Conversations on Cultural Identity with Lemuel Unaji FaceTime Shoot

Today I shot another episode for my Conversations on Cultural Identity series with Lemuel Unaji. Lemuel reached out to me about taking part in my project after seeing Ruby’s film that I posted on Instagram. We had planned to do the shoot in really life but then the sudden announcement of lockdown stopped that and we planned to do it through FaceTime.

I did some tests of screen recording with sound on my laptop in preparation for the shoot which showed me that I was only able to record the sound if my laptop was playing out loud at its highest volume. This was slightly frustrating as it meant that I had to be in a really sound-proof environment in my house which isn’t very possible so there will definitely be sounds of traffic and sounds from the house in the background. However, I tried my best and I am not worried if there is a bit go diegetic sound as this just adds to the direct sound recording characteristic filming of French New Wave cinema. I also recorded the sound on my phone at the same time to make sure that I definitely had the sound at least incase anything went wrong with the screen recording.

Also prior to the shoot, I decided to research Nigeria (please see below) and their culture that that I would be knowledgeable enough to know what questions to ask. I am really pleased I did this as I feel as though Lemuel could tell I knew what he and I were talking about and therefore it felt a lot more conversational as opposed to him speaking at me and explaining things.

From researching Nigeria, I was able to prepare some questions to make sure I had prompters for the conversation:

• Tell me about your cultural identity
• My name is… and I am…
• How does it feel to be from two cultures
• Is there ever any internal conflict between the two
• How do you feel about your Nigerian heritage
• How do you feel about your British heritage
• Would you relate the word ‘proud’ to your feelings towards your cultural identity
• Which region of Nigeria are you from
• How does it feel to be far from your family and your culture in Nigeria
• #EndSARS
• #BLM

Because Lemuel is effectively a ‘stranger’ and not a close friend of mine like my previous interviewees, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a document explaining the shoot and the requirements for it. I also asked him to sign a participation form outlining the use for the footage etc.

Conversations on Cultural Identity with Lemuel Unaji and Kynza Kj <- Shoot Information

I really look this shoot as a test shoot and conversation starter as I thought that I wouldn’t be happy enough with the footage due to me not having control of the camera, and also because I had never spoken to Lemuel ‘in person’ before, only through messages.

I was soo happy with where the conversation went, it was so interesting and Lemuel spoke so beautifully about the subject matter which was lovely.

Something that was a struggle for me was that I wasn’t able to control the camera angle. This was difficult and I had planned to ask Lemuel to move the camera between questions, however due to the vibe of the situation, I decided not to as it took some time for him to be more comfortable with the conversation and I didn’t want to effect this by reminding him that he was being filmed.

I think next time I will make sure that I ask my subject to have two devices available, one for the FaceTime, and another to record themselves from another angle.

To gain some b-roll footage, I asked him to show some of the artwork that his brother does for their business which focuses on their Nigerian heritage and asked if he could possibly have a look to see if he had any family photos from his childhood both in England and Nigeria to use in a similar to how Marker does in La Jetée by using the interview as a form of narration over the still images. He said that he would have a look but I am not worried if its not possible as hopefully I will be able to put something together from what I have and mix this with his brothers work.

Another aspect of the shoot that worries me with regards to filming, is that Lemuel wasn’t able to put his phone landscape and therefore the only footage I have is portrait. Obviously I will have to overcome this or embrace this and I suppose it is a sign of the times with regards to lockdown interviews.

Overall though I am so pleased with the way the conversation went as it felt really natural and Lemuel really opened up and spoke on a lot more than I thought he would be comfortable to.

Also, Lemuel said he would love to continue the conversation post-lockdown with a ‘real life’ shoot with his brother as he thought that would be a really interesting conversation between the three of us.

I am really looking forward to listening back to the footage and beginning at least an audio cut with the quotes that I like.

I felt more prepared for this shoot than any others in terms of knowing how to phrase questions, and control the conversation after having shot three films previously. I can really feel myself and my technique improving as I go, and although visually I didn’t capture my usual content during this interview, but I have plans for experimentation, and a possible second interview so I  am not worried about this.

Some stills from my rushes

Research I looked at in preperation:

“How the End Sars Movement Could Change Nigeria Forever”, 2020. NewAfrica. Youtube. Web. 21 Nov. 2020.

“Nigerian History and Culture Presentation”, 2018. Flo Chinyere. Youtube. Web. 21 Nov. 2020.

“Police brutality in Nigeria: what is the #EndSars movement?”, 2020. Guardian News. Youtube. Web. 21 Nov. 2020.

“End Sars protests: People ‘shot dead’ in Lagos, Nigeria – BBC News”, 2020. BBC News. Youtube. Web. 21 Nov. 2020.