Google - Black-owned Friday
From the writer:
All projects dealing with social issues are extensively researched and created alongside the appropriate peoples and communities. Representation is of the utmost importance, so as you read, know that each line was written in partnership with a filmmaker of color.
Our goal is to depict each of these businesses for not only what they are, but what they offer. The space and services they provide and the community created inside.
Each business shown should feel real, with production-designed details that tell us that this is a place that’s well loved and looked after. Whether we shoot on location or on set, it’s these specific personal touches that will cue the audience into the richness that’s waiting beyond their next choice.
Our transitions, however, should be marked by creative SPECTACLE.
If you want to get from a Yoga studio, to a Burger joint, turn into graffiti, and get a haircut within a few minutes, you have to think outside the box. These choice moments should feel magical and exciting, even more, they should emerge from the worlds we’re already inside. Showing how one choice can easily lead to another.
Script:
We open on close ups of the artist in their lowrider convertible. Wind in their hair, shades on, they smile as a voice on the radio calls out, "Remember y’all, every day is a good day to shop Black!"
They pull up to the studio, and we follow them into the booth. An instrumental starts up as they motion to their engineer, who masterfully mans the mixing board.
Camera comes from over the engineer’s shoulder into a close up of two orange glowing buttons on the center console. One labeled “Black-owned Yoga Studio” the other “Black-owned Vinyl Store.” A search bar pops up at the bottom of the frame, and the magnifying glass icon begins to rotate clockwise as though it’s counting down.
A choice is made and the search bar updates to reflect our decision.
Black-owned Yoga Studio
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Yoga Studio.”
Camera tilts up to see the artist in the booth, at the mic, but seemingly a little anxious. They take a few deep breaths, and as they do so the world around them fades in and out. They take a long breath in, and then out, fully transitioning them into a Black-owned Yoga Studio.
Saturated lighting lends this world a dreamlike atmosphere. The walls are painted with rich jewel-toned pallets of pink, red, and purple. An older Black woman, the yoga instructor, sits in front of the artist in lotus pose. Her quiet presence emits a tranquility unparalleled. Around the room, we see other students. They have yoga clothes from Black-owned stores, as well as water bottles, towels, and headbands. The instructor guides them through a few dynamic poses, moving to the rhythm of the music.
From mountain pose, the artist takes their gaze to the sky, lifts their arms, and begins to float up and out of the room. Stars spin around them, revealing glowing orange constellations to the left and right.
“Black-owned grills” or “Black-owned smoothie shop.”
The search bar pops back into frame, counting down the seconds to our next transition.
Black-owned Yoga Studio
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Yoga Studio.”
Camera tilts up to see the artist in the booth, at the mic, but seemingly a little anxious. They take a few deep breaths, and as they do so the world around them fades in and out. They take a long breath in, and then out, fully transitioning them into a Black-owned Yoga Studio.
Saturated lighting lends this world a dreamlike atmosphere. The walls are painted with rich jewel-toned pallets of pink, red, and purple. An older Black woman, the yoga instructor, sits in front of the artist in lotus pose. Her quiet presence emits a tranquility unparalleled. Around the room, we see other students. They have yoga clothes from Black-owned stores, as well as water bottles, towels, and headbands. The instructor guides them through a few dynamic poses, moving to the rhythm of the music.
From mountain pose, the artist takes their gaze to the sky, lifts their arms, and begins to float up and out of the room. Stars spin around them, revealing glowing orange constellations to the left and right.
“Black-owned grills” or “Black-owned smoothie shop.”
The search bar pops back into frame, counting down the seconds to our next transition.
Black-owned Vinyl Store
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Vinyl Shop.”
Camera tilts up to see the artist in the booth, now in high contrast black and white. They groove to the sound of the track, getting lost in the music. They think for a moment, waiting for inspiration to strike. Just then sound foam magically peels away from the wall to reveal a door to the ultimate source of musical inspiration —a Black-owned Vinyl Store.
The store is a throwback to a simpler time. A time of substance and style. Chandeliers take the place of wall sconces, and patrons sit under tasseled lampshades and listen to old favorites with evergreen appreciation. The artist carefully selects records from Mahogany crates.
They pull out two records and compare.
The record on the left features pixel art of a hamburger; the one on the right boasts a dramatic image of a food truck careening towards the viewer as a vendor with a friendly smile hangs out of the service window - milkshake in hand.
The records begin to glow with orange light, bringing color into this striking black and white space.
“Black-owned Burger” or “Black-owned Milkshakes.”
Black-owned Grills
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Grills.”
The lines connecting the constellation swirl together to create a wormhole. Our artist leaps into it and we follow them into a world thought lost by time—the 90s.
In 4:3, we see a sitcom-style family cookout where friends and neighbors drift in, following the smell of grilling done right. Everyone is lip-syncing along to the song, putting their own unique twist on it with their expressions and dance moves. The sparkling artifacts of de-magnetized tape twinkle as food from Black-owned farms is brought to its full potential on a Black-owned grill.
The grill master, an NBA star, effortlessly flips a patty onto a fluffy potato bun and tops it with onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce.
It’s made with so much love that it takes on a life of its own, backing up the artist on vocals. A portrait of the charming absurdity that the 90’s did best.
This new addition to the family is met with laughter and joy. That is until dad accidentally takes a bite out of it.
Black-owned Smoothie Shop
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Smoothie Shop.”
We see the stars of the constellation spin in a circle to create a portal. The artist drifts through and into a smoothie shop.
This is a place for friends. Young people trade stories and laugh, and lovers share each other’s drinks. There’s a sense of vibrant, thriving community here.
A young woman walks up to the counter and orders a “Green Dream.” An employee, played by a famous person with a smooth style, blends fresh ingredients from Black-owned supermarkets while spinning a track on a nearby turn table. Despite these two instruments being very different, he handles both simultaneously with exquisite skillful ease.
The woman takes her phone out to catalog this moment of mixing mastery, only to see the artist pop up in her phone’s camera app, backing up the employee, and inspiring the woman to share her post on Google maps to attract more customers to watch the smoothie spectacle.
The employee hands off the smoothie to the woman, and they bump fists.
Black-owned Burger
The viewer chooses “Black-owned Burger.”
Our artist takes the record out of its jacket, and we track through the center hole. The orange glow takes over the screen and we emerge into a pixelated game world that looks like a burger joint.
Hungry 8-bit customers begin to line up at the counter and place orders. Our artist, now in 8-bit, puts on a chef’s hat and starts serving up virtual burgers, fries, and drinks. With each order served, dollar signs appear above their head. Suddenly a troop of support staff surge in and start to help with the lunch rush. Before long, the kitchen Is bustling, and the score counter (shown in dollars) is ticking up faster than we can track.
We pull out of the screen to reveal a group of kids at an arcade cabinet, they watch the screen in wide-eyed awe as the artist climbs the leaderboard. The artist then runs off screen, the side of the arcade cabinet opens, and they step out with two large burlap sacks of cash and a burger. Pulling back we reveal we’re inside a busy Black-owned burger joint that looks near identical to the one seen in-game.
Triumphant, the artist takes a bite out of the burger and flips a quarter to the next kid in line.
Black-owned Milkshakes
The viewer chooses “Black-owned milkshakes.”
The artist takes the record out of its jacket, and we track through the center hole. Now in a POV shot, we’re falling through the air towards a lowrider cruising down the street.
On a hood mount, we see a few of the artist's famous friends inside the car dancing to the sounds of the song. One of them waves over a passing food truck. The food truck changes lanes to get next to them, and everyone places orders for milkshakes.
There’s a decal of the artist in a cartoony style on the food truck. With animation, it sings, dances, and interacts with the menu. The artist then jumps out of the decal and into the back of the lowrider. The food truck owner looks at the side of his truck like “Did that really just happen?”
The crew then peels off down Mainstreet and hits the hydraulics. The car shakes and the milk’s shook.
Black-owned Art Supply Store
Our four storylines come together again as the artist walks down the Mainstreet. They come across a small stark white store with a colorful query emblazoned on the windowless facade.
Walking inside, they find a bright airy space with light that seems to come from every surface. A search bar floats in the center. Intrigued, the artist strolls up, takes out their phone, and types out “Black-owned art supplies.” The search bar populates with text as she types, and as she hits enter, it gleams with orange light.
The store starts to change. Our lighting turns warm and tungsten, An ornate rug rolls out in front of the artist. Blank canvases push out from the white walls, a rainbow arrangement of paint bottles snake through the store on rows of wooden shelves. Various other supplies fly in from offscreen and fill into organized aisles.
The artist walks through the space, spellbound until she reaches a checkout counter, arms now full with paints, pencils, and paper.
A young paint-spattered man (or woman) in a black smok appears facing away from camera. He carefully puts the finishing touches on a mural behind him and then turns around to face the artist with a knowing smile. He knows another artist when he sees one.
The store owner illustrates the next set of choice buttons with glowing orange paint.
“Black-owned barbershop” or “Black-owned clothes”
Black-owned Barbershop
The viewer chooses “Black-owned barbershop.”
Still animated, the artist comes up to camera and uses blue, white, and red paint to cover the lens.
We pull out of this image to reveal a spinning barber pole.
Camera moves inside the store and finds a tableau of inter-generational comradery and connection. The shop is owned by a father and son team, who handle their clients with incredible hospitality and care. Products from other Black business owners line the wall, camera tracks over them, giving a hero moment to all the products made to keep our people look their best.
We see the artist performing inside the barbershop’s hairstyle guide poster. Other frames inside the poster come to life and begin to sing along.
We match cut from the artist inside the poster, to them sitting in a barber chair, getting the cleanest cut of their life. They stand up with a newly emboldened sense of confidence, thank their barber, and head to the venue.
It’s showtime.
Black-owned Clothes
The viewer chooses “Black-owned clothes.”
Still animated, the artist comes close to camera and uses red paint to cover the lens. This seamlessly turns into a dressing room curtain which the artist pulls aside to reveal an immaculate fit.
Pulling back further we reveal an additional six curtains, three to the left and right.
The curtains swing open to reveal the artists in six additional killer fits. They dance to the track and finish with a striking group pose.
Camera whips around to catch the reaction of a group of friends from over the entire journey. The Yogi, the smoothie employee, the milk shakers, Burgee. All nod their heads and smile in agreement. A single tear falls from Burgee’s eye.
The artist walks out of the store, and onto:
The Concert Stage
This rooftop venue represents the pinnacle of this journey in Black ownership.
In a high-energy visual climax, the artist finishes their song before a diverse and enthusiastic crowd of fans. Our camera pulls out from this scene and into the sky, we see buildings all over the city glow with the orange light of choice. Credits roll, and every product and service featured in this film presents itself for purchase.
Cinematography:
There's a lot to explore here, so let’s lay it out and discuss:
This story should begin with a stylish grounded look that resembles reality, something our viewers can grab onto before we flip the script and split the narrative.
Once we begin exploring the unique worlds of Black-owned businesses, we should adopt a shooting style that best exemplifies the atmosphere the business owner wants to create for their clients.
We’ll shoot the Yoga studio with slow graceful glides, tracking the movements of our performers as they elegantly bend and breathe. The lighting in this space will be radiant and rich with colors that inspire the imagination. This is a space for peace and breath.
Record shops are steeped in an air of legacy and reverence. As we transition to black and white, our shooting style should adapt in kind, taking on the atmosphere of a thrilling noir. Composed long takes and blocking that’s dramatic in its understated coolness.
We can have a lot of fun with our sitcom-style cookout for “Black-owned grills”. A three-camera studio-inspired setup that feels true to form and nostalgic bloomy lighting that instantly takes us back in time. Once our singing burger comes to life we’ll want to frame up on him to disguise the nearby puppeteer. Let’s find the fun in each frame.
Camera is always on the move inside our smoothie shop. Handheld and reactive, not wanting to miss a single moment of the blending brilliance on display. This isn’t a scene that we want to over-rehearse, each new take will give us an opportunity to put a new spin on things, literally.
The Burger joint is mostly in-game footage, so we can give our Steadicam ops a break to foam roll.
Car mounts carry us through the milkshake scene. Since the car is moving we’ll need a more locked-off approach to keep the action clear and comprehensible. There’s also a lot of opportunity for comedy in these shots, as our food truck drifts in from out of frame and the gang starts to place their orders.
Things slow down a little in our barbershop. This is the heartfelt scene that precedes our climactic concert. Let’s take an exploratory approach, lingering on moments of connection between barber and client. This is a sacred space, one that grounds us back to reality, which we’ll go on to shatter in our finale.
The clothing store is also our lead-up to the concert but unlike the barbershop, which cranks down the pace, this time we accelerate into it. Camera should be all about the artist here, as well as their clothes. Closing up on each unique item and accessory, and catching the incredible contrast in style between our artist and their stylish septuplets.
Once the artist arrives at the concert, we should work to establish a sense of scale. We need to show that they, as well as the business they patronize, are larger than life. Performance highlights will be intercut with scenes of adoring fans losing their minds until we finally take off to the sky to watch the city shine with Black ingenuity.
By giving each scene its own unique visual identity, we reinforce the feelings of adventure and our themes of Black multidimensionality. Viewers will be encouraged to watch our film many times over, knowing that no two viewings will be alike.