were filled with all kinds of questions, ‘what could they have done differently?’ and fueled by that, they got behind me. Simple awareness is curative,” Parsell says.

Parsell says that the constant retelling of his story and reliving the past is never easy, but necessary. “Activism is a way to take that stuff and change it into a vehicle for change.”

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

FOR DIRECTORS WHEN WORKING WITH ACTORS

in The Filmmaker Magazine

By Adrienne Weiss.

(Most all of this is very good. However, I don't know about, "2. Go Over The Script Line By Line With Your Actors Before Getting on the Set." This could lead to disaster.) - José Angel Santana

As a feature film director, your relationships with your actors may be the most delicate ones of your entire production – especially if you are a first-timer without much prior directing experience. From teaching workshops in acting and directing, I’ve noticed that directors make the same mistakes over and over again. These subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – behaviors often sabotage their chances of getting good performances.

The following 10 suggestions – some practical and craft-related, others simply glorified leadership and communication tips – should help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

1. Be Prepared To Talk To Your Actors.

One of the most common mistakes directors make is failing to be prepared to work with their actors. After all, you know the script inside out, maybe even wrote it over a period of several years. So, isn’t it safe to assume that you know enough about the story and characters to direct the actors? The answer is: most probably not. Directing your actors will require an entirely different kind of information than you needed when you were writing your screenplay or making other directorial decisions.

In order to work with actors, you must create a subtext for them, providing each actor with insights into the inner workings of their characters. But in order to do that, you must first answer a few basic questions: What does each character want, and how is he or she going to get it? Actors need the answers to these questions in clear, simple and active language. But these answers aren’t always obvious – you must give yourself the time to think through the script, scene by scene and character by character. If you don’t take this time, odds are you’ll talk too much on set and only succeed in getting random results.

I once watched a director ramble on about the metaphorical meaning of a prop to an actor. The actor stood there nodding, making polite, intelligent sounding noises. However, when the director finally finished, not only did the actor have no idea how to play the scene, but her energy was confused and dispirited. The director had left her with no practical insights as to how to play her scene. Winston Churchill once ended a very long letter with the comment, "I’m sorry this letter was so long – I didn’t have time to make it short." The only way to be brief and to the point with your actors is to take the time to crystallize your thoughts before opening your mouth.

As a corollary to this rule:

2. Go Over The Script Line By Line With Your Actors Before Getting on the Set.

Some directors like extensive rehearsal periods, while others just work with the actors on set. But at the very least go through the script individually with your actors. During a quiet moment, discuss with them, line by line, their characters’ desires, the meaning of what they’re saying, the stakes and the script’s major dramatic turning points. It is crucial, before you shoot, to begin move away from the idealized image you’ve had in your head to what this real live person may or may not bring to the material. Speak with your actors, allow them to contribute their ideas to creating their performances. If you skip this process, you’ll wind up wasting a lot of time, missing out on opportunities to make your material richer.

3. Cast People With Whom You Can Communicate.

When you interview a d.p., an editor or a producer, don’t you seek people on your wavelength? Don’t you want people whose senses of humor you appreciate, who understand your frame of reference and whom you trust to do their jobs? It’s the same with actors. You’ll click with some, while, with others, you may never find a connection. While that lack of a connection may not seem important during casting, the ability to communicate with an actor quickly and easily becomes critical during the stresses of production.

I know one director, beloved by actors and famous for his collaborative ensemble work, who deliberately creates an obstacle for his actors just before making a final decision on casting. If the actors is able to work under pressure, they’re in. If not, he’ll look elsewhere.

If given a choice between two actors, go with the one you feel understands you and to whom you are actually able to listen. You both will have a much better experience making the movie.

4. Maintain An Air Of Authority With Your Actors.

Okay, so you have a great connection with your actors, you laugh at each other’s jokes and now the temptation is to become friends. Big mistake. No matter how friendly things are between you and your actors, it is essential you keep professional boundaries. In order to do their best work, actors need to feel safe and secure. The best way to establish that sense of safety is consistently to convey your control of the process. If you tell the actors your personal problems, your fights with your producer or (the worst!) your fears about whether or not the movie will work, they will inevitably begin to lose trust in both you and the film. The results will wind up on screen. That’s not to say that you must pretend to know all the answers. There will be times when you won’t know what to do, but it is wisest at those moments to take a break and consider your options. Or even ask, in an authoritative way, if anybody has any suggestions. But always maintain your authority. If you were in a vulnerable situation, wouldn’t you want to feel that someone responsible was in charge? The great English director Peter Brook once said that directing is like leading a group through a dark cave with a flashlight. His or her job is to be out front, illuminating a few feet ahead and saying, "Let’s go to the left – it looks drier over there."

So, let the actors tell you whatever they want about their own personal lives – perhaps it will help you to get a better performance out of them. But no matter how vulnerable you feel, maintain your command and make choices about the way to proceed.

Another corollary:

5. Don’t Take Anything That Happens With Your Actors Personally.

On the set, an actor might love you and lavish you with affection, or look at you like you’re an alien, resisting your every direction. Focus on the work and don’t take their attitude towards you – whether positive or negative – personally. It is very important to stay objective. Many neophyte directors waste precious time and energy reacting to situations with their actors. Keep the drama on the screen.

6. Give Your Actors Playable Objectives.

Most successful directors know it’s important for an actor to know his or her "objective." When an objective is well-chosen and well-played, it can enrich a performance with layers of subtext. But even though you may discuss objectives with your actors before they are selected, the results will sometimes remain unsatisfactory. So what’s the problem?

Frequently, the source of the trouble is that the objective was phrased too abstractly and therefore was unplayable by the actor. For example, directors come up with objectives like, "He wants her to love him." Or, "He wants her approval." Though in some ways these seem like intelligent, thoughtful choices, on another level they are actually very difficult to translate into action. What does "wanting someone to love you" actually mean? Unless given something very specific, it is difficult for the actor to commit to that choice. Actors need to know what to do. In my experience, the most playable – and therefore effective – way to state an objective is to frame it in the context of what an actor should make the other actor do or say. Make it as concrete as possible so the actor knows whether he or she has achieved it by the end of the scene. For example, "I want her to love me," becomes "I want to make her look at me with eyes full of love and heave a romantic sigh." Or, "I want her to run up and throw her arms around my neck and kiss me." Wanting someone’s approval becomes, "I want him to say I did a good job," or, "I want her to smile at me and say that I’m the best damn garbageman she’s ever seen."

Directors often ask, "But isn’t that too simple? There are supposed to be layers in the scene." Yes, but far from reducing the richness of a scene, choosing a simple objective actually allows the complexity of your script to emerge. Remember the actor lectured on the metaphorical meaning of a prop? Imagine if she’d simply been told, "You want to make him fall down on his knees and beg you to come back to him." Odds are she would have been a lot more interested in and connected to the scene.

7. If An Actor Has A Problem With Something, Pay Attention And Deal With It As Soon As Possible.

This is classic. You’re thinking about a million things – you’re about to lose the location, you’ve run out of money, you just had a huge fight with the producer – and an actor comes over, very upset and says he hates his pants. "Deal with your damn pants," you think. "I’ve got better things to do!"

But remember, helping your actors build their characters should always be a top priority. Resist the urge to dismiss an actor. Something as seemingly insignificant as a pair of pants can affect how an actor approaches his or her character.

8. Create More Spontaneous Conflict Between Characters By Giving Actors Information Privately.

Directors often make the mistake of discussing with one actor his or her important character information in front of the other actors in the scene. They go on and on about how much Ellen hates Dave, how she resents him for leaving her and how in this scene Ellen is going to make Dave pay. The problem is, if the actor playing Dave has been hearing all of this, he is going to anticipate Ellen’s animosity, and, as a result, the scene will lack spontaneity and life. It is much more useful to keep each actor focused solely on his or her own experiences and feelings. This can be achieved by simply taking each actor aside and speaking to them privately. In addition to enhancing the surprise of the scene, an added bonus is that the actor feels special – the two of you are in on a secret, and that kind of bond generally creates better work. When it comes to directing the other actor in the scene, sometimes the best results can be achieved by giving that actor a contradictory secret agenda. Then just let the actors go at it. I once saw a scene in which one actor was told his sole objective was to get the other actor to sit in a chair. Of course, the other actor was told her objective was to remain standing at all costs. As simple as the direction was, the scene was hilarious and fraught with dramatic tension.

9. Be General With Praise And Specific About Aspects That Need Improvement.

Directors often make the mistake of praising what they liked: "Oh, I loved the way you tossed your hair and laughed coquettishly!" But when it comes to things they don’t like, they merely say, "Hmm, I might do things a little differently. Let’s try it again." In fact, your feedback should be just the opposite. If you praise an actress for tossing her hair and laughing, you can bet she’s going to do it over and over again, less and less organically, because she wants to win more of your approval. So it’s better, when things are working well, to resist the urge to "objectify" an actor’s actions through specific praise. But if something isn’t working, an actor needs to know exactly why so he or she can make an adjustment. Instead of merely saying, "I would do it a little differently," you might say something like, "You’re anticipating that next line. Keep chopping the vegetables until he says that little Timmy has stolen the secret code – then you can look at him and throw the carrot."

And lastly:

10. When In Doubt, Give Your Actor A Physical Activity.

We’ve all seen scenes that seem stiff, just two talking heads. There’s one easy trick to energize a dead scene: give actors something physical to do. Have them fold laundry, clean up a mess, sort through papers and so on. Physical activity can help focus an actor’s energy, making the scene more natural and his or her performance more watchable.

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."