Nickel Boys with RaMell Ross and Channing Godfrey Peoples (Ep. 501)

The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Directors Guild of America

Tv & Film

4.6 • 806 Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2024

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Director RaMell Ross discusses his new film, Nickel Boys, with fellow Director Channing Godfrey Peoples in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses approaching his adaptation differently from the book while still trying to stay true to it, working with his actors and DP to capture his unique perspectives for the narrative, and his considered approach to imagery with this subject matter, given the historical imagery preceding it. Based on the novel by Colson Whitehead, the film tells the story of Elwood, who’s sentenced to the brutal reformatory Nickel Academy in Jim Crow South after an innocent misstep. Upon meeting Turner, a seasoned ward of the reformatory, Elwood learns the fundamental tips for survival while striving to hold onto his humanity- and forms a powerful friendship with Turner. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/NickelBoys_QnA_1024

Transcript

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0:00.0	One thing that we wanted to do was to move away from the book.
0:05.0	We like to say it's just so perfect.
0:06.5	If we were to try to actually translate it or adapted in a traditional sense,
0:10.8	not only would it be a deep uphill climb, but it would probably just fail and it would
0:14.9	just force comparisons.
0:16.5	And so how do we let the book be the book and then try to do cinema as best as
0:20.6	cinema can be done? And in that sense, we go the book be the book and then try to do cinema as best as cinema can be done?
0:22.1	And in that sense, we go immediately back to the source material, which is the Dozier School for Boys.
0:27.6	And the film starts to build itself out visually.
0:53.7	Yeah. Hello, and welcome back to the Director's Cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America.
0:59.8	In this episode, two young African-American men navigate the trials of reform school and director Ramel Ross's period drama, Nickel Boys.
1:04.3	Based on the novel by Coulson Whitehead, the film tells the story of Elwood,
1:08.8	whose sentenced to the brutal reformatory Nickel Academy in Jim Crow South after an innocent misstep.
1:14.6	Upon meeting Turner, a season ward of the reformatory, Elwood learns the fundamental tips for survival while striving to hold on to his humanity and forms a powerful friendship with Turner.
1:26.6	In addition to Nickel Boys,
1:29.6	Ross's other directorial credit includes the feature film Hale County
1:33.1	This Morning This Evening.
1:36.5	Following a screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles,
1:40.5	Ross spoke with director Channing Godfrey Peoples about filming Nickel Boys.
1:45.1	Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.
1:55.6	Hi, Ramon.
1:57.1	Hello, Janning.
	...

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