Behind The Lens: Akwaaba
Akwaaba
What is a story?
A story is a journey that has a beginning, middle, and end of someone's or something’s journey. Well, Akwabaa challenged that very concept as we gained on-site access to these young ladies during the Junior Achievement youth camp put on by Delta Airlines and JA Africa. From a gathering of great efforts and ideas to an actual story that is fitting for the young ladies we were about to face, Akwabaa was eye-opening.
This project would not have been possible without the push, the dreaming, the standing firm on what you believe in, of these wonderful women who made this lift from words to Final Cut. Joy, Ayana, Patty, Maya, and more. I will answer your call whenever you need me. I was so grateful they chose me to tell this story. I wanted to create an image to share with the world, and we did just that.
I was reached by a colleague, director, and producer, Sawyer, to tell this story (Much love, bro). It was a quick and tight turnaround from a production sense, but once again, I was up for this. I was paired with a great friend and director of the project, Jabriel. Jabriel and I worked on a feature film a while back, where he was my camera operator; it’s great to see his vision come to life as he directs this piece. He’s very precise and open to all things creative. We met up a few times to discuss the mood and tone, and let’s just say, in the words of Kevin Flynn from the 2010 “Tron Legacy” bio-digital jazz man! Jabriel and I lead with love and compassion on this project, and let’s just say, the love shows.
Ok. The love is said. Let’s talk about the approach.
Jabriel and I discussed that this project should take an expressive approach (which was the pitch from our lovely producers, Joy and Ayana). Dark skin-tones should feel natural, with a hint of vibrancy from the world around the people we capture. We wanted our highlights to have a warm tone of tan, and our mid-tones and shadows will have a hint of teal. This mixture gave us the vibrancy we were searching for.
Oh yes. The camera choice is the thought often said out loud when a cinematographer begins his/her work. Well, because we were very tight on what we could bring, we captured this beautiful project on two RED Komodos paired with the Tribe Blackwing 7 primes. Man, those lenses have character. It gave a natural curve to warm tones in the highlights that we were looking for, with an elevated toe on the shadow curves, and the grade just did the finishing move.
Light is the love to the things we see, so I wanted this to feel tangible. The approach had to be and feel natural. So we stripped down the lighting package to (2) 2x2 fold-out panels, (2) Aputure MT Pros, and (2) Aputure MC’s, and that became our workhorse; but it worked! It provided us with just the right amount of light for our interview setups, except for a few areas where we received some love from Zaps Media. Shout-out to those guys and ladies for being a whole amount of amazing on their own.
My favorite part of the trip was when we went to the school. Man! Seeing all those little faces determined and full of life is the most beautiful thing. It was like holding a mirror to the gleam of what once was when I was their age (but I will save that for another story).
JA Africa, you are doing something amazing. Words cannot compare to explain the explosion of excitement for what you have created. You provided a blessing that was blessed upon you to do so. For that, the only thing I can say is, "How can I help continue your vision?"
Delta Airlines, Heards Creek, Window Seat, and more, your willingness to share compassion around the world is received deeply into the hearts of the receivers, believers, and those who wish to be part of the mission. You took a chance on this young guy from New York, whose family comes from a little island called Jamaica, and said yes to telling the stories, the visions, and the next steps. I am grateful to be blessed to do just that. I look forward to the next adventure on the horizon and the heights you can reach.
Love Azariah