Black Sheep

Synopsis:
Black sheep is a short movie (documentary) based on the idea of racism. It tells the story of a
young black guy who went through a sudden change in his life, where he had to move from his
neighborhood to a new one out of fear of being killed because of his skin color. To his surprise,
he moved from bad to worse. The movie explores how what he went through changed him as a
person, from the bullied to the bully himself, even to people from his same race. Going through
this identity crisis made him consider actions that he later regretted in his life. The story is told
by his current self, as if he is taking a journey down memory lane.

Narrative Structure:
The narrative is a first person, non-linear one. Where the main character tells the story of his
past. Which makes the movie more personal, personal, and reachable for the audience.

Filmic Elements:
Black sheep used many different filmic elements. The first one used was the real footage of a
real murder which drove the movie’s plot. Moreover, the role played to illustrate the
protagonist’s younger self was done brilliantly. The young actor was able to convey the feeling
of terror, uncertainty and fear in a believable approach that added to the plot of the movie.
However, one of the most brilliant filmic elements used was present briefly in two shots. The
first was the scene of his young self being beaten up, while his current (older) self is standing in
the background watching over him, illustrating a deeper meaning of his evolved personality
from the future looking over his old one, judging/regretting his past actions and choices. The
second was near the end of the movie, a wide shot of the young actor and the current (real)
one standing in a rather dull location facing each other. This shot was added to display a sense
of connection between the past and present of the character. Each of them expressing a certain
emotion. The current self expresses shame, disgrace, and regret, while the old self expresses
hopelessness, pain, and uncertainty.

Camera, Sound, and Light:

The movie consisted of an A roll and B roll. The A roll was mainly an illustration of the story-
teller. While the B roll was played by another younger actor as his younger self to display the
movie’s narrative. Nearly all the movie scenes where shot in lower-key lighting to express the
feeling of darkness, terror, and regret. Some of the shots in the B roll where shot handheld and
even in a shaky approach to convey a certain feeling to the viewer. And others were shot as
POV, which gave a more personal feeling to the audience, like the scene of him being beaten
up. However, the rest of the shots were mainly basic in composition and framing, and could
have been used more creatively. The sound on the other hand, was used in a somewhat
creative way. In the beginning of the movie the background track was an intense violin which
worked perfectly with the shots.
My Opinion:
I believe the movie tackles a vital issue in a beautiful approach, however. I believe that there
was room from more creative aspects to be added. The use of the real life character in the A
roll was important; nonetheless, a more professional performance had to be sacrificed. The
character at many points seemed blunt and emotionless, which have a sense of boringness to
the viewer.
In regards to the locations, the old house which the family moved to was a brilliant fit. How it
was shot was an additional positive aspect of the movie. It was illustrated in a dark and narrow
way, which also related to how it felt to the character.