Darryl Moore and Yasmien Ziyad on “Harvest”

On the set of HARVEST

We had the chance to sit down with up-and-coming actors Darryl Moore and Yasmien Ziayd, the lead actors of the short FILMAtlanta/ Blank Stage collaborative film, “Harvest”. Both Darryl and Yasmein were fantastic to work with and because of their preparedness made the production process run quite smooth.  We have worked with Yasemin a lot, and is a student of the long form improv workshop,”monomyth” that periodically runs out of Blank Stage. Darryl we recently have had the pleasure of knowing through  our recent collaboration with FILMAtlanta.

(shamless plug – FILMATLANTA is an amazing meetup group that is truly expanding, so if you are in the area check it out.)

Describe your characters and your approach to acting them out for “Harvest”!

(Yasmein) Brandi is a young lady fighting for her fathers love and favor. She’s tired of having to carry the weight of the family’s problems on her shoulders while her half brother, Jim, does nothing and is always given the praise and glory and help from her father that she has always fought to gain. Even in her fathers death she is stuck with the bad end of the stick and having to take care of her older brother in this process (as usual). Deep down she truly loves her brother and wants him to be in her life the way an older brother is supposed to be but despises him for not being there.

In order to bring this character to life, I used the Ivanna Chubbuck 12 Step Technique (The Power of the Actor). Where it teaches how to be able to to break down a script in order to make it interesting and behavior appear and feel real. I had to first identify my character’s primal need, goal, or objective. With this objective in mind, I found the appropriate personal pain, to use for subsitution, that can effectively drive my character’s objective. This pain had to be strong enough to make me commit to doing whatever it took to win my objective. I put my personal pain with my character’s (Brandi) overall objective with hopes to connect me to Brandi’s predicament. I had to establish what my moment before was for each scene and what were the obstacles Brandi was faced with which helped in making her choices more real and natural.

(Moore) Jim is the older half brother of Brandi. He is a doctor that lost his license because he was caught selling human organs. Jim is not a bad guy. He just made bad decisions and because of that, he had to do bad things to survive. These life choices create a bigger rift between him and his sister. She was already jealous of him from childhood.

I got into character by applying my own life experiences. I am a mixed bag like Jim. I made some bad choices in my past that caused me to make adjustments that were not so popular with those around me. Tough times call for tough decisions. Either you will survive or you will lie down and die. The choice is yours. I ask myself three questions about Jim. What is he trying to accomplish? What is his biggest obstacle? What is his biggest fear?

What was the production process like for you both?

(Yasmein) The production process was quick and efficient…very good experience. The team was put together fairly quickly, the location was GREAT!! And we shot a GREAT film within a couple of days. Overall, I loved the experience and learned a lot just by watching everyone behind the scenes. Acting is the easy part, the production process is where the real work is!

(Moore) The production was so much fun. Everything was so efficient. I learned a lot about how things are done behind the scenes. I have been on sets that were chaotic. That was not the case on the set of Harvest. It was a very professional environment.

What were some favorite moments on set, behind the scenes, that you can share?
(Yasmein) My favorite moments on set was getting to let some built up anger out on my co-star, Darryl Moore, just kidding, I didn’t really have one favorite moment inparticular because all of them were my favorite moments, what can I say? I’m easy to please (LOL).

My favorite behind the scenes moments where joking around with everyone, ESPECIALLY!! those half nude barbie dolls (someone drew a nipple on one of them-HAHA!!), and that really big can of RED BULL!!! Thanks Cynthia!! They really do give you wings!

(Moore) My favorite moment on set was all the cutting, slashing, and stabbing I got to do. The only drawbacks were dragging bodies, picking up dead victims, touching animal parts, and the heat when we were outside filming. (LOL)

I enjoyed the behind the scenes time chatting with my fellow cast mates and film crew. Yasmein is very funny to me. Our chemistry on film was very good.

How have these characters been different them some of the ones you have played in the past?
(Yasmein) The difference between Brandi and the other characters that I have portrayed in the past is that, she has real issues and a range of colors, and deep down she’s hurting and wants to be loved and accepted. She in so many ways is me, except without the killing part (LOL). It challenged me mentally and emotionally. I wanted the opportunity to show more of what I am capable of doing and have learned as an actor. I wanted to be able to grab people in a way that they would be able to take this emotional rollarcoster with me and want to see me win the same way it grabbed me when I first read the script. It pushed me to take bigger risks to bring her to life.

(Moore) The role of Jim gave me an opportunity to expand my range a bit. I wanted to play someone who was constantly in motion. You didn’t know what he was going to do from one minute to the next. Jim was a mystery. Just when you think you knew him, he came with another layer or he concealed a layer.

What are your hopes for the project?
(Yasmein) My hopes for this project is to get noticed, to generate a buzz and for a lot of people to see it and want more because they’ve enjoyed it so much! Would LOVE for someone to want to invest in turning it into a full feature. I also hope that it gets me more projects that will continue to push me more as an actor!

(Moore) It is my hope that Harvest will do well in the film festivals and a potential investor will contact us about developing it into a feature film project.