EJI - The Transatlantic Slave Trade
MY ROLE - Art Director, Design
We partnered with The Equal Justice Initiative to create a film series about the history of slavery and racial injustice in America, featured in the inaugural exhibition of the recently launched Legacy Museum. Working with a global team of artists, producers, activists, and legal advocates, we created six films, each with a different focus and approach to design and animation.
“The Transatlantic Slave Trade”, narrated by Don Cheadle, is one of the films from this series currently on display for public viewing at The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
View the trailer below.
This is a film about the many disparate participants who’s combined actions allowed slavery to function in America, and the elaborate false narrative put in place to gain public support for the enslavement of Black people - the results of which continue to shape American life today.
Given the sweeping, sprawling nature of this historical account - a narrative that spans many locations through many years - we knew we needed the audience to feel fully immersed and to easily be able to follow the thread of events. So it was important that our approach to design be cinematic, clear-eyed, and direct.
“The transatlantic slave trade left a lasting mark on American life. And the narratives that emerged to support the trade, set up central problems of racial hierarchy that continue to shape America today.”
CREDITS -
Client: The Equal Justice Initiative
Creative Agency: Reunion
Voice: Don Cheadle
Creative Director: Chris Carboni
Producer: John Bega
Art Director: Elena Chudoba
Design: Elena Chudoba, Chris Carboni, Heather Aquino
Animation: Andy Kennedy, Matt Choi, Joey Gasiorek, Elaine Lee, Chris Carboni
Music and Sound: Sanctus
Made in close collaboration with EJI’s in-house creative team.