Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Drumline”

What drew Stone to this film?

Back in 2002, Stone told Nitrate Online why he wanted to direct this film.

I never thought, ‘I wanna make a movie about drummers,’ to be honest. And when it was first presented to me, the protagonist went to a school out in the Midwest, and it didn’t have the kind of impact I wanted. But when he was at a black college down South, with the traditional show style drumming, that caught my eye. And then also, witnessing it in person moved me. They have this really intense sense of athleticism, choreography, and rhythms — it’s all so dynamic. It rang like a sports movie, because the characters are like superheroes to me, like warriors, athletes, gymnasts, and musicians, all wrapped up into one. I wanted to get that kind of power on screen, that discipline, that allegiance to the teamwork.

There are a lot of scenes in it that are stereotypical of sports movies, but for me that was important to have that, because it’s not a football or basketball team, so those generic moments twist what you expect. As long as the spirit was true, I wasn’t worried about clichéd shots. And I think the story of an underdog appeals to everyone, despite the cultural specificity.