Yellowstone actor Denim Richards to local filmmakers: Don't get 'tied down' by budgets

JULIEN NEAVES

US actor Denim Richards, who appears in the popular US western drama series Yellowstone, has encouraged filmmakers in Trinidad and Tobago not to be overly concerned about budgets for their products.

He said while local filmmakers may want to do television and film productions that look like Sony or Warner Brothers, they should not get "tied down with budgets.

"You can do something with anything."

He was speaking on January 22 at a media Meet and Greet hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company Ltd (FilmTT), which is the state agency established in 2006 to facilitate the growth and development of the film and audio-visual sector in Trinidad and Tobago, at the University of Trinidad and Tobago National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) Campus.

On January 21, at the campus, Richards taught an acting masterclass as part of Hyphen8 Company's Intensive Two-week Actors' Workshop. Hyphen8 is part of a group of companies owned by UK/Nigerian talent agent and producer Fela Oke.

Richards said Nollywood (the Nigerian film industry) was the second largest film industry in the world, but 15 years ago people laughed at its film industry.

"They created a market where they said, 'We're just going to get after it. We're not going to be concerned about how much money we're getting, how much support we're getting from government; we just had a collective group of people that said, 'We don't want to have any excuses. We just want to get on camera and do something.'"

He recalled the Nigerian filmmakers flooded the continent with DVDs and tapes and the industry has since developed to the point where its films are getting acclaim and being nominated for awards.

"It was a journey, but they started somewhere. So we have to be very honest about where we are. Not saying that we're not going to get to certain places, but we can't sit here and say...'Now we're gonna have the Hollywood of the Caribbean and it's going to be right here.'

"Right now what we're doing is tilling the ground. We're not even necessarily planting the seeds yet, not because we can't, but because our focus is not about quick results; it's about sustainability."

Richards also said the industry cannot be "begging for resources at every corner and be at the top," and there was a need for a little bit more resources and focus.

He said the Caribbean is very laid back, but the business of entertainment is only one way.

"Artists themselves have to take it seriously and see it as a business."

Connecting Africa to the Caribbean

Oke said there was a lack of content locally and encouraged content creators to put their content out there and reach out to FilmTT not only for financial support but for assistance in marketing the content. He predicted that when the country is flooded with content, then those with the finances will "start talking business."

He said as an entrepreneur his focus is on connecting the African continent to the African diaspora and the work with FilmTT fitted into the five-year strategic plan of Hyphen8, his media, entertainment and sports company. He said TT was Hyphen8's first entry point into the Caribbean, and the company will be finding opportunities and spaces for talent and promote sustainable growth.

"In order to create pathways and belief and drive you have to believe and see the end goal. It may take us five years to get there but I think there is a lot of truth to be had in trying to get there."

He said all the company wants from the TT government is to create an enabling environment. He added that he and Richards stress the business aspect because creative people must understand the business of entertainment and media.

The acting master class, which was done in collaboration with FilmTT, UTT and TTT, featured 28 participants aged 18-63 and 15 aged 17-18. Oke said it was important to create a pathway for those aged 12-18 into the industry .

"If we don't invest in a very young age, we will be in the same place."

Oke said he understands the work of (the Prime Minister's) Best Village (Trophy Competition) and the Secondary Schools' Drama Association and their importance.

"So we are trying to look at the value chain as a whole and continue to invest and continue to seek and partner with the likes of FilmTT and of course TTT as well."

Oke said the work of Hyphen8 in TT is all about economic growth, and "front-of-camera talent" was the starting point for any production. He explained the continuing masterclasses were meant to give local talent a "hardcore" drama-school experience.

"I wanted the participants of the workshops to really get a taste of what a Hollywood actor goes through. What is the experience? What does it take to thrive in this industry?

"It's all well and good to say you want to be front-of-camera or you want to be an actor, but what does it take to exist and to survive and to be successful?"

He said what he has seen over the last week and last few months was "extremely encouraging" and the local talent was similar to talent from the African continent.

"But (their work in TT) all forms that...bridging the gap between the African continent, the Caribbean, South America."

He congratulated FilmTT on the five-episode local sitcom Mixed Up which showed what was possible locally. The sitcom, which was filmed entirely in Trinidad, is about a mixed family of an Indo-Trinidadian wife and Afro-Trinidadian husband and their three children navigating contemporary family life in TT against the sometimes overbearing influence of their respective conservative mothers. The idea was pitched by the sitcom’s Showrunner, Richard Ragoobarsingh during FilmTT’s Script to Screen Programme and aired over five nights last September.

FilmTT general manager Leslie-Ann Wills-Caton said it planned to do more productions like Mixed Up and since the release, representatives from Jamaica have asked about doing a co-production.

She also stressed that those in the industry need to learn about the business of film.

"You can go and create a film, but if you don't monetise it, then it's just a hobby. And we're about monetising."

She reported from 2020-2023, FilmTT has facilitated 42 productions, 32 of which were international productions, employed over 600 local film industry professionals, facilitated about 58 international film stakeholders, had at least 413 hotel nights locally from visiting industry professionals, and received an income of more than $8 million.

"Now we do want to be mindful that's during the covid period, but it is still something that we like to talk about because we are constantly promoting and showcasing TT as a film-friendly (destination)."

She said the international productions were mostly from the UK and Canada, but included one Nigerian production, and from Hong Kong and the Netherlands. She said the productions are usually documentaries of this country's "amazing flora and fauna," culture and food, and FilmTT facilitates a lot of vloggers and also representatives from the BBC.

Wills-Caton said during the covid period owing to the lockdown situation, FilmTT worked on building capacity due owing to attrition in the industry, working on TV series content, scriptwriting and building onscreen talent.

She recalled when FilmTT did a mission to Nigeria they met Oke though the British Film Institute and based on that partnership they agreed to bridge the gap to continue the upskilling of everyone in the industry.

"It's a whole system we are really working on enhancing and building."

Wills-Caton explained another reason FilmTT is working closely with the African continent is because the cost of making films locally closely aligned with the budgets of African countries, making for greater ease in co-productions.

About Denim Richards

Denim Richards has been performing for over two decades, with numerous TV, film and musical theatre credits under his belt. He can currently be seen in the role of Colby opposite Kevin Costner in the hit Paramount Network series Yellowstone.

Additionally, Richards can be seen as Jack Brown in the Netflix feature film The Chickasaw Rancher, which tells a remarkable story inspired by the life of renowned Chickasaw cattleman Montford T Johnson. In 2006, Richards took first place in acting and singing in the Los Angeles NAACP competition.

Richards found his passion for the arts when he was just six-years old as a guest soloist at the world-renowned Crystal Cathedral, a prominent house of worship and landmark in Southern California.