DuVernay: IT'S INTERESTING TO TALK TO CREATIVE PEOPLE
ABOUT THE WAY THEIR MINDS WORK.
SOMETIMES IT SOUNDS KIND OF FREAKY.
WHEN YOU'RE A CREATIVE PERSON
AND YOU'RE NURTURING THAT WITHIN YOURSELF,
YOU OPEN YOURSELF UP TO A LOT OF DISCOVERY
THAT COMES FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES,
WHICH IS REALLY WONDERFUL.
I MEAN, FOR ME, THE WRITING PROCESS IS VERY MUCH ABOUT
WHEN I HAVE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT I'M WRITING.
I NEED TO HAVE NOTES, A GOOD OUTLINE, THOUGHT IT THROUGH,
HAVE SOME DIALOGUE, LIKE, REALLY BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING.
AND ALL THAT COMES FROM BEING OUT IN THE WORLD.
MY FILMS ARE LOW-BUDGET INDEPENDENT FILMS,
VERY SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED AROUND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
AND PEOPLE OF COLOR AND FAMILIES OF COLOR
AND FINDING THE UNIVERSALITY
AND THE SPECIFICITY OF THOSE STORIES.
WHEN YOU'RE MAKING A LOW-BUDGET FILM,
A FILM FOR $50,000 OR $200,000,
THERE'S NOWHERE TO HIDE.
IT'S JUST -- IT'S PEOPLE.
USUALLY PEOPLE TALKING OR NOT TALKING.
BUT YOU'RE ON THESE FACES, YOU'RE ON BEHAVIOR.
AND SO YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND SO THAT COMES FROM LIVING,
BEING A BLACK WOMAN WALKING AROUND.
IT COMES FROM OBSERVING PEOPLE.
IT COMES FROM ASKING QUESTIONS.
AND SO I FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO GET OUT, YOU KNOW?
AND YOU GOT TO BE AROUND PEOPLE.
AND IN LOS ANGELES, IT'S SUCH A SPRAWL.
IT'S SUCH A HUGE PLACE.
AND DOWNTOWN, YOU CAN ACTUALLY RUB SHOULDERS WITH PEOPLE.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE FACES THAT ARE NOT BEHIND A CAR WINDOW.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
THE BEST THING IS WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE
AND YOU'RE WONDERING, "WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
"HOW DO THEY FIT TOGETHER? WHERE THEY CAME FROM?
WHERE ARE THEY GOING? WHAT'S THEIR CONNECTION?"
SOMETIMES I'LL EVEN ASK.
AND PEOPLE WANT TO TALK, YOU KNOW?
AND IT MAY NOT BE ANYTHING THAT'S DIRECTLY RELATED
TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE WRITING THAT DAY,
BUT THAT ENERGY FROM PEOPLE, THAT STUFF IS KIND OF LIKE,
YOU KNOW, SEEDS ON FERTILE GROUND
THAT HELPS WITH THE WRITING.
FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THESE GREAT PLACES
TO KIND OF JUST FIND A GOOD CORNER
IS THIS SPOT CALLED THE LAST BOOK STORE.
IT'S SUCH A GREAT SPACE, YOU KNOW?
THAT DENSITY THAT I TALK ABOUT --
DENSE WITH BOOKS AND PEOPLE, AND IT'S NOT TOO BUSY.
BUT IT'S JUST ENOUGH,
THE RIGHT FLOW OF THE ODD CHARACTER THAT COMES IN AND OUT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S PART OF WHAT I PREFER TO HAVE AROUND ME
WHEN I'M WRITING.
I'M OUTLINING. I'M PLAYING WITH DIALOGUE.
I'M FIGURING OUT WHAT THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF THE SCENE IS.
YOU KNOW, IS IT MOVING THE FILM FORWARD?
REALLY TRYING TO PIN DOWN THOSE BIG QUESTIONS.
I CONSIDER MOVIE-WATCHING PEOPLE-WATCHING
BECAUSE YOU'RE WATCHING PEOPLE.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEHAVIOR.
ACTORS KIND OF MIMIC HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
WE'RE HERE AT THE DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT,
WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO BE INSPIRED.
IT'S A GREAT ONE-HOUSE MOVIE THEATER IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
I REALLY LOVE IT HERE.
I LOVE COMING DOWN AND WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE'S FILMS.
I LOVE COMING HERE AND WATCHING MY OWN FILMS.
WHEREVER I FIND MYSELF, THESE SPACES THAT INSPIRE, YOU KNOW,
IT LEADS TO SPARKING OF MY IMAGINATION.
I DEFINITELY AM RECOGNIZING WHEN I'M BEING HIT AND INSPIRED
AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT I'M LOGGING THAT
OR DOCUMENTING THAT IN SOME WAY.
I TAKE PICTURES A LOT.
AND THEN, YEAH, I TAKE A LOT OF NOTES.
AND I FIND THAT I USED TO JUST SCRIBBLE ON SCRAPS OF PAPER.
BUT NOW MORE AND MORE I RELY ON THE PHONE.
I'LL PUT IN THE SUBJECT HEADER, "XO."
I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S MY CODE.
HUGS AND KISSES TO MYSELF OF INSPIRATION.
IT'S SO CORNY.
AND SO WHENEVER I'M READY TO SIT DOWN
OR I NEED TO PULL IN SOMETHING THAT I'VE SEEN,
I JUST SEARCH "XO," AND EVERYTHING COMES UP,
WHETHER IT'S A PICTURE OR A THOUGHT.
A LOT OF MY DIRECTOR'S WORK
IS HAPPENING DURING THE SCREENWRITING PROCESS.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CHARACTER
AND BEING ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR ACTORS --
A LOT OF THAT STUFF I'M ANSWERING FOR MYSELF
AS I'M COLLECTING MY MATERIAL TO WRITE.
I HAVE A SPECIAL EXERCISE THAT I HOLD VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART
FOR WHEN I AM IN A ROUGH PATCH.
IT'S CALLED PROCRASTINATION.
I WILL PUT IT OFF UNTIL SOMETHING ELSE STRIKES ME.
I WISH I HAD A MAGIC TALISMAN TO PULL ME BACK INTO THE SPACE.
I JUST DON'T.
YOU KNOW, GOT TO BE IN THE RIGHT HEAD SPACE,
OR ELSE YOU'RE JUST FORCING IT
AND IT JUST NEVER COMES OUT RIGHT.
I KNOW THERE WERE TIMES WHEN, YOU KNOW,
I WASN'T WORKING IN A CREATIVE WAY THAT I FELT VERY UNHAPPY,
THAT I WASN'T LIVING MY BEST LIFE.
AND SO, FOR ME, TO BE CREATING, TO BE AROUND CREATIVE PEOPLE
IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY NECESSARY
FOR MY OWN PERSONAL HAPPINESS.
AND I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, REALLY FORTUNATE
THAT I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT
BECAUSE EVERYONE THAT NEEDS THAT
DOESN'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT.
AND I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME,
SO I'M HAPPY TO BE IN THIS PLACE.