CREATOR CHATS VOL. 01: JOHNATHAN BROWN
November 09, 2023

In the first ever volume of Creator Chats, Lightwood founder Johnathan Brown talks his newest film, SEE HOW WE FLY. Read all about the process of bringing this story of Black male friendship and coming of age to life, as told by Brown himself:

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I wrote “FLY” as a way to process the chaos of finding yourself within a society that seems to be falling apart around you. There aren’t a ton of contemporary coming of age films centering Black male friendship, and I want to use the film as an opportunity to have a fresh, unfiltered internal conversation with BIPOC youth as we confront adulthood.

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This film was transformative for myself and so much of our incredible cast and crew, and for so many reasons. We developed and shot the story within considerable restraints, but everyone from our phenomenal DP Brandon, to our producers, to our Second Assistant Director Ye-Bon was so invested in not only seeing production through, but using the crazy process to make “Fly” the best it could possibly be. The project definitely cemented my passion for directing, and I loved finding ways to subvert expectations and challenge conventions of both indie filmmaking and Black representation within cinema.

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A lot of my approach to directing the story was about getting inside the headspace of Flex, Boots and Dizzy – letting their emotions drive the piece, and capturing the abrasive and ephemeral period they found themselves in. The guys are reckoning with the loss of their childhood innocence, and that’s devastating. Getting across their ranges of emotion and respective humanities as Black men was paramount, as well as crafting a visual language that invited audiences to see the themes of structural disenfranchisement, agency, and personal freedom within their own lives.

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There truly would be no “See How We Fly” if not for the powerhouse team that got us here. I’m infinitely grateful to them, and for the chance to share my artistry with everyone.

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