All Of It Podcast Summary: "Best Picture Nominee: Nickel Boys"

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host: Alison Stewart
• Episode Title: Best Picture Nominee: Nickel Boys
• Release Date: February 17, 2025
• Description: ALL OF IT explores culture and its creators, engaging thinkers, doers, and artists to delve into the what and why behind their work. This episode features a conversation with Romel Ross, director and co-writer of the Oscar-nominated film Nickel Boys.

Introduction to Nickel Boys

Alison Stewart opens the episode by introducing Nickel Boys, a film adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The film, nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars, portrays the harrowing experiences of two boys at a segregated Florida reform school in the 1960s.

Key Points:

• Nickel Boys offers a first-person perspective, immersing the audience in the protagonist Elwood's experiences.
• The narrative shifts between Elwood’s and Turner’s viewpoints, highlighting their struggle to survive the oppressive environment of Nickel Academy.

Conversation with Romel Ross

Alison Stewart welcomes Romel Ross, who shares insights into his transition from documentary filmmaking and photography to directing a narrative feature.

Adapting from Documentary to Narrative Film

• Ramel Ross [02:54]: "When you're making a documentary, you're interested in figuring out how to tell a story. And you'll pull from family photos, you'll pull from news footage, you'll pull from cinema, you'll pull from absolutely anything, including making footage yourself."

  Ross emphasizes how his documentary background influenced his storytelling approach, allowing the narrative to organically shape its form based on the story's essence.

Photographic Sensibility in Cinematography

• Ramel Ross [03:35]: "My work as a photographer, I think underpins the aesthetic. This film is shot from the perspective of its two main characters. And, you know, my DP and I, we give them a photographic sensibility."

  The film's visual style is deeply rooted in Ross's photographic expertise, creating a visually immersive experience that reflects how the characters perceive their world.

First-Person Point of View: Technique and Impact

Choosing First-Person POV

• Ramel Ross [05:17]: "When I read the book and the first thought was, wow, I wonder what the world looks like from their eyes."

  Ross discusses the deliberate choice to use a first-person perspective, aiming to provide an intimate connection between the audience and the characters.

Emotional Depth and Audience Engagement

• Ramel Ross [06:21]: "When they're looking into the camera, into you with that love, you're touched by it, like you are a scene partner."

  This technique fosters a profound emotional bond, making viewers feel as though they are part of the narrative rather than mere observers.

Technical Implementation

• Ramel Ross [09:12]: "They had to always look down the barrel of the lens, have a brilliant friend and DP Jomo Frey, who built out two custom camera rigs."

  The implementation of first-person POV required innovative camera rigs to seamlessly integrate the camera into the characters' movements, enhancing the immersive experience.

Challenges in Adaptation and Production

Adapting a Complex Novel

• Ramel Ross [04:24]: "The potential challenges was the adaptation process... my co-writer and I decided to distill his book to its essence and then allow those totems to move into the film medium."

  Translating the depth of Colson Whitehead's novel into film involved distilling its core themes while respecting the source material's integrity.

Handling Sensitive Content

• Ramel Ross [13:45]: "We wanted to approach it without showing the violence... the film is a meaningful film that tries to forefront the poetry of life more so than the tragedy of the context in which life is existing."

  Ross opted to depict violence indirectly, focusing on the emotional and psychological trauma experienced by the characters rather than explicit physical abuse.

Sound Design and Emotional Resonance

Creating an Experiential Soundscape

• Ramel Ross [15:10]: "We wanted there to be that type of unpredictable yet fundamentally fluid dystopic soundscape."

  The sound design was meticulously crafted to reflect the characters' consciousness, especially during traumatic moments, enhancing the film's immersive quality.

The Editing Process

Navigating Complex Visual Languages

• Ramel Ross [16:29]: "The biggest challenge was the edit... making edits and leaping time... takes a lot of zhuzhi and sort of trusting."

  The editing process was particularly challenging due to the film's intricate visual and narrative structure, requiring careful synchronization of various elements to maintain coherence.

Audience Takeaways and Intentions

Creating an Indelible Experience

• Ramel Ross [17:56]: "I prefer for audience members to have an experience not unlike a roller coaster... leaving some indelible impression in you that you're constantly trying to work out and understand as to why it was so powerful."

  Ross hopes that the film leaves a lasting emotional and intellectual impact, encouraging audiences to internalize and reflect upon the historical and cultural narratives presented.

Conclusion

Alison Stewart wraps up the conversation by highlighting Nickel Boys as a significant cinematic achievement that not only adapts a powerful literary work but also innovates in its storytelling techniques to provide a deeply immersive and thought-provoking experience.

Final Remarks: The episode underscores the importance of diverse perspectives in filmmaking and the role of technical innovation in enhancing narrative depth. Nickel Boys stands as a testament to how film can honor literary works while pushing the boundaries of traditional cinematic storytelling.

Notable Quotes:

• Ramel Ross [05:17]: "When I read the book and the first thought was, wow, I wonder what the world looks like from their eyes."
• Ramel Ross [06:21]: "When they're looking into the camera, into you with that love, you're touched by it, like you are a scene partner."
• Ramel Ross [13:45]: "We wanted to approach it without showing the violence... trying to forefront the poetry of life more so than the tragedy."