Now, Grammy and Academy Award winnerH.E.R.decided that it was time for Mayfield to finally get his flowers.
Throughout the film, H.E.R.
interviews many contemporary artists, includingDr.
Image via SXSW
As the documentary premiered on the festival circuit, H.E.R.
’s own journey with her art.
you’re free to hear about how H.E.R.
Image by Photagonist
‘The Makings of Curtis Mayfield’ Is H.E.R.
’s First Feature
“Curtis needed to be given his flowers.”
H.E.R: Thank you so much.
Image by Photagonist
I’m so excited to be here.
I’m going to start with a big two-parter about getting this all going.
He also believed thatCurtis needed to be given his flowers, and so he made the call.
He was like, Would you do this?
And I was like, Oh my god.
If its not scary, is it worth it?
Image by Photagonist
H.E.R: Thank you so much.
You don’t get enough music.
So that was really important.
Image by Photagonist
It’s about his story and the stories that he told through music.
We pulled something different out of everybody.
Exactly what you said, I felt it.
H.E.R: That means I did my job, and I’m so happy about that.
Can you maybe give me a couple of pinch-me moments during those interviews?
H.E.R: There were so many, and it’s funny for me to watch them back.
Image by Photagonist
There were so many moments.
That was a big pinch-me moment.
So, it really made things real for me.
Reveals How Music Shaped Her Own Life
“Music is the soundtrack of our lives.”
The first thing was something that Dr. Dre said.
He differentiatedfalling in lovewith music andunderstandingmusic, so I was wondering if you could share those moments with us.
H.E.R: Thank you.
That’s such a great question.
I always loved music.
I was singing Curtis Mayfield songs; I was singing a lot of songs from the ’70s.
I knew who I was, maybe as a performer, and I knew that I loved music.
I did understand it, but I didn’t know that I understood it.
You know what I mean?
When I was 19, I released my first project.
Similar to Curtis,I wanted it to be about the music.
Someone also mentioned how music could make them connect to things like smells.
What is your version of that?
H.E.R: Definitely.Music is the soundtrack of our lives.
Film as well, but music is such an important extension of who we are.
It’s like the other thing we can’t live without.
It’s like food, air, water, music.
I do think that without music, a lot of moments wouldn’t be real in time.
Does that make sense?
It’s the soundtrack to our lives.
Film does the same thing.
You brought it up at a point when you were talking about how he holds the guitar.
How do you embrace imperfection in your own art?
It’s so interesting.
We’re imperfect, and it’s something I have to remember.
It’s just the reality of life.
You have this huge crew that is vital to seeing it through to fruition.
H.E.R: You know, I wasn’t really surprised.
They put in the blood, sweat, and tears.
They’re there before I come in.
I wouldn’t have made this great film without them, and they’re the best.
We were battling it out a lot, and it was the best collaboration.
Pedro Hayatt, who’s mixing things and making sure my guitar was great; he’s incredible.
Chris Jenkins, who is my mixer.
Those are the people that come to mind.
I could sit here listing off crew names all day long.
H.E.R: Man, definitely.
That’s my favorite movie of all time.
That answer is everything.
I was not ready for that.
H.E.R: You were talking about visceral memories;Matildabrings me back to being a kid.
I still think that I could possibly have powers like her.
That’s my movie.
It doesn’t matter how old I get; I will always think the same thing.
Did you watch the newMatilda, the musical?
H.E.R: I saw pieces of it, and it was incredible.
The choreography was insane.
What I did see was incredible.
I was so impressed!
Im right, you’re wrong, and there’s nothing you might do about it.
This next question pertains to another thing that I really loved about your movie.
H.E.R: That’s a great question.
It’s hard to pinpoint my favorites.
I think the main thing was probably his approach to movies and scoring films.
That, to me, is really special.
I knew it, but I don’t think I knew it on the level that I know now.
Will Direct Again Maybe a Scripted Narrative on Curtis Mayfield?
This is something else from your director’s statement that I really loved.
It is meant for interpretation."
It’s a beautiful thought and I think it’s so true.
A song I wrote called I’m Not OK years ago.
I was just having a moment.
It wasn’t, like, this big episode or whatever.
I perform it at my show, and a lot of people are crying.
“I’m just a vessel, and that was a very definitive moment for me.
Alright, now my greedy question.
Clearly, I like this movie.
The directing bug has bitten you, right?
Is there an itch to do more?
H.E.R: For sure.
I’ve been talking about it all day, so we’re going to put that into the universe.
I always say this is the manifestation table.
We say what we want here, and it happens.
H.E.R: I love it.
I’m going to be directing a narrative film sometime soon.
Okay, I like that.
Have you ever considered making a scripted narrative film about Curtis Mayfield?
H.E.R: That’s actually a great question.
It’s a great idea.
I haven’t thought about it.
It’s Kelvin Harrison Jr.
H.E.R: He’s great.
He’s really great.
I’m gonna have to think about that.
It’s a big deal.
In film and television, we give each other awards, music too, and that’s wonderful.
We should keep doing that.
I’m really proud of what I did there.
H.E.R: Wow, thank you.
Sometimes, it’s like, Man, am I really qualified for this?
That’s what this was about.
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