INT: How do you work with music?
MVP: I work with music like I work with actors. After I have the film in sequence and fairly tight in the sequence the other actor, i.e. the music, begins to come to me how I want him to talk and what I want him to say. And so then I write it and then I decide sonority, the instruments, which is very important. Sometimes the instruments can just be a human voice sometimes it can be whatever. EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE or KALIMB. It can be a number of things. And then I add that and use that, mix it right along with the rest of the editing at that stage in the game. [INT: What about sound design and effects?] All audio is almost all the same. The sound effects and the music they’re almost practically one for me. [INT: What about mixing of the film?] I know exactly what I want to hear, when I want to hear it and how. I just put it all together. I don’t even think about it.

INT: What’s the worst part of directing? What’s the best part of directing?
MVP: Both of those two things I don’t know. I don’t know what the worst part is. I can’t think. That’s interesting. No words for it. [INT: Best part?] No best part, no best part.

INT: When did you first join the DGA [Director’s Guild of America]?
MVP: I joined the DGA in ’68 I believe. Bill Cosby, there are only three black directors and were really two that had really made features in America and that was Ossie Davis and Gordon Parks. And I had broken the whole thing loose even before them with STORY OF A THREE DAY PASS. And Bill Cosby sent for me and offered me an occasion to direct a television episode. I can’t remember the name of it. He was a high school teacher at that time and so he vouched for me so that’s how I got into the union. Bill Cosby. He was instrumental another time as you know in my life but that’s how I got into the union. I didn’t know him. He reached out to me. Every now and then things work. Who was that? Blanche Dubois. Depending on the kindness of strangers. [INT: I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.] Yeah.

INT: Any other question you want to answer here?
MVP: No. [INT: Any question that I haven’t talked about on any of the pictures or your advice to young filmmakers coming in?] Well, I’ll tell you one thing about the Guild. The Guild from what I see has tried to move along and reach out to the diversification. I like that. They’re something else. They realize with a lot of the independent productions they gone from an antagonistic stance and tried to be more inclusive and that’s nice. I’m very pleased of course, I walk in all over the States now, and I see minorities and women behind the camera and in the Guild and the other thing. That wasn’t possible before and I’m very please that I had a significant part in that evolution. That’s what I liked about your film, that’s what I liked about BAADASSSSS!. It showed that coming together, that pulling things together. For a long time of course you know all this was pushed under the rug, and it’s quite interesting that it’s coming into the open. Anyway that’s where we are. That’s where we are. What could be more gratifying than a part of bringing that light was you son. I appreciate it.

INT: Anything else you want to add Pop? That you thought about to touch on?
MVP: Nope. Not really. You got any other thoughts? [INT: No. I think we’ve…] You know, you did ask me one question. Any advice for young filmmakers? I guess what confuses me is the word young, or minority, or any of those marginalizations. And probably another thing that confuses me is the term filmmaker. First I think in anything you should learn your craft of it and maybe I’m just saying this because I have reached a certain seniority. Don’t worry about none of that. Whenever possible follow your bliss and don’t expect to win but don’t worry about losing. That’s the trick.