Doorways

My vision (theme) for Doorways can be explained in two words: personal and evocative. In filming a movie with the central themes of abuse, self-triumph, sacrifice and perseverance, I was very particular about telling an authentic tale that not only leaves the audience cheering but also creates an environment where the audience could empathize with the central characters.

Every aspect of the film - the shots, the music, to the mood, the color palette, the tones (be it tension filled, detached, chaotic or intimate), was specifically chosen throughout the making process to move the audience through the storyline and evoke a sense of empathy towards the characters. In view of this, I opted out of using the basic shooting formula (i.e. using Master shots, close-ups, OTS etc.) instead, letting each individual scene dictate my choice of shots, production design color palette etc. I took the time to know the backgrounds of my leading actors so I could tap into their own personal stories and bring out a stronger performance than they would normally give. I used rehearsals as not just an opportunity for the characters to recite and memorize their lines but to figure out what makes them tick as actors and tap into that reservoir.

In doing my research for Doorways, I watched films with a similar edge and feel to what I was considering to portray such as ‘Cadillac Records’, ‘What’s Love Gotta Do With It’, and ‘Precious’. I noticed how each director varied in their portrayal of the central characters arc in each film. Some where classical and conservative in their portrayal while other where raw and visceral in the delivery of the characters journey borrowing from the Italian neo realist “slice of life” concept.

My vision was to depict the movie as compassionately yet truthful as possible. The one movie that really helped me in coming to terms with how I wanted to direct ‘Doorways’, was ‘Precious’. I saw how directing did not just stop with getting the best performances out of your cast, but blossomed in the areas of shot selection, color palette, soundtrack, production design, and make-up. As I dug deeper into the exploration of these other facets, my personal passion for ‘Doorways’ developed in greater lengths. In scenes of fear and helplessness such as the opening scene when the main character; Tanya has a flashback on a past abusive situation, I chose a dark color template, subdued music and a low shot to convey the dark truth the scene conveyed.

I contrasted it with the bus scene of a cold color tone to raw background noise to snap the audience back to her reality, a cold and hopeless existence highlighted by the main character’s fatigue in life and its struggles (essentially unconsciously telling the tale of survival). In uplifting scenes or scenes of gratitude and hope such as a scene when David delivers some good news to Tanya in a hallway or the scene where Tanya's character and Fawn are cleaning, I did not necessarily choose a bright color palette as I felt that, that sometimes took away from the truth of the scene. As such, I combined a piquet color palette and with a soulful soundtrack that carried the audience along those blissful moments.