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Melanin Cinematography | Lighting

Introduction It propels the food chain, giving us life; it creates atmosphere, shaping our mood and affecting how we feel. We harness it to create experiences that allow us to curate time and space. We also harness it to influence how we curate character to an audience. That is the…

INTERVIEW: The Craft of Cinematography

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw is a cinematographer who is on the brink of becoming a key figure in the discussion about African people in film. He had to travel across the world to Africa to shoot Kalushi (2016) for him to be anointed as a world-class cinematographer back home in the United…

Melanin and Cinematography

Looking at the Challenges of Lighting Darker Skin Tones There can be no strong opposition to the fact that the use of cave walls serves as our first encounter with the art of self-expression using color to paint and communicate our environmental heritage. The first Shamans of indigenous cultures around…

Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl: Julie Dash’s Celebration of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

Julie Dash is creating a documentary titled Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl, exploring the life of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, a culinary and cultural pioneer. The series showcases her journey from a Gullah Geechee community to global influence, emphasizing her contributions to food as a means of identity, resistance, and liberation.

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The Michelle Materre Collection
The Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA) presents a series of special programs celebrating its acquisition of the collection of renowned distributor, programmer, and educator Michelle Materre (1954–2022). Founded in 1981 at Indiana University, the BFCA is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making accessible films and related materials by... Read more
INTERVIEW: The Truth is in the Content
KweliTV founder DeShuna Spencer’s Vision Streaming platforms are great alternatives to cable and network tv and offer a wider variety of programming than traditional television. There are a few streaming services that aren’t only Black-owned, they offer stellar afro-centric shows. Black on Purpose Television, American Legacy Network, Brown Sugar... Read more
These Three Black Celebrities Are Utilizing Digital Platforms to Help Burgeoning Voices in Film
Filmmakers control story narrative through a lens. Since its beginning, theatrical release has been the gold standard for exhibiting and releasing films. However, every artform experiences innovation and the latest for film is the digital platform. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and YouTube Prime are the top four powerhouse SVOD (subscription... Read more