Guest Post: SFFILM Rainin Grantee Chris Cole on Rap, Reinvention, and the Process of (Re)Writing “Rolling Stone”

It’s March 2015. I’m sitting anxiously in the lobby of an Austin hotel waiting for Migos to show up for our interview. I’m a young journalist whose editor lobbed him this opportunity last second in between free shows and drinks at SXSW. Migos? You know them. But keep in mind that this is pre-Bad and Boujee Migos. Before Carpool Karaoke, Mountain Dew Commercials, and a marriage to Cardi B.

The trio showed up late and what followed was a rather dull, hazy, conversation — due in part to my freshman status as an interviewer. But when I began to transcribe the interview days later, it revealed itself to be fascinating for other reasons: Everyone in the interview was sticking to a script. They played their roles within the group that they still play to this day, and gave predictable answers to my admittedly predictable questions. I didn’t know it at the time, but this conversation with Migos provided the blueprint for my feature film script Rolling Stone.

Most rappers are CHARACTERS in the truest sense of the word. It’s why watching Pharrell bug out to Jay-Z over Allure in Fade to Black is so compelling. Or why watching Lil Wayne spill his drink while talking about bidding on one of Frank Sinatra’s cars is hilarious. If you told me Young Thug was going to star in an A24 movie based on his life I would pay top dollar for a front row seat on opening day.

What does the inner life of someone like Quavo or Future look like? On the surface, they’re dynamic, enigmatic, quick witted — and ripe for satire. In the same way that the not-talked-about enough CB4 satirized authenticity in 90s hip hop, I wanted to do that for this new crop of rappers that emerged in the past couple years. And that brought forth the character of Butcher.

Butcher’s doppelgänger in the film is Doug — a music journalist. Being a music journalist can give you a unique amount of access to an artist and their lifestyle. At the same time, you wield a certain amount of power over how the public views the artist. What would Almost Famous look like if it took place today and we took, “You CANNOT make friends with the rock stars’’ to its logical extreme?

In Rolling Stone, Doug has ambitions of being an influential writer despite his latest freelancer role at a clickbait heavy publication. Butcher is an egocentric rapper coasting on newfound fame. They look exactly alike. After Doug interviews Butcher, he haphazardly agrees to play his double in a music video. When one gig as Butcher turns into too many, Doug struggles to find his own voice while reckoning his relationship with the public, substances, and a budding romance with his new editor Ana.

I had completed a draft of this script that was an all-over-the-place broad comedy, but I knew that it was missing something. At the top of 2019, I participated in the Middlebury Script Lab, and shared the script with my mentor Sheril Antonio. Two things came out of that. One, I knew that I needed to center Doug’s character around a specific cause that he wanted to speak out against — this would help justify his reasoning for using Butcher’s platform. Two, I had to figure out what made Doug “angry.”

I decided to look inward for those answers. Summer 2016 was a pivotal moment in the formulation of my own black identity due in large part to the widely circulated videos of Alton Sterling and Philando Castillo’s deaths at the hands of police. While I was raised to understand the difference between myself and my white peers at an early age, those videos forced me to reckon with that on another level. How could I translate the palpable feelings of anger and despair that those videos made me feel? What exact place did that have in the story I’m telling? Who am I to say anything about this?

Armed with a whole new set of challenging questions to answer, I knew I needed to do a page one rewrite. I also knew that I needed to speak to the right people in order to tell this story in a way that was accountable and considered. Like clockwork, the application for the SFFILM Rainin Grant came my way through some research. The Rainin Grant supports, “films that address social justice issues-the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges-in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme or setting.” I applied on a whim — and I got it!

The SFFILM Rainin Grant allowed me the time and space to explore the questions around agency, tone, and character development that had put me in a state of writer’s block for about a year. It was fulfilling and encouraging to be a part of a cohort of filmmakers each at different points in their careers and respective projects. Naturally, we were in conversation with each other in a way that developed all of our projects towards their next stages. My cohort, along with the ultra-supportive staff at SFFILM, comprised a large fraction of the team I consulted in drafting my script.

In the new iteration of the script, there’s this comically absurd event that happens involving a police shooting. It’s not at the forefront of the story, but it’s this offscreen event that catalyzes Doug as a character. The story is not about the trauma of that moment, but rather how everyone in this world responds to that moment.

In the wake of these traumatic events, black people still have to get up and perform in our own ways. We have to go to work the next day and pretend to be fine, or not. Beyond that, everyone feels the need to say something — whether it’s right or wrong. And everyone is expected to say something. Even Bratz dolls released a statement on George Floyd’s death last summer. It’s like that Dave Chappelle bit — where is Ja?

A guiding question for me in figuring out these characters is, “What are Doug and Butcher performing in their day-to-day, and what are they performing in response to this event?”

At the moment, I may have more questions than answers. But by the conclusion of my time as an SFFILM Rainin Grantee, I did have some key takeaways. One: Writing a script is a messy, iterative process, and that should be embraced. Two: While filmmaking is an immensely collaborative process, this also extends to my personal writing process. This story is borne out of so many conversations I’ve had with friends, colleagues, and family — directly or indirectly. The people I surround myself with are who inform my work the most.

As a 2021 SFFILM FilmHouse Resident, I’m excited to push the script past the finish line — and hopefully sit across from Migos one day again, this time penning their biopic.

About Chris Cole

As a child, Chris learned to make films by bossing around his siblings to act in parody rap videos in his Rancho Cucamonga, California home. He recently completed his M.A. in Arts Politics at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has collaborated with MTV and BET. His work has been supported by the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation, and appeared on Issa Rae Presents, The Fader, and Pigeons & Planes. He is currently an SFFILM FilmHouse Resident in development on his first feature film Rolling Stone, which was selected for the SFFILM Rainin Grant in Spring 2020. Chris lives in Oakland, CA with his twin brother Noah and a black cat that occasionally lives in the backyard. His work can be viewed at YungChris.com

Dispatch from SFFILM Education: Partnering with Pixar to Assist Pandemic Parenting

The SFFILM Education team has wrapped a strange-but-still-quite-busy spring and summer of programming for Bay Area students and families, and we asked them to give us a quick recap of what’s been on their minds. They took the opportunity to share some appreciation for one of our most valued local collaborators in developing world-class educational content for kids. Learn more about what SFFILM Education is up to at sffilm.org/education.

Well, we are fully into the fall semester and Bay Area schools remain mostly shuttered. Somehow, through it all, superhero teachers continue to push ahead with remote learning to provide their students great educational opportunities. Families have also experienced a whole new set of challenges in their households, with parents suddenly entering a new level of involvement in assisting with their children’s schoolwork. Being trapped inside has also tested the patience of both parents and children alike. Families long for the days of going out and doing fun and enriching activities together.

SFFILM Education would normally be engaging with teachers, students, and families directly in classrooms and theaters around the Bay Area. Since March, we’ve pivoted to the world of virtual programming with SFFILM at Home. While we would definitely prefer to see everyone in person, we’re pleased to be able to continue programming interactive film experiences that allow our youth audiences to engage with talented storytellers, filmmakers, and industry professionals from around the world. Thus, we are able to continue providing valuable resources to help develop media literacy and critical thinking skills, illuminate diverse world cultures, and inspire a lifelong appreciation of cinema in our kids.

We’re also fortunate to have deep working relationships with some of the most renowned film studios and artists in the world who gladly give their time to assist us in our work. Recently we had two fantastic programs with our neighbors right across the Bay, Pixar Animation Studios. In September we spoke with Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Senior VP of Production (and SFFILM Board member) Jonas Rivera. The creative partnership of this award-winning team has produced the beloved films Up and Inside Out. Our discussion focused on the Pixar storytelling process and how personal aspects of the filmmaking team’s lives are often examined and utilized to discover the emotional core of their films. We also hoped the program would help kids process the complex feelings that they’ve been experiencing during the pandemic, and inspire them to think about creative outlets they can explore to express themselves.

Then on October 4, we gave families the opportunity to get out of the house and experience something only the parents might have done before during their own childhoods. While we didn’t make it back into the theater, we did the next best thing by screening Inside Out during our SFFILM at the Drive-In series at Fort Mason Flix. It was a particularly fitting film with its San Francisco setting, and it gave our team much joy to see families cozied up in blankets in the backs of their cars, munching on popcorn and delighting in the emotional storytelling displayed on the big screen.

We are truly lucky to have such a strong ongoing partnership with Pixar — for over ten years they have worked closely with us to provide our audiences once-in-a-lifetime educational events. We’ve been able to hold sneak-peek screenings of their newest feature film releases, sometimes even within the walls of the studio. Talented directors, writers, and animators have been brought directly into classrooms to discuss their creative process, giving students guidance and inspiration they need to help them on their way toward fulfilling their dreams of growing up to be artists. Teachers have been provided with valuable STEAM learning tools which have allowed them to think outside the box and engage their kids in new ways around math and science. We’ve also held hands-on workshops where kids have learned how to tell stories using visual imagery, sculpted original characters out of clay, made stop-motion animation with everyday objects, and drawn beloved Pixar characters.

We can’t think of a better partner in our mission to educate and entertain Bay Area teachers, students, and families. We look forward to at least ten more years of partnership — indeed, to infinity and beyond!

Learn more about SFFILM Education at sffilm.org/education.

Guest Post: SFFILM Rainin Grantee D’Arcy Drollinger on Camp, Exploitation, Shit, Champagne, and Vaudeville 2.0

When the 2020 SFFILM Festival was canceled in March, D’Arcy Drollinger was denied the Castro Theatre world premiere experience for Shit & Champagne, D’Arcy’s epic debut film adaptation of the popular stage show. Luckily for us all, Frameline44 has saved the day with the presentation of the film’s premiere in the best possible circumstances afforded us in this year outside of cinemas: at the drive-in! You can still get tickets to the world premiere event, Thursday, September 17, 7:30 pm at the West Wind Solano Drive-In, at Frameline.org.
 
Shit & Champagne is a project that is close to the hearts of the SFFILM Makers team, having received SFFILM Rainin Grants for both screenwriting and post-production. We hope you’ll be there at Frameline’s event to cheer along with us for D’Arcy and the entire Shit & Champagne crew! On this exciting occasion, we asked D’Arcy to share some thoughts on the evolution of the film.

Stage to Screen, Shit to Champagne
by D’Arcy Drollinger

Shit & Champagne is my first feature film. Honestly, it is my first film, period. Everyone told me I was crazy to jump right into a feature film without making a few short films first. Everyone told me I was crazy to produce, direct, and star in my first feature film. Everyone told me that adaptations from stage never work as films. So, going into this project I already knew I was working against the odds. Truth be told, if I had known what I “didn’t know” then, I might not have jumped in guns blazing in the same way. In this instance, maybe ignorance was power.

I have made a career out of what I call “Vaudeville 2.0.” Bawdy, loud, lewd, over the top stage productions that combine drag, high camp, slapstick, and commedia dell’arte. All of these things are seen often as “not serious” or fluff, but to be done right they take exacting precision, dedication and craft. I’ve also had a lot of success adapting parody version of film and TV scripts for stage. With this combination, I knew it was inevitable for me to transition into film. The time was right. And while I didn’t understand the mechanics of making a film, I understood what made a film work and how to make people laugh.

The challenges of camp in cinema seemed less daunting until I actually tried to do it. There are already huge hurdles to adapt a stage production for film, but throw in drag and a vaudevillian troupe of actors and the puzzle becomes extraordinarily more difficult.

I knew that films like Shit & Champagne had worked before — I had proof from my heroes like Mel Brooks and the Zucker Brothers, Charles Busch and John Waters — but the medium of film always felt like a mystery. I could produce and direct a stage production with my eyes closed, but the creation of film felt elusive.

Shit & Champagne uses comedy and gender-bending performances in hopes to open audiences to new gender possibilities. This film enlisted a cross-section of actors, performers, and drag kings and queens of the LGBT arts community in San Francisco. And running alongside the ridiculous comedy narrative of Shit & Champagne is also a story where outcasts find each other, where heart does emerge and where friendship is sacred.

While this is a period piece, the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sensibility allows for a broader canvas to tell the story, and thus we are referring to it as a “soft period” piece. Shot with a heightened aesthetic and saturated colors, we’re aiming for a look that is both authentic and modern.
 
I was inspired by 70’s exploitation films like Coffy and Foxy Brown starring Pam Grier, and Savage Streets with Linda Blair. But I am also a big fan of 70’s TV heroines — Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, the Bionic Woman, Police Woman — Champagne too is a whole lot of woman! I wanted something that felt like John Waters and Russ Meyer collaborated with Mel Brooks and Quentin Tarantino.

In many of the classic exploitation films, an “everyday” person is thrust into the middle of a crime ring. When their family members and loved ones are killed and the police do nothing, they are forced to take the law into their own hands — thus creating our unsuspecting hero. In many of these films, the “bad guys” run a drug racket (usually heroin), which leads to enlisting the drug addicts into a prostitution ring. I was searching for a drug more comedic than heroin, when I stumbled upon Michael Musto’s column in the Village Voice, which was about the sewage problem in many of the NYC nightclubs due to the new trend of “booty bumps.” I ran with that idea, and suddenly I had a very funny and slightly gross plot on my hands.

We first produced Shit & Champagne as a stage play in New York, where it ran for nine months. It was remounted in San Francisco twice — in 2014 where it was extended three times, and then brought back by popular demand to be the inaugural production for the grand opening of my nightclub, Oasis, in 2015. The San Francisco productions attracted a serious cult following — the self-proclaimed “Shit Heads” who would attend the live performances, dozens of times, leading the audiences in chanting lines and repeating callbacks to the actors in a Rocky Horror fashion. I hope that the film audiences will feel the same.

D’Arcy Drollinger has written, directed, and starred in the original feature film Shit & Champagne as well as the multimedia stage productions of Bitch Slap, Disastrous, The Temple of Poon, Mr. Irresistible, Project: Lohan, Scalpel!, The Possession of Mrs. Jones, Pink Elephants, Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls, Suburbia 3000, and The Cereal Killers. Other credits include The Producers (first Broadway production) and Hairspray the Musical (first Broadway production). D’Arcy is the owner of Oasis, the premier drag club in the US, voted San Francisco’s best nightclub / cabaret.

D’Arcy continues to produce, adapt, and direct the live drag parodies Sex and the City Live, The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes, Star Trek Live, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Live, and Three’s Company Live. D’Arcy is the creator of Sexitude, the body-positive, age-positive, sex-positive dance experience based in San Francisco.

Find out more about SFFILM’s filmmaking grant opportunities at sffilm.org/makers.