From “In the Chair” to “Behind the Camera”
By Derrick Smith
CET and ThinkTV Producer
In my family – and in the black community – we have a common response when someone is trying to contact you while you’re getting your hair done, “I’m in the chair.” This might seem like a simple response, and while it is, it says a lot. The salon and barber shop are such sacred places that they requires you to not only be present and engaged, but also have the context and knowledge to properly participate. They are communal safe spaces within the black community.
So how could I bring a van full of camera equipment into these spaces without compromising the experience? How do I showcase a world that’s meant to live within itself? How can I respect the space and the experience while telling the story for The Art Show?
I had to make The Art Show a space safe too. The guests and artists needed to feel seen within the video – not just shown.
For example, when we came to record B roll, the first thing that was typically asked was “can they play music.” Music is so important in these spaces that it was one of the first things I focused on when making this piece. Soul, hip hop, and R&B music typically fills these spaces while barbers and beauticians work. It not only sets the mood, but it signals to patrons that they are welcome in this space. Knowing this, I decided to go the route of all original music made by myself and other local artists Grandeace and Devin Burgess – we wanted music, but we also needed to play music that we could use in the video. After all, why tell the story with just visuals? During the salon portion of the piece, lush R&B like music plays much like you would expect to hear when getting a relaxing deep condition. When we go to the barber shop, loud boom bop hip hop hits your ears, much like it would in a crowded barber shop where you have to almost shout. Little details like this lets viewers know (similar to patrons getting their hair done) they are in a safe place and will be taken care of, and that this experience is truly for them.
Shooting a segment starring mostly Black people meant also lighting for Black skin. When the natural sun or golden hour lighting hits black skin, it’s almost as if it starts glowing. This is because warmer light exposure brings out a lot more of the red or warmer undertones in black skin on camera, so we used warm lights for filming. We also used blue backlighting on half the interviews to make the segment more cohesive and, while the barber shop did not have a blue backlit background, Wale still wore a blue shirt close in shade to that of the backlight we used in other interviews. Color and tone make a big difference in this piece.
The fact that we shot interviews in the studio also made this piece different than other segments of The Art Show. Usually we like to go to a location to interview our subjects, but we brought Dr. Holly Y. McGee to the CET studio instead. Since her interview was used to narrate the rest of the piece and was recurring, I thought having a minimalistic setting for her was fitting. Aside from the very cinematic closing shot, she was the only subject with no footage over top of her interview. This forces the listener to really pay attention to what she is saying and makes it more natural for her voice to flow in and out of the segment. Bringing her into the studio also allowed me to accomplish a somewhat complex shot. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say the equipment we used definitely wouldn’t have fit in the salon.
If there is one thing I hope this segment accomplishes, it’s making those who have already been “in the chair” feel like they are “in the chair” when they’re watching. And, for those who have never been “in the chair,” I hope this piece inspires you. If you enjoy the music we’ve included, I made a small EP that will be available to stream featuring all the original music from this segment.
Watch the segment now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nfSt6oJsDI.
