Skillz Premieres Short Film, Byron

Last night marked the debut of VA rapper, Skillz, into the realm of film making. It came in the form of a short film titled, Byron. In the Q&A session after the viewing, Skillz explained how the concept of the movie came from a chance encounter with a bum asking for change, who ended up knowing his late mother very well. He spoke on how you often automatically assume one thing about a person, but in all reality, people have many layers that you never know.

The short film focuses on Dee, a drug dealer who is torn between the streets, and the responsibilities of being a father. While hustling, he is approached by a well-to-do man looking to get high. At first he is hesitant to sell to him, but after a few tries, he caves in to the pressure. Once a devastating car accident threatens the well-being of Dee’s family, the film comes full circle in an ending that is sure to shock you as much as it did to the audience in attendance.

Skillz wrote Byron, as well as starred in it. He doesn’t play the main character, Dee, but instead, one of his sidekicks. As a whole, the cast did a great job making the characters believable and the scenes realistic. One of it’s strengths was how well the movie flowed(imagine that, coming from Skillz, haha).

Being someone who works with film, I was thoroughly impressed with the cinematography & editing of Byron. The scenes were were shot well, and the editing was cohesive. Skillz spoke about how learning different aspects of the production process were both fun and tedious, one being the audio. If there are any flaws in the production of the short film, it was the choppy background audio, which could easily be fixed.

I really enjoyed Byron & I think it’s a great introduction from Skillz into the film industry. The plot was creative & the production superb. Overall, I would recommend this to any film lover, while also commending the infamous VA ghostwriter…

Many local celebrities from the area were at the premiere, including Malice from the Clipse.