Trouble Man-Reflections

Trouble Man Reflections

Trouble Man is a short documentary that looks at a segment of the life of Tyrone Dixon, a young impressionable filmmaker, husband and parent. The experience of Hollywood and its dramatic rollercoaster ride can try anyone’s nerves including Tyrone, who shares his testimony about that rollercoaster experience. This is a story of losing faith and regaining faith all in the name of family.

I intended to do something very different, the inside story of a beauty queen, but the footage was left behind and I didn’t have time to send for it. I had to tell a story that I knew. I wanted to get a real understanding of how I could use this process (creating short narratives) as a tool in the development of my future in media psychology. I enjoy sharing and feel that this experience was emotionally engaging for not just me but maybe for others as well.

When I think of who my audience is for this project, I keep thinking of anyone who has fallen and had to pick him or herself up and keep moving. I’m attempting to reach anyone who strives to make his or her dreams come true. I intended to reach a wide variety of young people from those who are affected by pop culture to those who are affected by the CNN culture. According to the input I have received from others who have watched the film, I do believe I reached them with the underlying story of the importance of faith. I do think the honesty and the clarity of the project allows for the audience to transport themselves into the story and that is where the connection happens.

I chose the documentary format because I felt it was the best way to get my story across. It was a real challenge to make a narrative about myself and keep it authentic and beneficial to those who may choose to experience it. I believe that this project works and I feel confident that others will be able to appreciate the effort on many levels.

It was important for me to really understand the benefit of having clarity when sharing the story core and the story map. In the future the story core and story map will always be the starting point of the development of any new media I create. I had a process that I used before that was a more complicated process of writing. I really appreciate the story spine table and will continue to use the spine as the basis of creating my treatments. The simplification of the process is the most important thing I have learned by doing these projects.

Trouble Man- Storyboard

Dialogue	Action
Tyrone Interview: After making 8 Wheels And Some Soul Brotha Music, life in the movie business was great. I sacrificed for two years to get this movie made and it was worth it. When I made that movie Hollywood opened its doors to me. I produced the moved Roll Bounce. It was a really cool experience.	Open with footage of “8 Wheels And Some Soul Brotha Music” / Reelz Channel – Set Up-Music Cue Show Footage of Roll Bounce/ Reelz Channel interview of Tyrone
Tyrone Interview: After the success of Roll Bounce and 8 Wheels, Hollywood opened its doors to me. I was making videos, consulting as a producer and many other things. I was attached to direct a major motion picture called Lazarus, which was to be a Jamaican Gangster film. Preston Holmes, Dwight Williams and Jim Fishman were producing and it looked like we were close to making this film.	Show Footage of Jamaica- Lazarus Film Intercut – Footage of Lazarus Film
Tyrone Interview: My new wife and my new son completed the perfect picture. Life was good. I just knew it was going to continue. Tyrone Interview: As we all know Hollywood is a full of drama. Just when I thought things were great, there was a strike.	Intercut – Footage of wife and son being born Show Footage of Strike- Many people protesting – Music Cue
It did not come at a great time. The country was going through it’s own ills. The economy dipped and gas was skyrocketing.	Show b-roll of news clip demonstrating unemployment
Tyrone Interview: I almost lost my mind trying to figure out how to hustle up work and keep things happening. But, soon after that my father died.	Show b- roll of father’s funeral – music cue
Tyrone Interview: I did lose my mind.	Show Footage from movie “ Barfly” to demonstrate Tyrone’s state of mind.
Tyrone Interview: At that time it was really tough. It created a strain on my marriage and financial strain. I did not what I was going to do.	Introduce footage/ b-roll of Church service discussing faith
Tyrone Interview: One day I got a phone call from a good friend inviting me to Living Waters of The San Fernando Valley, a new church. I had nothing else to do, I had nothing to lose, and I went. And I am so glad that I did.	Intercut- more footage of church sermon Music Cue Intercut – footage of family
Tyrone Interview: Going to church brought me back closer to my faith and gave me an opportunity to appreciate what’s in my life. I had to get it together and understand this was not the end of the world. My father lives through my relationship with my son. Things started to come back in place for me. I got a phone call to teach, to be a college professor. That was a wonderful experience. It was great to get that call I felt validated. Soon after that I got involved with the CAA Museum. They wanted to put my movie and my experiences with roller-skating in the museum. Life is about ups and downs. At the end of the day the things that don’t change that will all ways be there because they love you not because you make movies but because of whom you are, your family. My son does not care whether I make a movie or not, he cares about me being here for him and the rest of my family. Life is about those pleasant joys, children. I hope that God continues to bless me with opportunities to make films but more importantly I just want to grow with my family and grow in faith. I am really happy where I am right now.	Intercut- more footage of church sermon Intercut – footage of family Close with footage of Jackson saying “see you later”.

Trouble Man- Script

Script- Interview with Tyrone Dixon and stock footage

Title: Trouble Man

Open with footage of “8 Wheels And Some Soul Brotha Music” / Reelz Channel – Set Up-Music Cue

Tyrone Interview: After making 8 Wheels And Some Soul Brotha Music, life in the movie business was great. I sacrificed for two years to get this movie made and it was worth it. When I made that movie Hollywood opened its doors to me. I produced the moved Roll Bounce. It was a really cool experience.

Show Footage of Roll Bounce/ Reelz Channel interview of Tyrone

Show Footage of Jamaica- Lazarus Film

Tyrone Interview: After the success of Roll Bounce and 8 Wheels, Hollywood opened its doors to me. I was making videos, consulting as a producer and many other things. I was attached to direct a major motion picture called Lazarus, which was to be a Jamaican Gangster film. Preston Holmes, Dwight Williams and Jim Fishman were producing and it looked like we were close to making this film.

Intercut – Footage of wife and son being born

Tyrone Interview: My new wife and my new son completed the perfect picture. Life was good. I just knew it was going to continue. Tyrone Interview: As we all know Hollywood is a full of drama. Just when I thought things were great, there was a strike.

Show Footage of Strike- Many people protesting – Music Cue

It did not come at a great time. The country was going through it’s own ills. The economy dipped and gas was skyrocketing.

Show b-roll of news clip demonstrating unemployment

Tyrone Interview: I almost lost my mind trying to figure out how to hustle up work and keep things happening. But, soon after that my father died.

Show b- roll of father’s funeral – music cue

Tyrone Interview: I did lose my mind.

Show Footage form movie “ Barfly” to demonstrate Tyrone’s state of mind.

Tyrone Interview: At that time it was really tough. It created a strain on my marriage and financial strain. I did not what I was going to do.

Show footage/ b-roll of Church service discussing faith

Tyrone Interview: One day I got a phone call from a good friend inviting me to Living Waters of The San Fernando Valley, a new church. I had nothing else to do, I had nothing to lose, and I went. And I am so glad that I did.

Intercut- more footage of church sermon

Music Cue

Intercut – footage of family

Tyrone Interview: Going to church brought me back closer to my faith and gave me an opportunity to appreciate what’s in my life. I had to get it together and understand this was not the end of the world. My father lives through my relationship with my son. Things started to come back in place for me. I got a phone call to teach, to be a college professor. That was a wonderful experience. It was great to get that call I felt validated. Soon after that I got involved with the CAA Museum. They wanted to put my movie and my experiences with roller-skating in the museum. Life is about ups and downs. At the end of the day the things that don’t change that will all ways be there because they love you not because you make movies but because of whom you are, your family. My son does not care whether I make a movie or not, he cares about me being here for him and the rest of my family. Life is about those pleasant joys, children. I hope that God continues to bless me with opportunities to make films but more importantly I just want to grow with my family and grow in faith. I am really happy where I am right now.

Close with footage of Jackson saying “see you later”.

Trouble Man- Story Core Outline

Trouble Man Story Core Outline

1) Conflict – Writers Strike – Pops Died- financial/emotional down fall

2) Resolution – Spend time in church/ regained faith in family. Spending time with my son helped me to accept my role and to accept my fathers passing.

3) Transformation – Tyrone gained a stronger faith and self-confidence.

Central Challenge- the main challenges were to get work after the long writer’s strike and more importantly find a way to regain faith after father’s death.

Response to challenge- Gained drinking problem, hustled any kind of media work I could, and joined a church.

Resolution of challenge and response – Hired as a college professor and family ties with wife and kids blossom. Gained a stronger faith in my higher power through going to church.

Trouble Man- Introduction

I originally planned to do a short documentary about the day in the life of a beauty queen, but I some how got off track while putting it together. I felt a burning desire to share another look at my life and where I am today. Trouble Man is an introspective look at the last few years of my adventure with the movie business and the business of life.

This is the story of accepting faith and promise. During a slow period after a long strike in Hollywood, my father died and I had no idea that his death would have the kind of affect it did. I was lost and had to find my way, this time on my own. I hoped to share a part of my purpose through this testimony as well continue to heal from the lost of a man who taught me how to be a man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGgBHx5ydxo

Reflections- Me and Movies- Tyrone Dixon

I really enjoyed creating a biographical media piece. I have not done anything like this before. The experience was a process that allowed me to explore a space that I had only shared face to face with individuals and only a few at that. It was important for me to attempt this exercise and create a media relationship with myself. A greater awareness of self was my expectation. The process was more than I expected.

The essential story behind “ Me and Movies” is about a boy who grows into a man byway of the movies on television. Not having a father and having a mother who worked two jobs, I spent many hours watching television and finding my way through life by connecting with the characters within them. A passion for how movies are made was born as I continued to research the world of films.

Specifically I chose to create this piece of media to find and understand more of the psychology in the process of creating media. Telling my story allowed for a more introspective view of my self and the world I live in. Movies were my guide in life and now I make movies for a living. This introspection is valuable in how I view the world of others. I am confident that my film displays a direct relationship to my purpose. It is important for me to discover techniques to advance my teaching career as well as create ways that I can help others understand media and to not be negatively consumed by it.

When I started creating this piece I did not consider my audience until after it was complete. I got so lost in the process of creating and opening myself up to sharing apart of me, audience consideration became a thought when I started uploading the video to you tube. I thought of how I was not sure I wanted to share this with the rest of the world. I then started to really think about who could benefit from the experience of this piece. Young African-American boys who are growing up without fathers would be a direct audience. I believe the simplicity and directness of the piece would make it easy for the audience to consume and receive the message within. You can create the life you want; there is no need to be the victim. I hope that I could grow this piece and actually make effort to share it with that audience and see how effective the piece can be.

I thought this process would be easier for me because of my experience with film making and narrative story telling. Not. This was a real challenge and took thought as well as utilizing the techniques within Dr. Ohlers book. The story core and story map allowed me to get to a specific message and aided in the development of the script. I used still images as well as moving images from you tube to help push the story forward and give it context. I liked the outcome and plan to do more of these as I use this process help teach the narrative process to my future students.

This process of creating media demonstrated to me that I could find a story in just about anything if you can break it down to its simplest and most effective terms. Conceptualizing, actualizing and redacting have become a great asset to my writing process that I will continue to use to develop media that I plan to share with others.