Your new movie All 4da Green
- in a few words, what is it about?
A
paper-chasing young hustler trapped in a world of money, sex and mayhem.
Now how did the project come into being in the first place? And
coming from a music background, what made you decide to go into
filmmaking, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
With
this project I wanted to outdo my last album. To sell records is a great
feeling but the game has changed. I used to sell records, now streaming is
the new generator. I wanted to visually tell my story. I also wanted to do
something that sets my work apart from others.
I
had no formal training. It was a dream that turned into a working process.
It was hard, but I knew that we grow the most through our struggles. It
makes us stronger.
With All 4da Green
being a gangster movie, is this a genre you're at all fond of, and some of
your genre favourites? Yes.
I knew my first film was going to be gangster. Some of my favs are Scarface,
Belly, Casino, and Streets is Watching, to name a few.
Gangster movies influenced my life. I always liked movies where I can
relate to the time or main characters. (Other) sources of inspiration
when writing All 4da Green,
and was any of the movie based on personal experience? The whole structure of my movie is
based on my life, difficult situations and or my environment. That’s why
even though it’s tightly budgeted, people like it because of the
realness. What
can you tell us about your directorial approach to your story at hand? At
first we just wanted to put a bunch of skits together in story form and
place it on YouTube. Then once we started shooting and adding cast members,
we had to make the story make sense. That’s when I actually had to make
a script and learn more about filmmaking. I was learning as I worked.
A
few words about your co-director Skip Haskins, and what was your
collaboration like?
He
actually hates that nickname but it’s an inside joke. I feel like it
puts him in a class of directors like “Spike” Lee. Skip aka CJ or
VA-C, I consider
him my little brother. He’s so selfless when it comes to this dream of
mine. He doesn’t care about the spotlight. That’s why he is willing to
work the camera. I pretty much was teaching him camera operation as we
worked. He’s picked up on things really well and is really reliable.
Do talk about All
4da Green's musical score - and what came first, the music or the
film? The
music came first. Then I started to film off of the music. Most of the
scenes were based around the music. Then the project became larger than
expected and I ran into some would-be copyright issues with a producer. So
to solve those problems I connected with my brother and executive producer
Brian “Ace Arson” Wheeler. He blessed me with fill-in beats to replace
the other producer's songs. Lastly I played a lot of the keys and placed
the whole score myself. I’ve never played the piano or made beats before,
but GOD gave me the gifts I needed to make it happen. You also play the lead in All
4da Green - so what can you tell us about your character, what did
you draw upon to bring him to life, and have you written him with yourself
in mind from the get-go? Geno
is I and I am Geno. I really am just being myself. To never have written a
film before, I found it easier to do and talk about things I know the
most. From my relationships to my mother having breast cancer. I wrote the
story on those emotions.
Do talk about the rest of All
4da Green's key cast, and why exactly these people?
I
have the greatest cast because they supported the dream. Most of the
people in it I have had personal relationships with prior. The RnbadGuy
and I have been partners since high school. He’s super-creative and
helped on screen and behind the scenes. Xavier Jones sr and
Devin“D-Love” McNeil, we all grew up together. Paco Loko played a huge
role as Jimmy. Paco’s role grew because he actually showed up and played
his role well.
When
It came to the females I was very selective. I met Kierra Lavixx one night
at a gentleman's club. She was super attractive and I felt we would have
good chemistry. With Candi it was the same way. She was a heaven sent
because she fit the Lola description perfectly. I could see myself
in real relationships with them. Plus they are both talented individuals.
What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
We
had fun on set. Sometimes maybe too much. Lots of smiles and trees :)
We
had outline scripts but did a lot of improv within the lines of the story.
I
also had a lot of no-shows that altered the story's layout. That was one
of the most frustrating parts. The
main story was deeper and more thought out but in the end I had to make
chicken pie out of chicken soup. Or however the saying goes.
The
$64-question of course, where can All
4da Green be seen? It's
currently available on Tubi TV and can be found on any streaming device. Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of All
4da Green?
My
core audience has been great. I’ve received many words of encouragement
and support. We sold out 2 of our 3 opening weekend theater shows and have
maintained a 9+ IMDB rating since we released in January. I
also feel that I have inspired many. This body of work has shown what hard
work and drive can provide. I’m a small guy from a small town but made
it to the big screen. Impossible is nothing. Keep going!
After having mounted All
4da Green, could you ever persuaded to make another movie, and/or
any future projects you'd like to share? Yes.
This is only the beginning. I have written 2 more stories. Now I just have
to write the screenplays for them. One is suspenseful family drama and
the other a horror-thriller. I’m excited about both. What can you
tell us about your musical background, your style, your inflluences and
the like?
I can remember making my first rap in kindergarten. I was raised and
influenced in the 90s and 2000s. My style comes from those eras. Michael
Jordan, Allen Iverson made me want to play ball. Jay-Z, DMX, 2pac and
Biggie made me want to rap. BMF, mafia families, and hood guys in my
environment with money made me want to hustle. All of those influences
created Sporti-G.
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How would you describe yourself as a director? Creative
and collaborative. I know what I’m looking for, but I am always open to
characters inputs. Filmmakers,
actors, musicians, whoever else who inspire you? Spike Lee, DJ Khaled,
P. Diddy Love Combs, Ct. Fletcher, Ronnie Coleman, Master P, Sam Walton,
Kanye West, West Coast pimps, Eastside hustlers and leaders. The list can
go on but lastly, my goals inspire me the most. Your
favourite movies? Belly, Scarface, The Big
Combo, Gotti, He Got Game, Killa Season, Fridays,
the
old SuperFly, just to name a few. I’m also fond of
Marvel studios and
Dragonball. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? Anything male bashing. Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
Official
Website: https://a4dgmovie.com
Google: All 4da Green
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? To
all of the readers, go watch All
4da Green. Then go give us a fair
rating/review on IMDb. Thanks for the
interview!
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