Blake's World (Tunnel Vision)

Blake, an inner city football star earns a full ride to a D1 University. This fish-out-of-water short highlights the accusation of rape and how crucial it is to tread lightly. The full length project is about a boy who's navigating between two completely different worlds.

  • Choice Skinner
    Director
    Black Lightning
  • Hunter Bishop
    Writer
  • Shawn Turner
    Writer
  • Shawn Turner
    Producer
  • Shawn Turner
    Key Cast
    Greek
  • Luwam Mikael
    Key Cast
    Switched At Birth
  • Jess Allen
    Key Cast
    American Horror Story
  • Jason Woods
    Key Cast
    Jane The Virgin
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Sports
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 10, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    2k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Choice Skinner

Shawn Turner is an African American, Jamaican and Canadian actor and producer who was born south of Orlando, Florida. As a teen, he participated in various sports, student government and grew a passion for acting after performing the prom king of his school's production of D.A.R.E, The Lion King and frequent trips to New York City. While on the streets of Manhattan, Shawn had a conversation with a director who liked him enough to place him in a McDonald's commercial. Shawn also worked with minorities at risk at a Harlem, NY YMCA facility. He has his associates degree in business and embarks on the mastery of his craft as an actor and producer. He's enrolled in a cinema productions program and plans to attend several entertainment industry conferences throughout the year. As he continues to learn, it gives us a clear indication of Shawn Turner's branding and his strive to maximize his economic value while understanding how to market himself to a diversity audience and demographic. Shawn is passionate and determined for excellence in the film and television business.

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Director Statement

Blake’s World is a project I have nurtured since 2012. This marks the 3rd version. It’s a controversial piece of content the industry needs right now. Here’s the logline:

“Blake, an inner-city football star, earns a full ride to a D1 University. This fish-out-of-water short highlights the accusation of rape and how important it is to tread lightly.”

My co-producer, director, production crew, and actors were excited to do this project because it’s a topic that’s real and alive, but no one seems to talk about it. In the simplest form of marketing, the most important expectations I have for this project are priceless efforts.

First, I want to send an encrypted message to my nephew, who aspires to be a pro-football player. He lost his mom and dad, and despite the love and support he receives from our family, he’s having a hard time understanding what it means to be socially conscious. Who am I to create content that tells my nephew it’s ok to fall victim to racism or it’s ok to allow unfair circumstances to distract his tunnel vision?

Secondly, I want to shed light on African-American males, who grow up below poverty level. It’s not a circumstance we asked for, yet it’s a circumstance we are born into, so we must fight ten times harder just to prove we can be productive in society. It’s not ok for society to criminalize someone because of misunderstanding their personality and background. It was important for us to have moments where the audience says to themselves, “This character makes dumb choices, but we want to keep watching to see if he gets better.” So, this short film is not just about a selfish football player being accused of rape. It’s a response to ignorance in our politics, Blake’s response, and his support group of friends. Blake represents not just African American males; he represents everyone who faces almost unbearable obstacles while aiming to succeed.

Blake is a character with a high-strong connotation and I wanted him to be so out of place where people felt like they were watching a REAL/UNPREDICTABLE character who gets better by the obstacle. So my crafting was to forget everything I was trained and trust that my cast mates would add commercial value to the overall production and we did that!

A lot of myself went into this character. I grew up in poverty; my own community cursed me with death or imprisonment by the time I turned 18. The lack of support strengthened me to prove them all wrong. The most sophisticated answer to stereotyping and being falsely accused of anything is simply not to respond and let life play out as it should. Keep a tunnel vision.