Black Anthems: Who's Gon' Be Alright?

Black and White

The video is filmed in black and white. Filming in black and white is common in art films. Shooting in black and white allows a director to play with texture and depth. Its aesthetic also conjures questions regarding temporality:
 
“Nevertheless, using black and white in the age of colour cinema always indicates a heightened self-reflexivity concerning the cinematic and photographic mediation of history, calling attention to the influence of visual representations on our historical consciousness” (Li 247).

Questions: How does the use of black and white make us think about time and memory? How do Black people factor in relation to these elements? What does the use of Black and white in a video for a song concerned with Black futurity say?

 

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