Shawndocee Grant
11/05/15
Short Essay #3
K. Juarez
Film 1010

“Snow on tha Bluff: Keepin’ It (Neo) Real…ism”

Curtis Snow conceptualized in the simplest manner his life and the lives of others residing in the 103-Beat of Atlanta when he stated, “We just still. Still smokin’. Still drinkin’. Still takin’ care of chil’ren or whatever. Still strapped… We just still” (Russell & Knittel, 2012). In such a minimalist expression of ones lifestyle the same goes for capturing the essence of life for these residents. Director Damon Russell wanted “real” and what better way to pay homage to the genre of Italian Neorealism than using its primary sources. From the incorporation of the storyline set amongst the poor and the working class to the film being …show more content…
This spellbinding depiction of thug life (the subdued, penurious kind) is interposed by endless profanity and cultured vernacular, occasional violence and infractions of the law that it raised the eyebrows of civil servants who questioned the authenticity of the film. As one of the featured individuals in the film by the name of “Slim” stated “that’s a money-make right her’ –straight wrappa’” (Russell & Knittel, 2012) in other words this movie is pretty dang legit or as real as a con artist’s words can perpetrate. It’s evident that the nature of the film was to capture the Italian Neorealism yet other formal analysis played a vital role in the completion of the portrayal. Editing is literally the glue that holds the art piece [film] together. It is the most useful technique for deploying narrative time. Attempting the sentiment of “raw footage” the attributes of a self-made documentary needed to juxtapose the handheld camera’s limited line of vision which made for jumpy cuts, patchy storylines and ambient lighting to capture the …show more content…
Everything is set into motion. The film has reached every step in production. Now “P.W.B”-Producing While Black is in full effect. Independent films already catch enough hell with budgeting and marketing their product. In The Film Experience: An Introduction the authors lay out the difficulty of distribution for Black filmmakers in the industry, stating “African American filmmakers, who have historically been marginalized within the industrial system of production, often encounter additional challenges in getting their films distributed”. (Corrigan & White, pp. 40) Producer (and white counterpart) Chris Knittel came to the battle well-equipped. In an article for Filmmaker Magazine, Knittel laid out their tactics, he details:
As we trudged on through film festivals, guerrilla tactics continued. I would buy a couple hundred blank VHS tapes, copy a scene from the movie on it, throw the tape in the dirt, put some blood on it and seal it in a manila envelope. From there, I would send out the tapes with no return address to politicians, conservative groups, police stations and various factions in the media. Operation “stir up shit,” was now in progress. (Knittel,