Dylam Mercer asked independent filmmaker Keith Lakean Powell about building opportunity, learning by doing, and turning a childhood love of storytelling into a film career.
This Connect Hub TV interview is presented as questions by Dylam Mercer and answers by Keith Lakean Powell.
Powell, originally from Clover, Virginia, says storytelling started long before film sets. As a kid, he loved taking toys and creating stories with them at home. That instinct eventually became the foundation for Lakean Entertainment Productions, a company designed to create a home base for new actors to learn, gain experience, and find opportunity.
Dylam Mercer: Where are you originally from, and what was it like growing up there?
Keith Lakean Powell: I am originally from Clover, Virginia. I grew up as a kid who loved taking toys and creating stories with my toys at home.
Dylam Mercer: When did you first become interested in filmmaking?
Keith: I always wanted to be seen on a TV screen as a kid. I did not live around areas that had opportunities, so in 2017 I decided to make my own opportunity and give people opportunities.
Dylam Mercer: Was there a particular movie, filmmaker, actor, or experience that made you realize you wanted to make films yourself?
Keith: No special person made me want to do this. It originally came from the love and wanting to be seen in a film. I became a filmmaker just to become an actor.
Dylam Mercer: You originally wanted to act. What pushed you to stop waiting for opportunities and begin creating your own films?
Keith: The passion made me active. It was a must factor and a never-give-up mindset.
Dylam Mercer: How did you get started as an independent filmmaker without following the traditional Hollywood path?
Keith: I got started by doing my own skits and short stories, learning the process at first from that, which then drove me to doing features and series.
Dylam Mercer: You wear a lot of hats as a director, writer, producer, actor, cinematographer, and editor. Which role do you connect with the most?
Keith: In order to do this, I have to deeply connect with all of them and treat each position as a main factor, or it will not be as good. I choose being an actor the most, but I take all of them as serious factors.
Dylam Mercer: What inspired you to create your own production company, Lakean Entertainment Production?
Keith: I needed a brand, something to market my films under and have a foundation, so new actors can have a home base to learn and gain opportunities.
Dylam Mercer: How would you describe your filmmaking style to someone discovering your work for the first time?
Keith: My style is four keys to success for micro-budget films: idea, location, cast, and story. First I think of the basic idea. Then I find the location to fit the idea. Then I find people who fit the story. The final part is writing my script or story with what I have and what I know. I stick with this style when setting up pre-production. It works for me every time.
Dylam Mercer: You are known for allowing improvisation in your productions. Why is improvisation important to you as a director?
Keith: I am very known for improv. It helps me out a lot because I do not have to fry my brain when writing dialogue. The actors are comfortable enough to create what makes sense compared to trying to remember word for word. Most independent actors have a normal job and do not have much time for rehearsal or Zoom calls.
Dylam Mercer: What do you look for in an actor when you are casting one of your films?
Keith: The first things I look for are determination, dependability, and honesty over best performer or highest fanbase. We need an honest actor who will be dependable and determined to play their role.
Dylam Mercer: How important is it for you to create opportunities for actors and filmmakers who might otherwise have difficulty getting noticed?
Keith: Lakean Entertainment Productions is similar to a college program to give actors opportunities, experience, and exposure. It is very important because they will help you shine by helping them shine.
Dylam Mercer: Independent filmmakers often have to work with limited budgets and resources. What has been one of the biggest obstacles you have had to overcome?
Keith: The biggest or hardest thing in filmmaking to me is the marketing. It is hard to raise money for marketing, but easy to make a film because I stick to my four keys of success and only do movies I can afford.
Dylam Mercer: What has been the most difficult film you have made so far, and what made it challenging?
Keith: The western film was the most difficult one because of dealing with a big cast and keeping up with the roles and storyline, plus playing a lead character while editing it and marketing it.
Dylam Mercer: Is there one film you have made that you feel represents you best as a filmmaker?
Keith: Not one film represents me by itself. All of them show that I am a diverse filmmaker who does different genres.
Dylam Mercer: Your filmography includes crime, thrillers, horror, comedy, and other genres. Is there a genre you feel most at home working in?
Keith: No genre is my favorite because I would get bored. I try to fulfill myself by stepping into different challenges, which are different genres. Horror and thrillers are easier to make in my opinion as a filmmaker.
Dylam Mercer: Where do the ideas for your characters and stories usually come from?
Keith: My ideas come from everything, whether it is something I see on TV or something in real life.
Dylam Mercer: How much of your own life or experiences find their way into the stories you tell?
Keith: I inject some ideas from what I have been through, but most come from something that never happened. It is a free creative source of mind power where I just think of wild stuff.
Dylam Mercer: What is something audiences might not realize about the amount of work that goes into making a truly independent film?
Keith: The money you have to spend, the time you have to invest in it, and the workload you have to take upon yourself.
Dylam Mercer: What have you learned about yourself through becoming a filmmaker?
Keith: I learned that I never give up on a passion. I learned that I actually know what I am doing now and how to set it up.
Dylam Mercer: What does success mean to you?
Keith: Success is actually getting the film completed and having a place to show it to the world. That is a finished project, and now you are officially a filmmaker. Basically, you were successful at your mission to make a film.
Dylam Mercer: What do you think independent filmmakers can offer audiences that larger Hollywood productions sometimes cannot?
Keith: You never know what could happen. You never know what could go viral these days.
Dylam Mercer: What advice would you give someone with a great film idea who keeps waiting for somebody else to give them an opportunity?
Keith: My best advice is to learn the business, buy your equipment, find like-minded people, get some friends, and start your journey.
Dylam Mercer: Looking back at your first projects compared with what you are creating today, where do you see the biggest growth in yourself?
Keith: Everything: acting, editing, casting, movie quality and sound, and the business side of it.
Dylam Mercer: What are you working on right now that you are most excited for audiences to see?
Keith: Black Smoke Tales, a TV series similar to Twilight Zone and Tales From The Crypt, but this is a thriller anthology, not horror.
Dylam Mercer: Where do you want Keith Lakean Powell and your filmmaking career to be five years from now?
Keith: I hope to just get better and better and try to build my fanbase. I am also looking at stand-up comedy and creating a game show, so movies are something I will do, but not as much.
Dylam Mercer: Finally, when people watch your films years from now, what do you hope they remember about you as a filmmaker and storyteller?
Keith: I hope they just remember my name. I want to be known as the guy who actually created his own opportunities and gave people opportunities.
Dylam Mercer takeaway: Keith Lakean Powell's story is not built around waiting for a perfect industry invitation. It is built around making the first version, learning the process, building a brand, and giving other people a place to begin.
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