Passionate, driven and tenacious, he never allows the opportunity for “can’t be done” to enter into existence. Burgeoning film director/producer, Jerry J Cunningham raises the bar on himself, constantly pushing the envelope to meet that standard. His creative, professional, and perfectionist stance battles an ongoing internal war of progressivism vs. conservatism. He stems from a long ancestral line of creative artisans that helped to shape his eye for form, composition, structure and texture. It bloomed through Cunningham's appreciation for the arts, especially his extensive work in music and photography ultimately leading him to produce and direct films, “My photography teacher said, ‘Filmmaking is nothing but a bunch of still photos put together’ and a light went off! I thought of myself as being pretty creative with a camera already and I always liked the film industry, telling stories through moving images, so it was just a matter of executing it.”
Sacrificing the normalcy of what is to be expected; the basic desires of life that most people pursue, Cunningham stepped out on faith and sought to become a filmmaker devouring any and everything in the world of film. He began to venture out securing work as Cameraman/Director of Photography. With these experiences, he used his innate creative eye to develop how he wanted to shoot certain things in terms of angles, shots and shot lists, sharpening his storytelling skills and bringing those narratives to life onscreen, “I like telling stories, capturing people’s imagination, sometimes with just pictures other times with just good acting. There are a lot of stories out there and everyone has a story to tell. It can be compelling if it’s told the right way.”
After obtaining certifications in film production from New York Film Academy, New York, N.Y., AbelCineTech, N.Y., N.Y. and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., he began to garner a growing slew of resume worthy film projects: “My First Vote” a public service announcement for Screen Gems studios, "Fatherhood.org" a commercial featuring Knicks’ basketball great, Allan Houston, two feature films, “For The Love Of Money” & “Loose Ends”, and completed numerous shorts with actor/musician; Derek Brantley entitled “Making Of DB Magazine”.
Cunningham didn’t approach the process of filmmaking as something trendy or glamorous to enter into, it was something that he wanted to do and proceeded to take the necessary steps toward that goal, “In the beginning…when I would meet fellow filmmakers and directors, I would pick their brain for as long as I could. I would ask question after question…What did you do? How did you start? What books did you read? What courses did you take? What kind of jobs were you looking for in the beginning? What jobs are you looking for now? I did a lot of research, but at the same time, I didn’t let any of their own apprehensions or fears stop me.”
Successful individuals in their quest to realize their dream and have hurdled over the initial obstacles to achieve a certain level or status in their respective field often share how they “did it”. They’ve accrued an extensive, noteworthy body of work and now emerge as the “new” leaders in their field and will offer great sound advice to the novice along with their own personal pitfalls and what they did to climb out from them. However, there are those who may have second or third level “success stories”. It is these individuals who express to the wide-eyed novice more of their own fears and insecurities masked behind negative statements of “you can’t do” or “it’s so difficult”, “you need x-y-z to accomplish a-b-c.” Cunningham chose not to let those kinds of “success stories” or their fears deter him,
“Quite a few people said to me that you need thousands and thousands of dollars, a giant crew etc., but at the end of the day, only one person has to believe in it and that’s you. Once you believe in it, it’s a lot easier to get other people involved because they see you putting all your blood, sweat and tears in it.” He continues, “They will understand your vision, your drive and what you’re trying to do and they’ll be on board one way or another. If they’re not on board, they’ll let you know as soon as you call them in for a meeting.”
In the spring of 2005, Cunningham launched JJC Media.net, a film & video documenting company. He wanted to legitimize what he was doing and needed to do it for “real”, “I wanted to start a company and get it up and running to let people know that this wasn’t a fly by night sort of organization…that we’re here to stay.” His first original production from JJC Media.net, the feature film, “Getting Caught” was born out of the need for his voice, his story, and his creative vision to be told. Adding to the challenge and stress of launching a business and producing a film, it is Cunningham’s directorial debut of this magnitude. He cites such established and respected film directors as Clint Eastwood, the Cohen brothers, Guy Richie, and Spike Lee as his influences, clearly evident in Cunningham’s embryonic directing mode. But when asked if he had a style or his own methodology to directing, Cunningham felt that he needed to direct a few more films and responded jokingly, “You tell me.”
With a seasoned and sympathetic cast, as well as, having a crew with whom he’s worked with on a host of projects, he says, “Directing the first scene was easy for me. I had a very talented crew that I worked with in the past. So it was like working with family. I just wanted it to feel and look real in terms of how people act or don't act in real life...and because I had some amazing actors, they really pulled it off!” One of the concepts that Cunningham discovered while working on "Getting Caught", in addition to producing and directing the film is to, “stick to one thing”. He explains, “That’s the one thing I’ve learned producing and directing this film. Either you’re going to direct, shoot, or produce. I just find it hard at times to multitask. Some people can do it all; I’m just not one of them.”
Christopher B. Flowers
Check out the "Getting Caught" trailer:
http://web.me.com/jjcmedia/Site/Getting_Caught_Movie_Trailer.html
