The riot isn't seen in the mov...

The riot isn't seen in the movie, but it is alluded to. He has this one speech that gives a great sense of texture and paints a picture of what was happening in Harlem then.

The radio for these women is l...

The radio for these women is like television is for us today, which is really like looking at the radio.

The production team's first me...

The production team's first meeting took place at my house. I had ideas and a color scheme in mind, how I wanted the movie to look, because that has to be a real collaboration.

The clothes back in those days...

The clothes back in those days were made so much better than clothes are today. They actually took time to make clothes to fit a woman's body. Today they make clothes that fit sizes, so it stretches to fit this and that.

The biggest challenge was that...

The biggest challenge was that we had to shoot so quickly and with such a limited budget.

That's the only way I can cont...

That's the only way I can control my movie. If you shoot everything, then everything is liable to end up in the movie. If you have a vision, you don't have to cover every scene.

Michael Ralph brilliantly play...

Michael Ralph brilliantly plays the street prophet, a West Indian who foreshadows the Harlem riot.

Making this movie was a great ...

Making this movie was a great opportunity for me to explore high-definition. I'm glad I got to see what the challenges are, what makes it better. It works wonderfully.

It's kind of dangerous to cut ...

It's kind of dangerous to cut in the camera, but that's the only way I know how to direct.

It goes back to a style of mov...

It goes back to a style of moviemaking I remember seeing as a child, in movies like The Man With The Golden Arm, which I think was shot all on a sound stage.

In scoring we have a lot that ...

In scoring we have a lot that was not evident in the shooting. The radio is on all the time.

I'm always moving forward.

I'm always moving forward.

Debbie Allen 13.07.2011 17:23:26 61 quotes

I use something that is a real...

I use something that is a real staple in the directing world. It's called a dance floor. You lay it down so that it's so smooth you can roll around, and you can put furniture on top of it. It's seamless and you don't see it.

I got my dailies every day, al...

I got my dailies every day, although I couldn't always look at them because I was usually preparing for the next day's shoot, both as an actress and as the director.

I didn't need the insurance. I...

I didn't need the insurance. I do it again if my DP tells me it didn't look good in the camera or if the actors didn't hit their marks. But if everything was working why do it again?

I design my shots. I walk the ...

I design my shots. I walk the rehearsal as the camera and say 'this is where I want to be... I want this look.

Everything has to be well thou...

Everything has to be well thought out - what do you really need, when can you do with less coverage.

Even when you have a big budge...

Even when you have a big budget, you can't just shoot everything.

But out of limitations comes c...

But out of limitations comes creativity.

But it was not possible to do ...

But it was not possible to do this movie, in this matter of time, without a solid rehearsal period.