Sunday, June 12, 2005

Movie Clubs?

African American literature has taken off as a growth area within the publishing business. A lot of that has to do with the organization of African American readers as book club members. I was wondering if the same thing could happen with black movie goers? Could small groups of black movie goers start buying tickets for a wider variety of black films (and not just the broad comedies), propelling them so that the numbers show an audience is out there? What do you think?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

mmh uh true, do we do excel in comedies but people are tired of seing the same cast hell monique cedric harvey and co.. when it comes to family movies you always see gabrielle union or vivica. i know we should watch a black movie even when denzel or samuel don't play in it. but i truly get the feeling that the party still take place in the same house. ( french expression ) .
as for the quality itself we have not seen one good fiction movie or even a 3d comic based movie. but a lot of 3d modellers are still waiting for work.

i believe black americans do not know how to target a wide audience even abroad, today black speak french german and spanish but do you see a black movie dubbled in these languages? NO. my cousins find it very difficult to watch an entire movie in english.you miss the plot because you are busy translating and you end up having headaches.

black movies are excellent but we both know it is the soundtrakc that sell even before the movie hits the screen.

Lawrence said...

One of the things I want to do is include the African Diaspora in my films. Too often, black characters are one dimensional, and there's no connection shown between the plurality of common cultures.

Anonymous said...

i hope i don't have to be afraid of your plans of putting some spice of african diaspora in your work. i believe black americans have not shown the best of the african man in their movies. i always have to worry when a character has a typical african identity, for some reasons it comes accross a rough. it makes me feel uncomfortable.

make sure you put some modern stuff, of modern african life. and avoid the typical tyra banks in her jean pierre cardin clothes and logn hair in the middle of an african bush, it hurts.if it has to be hsitory related i am willing to help

Lawrence said...

I understand your worries, and if I hadn't visited Ghana, I probably would have used the same misconceptions as had been used in previous films. But I won't. I think I have a pretty good grip on what at least Ghana is about, and by the time I start writing scenes with blacks from the African Diaspora, I'll have travel even more to learn more. But your concerns are noted, although Tyra in a tank top is not a particular bad sight! lol