Mike Hall, a resident of Lewes, is best known for his powerlifting abilities that earned him the title “World’s Strongest Drug-Free Man.” His story was routinely brought to high schools in the early 90s as part of an effort to combat steroid and drug use. His daughter, Brittany Hall, has taken his story and introduced it in new ways; primarily as an upcoming short film.
A native of Seaford, Brittany went to University of Maryland Eastern Shore where she majored in English. During this time, she discovered a love of theater and began to write and experiment with theater production. Continuing her studies at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., Brittany took an interest in film. When it was time for her thesis project, she decided to turn her father’s story into a 15-minute short film titled “It Was Worth The Weight.” But this wasn’t the first time she had adapted the story; in 2022, Brittany originally created a theatrical performance of “It Was Worth The Weight,” a fully student-run production that involved over 60 students.
“The process of that was very different for me,” Brittany said, “because now I’m starting to learn different things about film other than my directing style. I had to worry about the picture and whatever is being portrayed in the movie that people could understand the emotions that come with that.”
Mike and Brittany Hall
Brittany also said that this process took her out of her comfort zone, and she had to trust and rely on other students to help bring her vision to life. When it came to turning a performance on the stage into a movie Brittany had to learn the best way to take her vision into an entirely new medium. “I’m very grateful that I did theater first,” she said, “And the reason why is because the stage will let you know exactly what your vision is. You can create any vision just from there and knowing and having that experience and transforming into a film director… you’re starting to understand and see things from a different angle.”
Brittany said that a major component that she had to learn was the portrayal of exact moments and capturing emotions to convey the story in more subtle details. “It’s the same kind of process where you’re setting it up,” Brittany explained, “but now you’re worried about the camera, you’re worried about what will the audience see, what does this light mean in this scene… everything in film is very specific, it’s very symbolized, just as much as theater, but that transition (made me) have to be more specific.” Brittany also talked about working with the actors and having to focus on their performances in a much more detailed and precise way than she did with theater.
When first coming up with the theater production and the movie, Brittany felt she was compelled to tell her father’s story to a wider audience, and she was inspired by the feats her father had accomplished. “I started writing about my father, all the time, I felt as if it was something God gave to me as a purpose,” Brittany explained. “I felt like it chose me, I felt as though God assigned this to me in order to do. And being not just a strong black man but a man overall in the world to inspire children to not have to rely on anything in order to be the best in the world, the hidden giant is inside of you, and we can’t go to any other source but ourselves and God. I think that’s a powerful message to share with our society.” A part of telling that message is Brittany’s future plan to take her theater production and try to get it onto Broadway, and subsequently turn that performance into a feature-length film.
Brittany says that this endeavor has been a risk worth taking. “God has kept making me run into all these people that saw what I saw but more,” Brittany explained. “It was like it was planned, it was supposed to happen. In the early stages it was nerve-wracking, but when I started meeting those that saw the vision just the way I saw it and believed in it, I think that’s when I started everything as it was.” As more and more students showed interest and there was a large turnout to auditions, Brittany became certain that this story was worth telling.
Currently, “It Was Worth The Weight” is being sent out to numerous film festivals to begin showing it off to public audiences. While Brittany views this as still the beginning of her work, she does view her efforts so far as successful and has been amazed by seeing people come together from all different backgrounds to help out with the performances “It’s beautiful,” Brittany said. “I feel as though it’s come full circle and shown all the visions that I had for the theater and the film.”
For a look behind the scenes, check out @hallfilmstudios on Instagram, and keep an eye out for “It Was Worth The Weight” at future film festivals.
