Mark Williams takes a break from directing “The Unrest” with some of the actors for his film. The children were ghosts in the thriller.
Choctaw writer, producer, and director shares some of his story
By Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
Heavener, Okla. - Mark Williams, 38-year-old full-blood Choctaw from Oklahoma, created a screen play in 2004. He had earned a finance degree, but his interest in storytelling lead him in another direction: teaching himself how to write for movies.
During many evening visits to Barnes and Noble, Williams studied and practiced, eventually finishing a screenplay for a movie titled “Closure.” It was his first step into a film career which would have him writing, directing, producing, and editing movie creations of his own making.
Williams would explore stories meant to frighten, as well as tales aimed at drawing out laughter from his audience. He would try his hand at short films, music videos, and eventually put work into a full-length feature film. He has entertained and also informed with projects like his documentary series, “Native American Paranormal Project,” which attempts to capture real Native paranormal footage with a Native team at locations scattered across Indian Country.
His movie-making adventures were mostly a friends and family affair in the beginning, but since 2005, Williams has lead his own production company, Native Boy Productions.
Williams’ work has found success at film festivals in Oklahoma, and have been shown at festivals across the country. For example, at the 2012 Red Fork Native American Film Festival in Tulsa, Williams’ “The Adventures of Josie the Frybread Kid” won Audience Favorite. At this same festival, as well as at the 2012 Mvskoke Film Festival, “The Unrest” received the Best Feature award. His newest film, “Violet,” is currently making the film festival circuit, being shown at Los Angeles and Canada. It has also been nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Thriller and Best Oklahoma Film at the Bare Bones International Film Festival.
Questions and Answers with Mark Williams ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
How did you get your start making films?
Growing up I always had an interest and a gift to write and be creative. Storytelling is something I picked up from my dad. He would always tell us stories from when he grew up back home on the reservation in Mississippi. They were outlandish at times but always entertaining. I never thought it would be something I’d pursue though.
I went to college for a finance degree and was working at a bank when I wrote my first screenplay. It was a horror feature titled “Closure.” I’d never written one before and I’d never been to film school, everything was self-taught.
I had the story in my head. Characters, dialogue and everything but didn’t know how to turn it into a script. I really didn’t want anyone else to do it so I taught myself and finished it sometime in 2004.
After that I didn’t know what to do with it. I was told by a friend about screen play contests online so I did some research, found one in Los Angeles that I could afford the entry fee and mailed it in. About six months later I got an email saying I was a finalist.
Where did things go from there?
We went and shot “A Treasure for Two.” And by we I mean my wife at the time and my nephew and niece. It was a short film, a comedy about a young man finding a treasure map in his basement. He goes on a quest. It was a mixture between “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones.” It was pretty bad, okay it was really bad, but I really enjoyed it.
Then I wrote a little longer one titled “The Dare.” It was a thriller that I handed out to my friends and family. The production value and quality weren’t great, as you can imagine, but I thought the story and scares were pretty good. Apparently, others did too, as a few months later I got a call from a film festival in Tulsa saying they got their hands on a DVD copy and wanted to screen it.
When I arrived at the 2006 Red Fork Native American Film Festival and saw the kind of movies showing before mine, I thought I had made a mistake. They were high budget movies, great quality, awesome locations. Mine had my family and was shot in my living room as well as a friend’s apartment.
But when the audience jumped and screamed and looked away at my movie, I knew then and there this is what I wanted to do. To see another person entertained, to elicit an emotion from someone with something you created was an awesome feeling. To this day I still don’t get tired of it.
What are some of your early memories enjoying the art of filmmaking?
My earliest memories actually came from the TV show “The Incredible Hulk,” with Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. Here was this gentle giant, misunderstood and uncontrollable. I was very young but I understood his quest to find a way to control the hulk. To this day what I remember the most are the end credits when you see David Banner walking down the road, hitchhiking, and you hear the piano score over the credits. I felt sad for the guy.
I cheered him on during the show and would run around the house pretending to be the Hulk knocking things over, but when it came to the end when I heard that piano I knew it was over and I would watch him continue his search.
That piano score was sad, man. But I found myself emotionally invested into the show and I guess that always stuck with me.
TV shows, movies, they can have powerful impacts on people. To be able to achieve that is a gift. Now in all of my movies, I have a Hulk action figure somewhere in a scene. Sometimes it’s noticeable, sometimes you have to really look for him but he’s there.
What personal traits have helped you become a successful filmmaker?
Things my parents taught me really help me. They taught us to always think and dream big, to not limit ourselves and strive for what we really want to do. We were told to not be afraid of hard work and to not be afraid to fail because we all do and it’s that failing which will make us stronger. So I go into these projects with that mindset.
My dad is a preacher, my mom is the Sunday school teacher so we grew up in church and were raised to have faith in God in all that we do. Career path, personal path, everything. With that kind of teaching and preaching how can I not try, right?
What has been the hardest part of finding success as a filmmaker?
Releasing control. I want to learn and be hands on but when the projects get bigger there is just no way that can happen.
So you surround yourself with an awesome crew and utilize their talents to bring your vision to life. I can still learn by watching them work and picking their brain but I’ve learned I can’t direct to the best of my ability and try to do all the other duties.
In earlier work I had to, and sometimes still do, because we’ll be running with a small crew. Now I have a team I can trust. But, I’ll be honest, sometimes its hard to just not want to go do it myself because I find it fun.
On smaller projects, I am able to be more hands on and use the tricks I learned from the bigger projects. I swear I’m not a control freak. I just want to learn.
What do you take from other filmmakers?
One of the things I like to do is, after I watch a movie, watch it again but put it on mute and just watch the camera work, the blocking, the pacing. You can really get a feel for a director’s and a cinematographer’s style by doing this, and eventually, some of their style will find a way into one of my shots.
What would you say makes your films unique?
One of the things I really liked about my latest movie, “Violet,” is it is primarily an all Native American cast, but there isn’t one thing mentioned about it in the film.
There aren’t any images, clothing, nothing that would reflect that these characters are Native other than their skin of course. This is something I wanted to purposely do. I wanted Violet to stand on it’s own as a universal, scare-the-pants-off-you entertaining movie. It just so happens Natives are cast in it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Native cinema. I make films with Native content, and also make some which don’t. I am friends with a lot of Native directors and fans of their work. But it’s more than okay to go outside of that and make a movie that doesn’t take place on the Rez.
Do you find yourself sticking to any specific genres or styles?
I get asked a lot if I just like making thrillers, horror films. I admit I’ve made a handful. For example, producing the documentary series, “Native American Paranormal Project.” But, I like to think I can go out and tell any type of story.
I do have a children’s comedy series out titled “The Adventures of Josie the Frybread Kid.” It’s the furthest thing from a scary movie you can get.
Why filmmaking and not some other form of storytelling?
I gave book writing a shot. I even began a novel before I wrote my first screenplay. I got about 60 pages into it before I realized, “Hey, you’re writing a script more than you are a book or a novel.” The action and dialogue resembled a script more than a novel. A friend asked meif I wanted this novel to be made into a movie eventually, to which I replied yes. And then they asked, then doesn’t this novel need to be adapted into a screenplay? To which I replied of course. Then they had one final question ,which was: then why don’t you just skip the middle man and write the screenplay? I had no reply. Just a dumb look. So that’s what I did and that’s how “Closure” was written.
What type of person do you imagine when you write and create your stories?
In the early going I was really conscience to who I wrote for, like know your audience. Which is actually really good advice, but I ended up letting that hold me back. I kept starting over or thinking too much and the writing suffered. Now it’s simple, I just tell stories and make movies I would like to watch.
What is your goal as a filmmaker? Overall, why do you do it?
To elicit emotions. With “Violet,” I hope to get the scares, the screams, the roller coaster feel of going on this journey my story takes you through. “The Frybread Kid,” I hope to get the chuckles, the laughs and understanding the message we tried to get out there about being yourself. Reactions and emotions are why I do it. And it’s different for each project.
If you were granted an unlimited budget for a film project, what would you do with it?
An epic and truthful story about the Trail of Tears or about Native genocide. Our culture and our struggles to who we are today are often overshadowed by the hardships of what other races went through. Society knows of their struggles because there are films about it. Slavery, the Holocaust, to just name a few.
If a huge production was made about the horror that is our past then I think it might raise some awareness and give insight into why some topics and issues are sacred and meaningful to us. I’m not saying let’s make a movie to make everyone feel sorry for us, we’re too proud and strong to ask for that, but you might need to be educated on what really happened.
You write, produce, direct, and edit your films. What are the perks and pitfalls of fulfilling all of these roles at once?
It can be very difficult. For example, on the day of a shoot as a producer I am making calls, picking up props, picking up wardrobe, if need be, just running errands that a producer would do and getting everything situated. The night before I am making calls, getting the call sheets ready, and doing all the things a producer or first assistant director would do. Then when we get on set I am still in producer mode and finally when all is set then I can go into director mode and start thinking about our scene and what we need to do.
Days before that I’ve already discussed with my director of photography about our shots, but I’m going over them one more time and may make changes or may go with it. Throughout the day, I will be going from producer to director. So after 10 plus hours on set, I get home drained.
I recently made a comedy where, for the very first time, I was not the producer. It helped a lot. I was able to focus on my actors and scenes.
There are benefits and drawbacks. I love being hands on and being a part of everything when it comes to the production, but the duties and stress can be high. I’ve since been putting together a really good team I trust and they take on a lot of those duties. Even then, all the crew are still wearing multiple hats.
What are your interactions like with the talent?
I love working with the talent and utilizing their ideas if it makes the scene better. I’ve been told I’m an actor’s director, which made me happy. I’ve been blessed to work with some really talented people, it makes my job a lot easier. They’ve put their character and trust in me and into my script so I take that seriously and am humbled about it at the same time.
A lesson I learned early on, which I still utilize today, is the practice of making your cast and crew feel important, because they are. A lot of times, especially now with my budget, they are working for low pay, if any. They are doing this because they love it themselves. But everyone wants to feel that their hard work is appreciated. Even if the pay isn’t making them rich, how you treat and talk to them can go a long ways.
And food. Definitely have a good craft services set up. They appreciate that. Some days may have more, some days it may just be power bars, fruit and Gatorade but always keep them fed the best you can.
Would you say being Native has influenced your filmmaking?
In some projects, yes. “The Unrest” was about the tragic events that happened at Native boarding schools. My documentary series is about Native locations. The comedy, “The Adventures of Josie the Frybread Kid,” is an uplifting story about our favorite topic, frybread. “Violet,” “The Dare,” “Her Last Text: The Hailey Rose Story,” and a couple of others were thrillers that happened to have a Native cast.
On a personal level, what has being Native meant for you in life?
It has meant I come from a proud and strong people. There’s a common vibe with being Native. We can appreciate each other without knowing one another. No matter the tribe. And our humor is one of a kind. Non-natives don’t get it. I love hearing us laugh.
Is it important for other Natives to get involved with movies or storytelling in general?
I think Natives are natural storytellers. And with today’s technology and with access to equipment getting easier, I don’t see why more Natives can’t pursue it. There’s pride in it, there’s sacrifice in it, there’s joys in it. All positive stuff. We have a voice now. We can tell our stories the way we want to.
Do you see yourself as a role model?
To be honest I’ve never seen myself as being a role model, because there are so many other people I look up to, there is so much for me to still learn. But if some kid wants to grab a camera and make something happen because they saw it can be done from my work, then that makes me happy. If that some young kid is Native then, well, I don’t mind having that role. I do know our Native youths need positive outlets, and if media or filmmaking turns out to be one of them, I’d be happy to chat with them.
Where would you point people to if they wanted to watch your stuff?
Right now the best way to follow anything I do would be on my facebook page www.facebook.com/nativeboyproductions. On it, you will see announcements, festival updates, behind the scenes of current and past projects. We are planning on having a really big year and some pretty big announcements coming up so be one of the first to hear about it on that page. Please like it, comment on it, share pics or the page. Yakoke.