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Film-making in Trinidad and Tobago

Sometimes as communications professionals we tend to think in a vacuum. When we think of media we think print as in newspapers (and sometimes magazines), radio (advertising, news, and talkshows), and television (as in news, talk shows and advertising). But what about film or full-fledged shows outside of the “talk” arena?

 

In Trinidad and Tobago, the majority of our television programming comes from North America, whether on local TV or cable/ DirecTV. Apart from talkshows, few of our TV stations create local programming. Hence, local producers such as Danielle Dieffenthaller have had trials; Danielle had her own set of financial challenges with the highly acclaimed, soap opera WestWood Park, sourcing funding, which would aid the series’ development. I am one of those people who belong to the school of thought where if you start a business, get the funding yourself. But when it comes to areas such as developing local art, and stimulating intellectual capital as it related to local television programming, I believe that the corporate sector – as well as TV stations - should find a way to support these sorts of initiatives.

 

In today’s Trinidad Guardian, writer Bobie-Lee Dixon wrote about Danielle’s experience. Part from it being a well-written piece, it also gives insight into the local producer experience. Film is just as much a part of communications as any other component, and it has the ability to influence our societies. Check out Danielle’s story below.

 

 

 

We can make it if we try

By Bobie-Lee Dixon

Trinidad Guardian: www.guardian.co.tt

 

Ahhh! How refreshing it was to sit and chat with local filmmaker/producer, Danielle Dieffenthaller. A true winner in every sense of the word, this determined mother of one (soon to be two), poured me a cup of her passion as she shared her success and her trials of choosing such a career path.

Dieffenthaller, sister to popular soca ariste Kees Dieffenthaller, is the second of six children.

 

Being the first in her family to do film, she said she broke the barriers of “you want to do what?” These words coming from her mother an artiste.

 

Laughing as she gathered her thoughts, Dieffenthaller said: “My dad was just a home grown comedian,” she recalls. “But it was mostly extended family members who always thought I should have studied law or take interest in some profession of the sort.”

 

Danielle said as early as age six she knew what her passion was, reflecting on the times when she would orchestrate the neighbourhood children to play television personalities such as Muppet Babies’, Miss Piggy, and Twelve and Under’s Aunty Hazel (Ward), she said: “Oh, we would impersonate just about everyone, I would make a screen out of a box and that would be our television.”

 

A passion manifests

A graduate of Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, in Toronto, Canada, as it was called back then, (now Ryerson University), Dieffenthaller gained a Bachelor of applied Arts in Radio and Television which she would soon put to use. Retracing her footsteps though, she recalls attending school in Kenya, Niarobi, where, on the first day of her A Level class, students were asked to write down what profession they would like to get into. “I immediately wrote down my love for wanting to become a film director,” said Dieffenthaller.

 

She also boasted, that because of the very practical course Ryerson offered at the time in television, radio and film production, it was easy to find work afterward within the field. “I mean you could walk out of there and get a job immediately,” she quipped.

 

Danielle’s passion eventually took her to London where she worked with Bandung Production runned by Darcus Howe and Tariq Ali. Returning home she found herself working with Banyan Production Company as a freelance associate producer/script supervisor/production manager on an adaptation of Wide Sargasso Sea, a book written by Jean Ryhys. The production was done for a UWI project.

 

Thank you uncle Horace

Not wanting to forget her roots or the people who held her hand and showed her the way, Dieffenthaller credits her growth and finding herself in filmaking to the late Horace James. While working at TTT in the news department, which wasn’t really her thing, according to Dieffenthaller, she met James who at the time was directing the local soap opera No Boundaries.

 

Eventually James took her under his wing where she became his production assistant, script writer, wardrobe advisor and later production manager for the soap opera.

 

Finding her thing

“Being comfortable is important to me.” says Dieffenthaller. She recalls initially wanting to be in front of the camera once she got the hang of it but later conceding to her lack of confidence she decided to work behind the scenes. “I eventually got over it though,” she added. “After a while I just realised it was more fun to work behind the camera; I had so much more control”.

 

Dieffenthaller’s work

Before starting her very own production company two years ago entitled Different Style Films, Dieffenthaller, together with Walt Lovelace and Georgia Popplewell, created the environmental series, Earth TV and Eco Watch.

 

In 1997, she produced Westwood Park, a soap opera that has gained momentum in the regional and international market. Apart from these accomplishments, she has also done corporate videos, music videos and commercials.

 

More recently, Dieffenthaller’s work would have been seen in the Caribbean Magazine television programme Irie Vibe, and we await her new soap opera—The Reef—soon to be aired on one of our local television stations.

 

Challenges

When asked about the problems and challenges local filmakers encounter Dieffenthaller with great precision said funding. “Funding is always the problem, I don’t like to call it sponsorship because it is not a charity,” she says. “Think of it as an investment.”

 

Stating that television and film equipment is not cheap, nor is marketing, Dieffenthaller adds, in order for it (film making) to be viable it must be exportable and able to stand up to the international competition.

 

She recalls reading an article that had been written by Louis Tucker in 1932 and published in the Port-of-Spain Gazette speaking on the issue of film making and the lack of co-operation from the corporate sector. Dieffenthaller said as a result of their (corporate) absence in the film industry this has forced some of our best filmakers to to leave T&T in pursuit of making a living for themselves in the field. “It is not lucrative here (Trinidad),” says Diffenthaller. “The sky is the limit with proper investment, because we have the talent, the skill and the qualified persons to make it happen,” she added.

 

Stating that she does not understand how the corporate sector can’t recognise how much we want to see ourselves Diffenthaller said: “We need to get over self hate and love who we are—we have staggering beauty in these islands that people want to see.”

 

We can make it

Quoting the old adage, “He who controls the images has the power,” a smiling Diffenthaller as her mobile kept ringing said she credits her mother for always instilling in her that the power was in her to make it happen. “Choose either to be positive or negative,” she said.

 

Borrowing words from David Rudder’s popular composition, Calypso Music, which I’m sure she’ll give back, Dieffenthaller, as she places her hands on her stomach, declared: “I know that I know in my heart and soul, and in my Caribbean belly, that we have what it takes to make it and we will be on a world stage.”

 

 

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