Today we’d like to introduce you to Jantel Hope.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jantel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am originally from Dallas, Texas.
I started off acting in Elementary school.
I was in theater all through grade school.
I attended Booker T. Washington HSPVA for acting my freshman year before transferring to Westside HS in Houston, Texas.
I joined the Theater production company at my high school where I performed as well as wrote and directed my own One Act Play.
I didn’t do much theater or acting in college.
I received a Bachelors degree in Communication at The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2014.
After I graduated was when I really started getting into film. I have been in several short indie films and a few feature films.
I am still acting as well as producing and filmmaking with a small group in Houston I started currently called “The Untitled Film Group”, we are working on our fourth short film.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, many challenges. Figuring out my weaknesses and really trying to strengthen them was one of them. It is a tough industry and Texas is not the most ideal place to work in the film industry. It is very hard to book TV/Big screen film related gigs here. Most gigs are commercial, industrial or indie film work. Managing a job while chasing after your dreams can be stressful. You really have to keep a part-time or flexible job in order to make most of the auditions. Most auditions take place during normal business hours which is when a regular full time job would need you to work.
As far as with my film group, the biggest struggles have been finding people who are consistent and want to work even if they aren’t getting paid. As an indie filmmaker, you may not be working with a huge budget and you need a full team in order to make the project successful. Pre-production is a lot of work and it takes a lot of consistency and time, as well as being able to afford the cost for equipment, locations, and other film-related needs.
Please tell us about The Untitled Film Group.
The Untitled Film group aims to create unique content using Texas talent. We have only been creating for the last year, a lot of our work is just now being submitted into festivals.
What sets our films apart from others would be the kind of stories that we want to tell and the eccentric characters that we have.
The Core Four members of the film group are Ian Haywood, Jessica Law-Davis, Jeremy George and myself. We have other members who are involved in production but we handle the bulk of pre-production as well as post-production.
Our first short film, written by me is
“The Wannabes”. The story is about three friends introducing a new girl to witchcraft with hopes of gaining wealth and power. This film is different because it centers around three African-American women that are studying witchcraft. This is a unique outlook that we do not see very often.
Our second film is “Raised by Kanye”, written by Jeremy George. It takes you on a journey through the life of an awkward young man named Arturu, who is obsessed with Kanye West. He grows to learn who he truly wants to be through the many infamous acts of Kanye West over the years.
Our third film, “It’s Just Porn” written by Ian Haywood. It is indeed NOT a porno, but it involves three friends discussing the their specific interests in porn while playing video games and things get a little weird (no spoilers).
We are currently in pre-production for “Wolves”, written by me with the help of Jeremy George. It centers around Taylor Edwards, a senior student who is being bullied by other students at her school. She meets a new guy at school who influences her to get revenge and prank the students who bully her.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory would be my entire middle school experience. I enjoyed it more than in high school. I had genuine friendships. My middle school wasn’t very big so it seemed like everyone knew everyone and we all had a blast. I can remember the dances, being on a dance/step team and also having sleepovers with my closest female friends.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2818549007
- Email: untitledfilmgroupcasting@gmail.com & jantelhope@gmail.com
- Instagram: @untitledfilmgroup and @jantelhope
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UntitledFilmGroup/
- Other: www.imdb.me/jantelhope
Image Credit:
Debbie Porter Photography, Arthur Marroquin photography
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