The first time I ever stepped foot on a real movie set was at 16 years of age when my cousin and I visited the Brooklyn Armory where John Singleton’s SHAFT was being filmed. I never got a chance to meet him that day because filming had wrapped, but I took a small pencil from a mock police desk where he had cameoed as a cop in the final cut. That day is still a reminder of what made me want to be a filmmaker growing up and John’s work was truly inspirational. His commentary track for BOYZ IN THE HOOD was my own little film school in itself as he taught me how to find my voice as a visual artist in the medium. I had hoped to see him get back to the big screen until his untimely passing today. My heart goes out to his family and colleagues. As a special tribute, here’s the first of a past 2-part episode of THE CINEFILES that I taped with Jeff Gallashaw where we talked about the career of the legendary John Singleton.
RIP John Singleton
Published by ajepyx1
Award winning NYC-based filmmaker and educator Andre´ Joseph had a love for movies from an early age. He began his career making short films with family and friends on home video. Andre´ attended the New York Film Academy summer program in 2001 where he first gained experience working with 16-millimeter film and later graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emerson College in 2006 where he received a bachelor’s degree in Film. In 2008, Andre´ formed his own indie film production company, AJ Epyx Productions. Since then, the company produced three professionally made feature film projects as well as four award winning short films. Among the company’s most successful projects include the crime thriller VENDETTA GAMES (Winner for “Best Urban Action Film” at the Cinemax-sponsored 2017 Urban Action Showcase and now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi) and the dramatic short film THE SAXOPHONIST (Winner for “Best Film” at the 2018 NY Jazz Film Festival and now streaming on The BeBop Channel app). As of 2021, Andre´ is currently in post-production on his next short film, DISMISSAL TIME, an anti-bullying tale loosely based on a high school incident. In addition to film projects, Andre´ has also freelanced as a videographer and editor for companies such as Vintage NYC Magazine and NBC Entertainment. Andre´ is also highly active in educating aspiring young filmmakers who seek to produce their own movies someday. He produced three online video courses on film production and screenwriting at the learning website, Skillshare. In 2021, Andre´ taught a 6-week summer film and video program to students at IDEA Center for the Arts in Camden, NJ. He has also served as a guest lecturer at various institutions including Wesleyan University, Essex County College, Brooklyn High School for the Arts, and Emerson College. View all posts by ajepyx1