The Filmmaker Todd Lucky Johnson
Hailing out of Mount Vernon N.Y the young Todd Johnson grew up in the era when Hip Hop was just becoming an integral part of American culture. His life is synonymous with music, primarily the genre of music known as Rap. In the early and mid 80’s, Todd would make his own “mix tapes” recording from off of the radio on Friday and Saturday nights, listening to “D.J Red Alert (98.7 Kiss fm) and “Mr. Magic (107.5 WBLS fm).
Around this time the drug “Crack” became prevalent in the 4 square mile town of Mount Vernon New York. At the tender age of 12, Todd Johnson had been enticed by the illusion of the street life. Shortly after being introduced to the drug game, Todd Johnson had several brushes with the law which eventually landed him in Division of Youth (D.F.Y) a prison for minors. Still attracted to the magnetism of street life, this addictive and detrimental life style subsequently landed Todd Johnson in (D.O.C.S) Department Of Corrections for over a decade ½.
While incarcerated he wrote approximately 8 albums, read and studied numerous books and acquired a General Business degree in 1997. Upon his release from prison in 2003, he corporated “Rackateerin Entertainment Inc.” and independently released his first L.P “Stolen legacy”, “Talk of Da Town”, and several mix tapes with local artists re-establishing and affirming his street credibility in a more positive direction. Todd Lucky Johnson is definitely on another plateau now as he displays his talents as a screenplay writer, book author, and self publisher.
Todd Johnson completed his first novel and published it under Rackateerin Ink. on 4/20/09. “Rize II Power” the sequel to “INFLUENCE” was published on 2/10/2012 under Rackateerin Ink. Moxy {The Language of Feta} the Trilogy was published Under Rackateerin Ink. on 2/10/2013. “Power Struggle” (The Conclusion To Rize II Power) final novel of a 4 Book Series published under Rackateerin Ink. 5/14/2014.
Todd Johnson has written a screenplay for his debut novel entitled “INFLUENCE” and also the screenplay for his documentary/shortfilm entitled M.I.S.T.E.R (Made It Surviving Through Extreme Reality). Here is the Don Diva exclusive interview with Todd-
What is MISTER about?
M.I.S.T.E.R is a film about a gangster who wants to change his life.. While he’s serving the remainder of his time on a parole violation, he begins writing a fictitious book about himself. Subsequently, he’s released from prison and is in the process of trying to get his book published when a series of events transpire. 18 days after being a free man he is riddled with bullets as he walks into his house. Based on a true story….
What made you decide to get into film?
I made a conscious decision to get into film because I felt the need to put visuals to my words. Also I’m a avid movie watcher & I realized that there was a void as well as an opportunity to tell my type of stories. We all are unique in what we do & I feel that there’s room for fresh tasteful stories that are gritty but have substance.
Describe the filmmaking process?
The filmmaking process to me consists of having a well developed story to tell. Next, a casting call would be conducted to look for actors & actresses.. Next would be to break down the script and figure out what type of budget will we need to pull it off. Once we feel that we have the resources to start & cover production, we’ll do some rehearsals, and began production. Last but not least the editing process begins along with marketing & distribution.
Did you write, direct and produce? Explain.
Yes. I wrote the script because it was a personal story about my life, so I wanted to be as truthful as I could be. I needed as much creative control as possible to tell this story. Initially I had hired an established director to direct the short film, but during post production I realized that he wasn’t committed or consistent to the project. Eventually we came to the conclusion there was a conflict of interest. My reason for independently executive producing this film was because it was difficulty finding financial help.
What can people get from watching your film?
The will get the truth! They will get an inspiring story from someone who really lived that way of life. They will be able to understand that we all have the power of choice. They will get a great story but they will walk away with a message.
When is it coming out and where can people get info on it?
It’s scheduled to be released November 2015 and people can get updates and info at our Face Book #MISTERPage https://www.facebook.com/pages/MISTER/1571890193089087
Who stars in it and plays the main characters?
Lead actor is a talented fella by the name of Darryle Jermaine as LUCK BILLZ and Lead actress is Bridgette Chantel as LYNETTE. Supporting actors Hasheem Rivers as SHAMILLZ, Black Reign as STRATEGY, Dave Sweeney as OLIVER SMART, Warren Richards as GRIP, Manny Fresh as GBOY, and others…
You are an author too how many books do you have out?
I am a self published author of a 4 book series. All books are available on a Amazon a Kindle & Nook..
What was it like making the transition from books to film?
It was pretty cool because I’ve always written my books as if they were movies. However, writing a book opposed to a script is two separate entities.
What can people expect from you in the future?
Subsequent to M.I.S.T.E.R The Movie, we will be putting out an 8 to twelve episode Webseries entitled M.I.S.T.E.R (Made It Surviving Through Extreme Reality) on Youtube… Also 1st single off the MISTER #Soundtrack Produced By @beatzbyneff Available on #Itunes #99cent…..http://itunes.apple.com/album/id991798205
Check out the trailer-