Christopher

As he explains, “Our society was founded on importing finished goods and exporting raw materials. So, we got someone else’s television before we could even develop our own. So Lord Thompson and his empire came in and set up TTT and then supplied the station with cheap television programming.” According to Laird, “These programmes were not designed to build our true cultural identity and national self-worth but capitalise on the essential insecurities of a post colonial people.”

He further reveals, “There are statements I have heard from their (US) State Department where they have said that sending cheap programmes and dumping it in the Caribbean is a way of changing people’s perceptions.

Alienated from self
“Consumer habits become directed towards advertised goods and so on. Just seeing someone’s kitchen in a soap opera means you will want to get a kitchen like that. “So that’s the economic history of television. It was never seen as a means for developing the culture, the civilisation, the people. “Most developed societies have mechanisms by which people can stand outside of themselves and see what they look like. We never had that. When we turn on the TV we become dissociated and alienated from ourselves.” Laird decided to fight on his own terms for our national identity with Gayelle The Channel and his second weapon of choice is doing what he can to help develop the local film industry. Thankfully, technology is on his side, as he explains, “The interest in film is essentially connected to the whole digital revolution and the technology which allows it to be more accessible.

“Very much like what happened in audio. The digital revolution happened and now you were not only able to record but actually manipulate, print, press and publish. “So the same thing is happening in video now. People are saying, ‘Well I can’t get my script accepted in Hollywood but I have a Mac and a camera. I can probably put something together and raise some money and make a film myself.’” Laird believes that hands-on technical expertise forms the foundation for a viable local industry as demonstrated by the success of Slumdog Millionaire, filmed in India by a British filmmaker.

Quells concerns
He shares, “If I have a film idea and I need to go to India to film, I know that when I get to India I have highly skilled technicians waiting there for me. “I probably don’t even have to go with a crew. I’ll just take my favourite director of photography. “If you are talking about a film location, what people are looking for is to save money and at the same time, get the locations ready-made. “If Trinidad and Tobago wants to attract people to make films here as the main income generator, the only way that is going to happen is if you have an industry already working in the first place. Because we are not unique! I think that we need to continue emphasising local industry development.” Laird believes the Government needs to step up, even more than it already has and he hopes TTFC’s budget will be increased, dramatically.

In his opinion, if well-executed, the return on investment can trickle all the way to the grassroots, especially at-risk youth. He quells concerns about overblown production budgets and clarifies, “We are not talking about $60 million to make one film in Hollywood. We’re talking about TT$1 million to make one film. Imagine! “About five films every year could have been coming out of Trinidad. If…even just one is good…they (the international audience) are going to say, ‘Wow, something is really coming out of this place,’ the tourism, the investment, all that will come.”

I am very excited by this movie "Mas Man" featuring the great Peter Minshall. Dalton Narine is the film's Executive Producer and Director.

SYNOPSIS
Mingling traditional Carnival elements with novel ideas, Peter Minshall goes chic to chic with upper crust art.

Art has its share of uncredited heroes and this film assesses the heft of a Trinidadian artist’s refreshing point of view of the perils of man’s incompleteness.

It is about a designer’s hubris to author a new word in art, “Mas ” (which overrides masquerade), to counteract the conformity and conservatism of Carnival in the 1970s. It’s about Peter Minshall reinventing Mas as a cutting edge tool to enlighten spectators about the complexities of life – a bold move that, in due course, influences the Olympic Games to feature him as an artistic director in Barcelona, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

There are so many textures to Peter Minshall’s Carnival art, they all tie into a story line that essentially captures his muse, flair for costumery, as well as the enigma of a man whose main job seems to open confrontation between good and evil against the backdrop of the celebrations. His calling, as such, isn't so much about being playful in the Mas as much as it is to awaken themes about modern humanity that not only display a curious slant in art but also inform audiences that are privileged to discern his work.

The film examines Minshall’s life and art, a tapestry woven from multiple threads that include his “masography” coursing through 26 years; his design and stage acumen (documented in the 2006 presentation “The Sacred Heart”); his Olympic Games contribution; the Carnival stage (the Mas) in Trinidad preparing him for the world stage (the Olympics); and his set pieces of political protest and entertainment provoking parallel emotions in major North American, European and Asian cities.