Legendary jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington is widely considered one of the true giants of 20th century music. And from the late ’30s, he also formed half of one of the most prolific and important songwriting teams ever, with a young man named Billy Strayhorn. Ellington was a true jazz giant; Strayhorn (who was also openly gay in a time when that was nearly unthinkable for a public figure) his unassuming partner standing in the wings. Their musical collaboration would last almost 30 years – through “Take the ‘A’ Train”, “Something to Live For”, “Chelsea Bridge” – until Strayhorn’s untimely death in 1967.

Now Duke’s grandson, Film Production alumnus and current Writing student Paul Mercer Ellington, wants to bring this ambitious story to the screen. Paul, on whose shoulders the considerable Ellington legacy rests, knows the best way to shepherd a film version means being actively involved in its creation and production. Enter VFS.

While in Film, Paul worked on several student productions as director of photography and camera operator, and was a producer on the stylish City of Gloom. Now he’s facing a new set of challenges as he learns the art of screenwriting, while balancing the many responsibilities of being an Ellington. Paul was kind enough to speak with us about his grandfather, his VFS experience, and his plans for the future.

You did Film Production at VFS, and now you’re back for Writing. What motivated you to do that?

Paul: I think, firstly, I can’t sit still for too long. I get bored and that’s bad. Seriously, though, I came into some royalties when I was 18 and I didn’t want to become, as one person put it, a “trust fund baby”. I found that to be fairly offensive, and that basically propelled me to go back to school again. I went to Film Production so that if a movie were to be made about Duke, I would make the case to the producers that I should be involved and not just given an associate producer credit. I mean, I really want to work hard. I enjoy and need it. Then I realized, damn, I should write what I feel is a unique story… Duke & Billy… I needed the tools to write this, therefore I am back at VFS.

Filmmaking and screenwriting are obviously complementary storytelling mediums, but are quite different on a day-to-day level. Have you found there to be many challenges in making that jump?

Paul: I think the sitting by the computer, it sometimes drives me nuts. The finished product, much like film production, is great. People talk about your projects, telling you what’s good and what needs improvement. It’s a very safe environment, so I feel that anyone that is interested in the medium would be comfortable with the jump because there is tons of support for you.

I obviously like to light things, and not being able to do that is a little unnerving, because nobody wants to get rusty, but I am keeping the skills up by reading and staying as current as I can. The main rub is that you must put aside your current job. You will not be able to work properly for one year – unless it’s more screenwriting. I think more kids and adults are becoming more adept at multitasking, which if you are Canadian you kind of have to in this business.

How do you balance the responsibilities that come with being part of the Ellington legacy with a pretty intense year of film school?

Paul: Being the Executor of The Lene, Mercer & Duke Ellington Estates and the Musical Director of The Duke Ellington Orchestra is challenging. There are issues that come up, and sometimes I do not eat lunch because I am making phone calls. Essentially, though, school comes first. I am taking this very seriously, as I did my Film Production year, and everyone around me knows how important the legacy and the Estates are. There are people that help me with the day-to-day stuff, and when I am needed, I make sure I take care of business. It is a very delicate balancing act and you will never make everyone happy. I am sure there are folks that wish they could get a hold of me 24/7/365 but, unless it’s really urgent, school comes first.

We’d love to hear about this planned biopic about Duke and Billy Strayhorn. Why is it important to translate that story to film?

Paul: I was warned not to start writing it yet, so I am waiting until my first feature is done in a few months to actually write. I have lived with those two characters my whole life and I know that they were best when they were together. Obviously, I feel that there was potentially a certain friction in their relationship and this is what I would like to explore. My granddad dealt well with most things, but certainly nobody is perfect.

I think the synergy between these two giants is particularly unique. Rock or hip-hop catalogs of songwriters from today and yesterday certainly have generated more money. Intellectually, though, taking nothing away from some of my favorite songwriters like Jagger/Richards or Lennon/McCartney, they didn’t go as deep musically as this kind of songwriting. My granddad just went about things differently than they do today, and I would like to remind people of how great he was.

What’s your feeling about other jazz biopics and quasi-biopics like Bird, Round Midnight, and so on? As a writer/filmmaker, do you take any lessons from those?

Paul: I think the filmmakers had good intentions, but I know Bird’s [Charlie Parker's] family a bit, and they were not too pleased with the way my father’s friend was depicted. That’s too bad. Look, everyone has issues or conflict in their lives, and it’s sometimes tough to make that interesting. Additionally, it’s tough to do this and keep the integrity of the music and the men, and still make the family happy. I feel that I am in a very unique place and would be able to do a good job. I hope I’m not rambling, but having toured and spoken to my father [Mercer Ellington, who led the band after Duke passed away in 1974] at length about Duke and Billy, I think I should be the one to write this story.

I did speak to Clint Eastwood about doing this project prior to doing Film Production. I sent him a proposal and everything, but as you know, he is a very busy man and I think he was done with that genre.

The public image of Duke Ellington is one of elegance and almost unimpeachable dignity. [Duke is even memorialized in a well-known statue in Central Park.] Where do you find the dramatic arc in his story?

Paul: Duke’s dramatic arc is initially being a huge star, then a fall from grace, and finally a return upon meeting Billy. There will be plenty of bumps in the road for both men. It’s hard when one got most of the spotlight, but then again without Duke, Billy wouldn’t have had as much of his music heard.

Many thanks to Paul for taking the time to share his thoughts. You can see his VFS Film Production reel on YouTube, while listeners unfamiliar with Duke Ellington or Billy Strayhorn would do well to check out …And His Mother Called Him Bill, Duke’s gorgeous and poignant posthumous tribute to Strayhorn’s music.