Up-in-coming filmmaker/writer/poet/actor Donald A.C. Conley views the world through an artistic gaze. His experiences as a postgraduate, living in New York City serve as creative platforms for short stories, skits, and characters—including the delusional Hip-Hop/R&B artist Silky Smooth McNasty, (who is featured below). At 22, Donald lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he strenuously pursues his film making career in hopes of someday seeing his name on the big screen. His short narrative “Underbelly,”—a film about a shut out high schooler and a heroin addicted prostitute bonding through their love of art, has already garnered local attention. The universal artist spoke with the Post-Grad Review about his film “Underbelly,” and his artistic gaze as a rising Black filmmaker in the industry.
~DnH~ For those of us who do not know what it takes to make a film, what is the process of shooting a film and the major steps to finalizing it?
D.C: First it begins with an idea, a story. You have to start pulling things together: getting people to participate who are interested and want to help. You need money and equipment. And a schedule needs to be put in place. Then sound, editing, re-shoots, etc…
~DnH~ What does the title of your short narrative “Underbelly” mean?
D.C: Underbelly wasn’t supposed to be the real name of the film, it really never evolved past underbelly…But it’s a term that really means the discarded portions on the bottom of the pot, which is pretty much always considered garbage. After you’ve gone through the good parts of the food you scrape it away and that represents a certain community in big cities that I feel like a lot of people consider to be the scarred portion of the pot. Not much process is being made to evolve these people. They’re pretty much considered to be taking out the garbage in my book. So I thought of Underbelly and I just tagged it on as the short term name for it, and I was going to go on to a better name, but once people started hearing about the film, the title just got tossed around so much it didn’t make sense to change it.
~DnH~ Tell me about Donald A.C. Conley growing up?D.C: Well, I wanted to be a doctor. But I think all kids say they want to be either a doctor or lawyer or firemen. After that I really always wanted to be a teacher in all honesty. But I was also good in the arts, and I've always acted in little things like school plays and church plays here and there, but when I got into HS and I really got into acting in the school plays and on the speech team, I found that I really really liked acting. When it came time to go to college I didn’t want to pay so much money on only acting, I wanted to do something technical, so I thought about film making and a teacher of mine, Mr. Tally, was like film making is a good way to give you a hedge-way into acting if its really what I wanted to do. It's a technical art.
~DnH~ There are common tropes in your film "Underbelly" that suggests you are an African-American director, what type of artistic gaze do you have working as a Black filmmaker in the industry?
D.C: You know what, you do feel like you have obligations. I think that’s the problem with filmmakers that come from minority and ethnic groups, it's that your trying to surf around within your art but you also have everyone from your community—Friends family, constantly talking about 'Oh how we don’t have positive images,' and 'I would like to see this and I would like to see that.' At the end of the day you have an audience. Unfortunately for some [Black filmmakers] more than others, the scope of the audience gets a little limited. What I'm trying to say is I guess for the first couple of pictures ill probably be trying to depict my [Black] audience in a manner that really should alert other people standing on the outside looking in, and let them know about the issues that are going on. After that I would hope i'll get to have a little flexibility.
~DnH~ So you feel limited as a Black Filmmaker if you're not portraying certain type of movies; that your films may not get the credit they deserve?
D.C: I mean yeah…its very true, I mean I do tend to feel limited. On one hand, you walk into an office and you throw something on the desk for an executive and he’s hoping you’re giving him some clownery, cuz unfortunately black audiences view more clownery than they do films that really depict them as positive people. And that’s what the executives want. And it becomes limited. Once the [executives] start reading the work, and it becomes a positive work, now they are stuck with this alternative: 'Do I want to put realness on the screen and face maybe a financial failure?' Or 'should I keep my eyes on the prize winnings and at the end of the day i'll still be making films?'
I just want my name to be said and I just want people to see I'm here. I want to be one of those directors you see on the screen and you see my name tagged along with it and it’s a must see [movie]. But I'm not intend in shoving garbage down the throats of my viewers.~DnH~ So what’s next for the 22-year-old univerisal artist?
D.C: Hopefully the next level, getting “Underbelly” recognized and entered into some festivals and getting my name out there, and hopefully pulling an agent that has belief in my work. Outside of that trying to do bigger things and longer things.
~DnH~
