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Filmmakers, Losing Ground

In 2001, Carlus Houston wrote a spoken word piece that would consume the next six years of his life. Entitled "Sin," the poem brought the accomplished thespian worldwide acclaim. Two years later, the message in "Sin" still lingered in the head of its creator.

"I started seeking to write my own movie," says Houston. "And that spoken word piece kept coming up in me." After swallowing his pride and realizing he needed help in achieving his goal, Houston contacted his good friend Darnell Anderson. Houston told the director and playwright about the idea of making a spoken word poem into a full-length movie and Anderson was immediately sold.

"If you [hear spoken word], you hear elements of a movie because it tells a whole story from beginning to end," says Anderson. "When [Carlus] shared with me his vision, I could see it from the beginning and I thought it was a great opportunity." Released through Houston's MultiHat Productions and Anderson's Cleftworks Entertainment, the film revolves around family man, Clay Howard's (Houston) struggle to balance life and his own dark thoughts. As producers, the men managed every aspect of the film's production, while also balancing their full-time jobs and roles as family men. Out of that chaos came a quality product.

"Everything starts with a thought," says Anderson. "That's what I want to communicate to the world. I think through [Carlus'] spoken word, through the writing of the movie, [and] through the actual [airing] of the movie, that's what we communicate." - gavin p. godfrey

For more information on Losing Ground, log onto www.losinggroundthemovie.com .

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