By: Raquel Deloatch
Blvd Vine catches up with Triple Threat – Director- Writer- Actor Christopher Hughes to discuss his current film From The of Shadows , which is currently trending on Sevenclubstv.com
Chris Hughes ,40, grew up in Macon , GA always wanted to be an actor. Chris pursued a career as a Rapper to launch his career into acting, and later segue into acting in theatrical productions.
You are a triple threat, Director, Writer, and Actor. The process always starts with the story. What inspired you to write From The Shadows?
The inspiration to write From The Shadows came when I got frustrated with how a guy was starting to run his stage plays. Different people were telling me I should just write my own thing and go from there because they felt I was very talented. I doubted myself because I felt I was good at ad -libing and making someone else story come to life. Me and my co star Arthur Moore ( Smooth) came up with a plot and pitch ideas back and forth and From The Shadows was born.
Once you and Arthur completed writing the From The Shadows , when did you realize you was going to direct the feature yourself and star
I knew that me and Arthur would be the main characters as we wrote it that way. I actually didn’t start off as the director but as time went on, I felt the videographer/director wasn’t capturing the story as I wanted it captured, so I kinda stepped into that position afterwards.
How long was the process from script to screen ( Pre-production, production, and post production)?
The process was super long because we started filming in 2019, then covid hit in 2020 which shut down production for about a year. After we started back up, cast members started catching covid which caused us to shut down again. When we finally started back up, I ran into issues with the videographer, he was supposed to also edit the movie but I ended up firing him and was forced to learn how to edit myself(which was a blessing in disguise). We had our premiere last year in 2022.
Tell us how did you go about casting the roles?
I typed casted. For the most part, everyone that played their role was somewhat who they really are in real life but on steroids lol, not everybody but majority.
Was it challenging wearing as many hats? Did you start out as an actor, director, or screenwriter
I started out as an actor doing stage plays. Honestly, it’s not hard for me wearing all 3 hats, it’s fun for me.
I have read conflicting stories from various actors they don’t like directing themselves. What was your experience?
I didn’t have a problem directing myself but I’m also the type of director that don’t mind my actors/actresses input. So sometimes they might see something I don’t and I’m open to listen to their ideas and opinions.
Since you are an actor as well as director did your actors trust more because you are an actor?
I think they trusted me because they see the passion and dedication I bring to my projects and my sets are super fun when we film.
Being a writer /director in addition to speaking with other writer /directors we tend to get a little tight when actors because we are committed to what we wrote. Where you adamant about sticking to the dialogue in script or dialogue to be adlib?
I most definitely let my actors/actresses adlib because that’s my thing, I love to adlib so I give them free will to adlib as long as it sticks to the story I’m telling.
What was your most challenging scene to shoot?
My most challenging scene was definitely the love scene. It was more difficult than I thought it would be because you have the crew watching, the camera rolling, it was just a different feeling that’s indescribable lol. Me and my costar made it look good and real but it def was hard because of all the eyes that was on us.
What is your favorite scene and why?
It’s hard to say because I had more than one but problem the scene after the “funeral” where my character and Arthur’s character has a short but intense argument. I picked that one because it allowed us to really show strong emotions and we were able to tap into our acting skills even more.
What’s next for you?
We have just finished production on my 2nd film which is called “Curse Of A Father”. I am the writer and director of this film and I also am an actor in it. I’m super excited about this film and we will premiere it in Macon, GA. on Sept 30th of this year!
You can watch From The Shadows on Seven Clubs TV Roku Platform or on here on sevenclubstv.com platform.
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