“The Doll”
from Story to Screen
Press from Annapolis, MD’s paper The Capital,
“The Doll” was shot on location in Annapolis, MD by the key players you see on the right-hand menu, many other dedicated professionals, and of course, students enrolled in “Adapting Literature, Producing Film.”
Professor James hopes to take the completed films into the North Carolina school system to teach students about racial issues. There are also intentions to broadcast the film on public television.
The Locations
Students and professionals alike travelled to Annapolis, Maryland to find the perfect setting for “The Doll.” Through much scouting and help from the Maryland Film Commission, Professor James and the crew settled on the Inn at 30 Maryland and a beauty shop across the street called Karen James’ Studio.
Set Designer Jan Forbes (who also plays the Colonel in the film) and Production Designer/ Art Director Richard Montgomery transformed the beauty shop into a turn-of-the-century barbershop with some very creative props and a lot of student set-up assistance.
To check out the Inn at 30 Maryland where much of the film was shot, please click here.
Student Research
Jumping at every opportunity to involve students, Professor James and others on the film gave the students’ research assignments. At the beginning of the semester, all of us were assigned various aspects of turn-of-the-century life from slang to hairstyle to assist Joy Kecken’s writing of the screenplay.
Closer to production, we received assignments from the professionals we were shadowing as well. For example, Brandi and Annie worked in the Costume Department with Caroline Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery had us investigate costumes at Duke and gather measurements from our fellow classmates. Jane worked with Richard Montgomery in the Art Department and did various research on newspapers and props that would be fitting of the time period.
Overall, students got an educational and very practical experience when much of our research made it into and contributed to the production of “The Doll.”
Dante James served as teacher, producer and director for the course and for the production of the dramatic short film, “The Doll.” A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, James is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker. Most recently, James won the coveted award for his work as series producer and director/writer of the first program in the critically acclaimed PBS series, Slavery and the Making of America.
His impressive resume includes such celebrated documentaries as Marian Anderson, Politics: The New Black Power, The Great Depression and America’s War on Poverty. He was also the executive producer of This Far by Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys, the six-part series that aired on PBS in 2003. At Duke University, James is an artist-in-residence of the Film/Video//Digital department.
Clayton LeBouef is an acclaimed actor of both stage and screen. His most recent credits include a recurring role on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and HBO’s “The Wire.” In “The Doll,” Clayton wears two hats as producer and leading man (Tom Taylor).
To read more about Clayton’s work, click here.
Josh Gibson is an accomplished director, cinematographer, and Professor. He is the Assistant Director of the Film/Video//Digital Program at Duke University.
To read more about Josh and his work, please click here.
Hugh Bonner is an experienced filmmaker and Production Manager. He was a guest speaker for the class this semester.
The Colonel (and Set Constructor)
Jan Forbes
Judge Breeman
Carter Jahncke
Production Designer &
Art Director
Richard Montgomery
Costume Designer
Caroline Montgomery
Gaffer
Bob Waybright
Key Grip
Steve Seitz
Craft Service
Daloris James
Make-up Department
Sharon Richmond
Catering
Versatile Foods, Natasha
Script Supervisor
Jessica Figueroa
The Production of “The Doll”
OTHER KEY PLAYERS ON
THE FILM
THE FILM
Photos by Elisha Nunez
