Blaxpression is the result of numerous chance encounters, spurred by my initial connection with Caleb and subsequent *unplanned* visit to Bowdoin College. Be it forming a friendship with Caleb via music, convincing Sydney to give us a tour of Bowdoin's campus upon our first meeting or renting cars to visit Bowdoin and capture Ruby's section after mine broke down, Blaxpression eventually transitioned from a school assignment to a passion project that propelled me into my love of film.
Behind The Film(s)
Filmed on the Canon EOS 90D
Blaxpression* is an expansion of my short documentary Blaxpression, filmed and edited between October of 2023 and May of 2024. At its core, it is an exploration of Black creative expression and an attempt to create a space in which Black people are able to operate without the influence of outside perception. Without the time constraints placed upon its predecessor, Blaxpression* features an additional artist and additional scenes of the original three, further showcasing their artwork and personalities. The production of Blaxpression* was made possible by funding from Colby College's Big Idea Fund.
Blaxpression featured three artists attending PWI's in Maine, and the ways in which their art helped them navigate their experience in the US' whitest state. Taking a nod from Zora Neale Hurston's Characteristics of Negro Expression, the film takes each subject's active artistic expression (namely, theater, visual art, and music) alongside their daily modes of expression, including their speech and interactions. Conceptualized, filmed, scored, and edited in the 2022-2023 academic year as a part of Colby College's "Contemporary Documentary Filmmaking" and "Advanced Contemporary Documentary Filmmaking" courses, Blaxpression received an award and was screened at the 2023 Student World Impact Film Festival. The production of Blaxpression was made possible due to funding from Colby College's Lyon Arts Lab.
Artistic Direction
Given the unique style of each subject, their respective sections were filmed with differing goals in mind. This is made evident in the filming and editing decisions made, as well as the ways in which I interacted with each subject. From Ruby's sections being almost entirely handheld, to the majority of Caleb's portions relying on the music he himself created for the backing tracks, each section is personalized to the subject's own personality and style. The use of collage to fully showcase Amara's dancing abilities and attempting to capture the full breadth of Sydney's work as a theater major as opposed to solely including acting clips follow the same style of personalization. With interviews interspersed throughout varying amounts of verité footage, each subject fully owns the opportunity to put their words into practice on camera for the first time.
In addition to the different styles of filming and interactions, the backing tracks served as an additional layer of artistic insertion. Entirely self-produced, "Blaxpression's" soundtrack features chopped and altered samples from Black artists active from as early as the 60's to as late as the 90's. Sampling, a traditionally Black artform, allowed Jordan to not only play into the uniqueness of each subject, but also to have a direct hand in the audio profile of the film. The blend between the visuals and the sounds (or lack thereof) on screen at any given time were key to curating the overall vibe of the film.
