Filmmaker Dash Harris is the brainchild behind the ‘Negro’ docu-series which examines, through a series of interviews, what it means to be black and Latino within the Americas. Dash Harris is blurring the color lines and shedding a much needed light on the experiences of peoples of African descent around the world. Her docu-series Negro explores the interplay between race, color, and self-identification among Latinos in the Americas. By delving into the history of Afro-Latinos and giving them a platform to share their stories, Harris questions the structures that are in place to label people and attempts to shatter them.
Black and Afro-Latinxs have been doing their own organizing for generations, but in this current iteration, have shown extreme solidarity with U.S. Black people because it is our struggle as well – Dash Harris
Negro exposes the racism present in Latin American, challenges the lack of information that many people posses about blackness, as it pertains to countries outside of the United States, and directly challenges the idea that “beauty” and “white” are interchangeable concepts. Ultimately, by interviewing people of African descent in many different countries, including Panama and the Dominican Republic, Harris is able to get a large view of the identity crisis that Afro-Latinos deal with.
Our society has made it easy to categorize people broadly without understanding the history and roots of different ancestries. It’s become common to assume that how “black” you are is directly related to the amount of melanin in your skin. Instead of educating ourselves about our history and how complex and beautiful it is, we group people together and assume that we all have the same backgrounds. Conversely, while our differences have separated us and created a color complex between us, our similarities have commonly been forgotten. Most, if not all, of us are of African descent, whether we know it or not. As it was beautifully stated in Negro, if we get to a place where we see ourselves in each other, some of the hate will be dismissed.
I had to grab my handy G7X for this video. I needed something quick and easy to grab for photos on the go. I didn’t have time to carry around a bunch of lenses and for night time photography this camera is easy to put away and it fits in my jean pocket. I’ve had this camera for about 3 months and I think it’s just as good as any DSLR on the market with 24 mega pixels and 1080P video.
This film is about a young man who has a mother that suffers from Schizophrenia. This film is not a documentary, but it does show acted out events from the directors real life dealing with his mother’s illness. The director is a film student and a tutorial video expert on youtube. I sometimes watch and learn from his videos. Judging from his bright and happy personality you would never guess he was dealing with so much at home. He takes care of his mother and supports them both while going to film school. It is an honor for me to review this film, his story is so inspiring.
UH OH, it’s Fat Tuesday and we are here down in New Orleans for the ZULU parade. The crowd is going fucking crazy for coconuts and beads. The bands are playing loud and the kids are out here excited to catch anything that comes off of each float that passes by. I noticed that everybody made sure all of the kids received something, no matter how big or small, They all got a gift. The culture down here is so rich and beautiful. I can see myself moving here one day. The only thing that scares me are the floods and from what I saw in Spike Lee’s documentary on hurricane Katrina…I’ll keep my ass up north where its dry. Anyway, I took some photos to share with you all. I took my handy Canon 80D with me and I put that work in. ENJOY!!!
Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of prisoners. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America’s most notorious criminals, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and Al Capone. I took a bunch of photos with my Canon 80D and Sony a6000. I took 5 lenses with me, thats all that could fit in my small camera bag. This was place spooky and cold. I got some good shots, but I would’ve loved to take video. They didn’t want anybody taking videos at all, that was a bummer. We spent about 3 hours there. There is an audio self guided tour you can take for $14. The story of the prison even crazier than the photos. If you want something to do any day during the week come check out Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. They are open from 10am – 5pm everyday. I really enjoyed my time here.
Hole in the Head: A Life Revealed tells the extraordinary life story of Vertus Hardiman. It is a highly moving and vivid motion picture about the triumph of the human spirit. Additionally, the documentary exemplifies how the lives of two individuals were changed forever through an incredible friendship. After singing next to each other in a church choir for over twenty years, Vertus finally reveals to Wilbert a tragic and horrific secret he was forced to conceal under a wig for seventy years. This sparked a journey of the heart, which occurred while unmasking Vertus’ lifelong suffering. Human experimentation was a known reality throughout the early to mid-twentieth century in the United States. Often, people were used as human guinea pigs during these practices without their knowledge or consent.
I hope you enjoy these small videos I share on this site. Each one of them helped me fine tune my camera skills so that I can compete with the professionals out there who make the big bucks lol. These quick tutorials will expand your knowledge of camera angles, grid lines, auto focus points and things most people never think about in filmmaking online. It’s not so simple, you have to learn all of these small things to create your own style and master everybody else’s. Every photographer or filmmaker has their own blueprint on how they film, but the basic steps in this video are used by almost everyone. save this video and take notes!!!
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