Documentary directors Gelila Bekele & Armani Ortiz

In this episode of Soundstage Insider, we talk with Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz, co-directors of the thought-provoking documentary 'Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.' Join us as we explore the collaborative efforts and creative process behind this engaging project.

Gelila and Armani share their experiences co-directing, shedding light on the challenges they encountered during the early stages of production and the dynamics of working together. They provide practical insights into the skills necessary for directing a documentary and offer advice to those interested in this field.

We talk about:

• How Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz's collaboration on 'Maxine's Baby' began.
• The initial challenges faced in planning the documentary.
• The pros and cons of co-directing and how they handle differences of opinion.
• The skills honed when directing a documentary featuring real people and their real stories.
• Techniques for eliciting authentic narratives from the documentary's subjects.
• The balanced perspective in 'Maxine's Baby,' including featuring Tyler Perry's critics and any potential pushback.
• The significant challenges encountered in the course of directing this documentary.
• Tyler Perry's involvement in the filmmaking process.
• The takeaway Gelila and Armani hope the audience will gain from 'Maxine's Baby.'
• Key skills needed for successful documentary direction and advice for aspiring documentary filmmakers.

Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 17, 2023

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