Born in France to an American father (who was a pro basketball player) and a French mother, Sylvain White was raised in Paris. After moving to the Unites States, he attended Pomona College and graduated with honors in Media Studies and Film and Video Production. A successful music video directing career brought him nominations both at the 2001 MTV Music Video Awards and 2001 Music Video Production Association Awards. His 2002 short film “Quiet” caught the attention of studio executives at Screen Gems, which gave a green light to “Stomp the Yard.” Made for about $13.5 million, the unexpectedly successful urban dance film has grossed more than $60 million in the United States and is headed overseas. White lives in Los Angeles.
Question: The plot of “Stomp the Yard” is formulaic, so why do you think it’s been such a commercial success?
Answer:
It has the same narrative structure as a lot of dance musicals, like “West Side Story,” but a lot of the younger viewers today have never been exposed to that.
The key thing in making a dance movie successful is finding an aspect that’s novel but appeals to mainstream audiences. This had all the ingredients a brand new subject with a history. Street dance subculture has been around for a long time but has never received mainstream attention.
Q: How did you get started working with Sony’s Screen Gems division?
A:
In 2005, we were already in pre-production on “Stomp the Yard,” when the studio called and needed a favor on a DVD release (“I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”). I had to jump in and knock (the DVD) out guerilla-style, with just two weeks prep instead of the usual 10 weeks, but it was fun. I ended up going in and doing two quick DVD releases for them “The Escort” and “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Q: How did you manage to get your big-screen chops so quickly?
A:
I got a call from someone who saw my short, and five days later I was on a plane to do a movie. There are a lot of music video directors out there, so it was a big chance for me, and it was relatively unexpected. It didn’t come from where I thought it would.
Q: Having success so early should give you some cachet, right?
A:
The way I see it, as a filmmaker one of your goals is to influence pop culture, to make a film with strong public appeal. Now that I’ve done that, it really takes the pressure off. There are other types of films I really want to do more independent, more intellectual.
The challenge for me now is making the right choice because there is a lot more in front of me than there used to be.
Q: What are you planning next?
A:
My next film most likely will be an action drama; I have a lot of different options on the table. We are launching a production company based in Beverly Hills, called White Productions with me, (actor) Boris Kodjoe, Bryan White from “Stomp” and Darius Johnson. We’re going to focus on movies in the $5 million to $15 million range, and are planning on producing three of those over next couple years. We are going to launch in about a month and a half. I’m talking with distribution outlets now.
Sylvain White
Title
: Film director
Born:
Paris, 1975
Education:
A.A. Media Studies and Film and Video Production, Pomona College
Career Turning Point:
Debut of his 2002 short film “Quiet”
