The passion and purpose found in the new short film, Across the Tracks is electric. Once just a concept in the mind of director Mike Cooke, the project was brought to life with the help of producer and co-writer Kimberly James, and filmed in the small town of Arlington, Georgia, where there’s one single streetlight, and just 1,440 people.
The film is based in the 1960s and is centered on two African American sisters growing up in racist, rural Georgia. One of the sisters has fair skin and decides that she wants to pass for White when the schools become integrated.
Cooke stopped by rolling out to share his personal story as well the backstory of Across the Tracks.
How did your educational background prepare you for a film career?
I went to Savannah College of Art and Design. I majored in television production with a minor in photography. Throughout that time it was very hands-on. We were shooting a lot and learning how to do proper budgets. Really it was one of those situations where we had so much time in the field that it was almost like a learn as you go type of thing.
What are some of the projects you’ve worked on?
I’ve done a lot of music videos. I’ve worked with artists such as Ludacris, Travis Porter and Gucci Mane, but on the flip side I’ve also worked in internal broadcasting and that was a completely different avenue from film. You know one day they would want a promo for HLN, then the next day I would be doing headshots for anchors on CNN, then the next day after that I would be doing commercials for Hot Wheels and Legos. Everyday was a diverse and fast paced environment.
How excited are you about your new short film, Across the Tracks?
I am very excited. Every day I kind of check Twitter, Instagram and emails, it’s almost like wow, I can’t believe this is actually here. The story came about from a cold winter in New York where my producer and co-writer Kimberly James and I were just kind of tossing around ideas and trying to figure out if there was any big story in this concept that we were talking about. I knew I had a location to shoot this film and I had a story that I was really passionate about that I could relate to since I was born in Georgia. The town that we actually shot in was my grandparents’ hometown Arlington, Georgia, where the population is 1,400 people with one stoplight. Every since I was little I always wanted to shoot something there. With Kimberly’s expertise with how she tells stories and my passion for the actual subject matter itself, it came together like a really good harmonious [piece].
What did you enjoy most about the production process?
I really enjoyed working with the actors and actresses to bring the story to life and letting them have their free range to develop the character around the [script]. I can’t even articulate how good of a feeling that was.
What was the crowdfunding process like?
Crowdfunding was my best worst nightmare. It’s challenging in so many ways [that] you’re not even expecting. We set a goal for $20,000 between myself, Kim and everyone else that was on production. To crowdfund, you really have to get your crew and actors involved because the more people you have talking about your project, the better it will be. It was a month solid of gut-wrenching promotion, emailing and corresponding. We also aligned ourselves with organizations to make sure they knew we were crowdfunding. We had a lot of supporters. I think within the first 24 hours we had close to $3,000 and that’s what really started us [out] right. We crowdfunded through Seed and Spark, they were amazing and they held our hand the entire way through.
Since finishing Across the Tracks how do you feel you’ve evolved as a director?
I think with every production you learn a little something new. I couldn’t have shot Across the Tracks if I had not had all the years of production I had before that. I took all that information and tried to morph that into something that worked best for me. After Across the Tracks I really just feel like as a director I crossed another hurdle and I understand things I should look out for when preparing to shoot. I would say I definitely learned how to roll with the punches. You don’t really know what you’ve learned on a shoot until you can do the net shoot and use that discipline that you learned on the last one.
What is your favorite pastime when you’re not working?
When I’m not working, I keep it simple and chill. I have a very small circle of friends who are all in the industry and we will go for months straight without seeing each other and then when our schedules align so we can hangout we will all hit a bar and make a day out of it in New York. I also enjoy sleeping. I don’t skydive or bungy jump or anything like that my pastimes are usually chill.
What’s next on the horizon for Mike Cooke?
The horizon looks really fun. There are a lot of great things on the horizon for me and I just can’t wait to get on them. We have a couple of projects written and we are just waiting for the OK from the powers that be to sign on the dotted line and say we have the green light.
Instagram: @acrossthetracksfilm
@mikecooktv
Twitter: @attfilm
