Produced entirely in Chicago, Showtime'sThe Chi is a coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents on the city's South Side. The residents are linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption. Quincy LeNear Gossfield and Deondray Gossfield (pictured, L-R) both made their television directorial debut with the series, which is now in its sixth season. Here, they share their experiences working on the show.
As you made your TV directorial debut on The Chi, we're curious to know how the process of directing an episodic series differs from directing a film, if at all?
Quincy LeNear Gossfield: "One of the biggest differences between directing a film and an existing episodic series is that directors are central to a film, but secondary to an episodic series. You are not the primary parent in the house. You aren't even a step-parent. You’re more like a date who gets to meet the kids, shows a few magic tricks, tells a funny joke and bounces, hopefully having made a good impression. It’s an already-established family with rules, dietary restrictions, bedtimes, likes and dislikes. So, learning how to integrate yourself and be welcomed into an established creative relationships and system is very important in episodic TV. You have to gain everyone's trust and become a team player, because the actors already know their characters, the director of photography already knows the look and mood of the series and the showrunners already know how they like the stories told. It’s a totally different approach to the job. You’re not there to reinvent the wheel or to fix what’s not broken. If you’re not good at team sports, episodic might not be your sport."
Can you talk a bit about the second half of Season 6 and the shooting style?
Deondray Gossfield: "On a show that’s been running as long as The Chi, you don’t really need to do much hand-holding. These actors have been playing these roles for six seasons now, so what you want to do is try to get them to dig for new, unexplored layers. That can be achieved by sharing your own personal experiences with them as it relates to a new story point, or we also sometimes share our own. Sometimes these perspectives open up new avenues of exploration. Other things we do to help with subtext is the use of color theory or shot composition. For example, viewers may notice that the character Alicia (Lynn Whitfield) wears a lot of red. Red symbolizes love, passion and anger - all the things that Alicia is struggling through this season. Her love for her son has caused her to act out in strange ways that contradict her calm, controlled exterior. Her passion for Rashaad has exposed her vulnerabilities that are in stark contrast to her strong, stoic exterior. Her anger for the death of her brother has filled her with red-hot vengeance (though) she tries desperately to appear that she has it all together.
"Emmett (Jacob Lattimore) and Victor (Luke James) are often shot as a frame within a frame. For example, they may be standing in the center of a doorway or window, and then the frame of the screen frames that frame in its center. It creates a claustrophobic feeling or implies that the characters are boxed in. This season, Jacob and Victor are toting the lines between good and evil, and feeling the tug from their better selves and that of the streets."
You mentioned the symbolism behind using red for Alicia's character. How does it contribute to her portrayal as a complex and multi-dimensional character?
Quincy LeNear Gossfield: "I don’t want to pretend that we did anything novel by using the color red. The color red is often used symbolically in film and TV, but for us, the color represents the duality of her character. Alicia is very complicated, and red isn’t the color you associate with her. She’s prim, proper and sophisticated, and is often bathed in gold light. We are led to believe that maybe she’s lived as a gangster princess kept safely behind gilded doors, who never had to get her hands dirty, but there’s a blood thirst in her. She can be vengeful. She can be ruthless, and she is definitely unafraid. It’s a contrasting moment to how Alicia was established otherwise. When she confronts Douda, her nemesis, it’s her femme fatale moment. In this instance, she is coming to make a bold statement - that she's out for blood and to avenge her bloodline.
"She becomes the red witch in a floor-length red mink, or some could say she's the antihero in the red cape who is coming to clean the Chi from Douda's grasp. The red moment has now become an iconic image for the character."
Can you discuss the parallels drawn between the characters Pastor Ezekiel and Papa with the Biblical story of Jesus and Judas?
Deondray Gossfield: "Pastor Ezekiel (Daniel J. Watts) and Papa (Shaman Brown Jr.) have a Jesus and Judas dynamic. Pastor has lured Papa into his crooked, money-grabbing mega church because he recognizes Papa’s light and naivete, and understands very quickly how Papa can be manipulated to help attract new, unsuspecting members to fill up the pastor’s pockets. We assign Jesus-like characteristics to every frame with Papa in it. For example you’ll sometimes see lights over his head resembling a halo. Conversely, when you first see Pastor Ezekiel in his office, he’s standing in front of a window in the shape of a cross. What should be a bright and heavenly atmosphere is dark and shadowy, with the Pastor’s Arms outstretched like the sacrificial Jesus, but the darkly lit room and his silhouetted figure tell us that something is very wrong. Papa walks in and looks small under the towering and menacing figure. We worked with our DP and production designer, Christian 'Tico' Herrera, and Kendall Bennett to make sure these underlying messages were conveyed in the images, and we’re really happy with the end result."
How do you believe your background and experiences influenced your storytelling and directorial style?
Quincy LeNear Gossfield: "We’ve lived many lives and have worn many hats. There was a time when we were called
'Jacks of all trades' in a derogatory manner. because people accused us of 'doing too much.' It was seen as a lack of concentration or focus, but in reality, it was in preparation for what we now do. 20/20 is hindsight, but everything has been incorporated beautifully into this moment as directors and producing directors. We’ve lived our whole lives in the arts. I began as a visual artist: painter, illustrator, photographer, writer, poet and performing artist. Deondray began as an actor, singer and writer. I think our brains are wired to seek beauty and to seek truth in story.
"On the technical side of directing, we are visually driven and can collaborate well with our visual team because we understand the art of pictures, color theory, light and shadow. Directorially, we are actors, so we understand their processes and perspectives. Being writers and poets has trained us to understand the subtext and the importance of exploring the meaning between the lines, which is where the truth in performance is drawn from within the written story. We also both have degrees in Psychology - which I thought would amount to wasted student loans in the end - but it provided deep insight into human motivation, behavior and the human condition. Those things are important for storytelling, performance and working well with your team. Everything that we have done and have been has found a place in our work and approach."
What were some of the more memorable moments of working on The Chi?
Deondray Gossfield: "One of my most memorable moments was when Quincy, the cast and the crew threw me a surprise birthday on the lot. I was very emotional because it was a complete full circle moment for me. We did our best to make the show a feel-good, toxic-free atmosphere, where the entire team felt seen and respected, and that day our dream manifested. To see these smiling faces full of sincere love, celebrating me, hugging me and shaking my hand, not just as their supervising producer, but as their brother and friend. It truly meant the world to me. I love this show and all the folks we work with. We couldn’t do it without them."
What were the challenges of directing Episode 12 - "City of Gold?"
Quincy LeNear Gossfield: "I think the most challenging scene of the episode was the big performance during Youth Night at the Church. It was a heavy lift to light with little time to do so. The church was massive inside, primarily lit by dozens of chandeliers high up in the dome. It required a full day before shooting to lower dozens of antique chandeliers just to change the tungsten bulbs in each fixture. Each light unit was very old, and the pulley devices were incredibly fragile. That process alone took hours upon hours to complete. On the day of the shoot, we had over 200 background actors, choreographed dancers, a full choir, singers, live light cues and LED jumbotrons with live feeds and graphics, all shot with three show cameras, a drone, and three in-house cameras. It was a lot to pull off within a 12-hour day! I think we prepared ourselves to creatively pivot and kill some of the ideas we set out to execute. With all of the delays and production mishaps, it seemed we were starting off to a rocky start, but our amazing team performed miracles in the end. Everything fell into place, the scene exceeded our expectations, and we made our day. It was almost frame by frame to our storyboards and mockups. It’s one of my favorite moments of the episode. It just goes to show that there will always be challenges, but with a great team who trusts and believes in you, together, you can move mountains. We owe so much to their hard work and talent. We really love our crew!"