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A
Single Rose
Director’s
Statement
 I
have always been a storyteller.
Even as a child growing up in the South, I told stories,
whether it was directing my siblings in plays I had written,
performing short monologues at the dinner table or spinning
crazy, exotic tales for the hell of it.
I guess it was inevitable that I would end up in Los
Angeles hoping to bring my stories to a greater audience via
television and film.
From
the moment I finished reading Miss Ella, a published
collection of my father’s memoirs about his grandmother, I
knew I had to bring this fascinating story of two sisters to the
screen. Here was
this incredible woman—my great grandmother—who stood up to
the KKK, who opened her home to those in need even though she
had nothing, and who raised fourteen children ALONE in 1920s
Selma, Alabama.
I
was compelled by how Ella contrasted with her adopted sister
Rose, a beautiful woman who craved attention and an easy life,
but wound up feeling trapped in an empty marriage.
Thus, I was motivated to write A
Single Rose to take the audience to another place, and still
gain insight into issues that are relevant to us today.
I
desired to approach the story like a blues song, with its
rhythms and mood to fully capture how Rose views her world.
With this in mind, the cinematographer and I incorporated
movement as much as possible into the camera design to create a
poetic and musical effect, and to contrast with Rose’s feeling
of stagnation.
I
was also inspired by the colors and framing in artwork by Edward
Hopper.
His simple paintings spoke volumes; women stare wistfully
into the distance—women who are obviously so utterly alone,
yet one could tell they still believed in that thing or person
that would bring them an escape.
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