Easy Made Hard
(Click the ▶ button to watch the film)
Curtis Brown, a proud middle-aged man, returns home from the grocery to store to find his son, Tyrone, polishing a gun. Tyrone hasn’t been home for over two years, and it is clear to Curtis that this is not a social visit. Many times in the past, Tyrone has sought protection from his father and Curtis has given it. Now it is different. When Curtis learns that Tyrone has killed a young clerk in a convenience store, Curtis orders Tyrone to leave. Tyrone begs his father for help, but Curtis refuses. Anger boils, culminating into a brutal struggle that leads to tragedy for both father and son. Based on a true story, the events that unfold cause us to examine the choices we make and the justice and judgments we live by.
The response to Easy Made Hard is varied, but never neutral. This poignant story ignites passion and provokes us to take a close look our own families. It serves as a cautionary tale: Carefully monitor your choices. Do not become a Tyrone. Most of all, it forces us to look at our inner-city American culture. Discussion always point to lack of education, welfare mentality, and poverty of minds. Rarely are solutions found.
We intend for Easy Made Hard to further the conversation.
How the Film Came About
When my husband, Allen, lived in Los Angeles, he befriended a neighbor who was a policeman in East Los Angeles, an area rife with crime. On his time off, the officer would come over, pop a beer, and share on-the-job tales. According to him, more often than not, the cops would take on the role of judge and jury. For example, when they’d roll on calls of domestic violence, it was common for the officers to settle things between the disputing couple right then and there. “You get the couch. You get the TV.” Case closed.
One of these stories passed on to me hovered in the back of my mind until I finally wrote it as a short story. Then I adapted it to a play, and finally into the film that has become Easy Made Hard.
How the team came about
When I decided to make the film, I put out a call to directors of short films. Delphine Suter responded. After reading the script, Delphine immediately expressed a strong connection to the characters. Growing up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Delphine has been exposed to an area with a strong community that suffers from poverty and gang issues. It was her previous work and her grasp of the material that made her a perfect partner for the project.
Cast
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Rhonnie Washington
plays Curtis Brown in Easy Made Hard. Rhonnie is on the faculty of San Francisco State’s Department of Theatre Arts. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, majoring in Directing, with a minor in Theatre History and Criticism. His most recent SFSU direction project was Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire. Recent acting roles include Cal in A.C.T.’s production of The Little Foxes and Carl in Marin Theatre Company’s production of Bus Stop. At Shakespeare Santa Cruz he played Polonius in Hamlet and Aegeon in The Comedy of Errors. Film credits include Michael Shaw Fisher’s Timon of Athens and Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford’s Freedom On My Mind. Washington has received two Goldie Awards from the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
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Lloyd Roberson II
plays Tyrone in Easy Made Hard. Lloyd has performed in several Regional Theater productions. We first noticed him in his stunning performance of Thami in My Children, My Africa, at Marin Theatre Company. He has appeared in several episodes of Claybah Productions’, Darrell Strawberry, and conquered the role of Othello in San Diego State University Theatre’s production. He is a recent graduate of the American Conservatory Theater M.F.A. Program, class of 2009.
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Chipego Miluv Calebra Brown
makes her film debut as one of the jump rope girls in Easy Made Hard. Chipego, age 10, loves dancing, soccer, swimming and shopping. She loves animals.
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Inglish Amore Hills
has been singing, acting, dancing, and modeling for 8 years. She performed in Peter Pan at the Amador Theater and took third place in the Alameda County Fair hip-hop competition. She played Zonia in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Berkeley Rep. Inglish has done print and fit modeling for the Gap and Macy’s.
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Gianna Kiah Ross
10 years-old, plays one of the jump rope girls in Easy Made Hard. She appeared as the daughter in a print ad, A Day at the Beach, for Fidelity Investment Banking and was a student in a commercial for Southpeak Games. Gianna sings and plays tennis.
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Claudette McClendon
makes her film debut as Nana Mary in Easy Made Hard.
Boys At Play:
Clifford Brown
Troy Smite
Noah Ross
Clerk in Convenience Store:
Ronny Ting
On-set Photogorahy by Mark Altenberg
Crew
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Elizabeth Appell
WRITER/PRODUCER
Elizabeth Appell is an award winning novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Several of her screenplays have been optioned, and her play Confessions of a Catholic Child premiered in 2007 in Los Angeles.
Her play Moon Walkers was showcased in Los Angeles with James Denton (Desperate Housewives) as the main character. In 2008 she was a semi-finalist in the Eugene O’Neill Playwright’s Conference.
Several of her short stories have been published in literary journals.
As well as producing Easy Made Hard she is working on her newest play, Reflecting Incidents.
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Delphine de St. Paër Suter
DIRECTOR
From a young age Delphine grasped the art of storytelling. Throughout her youth she performed in numerous theatre productions that ignited her passion for directing and producing. She attended San Francisco State University as a cinema major with a minor in theater. She has successfully worked in both worlds. In the fall of 2003, her work on the short film Destiny’s Design was nominated for the ASC Conrad L. Hall Heritage Award. Delphine’s film, Eyes of a Child, won the 2005 Kodak Eastman Scholarsip and was showcased at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her current project is producing “Doggie Boogie.”
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Mickey Freeman
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Mickey Freeman has been an award-winning director of photography for 25 years. His honors include the Academy Award nominated documentary Goodnight Miss Ann, a portrayal of Latino boxers in the barrios of Los Angeles for which he was Director of Photography. He received an Emmy award for the public affairs promotion of the Oakland Gospel Choir for ABC, an Emmy for his visual portrayal of The Return To Tule Lake and most recently an Accolade Award of Excellence for the feature film, Presque Isle.
His work ranges from numerous Hollywood feature films including Mrs. Doubtfire, Hurly Burly, True Crime, Basic Instinct and many independent features, drama for television, and documentaries.
Mickey’s passion for his work is never-ending. He is as excited today about his current projects as he was about his very first project. His interaction with people creates a rare and compassionate camaraderie as he establishes an immediate connection between the two. This rapport allows the subjects of his camera and his direction to be more of themselves.
Mr. Freeman lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys sailing, backpacking, and photography.
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Tom Bullock
EDITOR
Formally trained as a pianist and actor/singer from the age of seven, Tom started professional film work as a film editor on a children's TV comedy series. He has since continued as film & sound editor and post producer on feature films, shorts and trailers in SF and LA., and has performed the same function on many commercials, corporate, documentary and educational films and videos.
Tom is owner/operator of Fire/Water Films, a San Francisco based post-production service. Occasionally taking time out to direct—or perform as a character actor and voice-over talent—Tom is a longstanding member of Actors Equity, Screen Actors Guild, and the Motion Picture Editors Guild (LA local 700).
Tom, the author of a book Film Editing Nutz & Boltz, has absolutely no desire to be either a corporate CEO or owner of his own plane.
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Douglas Freeman
Art Director
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Bill Bowles
1st AD
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Felicia Giouzelis
2nd AD
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Michael Blake
Production Coordinator
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Steven Smith
Production Coordinator
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Peter Van Scherpe
Sound Recordist
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Justin Chin
Boom Operator
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Tom Schnitzvil
Gaffer
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Satsuki Murashige
1st AC
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James Suter
2nd AD
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Jeff Deveraux
DIT/Red Support
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Charlie Kuttner
Key Grip
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Michael Wood
Assistant Art Director
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Ron Vidor
Steady Cam Operator
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Constance Hasapopoulos
Script Supervisor
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Nancie Marsalis
Make Up and Wardrobe (pictured with Delphine de St. Paër Suter)
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Juliette Blake
Caterer
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Joel Pincosy
Grip
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Marco Ramirez
Grip
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Justin Chin
Grip
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Dave Maier
Fight Coordinator
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Airto Jackson
Videographer
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Mark Altenberg
On-Set Photographer
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Melissa Davis
PA
Post Production
Tom Bulluck, Editor, Fire/Water Films
Dave Nelson, Sound Mixer, Outpost Studios
Ed Rudolph, Colorist, VideoArts
Jeremy Roland, Stabilizer
Composers
Sam Bass, Cello
Eric McFadden, Guitar
Kevin Carnes, Music Supervisor
A special thank you to Curtis Blake who generously allowed us to shoot in his home.
This location was very important in more ways than one to the making of Easy Made Hard.
Finalist, ACEFEST 2010, New York
What people are saying about Easy Made Hard:
“I was really moved by the gritty reality of this film. And, knowing it was based
on a true story made it all the more moving. Excellent structure and direction.
The actors were terrific and I could see this is a longer film.”
— Audience Member, Cleveland International Film Festival
“A provocative and intimate look into the lives of a God fearing father and his
illusive son.”
— Roberta Munroe, former Sundance Programmer and author of How Not to Make
a Short Film
“This short is a tremendous credit to the relationship between a respectful
father and his notoriously evil son. The acting is superb, the storyline is well-
developed. It emphasizes both the love and hate that they have for each other.
The editing is good and the cinematography is well done.”
— Audience Member, Cleveland International Film Festival
“The performances are subtle without losing the emotional blow to the heart.”
— Charlotte Stewart, actor Eraserhead, Tremors, Little House on the Prairie
“A well-crafted film that raises provocative questions about race, responsibility
and family.”
— Sandy Handsher, screenwriting teacher and consultant
