For the first time a nonfiction film will open the prestigious New York Film Festival which began September 30th and ends October 16th. “13th,” a new documentary by Selma Director Ava DuVernay, on the subject of incarceration, equates the U.S. prison system to modern day slavery. The man behind the lens of “13th,” is Hans Charles, a Professor of Film and Video Studies at George Mason University. Charles shared the director of photography role with Kira Kelly. “13th,” named for the 13th Amendment which ended slavery in the U.S., tackles the issue of mass incarceration, the three strikes law and the rise of private prisons. Charles , who once worked with former prisoners as a mental health specialist, said it was his knowledge of these social issues that ultimately landed him the job with DuVernay.
Hans Charles
Tell us about the documentary “13th.” What inspired this film about America’s prison system?
Hans Charles: The 13th is a film that explorers the policy questions behind the present justice system that we have in America. It explores who are the policy players from a hundred fifty years ago to today, creating the criminal justice system that we have some this country today.
You and Kira Kelly shot the film. How did you meet Ana DuVernay and what led to your selection as a cinematographer?
Hans Charles: I’m not sure exactly what inspired Ava to make the film. She got approached by Netflix and they were open to her suggesting projects and they want to work with her. I know she read Michelle Alexander’s book the New Jim Crow and I think then book was in the back of her mind when this project came together so that’s as far as I know about exact would inspired the film.
Take us through your process as a cinematographer. What did you bring to the creative process?
Hans Charles: I met Ava during production for a film she directed called My Mic Sounds Nice. That film was about the history of the women in hip hop and was for it BET.I was working as Bradford Young’s camera assistant. While doing that film with Ava, she talked about shooting her second feature. About 6 months later I gotta call from Ava and she asked if I wanted to work on Middle Of Nowhere. Before the film came out, I got involved with Ava’s distribution entity AFFRM, note know as ARRAY. As a graduate student at Howard University, I co started a film speaker series with faculty member Dr. Montré Missouri. We invited Ava to come speak and screen Middle. After she came and we had a great screening, she asked for our speaker series (now known as parallel film collective) to become a founding partner with AFFRM. Ava and another director Gloria LeMort were the first two directors whom in worked with as a focus puller, who then asked me to shoot a project.
Ava asked me to shoot parts of her film Venus Vs which was a film about how Venus Williams help to get equal pay between men and women in tennis. shot of Venus is action sequences here in DC and I shot an interview with Billy G King it. For that film I shared credit with two other soon as I go first and cooling Arthur Jason who is a mentor of mine. And after the release of Venus vs and it opened at the LA Phil says so I just think that Molly ship with Ava became civil solidified in part because obviously we’re working together since it also because we are continuing to work together with her distribution platform a firm and I think just a strategy sessions and talking about the tension landscape about interest of independent film I can take it just released to look for a relationship.
Take us through your process as a cinematographer. What did you bring to the creative process?
Hans Charles: As a cinematographer one of the primary things I do is look for inspiration everywhere. I look for inspiration in art, news, culture and in my interactions with people. When it comes to a project, I read the script. If I feel like the script speaks or if I could can see the film in my mind, then I know I want to be a part of it.
I’ll let the director know that want to be a part of it. If I’m chosen, I get to work on the pre-production process with the director. We talk out the plot, the characters, based on the directors vision. In terms of cinematography I believe, that it’s my job to serve the vision of the director. I bring everything that I know to bear to make that vision happen.
I collect images as inspiration frames and present those frames to the director. If it matches the director’s vision, I continue these images and do more research.
The biggest part of the process is continuing conversations between myself and the director throughout the pre-production process. Once we are in production, I let location speak to me. I try to get a feel for the location and let it dictate what we’re going to do based on what is, and try not to force anything. The director and I talk about composition and camera temperament and we continue from there.
Were there any special challenges you faced in shooting this film?
Hans Charles: The biggest challenge I faced shooting the 13th was the amount of time we had to shoot each interview. We had anywhere between 3 to 5 interviews on any particular day. Some days, we could have 1 or 2 locations, sometimes more Ava challenged me to give her a different look for each person, per location. I asked myself how to keep the visual elements I was bringing to the table in line with what Ava wanted to see.
She is very clear about communicating her vision. You will know her visual motif and camera temperament. I made it my business to compose interesting frames for each interview as much as possible. If I composed mediocre frames Ava would let me know. So I worked to make compositions to take her breath away. She made a ton of suggestions to get each frame, just right. My big thing was to make sure focused on the interview process and not to worry about the composition. Poor composition can distract the audience from a documentary’s power. During the interview, I had to focus and make sure I took care of all the important details.
Who are some of the people featured in 13th?
Hans Charles: Some of the people featured in the documentary include Jelani Cobb, Michelle Alexander, Skip Gates, Cory Booker Newt Gingrich, former mayor of New York City David Dinkens , Congressman Charlie Rangle, Angela Davis and many others.
Why in your view is it important that people see this film?
Hans Charles:The most important reason for people to see this film is to get a historical perspective on the criminal justice system that we have today. Many people assume the people in our prisons deserve their jail sentences. The film helps to construct a historical perspective on our criminal justice system. I believe that whatever state that you’re in and I mean state in terms of state of being, you should have an understanding of our institutions.
What’s the take away message?
Hans Charles: One should walk away from the film understanding how our Criminal Justice System from more than a statistical point of view. I think film gives one a better picture criminal justice.
What was it like to work with Selma Director Ana DuVernay?
Hans Charles: I always get this question. What is it like working for Ava. I’ve known Ava since My Mic Sound Nice. In some important ways, she hasn’t changed. I think she’s clear about what it is she wants to do. You job as part of her team is to keep her inform so she has the information and tools to reach her vision. I know she’s grown as a director she’s been doing bigger and bigger movies. But Ava asks you to do something. If you do it, she leaves you to your own devices. She loves to laugh, and has always loved to take pictures of people on the crew.
How would you describe her creative process?
Hans Charles: I don’t know if I’m the person who can speak in detail about Ava creative process. I know I’ve talked to her about how she goes about executing pre-production on her films. I have talked to her about her writing process, but I think she is best person to ask about the details of her process. I’m sure It evolves with each project. Notice each project has gotten bigger and bigger. I know when I work with Ava, I try to have answers to questions that she may ask and I try to put myself in the position where when she makes a request, I can fulfill it.
You are a film professor at George Mason University. Have your students seen the film? If so what has been their reaction?
Hans Charles: I don’t know if my students have seen the film. I have shown the trailer to some classes. I don’t want to push my work onto my students and want to make sure they see all kinds of work and come to that work organically. Sometimes in class I show them clips of my work. But I think it’s important to me as a professor that my students have an organic relationship to the work that comes their way. I do push the work of filmmakers I admire and respect.
What advice do you have for young people who are considering a career as a cinematographer?
Hans Charles: Watch as many different types of films as possible. Be true to yourself and your particular perspective. In other words don’t try to be somebody else. You need to make movies from your shoes. You need to make movies from your perspective . I tell my students all the time. There are no new stories into the sun. There are only new perspective. My advice to people is to be true to yourself. Study film history as much as possible. Study art history as much as possible. Study Philosophy, English, the humanities. Couple that study with film, and your perspective will shine through any script or film.
Where can we see the documentary 13th?
Hans Charles: You can see the 13th on Netflix streaming and you can find it in limited theaters across the country.
13th has been described as an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality. Does this particular subject matter hit home for you in any way?
Hans Charles: I definitely think that the subject matter 13th is important to me. 1 out of 3 black males may have an interaction with the American criminal justice system. I have been one of those people. My interaction with the justice system almost ended with my life headed in a completely different direction. I really am blessed. The system got a hold of me, and tried to snag me and drag me down. That experience created a curiosity in the policies surrounding the criminal justice system. I was interested in returning citizens to our society and how they fare and at least in my mind I’ve tried to think about what is it that I can do to create an environment that makes it easier for returning citizens.
I understand most of the film’s subjects were shot in empty warehouse spaces. Tell us why that was so effective.
Hans Charles: Ava had a vision. She wanted to contrast the academic stature of the people we interviewed with stark environments. I referenced a specific photographer and pitched that idea to Ava. She also came to the table with her own strong visual ideas. What you see is her vision.
You are of Haitian descent. Have you shot any films in Haiti?
Hans Charles: I shot a small commercial project in Haiti a few years ago for an energy company called NRG. We shot for about 5 days in Petionville Haiti and some of the crew members were from this small Film School in Haiti. Marc Baptiste has been a big champion of the film industry in Haiti and has done a lot to support it. I’m hoping in the future to be more involved with the Haitian film industry.
What’s on your bucket list in terms of your career?
Hans Charles: They’re quite a few things that I want to do in my career . I don’t have a bucket list . I’m ready to shoot a major feature. I love doing television and would love to do some more. Mostly, I would love to work with my friends and see their projects through. I really want to have a respectable career as a cinematographer. I want my work to reflect my philosophical approach to art and the role of the artist in society. I take that seriously and whimsically at the same time.
What other exciting projects are in the works for Hans Charles?
Hans Charles: Currently I’m working on production for a feature-length film call Jinn for director Najila Munim. My creative partner Menelek Lumumba is finishing work on a comedy that we are hoping to start shooting in 2017 and an amazing script about a retired football player he is about to shoot. In between I’m shooting commercials and teaching.
The post Hans Charles: Visual Artist Behind “13th,” a New Documentary about Incarceration by Selma Director Ava DuVernay appeared first on JamSphere.