Cinematography

Introduction

Julia Dash is a world-renowned author and movie director who has worked on numerous films. Some of her popular works include Daughters of the Sun and Rosa Parks Story. Rose Parks is a movie directed By Julia Dash, which was produced in 2002. It reflects the life and biography of the popular activist Rosa McCauley Parks during the civil rights movement. The main character is Angela Bassett who pays the role of Rosa Parks. She gets married to a barber called Raymond Parks. This role is taken by Peter Francis James who acts as Rosa’s husband. Raymond also participates in fighting for African American rights and equality for all. Rosa and Raymond are members of the local branch of NAACP. However, Raymond thinks the movement group is ineffective because it is difficult to bring equality in the state. Julie Dash has also directed Daughters of the Dust, which shares similarities with Rosa Park movie. Both movies share the theme of racial discrimination, which draws special attention to the audience.

Discussion

The major theme of Rosa Parks is racial segregation. The white race considers the black people inferior and calls them Negroes. They are subjected to all sorts of injustices and oppression. For instance, public facilities are divided into two. There are those meant for black people and those for the white. Buses have also separated black and white section for passengers. In case the white side is filled and there are more white passengers, the black ones will have to give up their seats to the white people. This was the case Rosa when she was told to excuse a white man to sit. She refused to do so, and it led to her arrest.

The whole of Parks’ life in the movie portrays many racism scenes, as it was during that era. Rosa attended a school with only black students because white and black children went to separate schools. When Rosa and her brother were young, they wanted to know the differences between white and black fountain (Wheeler, 26). They changed those signs and drank from the white’s fountain. There was no difference between the water of the two fountains. This was an indication that white and black people should not interact because they are not equal. The fountain scene experienced by Rosa and her brother was depressing. A white man drank from the whites’ fountain and fed his dog on the blacks’ fountain, an indication of demeaning black people.

Racism affected the black people in many aspects. When Rosa Parks was in school, her classmate Rowena tore up her test after receiving her results. She had a low self-esteem about her because of racism. Rowena wondered why she had to work so hard in school, yet she would end up being a laborer. Rosa encouraged her that education would give them a higher chance of demanding equality with the white people. Black people were made to believe that they would never measure up to the whites and this is why Rowena saw no use working so hard in school.

Another scene is when two white women are seen talking about a story in the newspaper about two “Negros” who were found dead. One of the white women says that the “Negros” should be lynched. “Negros” was a term that white people used to refer to blacks. This goes to show how much white people hated blacks and did not value their lives because they believed that blacks were inferior to them. The fact that she wants the already dead men to be lynched demonstrates utmost racial discrimination.

After visiting Elijah in jail, Rosa feels distraught by his situation. Elijah was wrongfully accused of raping a white girl and there was no hope of getting him out of jail. Rosa takes some children to the library but they are prohibited from checking out the books because they are colored and the books are meant for white folk only. This segregation also took place in stores where blacks were forbidden from trying on shoes. This portrayed how the white folk saw them selves as better than blacks therefore they were more entitled to better resources, facilities and treatment than blacks were.

This movie includes the theme of education and economic empowerment for the black people. Rosa and other black students attended a school ran by a religious society. She says that she grew up knowing anyone is capable of achieving their objective so long as they focus to do so. This positive attitude enabled her to succeed academically (Goodridge & Grierson, 20). She encourages other students to be hopeful about their future and put effort in their education. Rosa’s education makes her enlightened about her rights and assertive about the injustices towards black citizens.

Rosa and other characters like Raymond have means of livelihood. Raymond is a barber, and Rosa is a clerk at a certain storehouse. She is not suppressed by Mr. Nixon’s comment about women. He tells her women should be at home attending to their husband and the rest of the family. Rosa responds by telling her boss that he would lack a clerk if she did not come to work. Rosa’s confidence makes her protest by sitting in the bus while she was required to stand. Her arrest made fellow black people protest. They refused to board buses and the NAACP held a meeting concerning Rosa’s arrest. The Supreme Court ruled bus segregation was not constitutional.

This film has used some features like editing, lighting, flashback and other features. They are used to ensure that the themes and message of the movie has been communicated successfully to the audience. Editing involves arranging the shots and scenes in a certain sequence, to have a complete film, which has a logic flow. The shots are organized according to the plot of the film and how the director sees it fit. Editing determines the quality by ensuring all shots include only the relevant actions (Makiewicz & Mullen, 45).

The most prominent feature in this movie is flashback. The movie begins when Rosa is being confronted by a mob of people. They are angry because Rosa refused to leave the bus seat for a white man. They ask her many questions, but she walks away and enters a bus. As the driver stares at her, she experiences a flashback of her childhood life when she was a student in a private school. The flashback includes the next scene where Rowena expresses her disappointment about her education. She is unhappy about her results and tears her test results

This movie’s particular attention is on the main character, Rosa Parks. She completely reveals the character of the real activist and hero, Rose Parks. Her confidence in the bus and the rest of the scenes enable the audience to learn history of racism and activism. She shows pity by going to visit Elijah at the prison, and she cried for him. Her character inspires other potential actors and women, to pursue their goals. Rosa brings a sense of pride and appreciation among the black people. They are grateful for the activists who fought racism and played a crucial role in its elimination. Angela Bassett not only impresses audience but also the judges who give her an award. She won an award for NAACP Image for being the best actor in TV movies. According to Wheeler (34), Angela was also awarded by Black Reel because of her prowess in acting. Any person should emulate Angela’s success in her career and work hard to achieve the same.

The theme of racism triggers anger and resentment in the audience, especially after watching the actual scenes of racism. Elijah’s case is sorrowful because he is accused of raping a white girl. The police arrested him, and Rosa went to see him in prison and consoled him. Elijah is an example of how the black people were treated unjustly. He was locked up in a cell indefinitely instead of being arraigned in court. Another annoying scene is seen as Rosa entered a bus from the front entrance instead of the back. The driver forced her out in the rain without an umbrella. She walks in the rain as she laments about the ill treatment.

Another Movie directed by Julie Dash is Daughters of the dust. It is about an African American family living in islands near Carolina and Georgia. They intend to move from the island into the mainland of America. However, Nana Peazant, the family matriarch is against the plan. Viola seems to be excited about the plan to immigrate because she prefers American practices and has abandoned her root cultural practices. Yellow May and her partner show up unexpectedly, and Eula is raped by a white man. She gets pregnant but luckily, it turns out to be her husband’s child (Goodridge & Grierson, 31).

The film’s context is the year 1902, during the beginning of the First World War. Simultaneously, America was experiencing struggle for civil rights for black people. The movie also portrays events preceding the year 1902. The Peazant’s family is of African origin, and they try to retain most of their African culture after they cross to the mainland. Nana Peazant remains behind because she does not want to go to the actual America. She is staunch on her beliefs in African culture and thinks America will erode them.

Dash has applied captivating features in this movie. The most evident is the mise en scene. This technique involves the actual actions happening. As opposed to editing, which happens afterwards, the actions happens as the shooting is going on (Makiewicz & Mullen, 67). There are several scenes depicting this technique. For example, when people are walking or doing other activities. This feature tends to bring out more reality in the film. The director used convincing costumes and props to bring out the movie setting. The lighting was also used to portray the lack of extensive development during the First World War.

Another feature is the use of magical realism. It assists the audience to understand foreign world to them. The director has used many different locations and places to shoot the movie. Magical realism makes the viewer to understand and follow the setting of the movie. A good example of showing magical realism is incorporating sound tracks, which are both visual and audio. Other features are editing and sound, which have been fully utilized to produce a quality movie. The cinematography in this movie was created and overseen by Arthur Jafa.

The movie has a theme of racism when Eula is raped by the owner of the plantation. Almost all the plantations were owned by the white people. Hurd states (Makiewicz & Mullen, 72), the man who rapes Eula exhibits a high degree of discrimination, especially towards black women. Raping any woman regardless of her race is an act of brutality and crime. It is much worse for Eula because she is a married woman. It traumatizes her especially when she becomes pregnant, and she is not sure who the father is. Eli too, becomes despaired by this action, and he fears he might not have fathered the child. This rape case is an example of the injustice black people had to experience before they acquired full human rights. In Eula’s case, the rapist escaped judgment because assaults on black people were not looked into seriously.

Particular attention to the audience is seen in two areas. One is how the Peazant’s grip on their African heritage. Even after migrating to America, they try to maintain their African practices. The movie has been shot in a settlement called Ibo Landing. Ibo is a Nigerian name referring to a certain ethnic group. This is an indication of love for their roots and origin. The one who surpasses the rest is Nana, who is even against migrating to America. Viola is influenced by American culture but still has her African sense of belonging. This family is exemplary to Diaspora people who abandon their cultures after they are absorbed in their new environment. It is important for people to appreciate their origin and maintain their positive cultural practices.

The other area is the sad scene of Eula’s rape case. It makes the viewers get a feeling of sadness when they imagine the repercussions of rape (Wheeler, 89). Eula felt demeaned and humiliated, and her husband was despaired by the act. It is also sad to know how the black people were seen inferior because they were formerly slaves. However, the audiences learn about history in the early 1900s and appreciate the freedom and justice in the present days. The movie is inspiring because it shows how the black fought for civil rights until they are now considered equal to the whites.

Both films have similar techniques like lighting, props, costumes, and camera angle. Lighting appears in different forms, according to the scene. Both movies have used key and fill light. Key light focuses on the subject or object in the scene. In area where it has been used it seems to be at an angle of forty-five degrees to the camera capturing the subject. The props include the houses, classes and other facilities or premises used in the movies. Costumes were determined by the era of the movie’s subject. For instance, Rosa Parks’ setting is during the civil rights era. The characters are dressed according to the fashion and designs of that era. The camera angle depended with the shot some are aerial views while others are closed up views (Goodridge & Grierson, 112).

There is a relationship between certain editing techniques and racism. Editing techniques have been used to develop the theme of racism. For example, at the beginning of the movie, flash back has been used to reflect of Rosa’s earlier life when she was young. It helps the audience to connect the present and past days of the society in the movie. Flash back is a technique used to explain better to the viewers about the scenes and setting of the film. This is why it shows the past because it is related to what is happening currently in the movie.

Other cinematography techniques also contribute in developing this theme. For instance, lenses and filters have helped the director to show dramatic effects or create certain moods. Filters and lenses have been used to bring different color effects or diffusion. Lenses make the audience to get a certain look or feeling, which the director intends them to have about the theme (Makiewicz & Mullen, 132). Dash has successfully raised different feeling and reaction among the audience about racism. The cinematographic techniques used in both movies have been able to deliver their intended purpose to the audiences.

Conclusion

Julie Dash uses both films to bring out the theme of racial discrimination between whites and blacks. It is clearly portrayed in Rosa Parks in almost all the scenes except the last scene when the courts decide that segregation in the buses in unconstitutional. Rosa Parks experienced racism since she was a child; it had become part of her life. The director takes the audience through her experiences and those of the people around her. In Daughters of the Dust, the director brings out racism when Eula is raped by the owner of the plantation. White people owned the plantations and this made them feel superior to blacks. Her rape displayed how demeaning their lives were in the hands of their white masters.

Works cited

Goodridge, Mike, and Grierson, Tim. Cinematography. Amsterdam: Focal Press, 2012. Print.

Makiewicz, J. Kris & Mullen, David M. Cinematography: a guide for filmmakers and film teachers. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. 2005. Print.

Wheeler, Paul. Practical Cinematography. Oxford: Elsevier/Focal Press, 2005. Print.