Thread: Stomp the Yard
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Old 12-06-2006, 12:06 AM
jitterbug13 jitterbug13 is offline
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Interesting...(From BV Buzz)

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Not since Spike Lee released 'School Daze' in 1998 has there been a major motion picture to showcase Black college life. Because of that, anticipation for Sony Screen Gems' 'Stomp The Yard,' has been extremely high. One of the film's producers, William Packer, describes 'Stomp The Yard' as a "contemporary look at Black college life." And though "a story about a young kid who goes to a black college and gets uplifted and redeemed" aren't commercial themes in Hollywood, Packer said they were able to get the movie made because they "interweaved those themes with a lot of the traditional elements that work in Hollywood."

Despite its positive subject matter and a cast that includes Brian J. White ('Mr. 3000'), Darrin Henson ('Soul Food'), Meagan Good ('Waist Deep'), Laz Alonzo ('Jarhead'), Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and newcomer Columbus Short ('Save The Last Dance 2'), a few fraternities have raised concerns about the film being released without even having seen the movie.

Packer, who has also produced 'The Gospel,' 'Motives' and the 'Trois' series, wants to eradicate any negative buzz those organizations may be causing. "We have heard some people say this is a Hollywood film and that it is not about steppin', its about dancing, and the fraternities and sororities are not going to be depicted correctly. [They think] it was shot at [the University of Southern California] and its just some white Hollywood studio behind it. That's not true," Packer explained. "This is a film that originated with people; myself and my partner who produced the film, members of Alpha Phi Alpha, a Black Greek letter organization. [We] are both married to Deltas. We went to a [Historically Black Colleges and Universities]. Our director, his father is a Kappa. One of our main choreographers is a Kappa. We shot it at the AUC in Atlanta. We shot it at Morris Brown, shot scenes at Spelman, we shot scenes at Morehouse and we shot scenes at Clark Atlanta. Yeah, its loud and its big and its flashy and that's why people think its just a dance movie, but when you get in you're going to be in store for so much more."

Opening around the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend has served films like 'Glory Road,' 'Last Holiday,' 'Coach Carter' and 'Are We There Yet' well in recent years and Packer is hoping to impact the same way with 'Stomp The Yard.' "Anytime you're doing the right thing, you're not going to have everybody support you. We're hoping people will reserve judgment until they see the film because I'm confident that they're going to be pleasantly surprised," he concluded.
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