quick cuts with
screenwriter David Bell

 
Photo 5 Screen_Shot_2021-02-10_at_12.24.49_PM.jpg

Quick cuts with David bell


Iris Chan, for New York No Limits, talks with David Bell, writer of Things Could Be Worse, in Quick Cuts.

  1. In a year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent uprising of social justice issues pushed into the forefront, the issues that the main character, about to lose his job, are very prevalent. We've seen a disproportionate percentage of people of color suffer from the pandemic. Were these factors that you wanted to highlight in your film? What sort of conversation do you want viewers to take from this film?
    The problems that have faced the black community in America are not new and did not arise this summer so even though that was on everyone's mind this project is not a direct comment on it. That being said I am grateful for the change that is starting and I do hope that it continues in major and real ways. What I would like everyone to take from the project is understanding and directing otherness. The story that unfolds in "things Could Be Worse" could have happened at any moment in time. What I was working to achieve is looking at a young man going through the pains of life. Discussing masculinity from a place that is honest and real and not trying to live up to what the world expects from you or what you expect from yourself all play a part in the story.

    2. Has working around the pandemic and social distancing pushed you to create in a new way? Has it changed your process, and if so, how?
    Working during the pandemic has made me become a stronger producer. I think before even though everything was taken seriously there was a new layer added to production. There was this mysterious virus and at the time we filmed there was no vaccine or even what that meant for us as humans. There was a new sense of responsibility that I believe I will see in the future on larger sets and I am grateful that I was able to learn so much in such a time.

    3. Which filmmakers are you personally inspired by, particularly in this film and in general?
    #3. Two books by Bell Hooks: "All About Love" and "We Real Cool" had a lot of inspiration for the film. In my life, I am a big fan of Steve McQueen, Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan, Jim Jarmusch, Regina King, Akira Kurosawa, Bong Joon-Ho and the list goes on but that's all I could think of right now.

    4. Any other thoughts you'd like to share about your film, that you'd want viewers to know?
    Enjoy it!