Gesica™ - Miracles' Boys: An Interview w/Neema Barnette and Ernest Dickerson

Gesica™

MIRACLES' BOYS

NEEMA BARNETTE & ERNEST DICKERSON

With such an amazing chance to work with experienced directors like Levar Burton, Bill Duke and Spike Lee, Neema and Ernest express what they felt working with the cast and crew of Miracles’ Boys.

By Tonisha Johnson

Did you use any of your other experiences in film making towards this series?

Ernest: No. I think probably if anything…I have five kids, three boys and um, I guess part of it would have been that I hope I gave them the foundation that they can continue on and keep the family together if something happened to me or if something happened to their mother and they found themselves by themselves. I’ve grown up totally different. I was an only child. I wasn’t spoiled. Mama used that hair brush very well. But, I think that’s the main thing that I could put into it. Just hoping that…I was definitely thinking of my boys when I was making the show and just imaging what it would be like if it were my sons in the places of Tyre, Charlie and Lafayette.

Neema: First of all, when we heard Spike and Tonya were involved, we knew it was something special. Then I had heard the other directors he had called…I said ok, he called in the other warriors. And I’m a warrior too so, I read the book. And when I read the book, I knew that it was more than important. It was vital that this project be done for a number of reasons. And I was given episode three so by reading all the other episodes, by episode three I knew all the transitions that needed to occur. And episode three basically dealt with Tyree sacrificing, which before then, we really don’t know that really what he’s giving up to keep his family from being separated and given up to the welfare system. But you know in episode three what his dream is and how his dreams were differed temporarily. And also by episode three I wanted to also tackle little pieces of episode three that demonstrated the love and the foundation that these parents put into them. Little elements that come out so that people can say you know, what people put in is not useless. It does work and it does come up. And that’s what I…cause basically, these guys miss their mama. They don’t have a mama. And a lot of the frustration that Spike and Ernest so beautifully dealt with in episodes one and two, a lot of the confrontation about surface issues. Issues that we all talk about but we all know that but a lot of times people never say what they mean. The recurring of those issues that I tried to deal with in episode three that in a way the audience can see is not about I like this girl and this girl likes you, its about where is my real brother? I miss my mama. We deal with more than that. About coming of age. About issues that come up in life. And I related to that very much because I grew up in Harlem. And my father died when I was twelve. And it wasn’t easy to raise knuckle heads like my brother and I. and we had peer pressure, we had problems and we had a lot of things going on. But we made it. And we made it through and you see us going to jail in TV shows and movies. You see us making music and selling drugs on the side. But very rarely do you see us making sacrifices for our families together. And that’s a universal thing with young adults. White, Black, Asian people do it. And there are very few coming of age stories for men period. Especially for teenage men. There not that many. So, with episode three, I wanted to deal with the touches of love that were there in 4, 5, and 6. that more issues would come up because that’s the way life flows. But the foundation is there. You know the love and family foundation is there.

Was it hard for you to bring in a project that had a family with African and Latin roots?

Ernest: It was important because most television doesn’t deal with African American or Latino youngsters. As Neema said, this isn’t the OC. This isn’t sunny orange county. This is Harlem. I think that most youngsters in this country, black, white, yellow or brown, are dealing with most problems that our kids are dealing with in Miracles Boys. Their not in a sunny environment. They are dealing with some very hard issues. It’s a dangerous world now for our kids. Our kids are wondering, where they gonna fit into this world. How are they going to deal with it. And with this show…I would love to see more episodes because there is a lot more issues to deal with. This show can be a bit of a guide post for our youngsters then I think we’ve done the best thing that we could ever do.

This is not the first time you’ve done a story about young people. What is your inspiration for doing things with young people?

Ernest: Well, my thing is…no story is about young people. Its that they deal with it from a juvenile level. Kids are dealing with some hard issues. It’s a dangerous time for kids growing up. It’s a dangerous time to be a teenager because your just set by so many forces. And your trying to figure out which way to go. In my first film, I tried to do an adult films for kids. And that’s what I love about doing this show. It’s not afraid to confront some pretty hard issues head on. It’s not afraid to be dark. Its not afraid to let lightness that comes in everyday life, come out of the darkness. Life is full of shifts and tones and that’s one of things that’s great about this show, is that it has shifts and tones. You’ll have jokes one moment. And you have the darkness the next. That’s the way life is. It’s just not one thing. And unfortunately critics like to peg the show as being just one thing. Is it a comedy or is it a drama. Life is full of both of that. Lets me true to life. That’s what I love about this show. It’s true to life.

In the television world, writers rule. Did you have more creative control over the writers in this case?

Ernest: Well, when we came on board. No one said there is a Miracles Boys style.

Neema: In our episodes, we had pretty much control. There was a basic story or outline. But we were able to adapt it.

Ernest: a lot of times people don’t have an idea of what to do with a story coming in. maybe their trying to make a transition from writing to directing or whatever. But in this case, they got some experienced people. They got Neema, they got Bill Duke, they got Levar, Spike, myself and you know, people that have done it. So, in terms of telling the story, they let each of us come at it our own way.

Describe your experience with Miracles Boys.

Neema: My whole experience with Miracles Boys was fabulous. It was tremendous. I have an apartment 4 blocks from the location, ok. So, I walked to work. I hadn’t shot in Harlem since I directed an episode of Cosby Mysteries. And we dealt with kids and guns and violence. But working with these actors who were so organic to the material; that was another exciting thing. The material was organic. It was organic for me, for Ernie, for Levar, for Spike, for Bill and for the entire cast and crew of Miracles Boys. The actors were fabulous. They didn’t have to reach to far to relate to the material. That was exciting because that does not always happen. And I didn’t have to reach to far. It was a part of me. It was a part of all of us. So, there were big budget limitations. Time constraints. I just dealt with the spaces between the lines and the relationships between these young men. The essence of their relationship was more important to me in episode three. It was enjoyed. And if you put yourself in our position sometimes, as directors who work in all mediums, to work on a series like Miracles Boys…emotionally, physically, environment, everything…it’s a pure joy. How could it not be? In Miracles Boys we show that these are young people and they can reform. There are possibilities of change. That within all of this attitude and having to go to jail, there is hope for their future. Also, you see the elements of the love that the parents put into these kids. I remembering seeing in Boyz N the Hood, which was Johns [John Singleton] first feature which was brilliant. When they took the kids football away from him. And one of the gang leaders turn to his friend and said give that kid back his football. That did not change our attitude about gangs. But the fact that he told that dude to give that kid back the football humanized this gang member. And that is what we need. Particularly with black and Latino young men. They have the hardest time really. Being judged on the surface. Coming in an elevator, you know, or like in Charlie’s case, you know, going to jail. Like I said before, in episode 3, in my episode, I attempted to… he had just gotten out of jail in episode one and two, so he should have worn that jail shirt. But in episode three, I took it off. Mainly because I wanted to show that he’s not a lifer. And that he’s young and there’s hope for him.

Miracles Boys (Part 1) will premiere on Friday, February 18th, from 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. (ET), with Parts II and III premiering that same weekend on Saturday, February 19th (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET) and Sunday, February 20 (9:00 – 10:00 p.m., ET), respectively.