Racial Injustice In Visual Art

Visual art has always had a power to move people. Whether it was drawings in the 17th century or the modern day news channels we have today art has always been a means for someone to exact a feeling or emotion from the viewer. With this is mind I started my digital argument project. My main goal was to have my audience feeling like they could relate to both of the characters in my story while also deriving a message from the video. My argumentative research paper was about the racial injustice in the United States Judicial system. This is a topic that in which I believe there is immense power but also triggers for people especially in this day and age of political correctness. It is because of this that I tread lightly into my Digital Argument, …show more content…
I want the audience to feel like they are getting a looking glass into these two peoples lives instead of being told about them and shown pictures and statistics. The first two shots I use are of two men, alone. One is black and one is white. The next shot shows both of them standing together as they have both been arrested and placed in jail. It is in this shot that I really try and show the humanity behind the judicial system in that these are just two people. I believe putting them together signifies more in the sense of you are showing that men are equals or at least that should be the principle even if it isn’t the reality but that comes on later. The next shot is of a judge, looking official. He is not meant to be villainized and I hope that that comes through as he is simply there to interpret the law. The camera pans right to reveal the judge as if to signify that he is simply a moment in the span of the systemic racism. The next is a slide of text that’s purpose is to give the audience information I could not really insert into the script well. I narrate and act in the next few scenes and while the first one is just freshening up so there are not too many pictures, the second one has real power in its background. I walk from one side of a trailer or small run down house to the other to make a key focal point about poverty, even if it is slightly over the top, I believe it …show more content…
The first two shots are of two men, different races both saying hello in a welcoming manner. This puts a face to the story I will be telling as well as showing the humanity in both of them. As you can tell by now, exposing the humanity is one of my main goals of this piece as I believe that if I can show people this I can get the message though on a level where it will actually have an impact, I just feel as though we are constantly one or two steps removed from the unfairness and struggle that is out there. The next shot pans up from their feet to their heads. When it reaches their heads I explain they have been arrested for having an ounce of marijuana each. By waiting till I reach their heads I feel I connect them with the audience and show them they have messed up but also are humans. When we reach our first slide with information, the music is chosen from archive.org from their “netlabels” or not copy written section. For this first section I chose the song “Too late” for redemption. I chose this song because it has dark roots but seems to continue to go despite that. My narrator from that point until I reach the trailer/house is to give the audience perspective and information about the topic. When I get to the trailer/house, my language is very deliberate in making a point. I explain how African Americans are “born into