The entertainment world is booming right now, offering more chances to shine than ever. But, it’s also more challenging to break into this exciting scene. We talked to Leroy J. Barrett III, a movie director and screenwriter with four years in the biz, for some top tips.
Leroy tells us that in the movie world, you don’t need to make a big splash right away. Lots of successful folks in films took their time to get where they are. The key? Work hard and keep creating great stuff. Stick with it, and your talent and effort will get noticed in the end.
1. Tell us about yourself.
I’m Leroy J. Barrett III, Founder of Roses Now. I’m an author, screenwriter, director and film producer.
Since childhood, I’ve been compelled by the complexities and differences in people. It gave me a unique proclivity for work discipline, directing, and producing my projects. Such visions take a myriad of forms which is why my work spans several media mediums.
2. When did you know you wanted to be a director and producer?
I remember as young as five years old, entertaining my whole family using my home as a stage. I loved dancing, acting, singing, playing drums, rapping, and producing music. Honestly, I didn’t know that when I started directing and producing films, I enjoyed that more than anything. I’ve always been a leader in all my endeavors, so transitioning from acting to directing was effortless. I started off as an assistant director for ten years in stage productions, then started to work on my own projects.
3. Can you think about one of your previous productions and discuss what you would do differently to improve the quality of the production?
Hindsight is a cheat I would love for every project. That said, planning is pivotal to success. There are so many moving parts when you’re planning production. Even the single arena of personnel is multifaceted.
It’s not just delivering the vision for the product itself, but how to capture it on camera. Anyone who understands film knows that it is an exercise of coordinated chaos. Production is very expensive, so be selective on whom works on your projects.
That said, casting is beyond vital and it’s imperative that you cast experienced talent. I’ve had inexperienced talent frustrated with merely how long it took, and they left. For example, one young lady on set was getting her makeup done for 45 minutes.
After her makeup was completed, her boyfriend (who was an extra in the film) disapproved and washed it off her face. This is unprofessional, and time is money. When she arrived on set her face was barren and unpolished.
These two cast members were referrals and was a lesson learned for all of us. Do your due diligence and make sure your cast has the experience, that’s certainly the key to success.
4. What do you look for in a script when deciding whether you would like to join a project as the producer?
In consensus, it’s all about uniqueness and impact. Each one of us are too extraordinary for there to ever be such a thing as a cliché film. There are multitudes of compelling or fascinating stories to be told. I want to be gripped or moved by something that is thought-provoking. Something that draws a tear or inspires entire waterfalls to crash down someone’s face.
It should promote something amazing or call out something awful. I believe in making projects that make indelible impressions. It can be any arena of the film (except horror), but it should make an impactful impression on the viewers. When you have one of those, I’m all in.
5. What do you think are the most important skills as a director?
It’s a combination of having a vision in mind and being receptive to listen.
When you surround yourself with talented and knowledgeable professionals, sometimes it’s best to be quiet and listen. I have one pair of eyes and they have limits.
So, the more input that my team shares with me the broader my perspective can become. Some of the greatest developments in my projects only happened because I was malleable in listening to my team. Sharing the room with professionals is the best way to maximize an experience.
6. Tell us what inspired you to write and produce, “Dying to Learn”?
In the middle of writing a series of shorts to enhance my acting students’ training, we continued to be inundated by school shooting aftermaths on TV. The drubbing of the same three talking points, that were all bereft of any responsibility or accountability, while our children were being murdered in schools just fueled me to do something. I sat down and wrote the script in days. Initially, it was going to be an iPhone film for training purposes. However, we sat down for the table read and it changed everything.
7. What is the outcome you hope to accomplish with your feature, “Dying to Learn?”
A safer society at large. Candidly, we are radicalizing kids. There are a host of accepted social norms that must be adjusted, not only for our children to grow up healthier but for our entire country to be safer and to exist more harmoniously. These things are incredibly lofty aspirations but, like all things to which you apply yourself, they are achievable. We must first face a plethora of truths by being honest adults and commit to the betterment of our society. Again, these are astronomical goals, but we’ve sent people in space before. It can be done. It demands honesty, a plan, commitment, and persistence. It’s how anything worth doing gets done.
Making more harmonious schools is fundamental to a better America. Schooling is the single greatest common factor we have in life, which makes teaching the most important profession. We must place adequate value on teachers to catalyze the level of change needed.
I must interject, though: love must be central to the solution. Not the pie-in-the-sky, starry-eyed, Hollywood version of love. But real love, the verb. We must do it with all dedication. The seams that require sewing for this to work will demand the best fabric of our humanity. We will have to care about our neighbor’s well-being as well as our own. Because, when you and your neighbor are both safe it provides a foundation of a healthy community.
8. How did the cast members feel about the subject matter in “Dying to Learn”?
They often remark to this day how thankful they are to be a part of such a movement. Sadly, throughout the entire course of filming, there was a steady drubbing of school shootings.
If they had arrived to sit without understanding the purpose, it was unfortunately made apparent while we were doing the work. Since then, the school we used as a location for the film had an active shooter situation. The need was made vividly apparent to them all. Their support for it is continual.
9. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of filmmaking?
Life has been the biggest challenge. Anytime you aim to pursue a worthwhile cause, life will really test you and see how bad you want it. The industry has very popular cliches for this reality. “The show must go on” and “One monkey doesn’t stop, no show”. These are popular because there are barriers to prevent the show to continue.
Monkeys do try to stop the show. However, perseverance, tenacity and ingenuity go a long way. When you simply refuse to be denied then you can’t be. So, life has challenged my team and I to rise above all challenges. My team and I represented each other by overcoming each one of them. The process has taught me to stay steady when they arrive, remedies can be found for all challenges.
10. What are you working on now?
It is a weird truth that I am a multi-faceted producer and director. Presently, I am committed to completing the ‘Dying to Learn’ feature script (we are mere days away). I am working on completing the first book of the responsive series called Learning to Live which delves into our societal challenges with an eye for solutions.
11. What’s the name of your production company? What are the goals you would like to achieve in 5 years?
Roses Now is the name of our production company. It coins my father’s mantra which, in short, means you should maximize your minutes. Give people roses while they can smell them and appreciate the gift, but also that you should partake in the sweetest of comforts in life while you can. Maximize yours now! My goal for 2027 is to consistently have annually released successful projects across the spectrum of the arts. We will own an HQ building and employ a few hundred incredible employees. Half of that is on my leaderboard right now. In the scheme of it all, we would like to have made the world a better place. That is a daily goal, we hope we’ll achieve some measure of that by then.
12. Where can people read more about your latest projects?
Our website www.RosesNowVisions.com will always be the best source to stay current on all Roses Now happenings. You can stay connected to our film and the movement ‘Dying to Learn’ at dyingtolearnmovie.com | Instagram: @Dyingtolearnmovie
For Any PR or Media inquiries, please contact: Antoinette Love Ransom at [email protected] | Instagram: @Antoinette_Love_Ransom
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