Recapping ‘a Short Break’ With Director and Writer Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd
A Short Break is back with its latest episode featuring Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd and her directorial debut film “The Counter: 1960”. In this award-winning short, Byrd intersects history’s present with its past-interconnecting the issues that impact society and culture. Set in 2017, three conscious (woke) Black students find themselves seated at a lunch counter in 1960. Will they be served?
Introducing a new virtual show a Short Break where host Damien D. Smith and co-host Emma J. show the best short films in their entirety and then replay with a live director’s cut where the audience is able to interact and ask questions to their favorite filmmakers! Tune in every Sunday at 4PM PT / 7PM ET to join in on the LIVE conversation via Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
When did you realize that you were a director?
Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd: Honesty, I wanted to do it when my brother and I were writing treatments for videos, in the early 90s. I was living vicariously through my brother who was a director. It turned into something more when I entered Richard Lawson Studi’s PDP (professional development program) about 4 years ago and that is when I really realized this is it.
You chose to add video footage and photos of past civil rights events and recent protests between credits, can you tell us why you made this decision
Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd: I am actually in some of the protest photos. I wanted to add them bc they move you. One of the things that you can sometimes do is watch the story and say ‘oh that was a nice story’ and you’re done with it. The other thing that you can do is impinge people with the truth. The truth of the matter is we are out there, we are really dealing with this. I wanted to make sure that I hit people with the actual facts as much as possible.
How harsh was it for the actors to place themselves to act in this film?
Etienne Maurice: It was real because it was real life and you have to honor those experiences when portraying these characters. I remember when we were getting into preparation, we had to do a lot of stunt work to make sure that we didn’t hurt ourselves. It was very tense onset between us. We had to meditate and put our minds into how would we react if we actually lived in these specific experiences.
Watch the full clip on Facebook and Youtube now, plus listen on Spotify! Don’t forget to watch previous episodes with directors Lawrence 'Law' Watford and Nathan DuConge
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