Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye "Debbie" Allenis an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She is perhaps best known for her work on the 1982 musical-drama television series Fame, where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series' principal choreographer. She currently portrays Catherine Avery on Grey's Anatomy. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChoreographer
Date of Birth16 January 1950
CityHouston, TX
CountryUnited States of America
We could have done this movie very differently had we shot on the streets of Harlem and taken a 40-day shooting schedule.
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.
Even when you have a big budget, you can't just shoot everything.
The biggest challenge was that we had to shoot so quickly and with such a limited budget.
Everything has to be well thought out - what do you really need, when can you do with less coverage.
But it was not possible to do this movie, in this matter of time, without a solid rehearsal period.
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.
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.
A director just pushes them a little this way or that way.
In scoring we have a lot that was not evident in the shooting. The radio is on all the time.
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.
I'm respectful of other artists and I think there is a way to talk to actors to let them know they are making this. It all has to come through them.
I owe a lot to the Brainerd legacy for my accomplishments. My pledge to you and my mother is to come here in the spring and have theater arts across the field of Brainerd. I have a commitment to this project, these grounds and what Brainerd is about.
I owe a lot to the Brainerd legacy for my accomplishments, ... My pledge to you and my mother is to come here in the spring and have theater arts across the field of Brainerd. I have a commitment to this project, these grounds and what Brainerd is about.