|
Peppa Pot: What do you feel is needed in order to take the industry to the next level?
Jay Will: We need more Caribbean writers, directors and investors. We need grants in place to make short films. We need more traditional and popular Jamaican books to be turned into films. These are things that should be happening. You know how many stories there are? In America all popular books and stories are turned into movies. There should be some programs set up at UWI.
Peppa Pot: Like The Divinci Code.
Jay Will: Yes! That s what should be happening in all Caribbean countries. The most popular book in Trinidad or Barbados a movie supposed to be made for that. Ya understand?
Peppa Pot: Many people speak of back biting within the industry. Is there enough unity?
 | | Jay Will and Shaggy |
Jay Will: I respect Sean Paul. Sean Paul gave Ras Kassa the opportunity to shoot one of his videos with Jesse Torrero. I respect Shaggy and dem [Big Yard] for giving Jamaican yute the opportunity to shoot film [Shaggy s Broadway Video]. That s a big misconception "Yo, no body a Jamaica know fi shoot film. We haffi get a foreign director". No that s crap. That s why we come to America, that s why we go to school for six (6) years, just to get these opportunities. We re not getting them from Puffy and Jay-Z so as Caribbean artists we re supposed to be looking out for those people who are making moves in the Caribbean.
That s the worst part of it. When you re doing so good and these opportunities come up and they take them and give them to someone else who already buss. That s kinda how we are as Caribbean people - the labels, artists, ect. They want to know what you can do for them - there s not a lot of them doing for you. In ever situation they want to know that you re the one helping them out.
When I m this big hollywood director with crazy contracts - that s when they re going to call me and say "Beg you shoot a likkle video fi we". The minute them get a little hundred grand or two hundred dem seh "Yo! Who Who ah foreign ah gwan good?? Gimme di nicest hip-hop yute. Who shoot Puffy last video?"
Peppa Pot: The immediately reach for Hype [Hype Williams] and Little X.
Jay Will: Hype and Little X I don t mind because they pay attention to Caribbean music. Dem ah gwan good. When they go to some crazy places and get people to shoot videos I m like "Damn, what were we doing?".
Peppa Pot: Alright on a next note, you said your main goal is to produce a movie. Are you working on any movie projects currently?
 | | Jay Will On Set |
Jay Will: I m assisting directing a feature length film called Pot Hole. It s going to be directed by Paul Bucknor. He produced The Full Monty. He worked on a couple of films in Jamaica, one called Goat Head and another one called Twang. Paul is a Jamaican born English brother. I am just doing little little things. This is my first full length feature experience. You see weh mi ah seh?
I have a couple of stories, a couple of screen plays. I have two new documentaries coming out. We re shooting a new "Its All About Dancing" at the end of this year. This summer we have a really huge huge, movie .... it s not really a movie more of a documentary. But we re going to film festivals with this one, not straight to DVD. Trust me man, look out by next, trust me, I should be ready. Even if it s just some short films entering some film festivals hoping to get something. That s where my heart is. Music videos right now is just something to pay the bills and keep me staying sharp and keep giving me some experience.
Peppa Pot: Have you worked with any other video directors in Ja?
Jay Will: I m here to support. Help out anybody. I was the assistant director on Ras Kassa last video. Some people want the directors to war and badmind each other. No it nah go work. One hand wash the other. I m going to help Ras Kassa help me and me help him. I use Ras Kassa as a good example because he s humble. He s not inna di passa passa and badmind ting.
The hip-hop guys stick together. Hype Williams helped Little X, Little X schooled Benny Boom, Jesse Terrero bring Ulysses Terrero, Chris Robinson bing Jesse. Ah so all dem work together. And the whole of them mek money.
Peppa Pot: I ve heard that you re into Japanese Soul - what s that?
Jay Will: I just went to Japan, promoting "It s All About Dancing "with Ding Dong. I went into a Japanese store, I heard some music that had a little reggae beat, you ever listen to soul music... I bought the CD, it has about 40 songs on it. I m listening to some stuff that I don t even know the words to, but I can feel the soul. I can even make a video for that song. I don t know what they re saying but it s just the emotion i m feeling. I feel music is an universal tool; especially reggae music. The songs i m listening to have a reggae beat, like a one drop riddim, and a Japanese lady singing out her heart. You can look her up, the artist is called Pang.
One thing I learned when I went to MTV was diversity. It made me a little more open, a little more diverse in other cultures and other ways of thinking. That s what helped me develop my niche going into a market like Jamaica. In Jamaica you had a group of people that were doing videos. This one teach that one and that one teach this one. So their videos look a like. They didn t go to school which is what I admire about a lot of the Jamaican directors.
Peppa Pot: Is there a difference between Jay Will and Game Over?
Jay Will: Game Over is whole bunch of different things. It s a name that captures a bunch of different topics in one name. The biggest one is that different people take what they want from it. You who think one way will say, "Yo, Ah dat Jay Will ah try seh". Another person will take it another way.
What is means for me personally, the most important reason - If you notice Jay Will is popular. People associate my work with the name Jay Will. I want people to starting associating quality work with the name Game Over also. When I get signed to a major production company in America i m not going to own Jay Will anymore they will. But I can eat a little food and shoot a little one video and use Game Over and the person who I m doing the video for still associates quality with Game Over and seh, "Yeh, Game Over do my video - so everyting good!". Then there s no big quarrel over why we can t use Jay Will and we ah go get sued. Ya understand? It s just wise for any director who has an interest in the international market.
Even Little X does it. He does videos and puts Mr. X, sometimes he puts X; Hype Williams puts HW. These are all legal ways of not getting sued by the company who actually owns your name. The company that spends thousands of dollars, if I get signed to a company that s going to spend a whole bunch of money trying to put me in Vibe, Source, ect - they wan to collect 40% of you do with that name, that trademark belongs to them.
It s just a business man way of thinking you know? Yard man always haffi have yuh likkle huslte. You have you full ting then yuh have yuh likkle hustle.
Peppa Pot: Ok. We re not ging to hold up any more of your time. Last question - What s your favorite movie?
Jay Will: Story wise Shawshank Redemption. Favorite of all time Harder They Come for many different reasons.
Email This Q&A Back
|
