Extended essay research notes:

Research question: How are black men represented in “12 years a slave”and “Band of
angels”?
12 years a slave:
History of slavery: Cotton industrialisation made northern merchants rich. Slavery gave the
poorest white people social status. Some people argued that slavery is beneficial to the
slaves themselves as they get fed and clothing even when they are old age. Not keeping
black people enslaved will affect natural order.
12 years a slave: Solomon drugged and kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Low angle mid shots where the white man is looking down upon Solomon portrays
Solomon`s inferiority. Shots always portray masters to be taller than Solomon in order to
assert dominance.
Only thing that humanizes Solomon is the violin.
Historical context: Slaves picking cotton as they sang and getting lashed with whip.
Dominant representation of black men is shown through torn garments, whip lashes. All
these aspects come under the reflection theory and how black men appeared in reality
during 19th century.
Ideology of enslavement where masters William Ford and Edwin Epps both have different
interpretations of Christianity to justify their ownership of slaves.
Contrasting to reality, the beginning of the film portrayed Soloman as prosperous and a
successful individual and was shown to be treated with respect by others of the same social
class. Film portrayed a strong juxtaposition between Soloman as a free man and his
enslavement.
Besides Solomon, the majority of slaves did not dare make eye contact with their masters,
showing the drastic difference in social class. The slaves being constantly shown naked in
front of the sellers and masters also demonstrates this.
Dominant representation of slavery in terms of enslaved women are different slave owners
assessing their worth through their sexual attractiveness and childbearing ability when they
are naked.
Sexism was also a recurring theme within the movie. Black women were depicted as
“whores” whereas white women were depicted as “saints”. African American women who
was raped by her master was depicted as promiscuous.
Economic structure subjected African Americans as the lowest class of people. It was a social
norm for families to have slaves.
Neglect has also been a recurring theme within the movie. This is depicted during the
extended hanging scene where everyone goes about their day while Solomon is being
hanged from a tree.
1957 and 2013. Changes in attitude during different times. Different representation in 12
years of slave. Social discussions of black people in america during two different times and
how it is embedded into the films.
Scene of “roll Jordan roll” used to emphasize that there is still a sense of hope within the
slaves.
Establishing a shot of slaves waiting for an induction. Shot hovers on this moment and draws
out the indeterminable time that Solomon remains a slave.
Filler shots of trees and the languid flow of leaves are constantly inserted into segments of
the film in order to reinforce the slow passage of time.
Shot where Solomon is being hanged utilizes shallow depth of field in order to emphasize
the theme of neglect. People behind Solomon are blurred out and go on with their daily
lives. Editing and cinematography makes the audience feel like they are constantly circling
him, like the slaves behind him, wanting to do something but are afraid of the
consequences.
Candlelight in the film used when Solomon writes a letter to prove that he is a free man.
Scene uses light from a lantern to illuminate Solomon’s face. Marks a turning point of
Solomon, where he resigns himself to slavery.
High-key and low-key lighting are used in combination throughout the film. High-key lighting
was used in scenes where the entire surrounding needs to be visible with the use of bright
lights. When situations become fearful and enigmatic, low-key lighting was used to cast
shadows and emphasize the actors or objects that were key to the scene.
When low-key lighting was used, the lighting highlights the important features of Solomon`s
face such as his eyes in order to emphasize his strong emotion as he stares into the camera.
This has been done in order to convey the raw emotion and dark, sad feelings that were
present.
Extended shot of slaves has been implemented in order to emphasize the brutal torturous
methods that have been implemented in order to punish the slaves for their wrongdoings.
Violin used to emphasize that Solomon is an educated and of high intellect compared to
other black slaves working in the plantation.

Cultural significance: Themes of sexism, racism, economic structure and neglect are shown
throughout the film. Racism shown blatantly through dominant representation of slavery.
Birth of a nation:
Utilizes parallel editing. Cuts back and forth between two scenes that are occurring
simultaneously.
Mid-shot to close-up shot done effectively in order to convey emotions of each individual
character.
By moving camera around the battlefield, the movie is able to create a sense of space.
Pioneering use of long panoramic shots are used to establish a sense of scale. Helped
cement films growing popularity.
Birth of a nation told multiple stories at once and has been portrayed effectively through
cross cutting. Shows how one event affects multiple people.
Flashbacks utilizes to give context to story.
Movie built around opposition of north versus south.

Speed ramping is also utilized where duration of shot is accelerated. During this time cuts
are also made faster and more frequent. This amplifies the suspense of each subsequent
shot. This occurs when the KKK comes to the rescue of a besieged town.
Dominant representation of African Americans being violent, criminal-like and lazy.
Perpetuates stereotypes that the African-American community are less human and are more
like animals. This is shown through scenes where African Americans have taken political
office and are shown taking their shoes off and being lazy and eating food openly during
political hearings. Shown as criminals where black people sexually assault white women.
Movie propagates the movement of the KKK to reconstruct the dominancy of whites in the
South.
The visual of the films strikingly portray the contrast between day and night. This has been
done by a combination of black and white, sepia tones, magenta-tinted scenes. Extensive
use of colour tinting for dramatic or psychological effect in sequences.
Special use of subtitles in order to graphically verbalize imagery.
KKK portrayed as saviours whereas Africans are portrayed as abusive who misuse voting
rights and cause chaos within the house of representatives.
First film to utilize deep focus shots and nigh shots
The scene in which Flora goes to retrieve water and meets with Gus utilizes many modern
film techniques. Close up shots are used to focus on character reactions from Gus and Flora.
Close up shots are also used to focus on objects other characters are looking at such as Flora
looking at a squirrel on a tree. Natural lighting is also utilized within the shot as the entirety
of the scene was shot outside.
Movies inaccuracy created KKK and re-established it in 1915 after movie was released.
Birth of a nation revolutionized filmmaking by introducing establishing shot, close up and
cutway.
Films misrepresentation of blacks and was immediately criticised for its racist and vicious
portrayal of blacks, its proclamation of miscegenation, its pro-KKK stance and its
endorsement of slavery.
Ideology of white supremacy is also promoted through the exploitation of the sexual
stereotype of the buck who is personified by the character of Gus.