Spike Lee is an award-winning writer & director who's widely known for his socio-politically charged work & Black-centered narratives. He's also renowned for his unique use of the Double Dolly Shot technique, a directorial technique that has set him apart from his constituents.
The dolly has always been an integral part of filmmaking, since the early days of cinema. It functions as a tool that allows filmmakers the freedom & mobility to move the camera in a fluid motion — a tough task for DPs handling cameras that were historically large & expensive.
As time passed cameras became lighter & compact but the need for seamless fluidity in movement still persisted & the dolly stayed put.
Lee, who was always experimental with camera movement & position, challenged the visual component of filmmaking, using a dolly to hold both his actors & the camera. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
By putting both on a dolly, Lee & his DPs created a dream-like sequence where it appeared that the actor was floating through space in a smooth motion.
Inspired by Lee's hero Melvin Van Peebles's use of the double dolly Shot in his 1967 film “The Story of a Three-Day Pass,” Lee & cinematographer Ernest Dickerson first tried using the Double Dolly Shot while filming “School Daze” in 1988.
While Lee initially used the dolly shot to "show off" (his own words), he started incorporating it in his narrative structure in later movies to transpose "a transportive or alienated feeling."
This can be seen in his 1992 biopic, “Malcolm X” where we see Malcolm (Denzel Washington on his way to his final speech at the Audubon Ballroom. He poetically glides towards his inevitable tragic ending, accompanied by the beautiful score of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come."
The double dolly shot has become a signature for Lee as it’s been used throughout his entire career including his 2019 Academy Award winning film, “BlacKkKlansman.”
The intentional act of taking the audience out of the story — disrupting & disorienting them by breaking the fourth wall — has garnered much praise & scrutiny — something Spike Lee knows all too well about.
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Exploring the photographical interest and visual strategy of Malcolm X. A thread. 🧵
Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister, speaker and human rights activist who served as a prominent figure during the Black Power Movement in the 1950s and 60s.
Though primarily known as an electrifying orator and defiant voice for Black empowerment, he also harbored a unique interest: photography.
On this day in 2022, Kendrick Lamar released "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers"
Exploring Lamar's most vulnerable and present album. A thread.🧵
For 1,855 days since the release of his Pulitzer Prize winning album, DAMN., Kendrick Lamar was going through something.
With his first album release since the announcement of his creative venture pgLang and final release under Top Dawg Entertainment, Lamar's "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" is a startlingly personal and confessional album that sees the rapper at his most vulnerable and present.
Spike Lee is an award-winning writer & director who's widely known for his socio-politically charged work & Black-centered narratives. He's also renowned for his unique use of the Double Dolly Shot technique, a directorial technique that has set him apart from his constituents.
The dolly has always been an integral part of filmmaking since the early days of cinema. It functions as a tool that allows filmmakers the freedom and mobility to move the camera in a fluid motion — a tough task for DPs handling cameras that were historically large and expensive.
Kwame Brathwaite (b. 1938) was a pioneering photographer and activist who dedicated his career to promoting Black pride and empowerment.
Born in Brooklyn, New York to a family of artists and musicians, Brathwaite originally envisioned himself becoming a graphic designer; however, after witnessing the disturbing images of Emmett Till in 1955, he decided to make a pivot and picked up a camera instead.
Ally Green (@Vintageasoul) is a LA-based photographer from Houston, TX actively capturing Black energy, beauty and power through her timeless visual narratives.
Operating in her full purpose, Green has navigated throughout the entertainment industry lensing some of your favorite artists and public figures with her vibrant and dynamic portraits and campaigns.
Yes, that’s Stevie Wonder. And also yes, he was arrested in 1985.
A brief thread on Stevie Wonder, South African apartheid and his relationship with Nelson Mandela.
Stevie Wonder was arrested in 1985 during an anti-apartheid protests outside the South African Embassy, in Washington D.C. Wonder’s arrest marked the 1,069th person who was arrested in the nation’s capital since daily demonstrations began back in November of the previous year.
If you don’t know or need a refresher, apartheid was a legislative practice that upheld segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-white citizens of South Africa.