Introduction into cultural impact of Black Panther
This essay will outline why the production design is so important in telling this story. How many aspects of the film outline the misrepresentation of African history in the film industry? Proving the need for architecture and design in underpinning important messages in film and demonstrating culture and tradition to further contextualise a narrative. Moving between a micro and macro scale, set design and its use in character development and the process of creating Wakanda, its layout and architectural influences, will be explored.
Black representation in all forms of media has only begun to matter to owners and managers of said medias and media companies in the last decade or so. This type of representation in movies and TV shows is one of the most progressive steps forward for Western countries. Young children and teenagers are now able to see role models, TV personalities, heroes and villains, that look like them. Being able to see someone that looks like you fulfilling your dream means you can believe that dream is within your grasp. Understanding and analysing Black Panther will answer the question, how the production design in the film made an impact on representation.
An exploration into the influence of the history of Africa on the architecture and design of the country, and how does this rich fictional history impact Diaspora Africans? Using evidence of Hannah Beachler’s research the importance of Wakanda’s history is outlined. Studying the difference in Comic book Wakanda and film Wakanda, asks the question, what changed when designing this country, and why was is so important that it did? Looking at the 60s illustrations in the original Black Panther comics, by Jack Kirby, and his influences in design, vs Beachler’s influences, show how changed representation for African tradition is. When looking more in depth at certain sets and scenes, this essay shows what exactly production design does to further a plot and help depict a character’s feelings and motives in their surroundings. How exactly does the set cause the audience to understand these emotions? What does Black Pantheruse to explain real life human stories? Beachler uses real issues to influence her set design and shine some light on them.
To answer my questions I researched the movie, its motives and influences as well as the production design, Hannah Beachler herself. Through email I conducted a casual interview with her to help me understand the connection between the production design and the story the director, Ryan Coogler, was telling. I asked,
‘My project looks specifically at the impact Black Panther had and has on culture and representation in the black community on the big screen and in Hollywood. And why the production design and architecture of the project have such a key role in this. Did the impact of Black Panther live up to your expectations? Was this your goal when researching?’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
This question was to try and understand the cultural underpinning of Beachler’s work and what exactly she wanted her final perception of the definitive Wakandan design to be.
‘Well, me being me, I think nothing will ever live up to my expectations. I'll always find something that could have been different, or should have been that, etc. etc. I'm very happy with Black Panther, at the same time would change some things in it, mostly because I'm a different person now, and it's a different world from when I was immersed in the world of Wakanda.
'It was my goal, to make a place where the people had complete agency over their resources and autonomy from colonizers. A place that fed on and evolved from traditions, ritual, community, and family. That took into consideration a shared ecosystem with nature and used technology to enhance the evolution of their ecosystem and not for the convenience of complacency. I think what we did hit on some of the points. This time around I hope to push even further to make Wakanda even more complex and layered. We'll see. I'm definitely my own worst critic. :)’
The full interview is outlined in my appendix. (H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
The essay is a theoretical understanding of the importance design holds over the impact of any given movie, using diagrams, drawings, research and my own critical thinking I will answer the questions posed.
My research took me to Beachler’s twitter where she shared multiples pictures as well as explanations for her designs. The tweets detail sets, and pages of The Wakandan Bible, as well as answers to user questions about her schemes. Researching broadly into Wakanda I found, lots of articles about the country and its architecture as well as multiple interviews with Beachler from different media companies, all of which provided insightful details for this study. I used some academic journals to help create a baseline for this dissertation, however none were very helpful due to the lack of essay work on the film since its release.
This essay will look specifically at set design, the process of creating Wakanda, and the many aspects that helped produce the high-quality beauty of this fictional country.
The layout of both Wakanda and its capital city was designed and thought through by Oscar winning production designer Hannah Beachler and her team. The team also designed and built The Golden City (Wakandan capitol), and all inside set spaces, along with the Korean sets and London sets. Beachler and the film’s Director Ryan Coogler spent a long time in Africa and America, researching for the movie, putting together what has been nicknamed, The Wakanda Bible, 515 pages filled with conceptual art, maps, buildings and their structures, set pieces, set layouts, plus costumes and costume designs (designed by Oscar winning Ruth E. Carter). All this research is the key to the success of the project, nothing was placed or built without a reason or a reference, it’s what makes the film so culturally relevant and inspirational.
Beginning this essay with the history of Wakanda, moving through to the detailed design decoration of the Royal throne room and Jabri Tribe throne room, studying the differences of Comic Wakanda and film Wakanda, the influence and inspiration from surrounding African countries and tribes, and the mining system and its underlying significance, I will finish this dissertation outlining; What is the impact of Black Panther’s production design on Africa’s cultural representation?
Historical Wakanda and its affect
Wakanda is the one constant in the movie, regardless of where the characters go, or tell their story. When the plot takes the main characters to South Korea, the scenes still focus directly between T’Challa, Okoye and Nakia. The focus of these scenes is not on the architecture and design of South Korea, but instead of the Wakandan fighting skills, and high Wakandan fashion, all derived from African culture. The emphasis on Africa, even when in another beautifully rich culture creates a continuity that remains throughout the film enabling the audience to remain connected with the residents of the country and the country itself from beginning to end. The storyline is complex, there are a lot of characters and each goes through hardships during the course of the film. By placing all major plot points in Wakandaand having the main plot centredaround the future of the country the audience can follow the film easily, and the solid and recognisable architecture remains as the viewer’s base.
Beachler and the director, Ryan Coogler had many considerations when placing Wakanda, and the tribes and cities within it.
‘proximity to other places for characters travelling, where they are climate and environment wise.’ ‘we were also thinking about when Wakanda was first becoming a country, where did the people migrate from, what did they specialize in, and what environments did they thrive in,’(H. Becahler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
They wanted Wakanda to look as if it belongs in our reality, as if it could indeed be real. Not only to give audiences a realistic viewing experience, but to show off Africa’s architectural design and give an insight into the Africa of today. Wakanda (in the comics) was one of the first peoples, and so when designing Beachler and Coogler had to look at surrounding countries and cities for inspiration. As if Wakanda had influenced Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, with its own unique architectural style.
Beachler designed the entire layout of The Golden City, including,
‘North Triangle, Step Town, Merchant District, University, CBD, and the Civic District’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
It is a well laid out (fig. 1), well-functioning city, with some sections being directly linked with tribes in other parts of Wakanda(fig.2). She began her design process the by writing the history of Wakanda starting 12,000 years ago. She details this history in a 515-page book referred to as the crew’s Wakandan Bible, it is not available to the public, however. She created nicknames for places, created stories for areas, all to bring this city to life. In our correspondence, she recounts a story about New Orleans and the meaning behind a boulevard nicknamed The Neutral Ground.
‘back in the 1960s the boulevard was a place where gangs would not fight, it was neutral.’ ‘creating those stories too in an effort to make a lives history,’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
The inspiration for the city and the film, in its entirety, came from Beachler and Coogler’s surroundings, New Orleans, New York, Oakland. Places like South Korea were also explored (for a specific few scenes), but the design teams focus was the representation of African culture.
It is obvious Wakanda and The Golden City have a rich history, this detail and intricacy is so important. The movie means a lot tothe black community because of the way it portrays Africa, it gives the audience insight into the proud African culture, it’s spirituality, religion, fashion, etc. Small gestures created by Beachler for Black Panther ensure areas of African architecture are represented. She designed two record halls in The Golden City (fig.3), holding all of Wakanda’s history,
‘I never knew my relatives who survived so that I could be & my ancestors who were stolen that is why I created them. No Wakandan ever has to wonder where they come from, ever.’ (Beachler, 2019)
Historically physical evidence of African beginnings, in other cultures outside of Africa, do not exist, due to outdated racists ideologies. Beachler’s records hall put right this wrong for Wakandans, and much like this rest of the Wakanda, imply Africans with lost histories can adopt Wakanda’s as their own. In an interview with Nicole Flatow for Bloomberg, Beachler says,
‘[Wakandan residents] know everything about their past’
a privilege many African descendants don’t have… and [that] will never happen again’ (Beachler, 2018)
A history was created for those in the black community who don’t have one, showing the importance of design in this cultural storytelling.
T’Challa’s and M’Baku’s throne rooms
The production team tell the story of a competing tribe, the Jabri. Shown, in the first act of the film, to challenge the reigning royal family for the throne. The Golden City clashes starkly with what we see of Jabariland, the tribe’s home, set in the cold mountains to the South of Wakanda. This confliction is particularly evident in the throne rooms of each city. T’Challa’s throne room is circular, organic and filled with golden hues, in comparison M’Baku’s is vertical, long and covered in silver light (fig. 6). Beachler uses these two specific sets to show the clashing of these two characters and their differing opinions. T’Challa wants to grow and move into a new age with his country, mirrored in the more organic and continuously moving city, M’Baku however is stuck rigidly in the past, much like the stark and non-moving architecture of his city. When the movies characters move into the throne rooms, each opens up, the sets expand to show the importance of the character in the leadership position, however they open up in different ways and create different atmospheres. T’Challa’s throne room is large and circular (fig. 4), embracing those entering and creating a space for all to involve themselves, a very democratic environment.
‘About a community making decisions… having elders who represent the people. It was a throne room about Wakandan Tradition and history. The elder’s chairs in a circle facing each other.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
M’Baku’s is a plank balancing on a mountain, with himself perched at the end. Subjects that enter the room, immediately feel belittled and are looking to only one for answers.
‘a narrow one point perspective directly to his throne chair making it clear of his power.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
Beachler does this to show the audience where the characters stand in M’Baku’s presence, but also to empathize how we as an audience should feel about him. Furthermore, M’Baku’s throne itself has even more symbolism. It balances on the end of a long space, open to the elements, the obvious interpretation of this is his fear of nothing. He hovers high above the ground with nothing to ensure his safety, its arrogance placed in him by his ancestors, and placed in the audience’s mind by Beachler’s clever eye. However, it goes deeper than this, M’Baku has a fear of nothing that is physical, but the placement of the throne at the end of the room is a show of his insecurity against people that would take it from him. Beachler makes sure, when sat, M’Baku is as far away from anyone entering as possible, in a seemingly intimidating position, flaunting his lack of fear. Her team suspends birch logs above the space (fig. 5), they
‘are a threat to those who want to steal his throne, history, ancestry.’ (Beachler, 2018)
Another tool Beachler uses to show M’Baku’s insecurity against invaders, she appeals to the audience by showing his insecurities so plainly. She does this so we connect with M’Baku, and so we can accept his transition from an antagonist to a protagonist.
Black Panther comics in comparison to the live action performance
As with all Marvel movies, Black Panther is an adaptation of its original marvel comics, which were written and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. In MCU films a large amount of the story and architecture is lifted directly from the original comics or updated to fit with today’s reality, Hannah Beachler did the same.
‘there are building shapes that are directly from Jack Kirby’s work, and they will always remain in Wakanda’s Golden City as he’s the grandfather Architect.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
Beachler has multiple black panther statues of multiple sizes throughout The Golden City, which is a direct link to the Comics. Both Kirby (fig. 7) and Beachler did this to show audiences the pride the residents have in their country and in their leader. The statues are direct links to the beginnings of the country, to their religion, reminding us of the deep and long history Wakanda has. No matter how much it evolves the country remains knowledgeable and proud of its roots, something many African descendants are not able to have, because of the little historical evidence they have. Beachler wants us as the audience to root ourselves in Wakanda too, she wants to give those African descendants a new history, hence why she uses the iconic imagine of a black panther in the same way Kirby did in the comics.
Black Panther is one of the few comic to movie adaptations that’s architecture changed in a way more than just adapting it to fit into the 21st century. Beachler and Coogler had to design an entire country, a country located in a very culturally rich place, with a long and difficult history. It was important to them to show Africa’s history through Wakanda.
‘A place that fed on and evolved from traditions, ritual, community, and family.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
Even with the comic book illustrations of Wakanda, Beachler and her team had to, largely, start from scratch. The general perception in the film industry of Africa in 1968, when the first Black Panther comics were published, was limited.
‘Africa was not something that was taught, it’s history or its present.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
Segregation was not abolished until 1964, and so to bring an African king to mainstream in the 60s was quite revolutionary in itself. What Beachler did with Black Panther was very similar, she brought African culture to the mainstream. She wanted audiences to immerse themselves and learn about Africa and its rich design. By using African fashion (Ruth E. Carter), music (Ludwig Göransson and Kendrick Lamar), language, and of course architecture.
Wakanda, imagined by the production team, pays its respects to Kirby and his illustrations, but it tells a different story. The tragedy of many African countries is their enslavement, colonization, and conquering by the west. Many places worldwide have suffered this same fate; however Black Panther focuses on Africa and what these countries could have been without outside intervention. Beachler showcases this afro-futurism, and it gives meaning to those globally with African roots. The key difference from the comics to live action is how Wakanda is shown. In the 60s black people saw a black person in comics for the first time, now black people see their culture and history on the big screen for the first time. The city and its architecture are the key to this pride felt by all those watching and working on the film.
Jack Kirby (comic illustrator)was known for his geometric, mechanical designs, they were organic and looked as if they had grown from the landscape (fig. 8). Beachler used this as a base, growing these buildings with culture and tradition to create a functioning and flowing country (fig. 9). Each building has a purpose and a place, each section feeds into the country’s eco-system, it is essential to how the Wakandans operate.
Black Panther really connects the audience to its society. Part of that is the warmth it gives out regardless of its futuristic approach. Many movies, for example Tron or Bladerunner have an air of cold cut, silver steel architecture that, in recent years, has become synonymous with the future of design. The comics played on this idea too, and it stopped readers from accepting this country as being part of their world. In comparison, the film’s Wakanda is inviting, open and pulls the audience in, giving them hope that the world is real, educating while enticing people watching. Beachler believes the reason people responded so well to Wakanda was because of the warmth, the people.
Continuing in her interview with Nicole Flatow for Bloomberg she details why this connection to people is integral to the film,
‘we’re people, but we’ve convinced ourselves we’re users, …the people are the most important thing about it,’ (Beachler, 2018)
To really create the Wakanda Beachler imagined, she knew she had to create a place people connected with, by making these people real, within touching distance. She and Coogler made realistic and recognisable characters and cites, and so the audience feel as if they are living the story with the king T’Challa. This idea was not executed in the comics, merely because comics don’t need that human connection. First and foremost, they are short action stories, and are not used to tell real-life narratives, the way many 21st century movies are. The connectivity audiences feel is rooted in the comics whilst created due to its adaptation.
The production design team added small things to build characters and show their development, bright open areas filled with a mixture of tradition and new design to show growth, and dark, bare sets to show certain character’s stubbornness.
‘…adding things they come across in the story (whether literally or figuratively) to their world, adding meaning and building to something.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
It is another key difference between the comics and live action, as it is with many comic adaptations. Character development is not shown through environment, and architecture is not used to subliminally portray or underscore character analysis when writing a comic. Black Panther, however, uses design, art and background views to indirectly tell the audience what is not being said. Most notably, this happens in each throne room, as discussed previously, with contrasting shapes and colours, as well as M’Baku’s wooden spears. But also, in Necropolis or Hall of Kings, in Shuri’s Lab, the mining shafts, and so many other sets of the film. The Hall of Kings is a sacred and extremely important place to the Wakandan people, when first shown to us, it’s dark and quiet, peaceful, evoking its own power and importance. The next time we see it, it’s burning, bright and chaotic, representing the destruction of the country’s well-loved traditions. The set is an example of added meaning, when the sacred hall burns it signifies the end of the current way of Wakanda, the beginning of a new way. This symbolism is not possible in comic stories, and it illistrates the importance of contextual story-telling.
Influences from surrounding countries
Wakanda, fictionally, must have roots in many African countries, because of the way tribes moved through areas and set up civilisations centuries ago. Coogler, Beachler, Carter and many other members of the team used this to not only enhance Black Panther, but to place its roots in reality, and to pay their respects to the people and countries of Africa that created these cultures.
Coogler fell in love with the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho, their woven cone shaped huts (fig. 10) and Basotho blankets are very prominent in the movie. South Africa, specifically Johannesburg was also an influence (fig. 11), it’s a very busy and bustling city, filled with high-rise architecture and a thriving community of young people. Beachler wanted audiences to feel this through her work, for example, a scene between T’Challa and Nakia takes place on what seems to be a very typical Wakandan street. The colours and patterns are direct links to different cultures around Africa, the atmosphere however is influenced solely by Joburg.
Ethiopia is another country that Beachler took inspiration from (fig. 12). The Ethiopian people take pride in the fact they were never colonised, much like the Wakandans. It’s a very historic country with the obelisks of Axum and the churches of Lalibela, carved out of the rock, just like the Necropolis, again Beachler makes a direct link to another African style of design. Victoria Falls, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo also inspired the production team, all in order to make an authentic country for people to relate to.
The Democratic Republic of Congo was Jack Kirby and Stan Lees original start point for the beginnings of Wakanda, and when reimagining Wakanda Beachler used these original ideas as well as countless other influences from other places and counties, to expand on the 60s comics’ ideas of what Africa was and is.
‘…I started digging into Senegal and Nigeria and finding things, while not necessarily futuristic-looking, very modern in their sensibilities’ (Beachler, 2018)
This was said in an interview with Eric Francisco, for Inverse. Wakanda’s tall afro-futuristic buildings, as well as marketplaces all have roots in original African design, as stated here Beachler began with Senegal and Nigeria, but her research stretched further into other African countries and other areas from around the world populated by Diaspora Africans. §
Tribes of Wakanda
In Wakanda, Coogler and his team created six tribes, each serving a different purpose for the overall well-being of the country. The history of the tribes is detailed in the Wakandan Bible, from the joining of the tribes to create Wakanda, the Jabari tribe retreating to the mountains, to the merging of the Artisan and Merchant tribe into the Masu tribe.
Each tribe has been placed to best fulfil its purpose in Wakanda, the Border tribe and Mining tribe are located in the south, near the Rwandan border and take inspiration from the Lesotho people, and the Himba and Maasai people of East Africa, respectfully. The River tribe in situated in the centre of the country, taking inspiration from the Ethiopian tribes, Suri and Mursi. The Masu tribe is influenced by the Tuareg people of the Saharan and Sahelian regions and is located in the north. (fig. 13)
The tribes serve a practical use in Wakandan society, but for Beachler it was another way to fill the country with even more diverse African cultures. She designed traditional Lesotho huts for the Border tribe, complete with original materials and patterns (fig. 14). The huts are stereotypical African huts that link to the history of the country, elements of these huts are shown in the high-rise building in The Golden City. Beachler uses these traditional designs as a base and develops them into astounding buildings, that celebrate their culture. In Perry’s interview with, Beachler, Carter and producer Nate Moore, Moore said.
‘… it’s not only the most technically-advanced civilization in the world. But it has a very strong ancestral history that was never eliminated in a way it has been in other places, because they were never conquered.’ (Moore, 2018)
This ‘ancestral history’ is very obvious in the architecture of the city, further instilling this pride the Wakandans have, in the audience, and connecting them, once again, to the story.
This attention to detail is the essence of Black Panther, these small aspects help in educating all people, whether they have African ancestors or not, broadening people’s minds to art and design not seen on such a renowned stage before. Beachler’s time and patience to get everything right once again links back to the importance of showing black and African representation in a positive light for those who have needed it.
Wakanda’s mining system and underlying significance
Africa, and Democratic Republic of Congo especially, has a very long history of mining, specifically for ‘blood minerals’; Coltan and Cobalt. Since 2017 these mines have graced the news channels a few times, however the issues in Democratic Republic of Congo are much larger than many are led to believe. Children as young as six are forced to work against all labour laws. The conditions are disgusting, children working in these mines are more likely to get cancer and suffer other life-threatening injuries and diseases. In 2019 a lawsuit was filed on behalf of fourteen families against five US tech giants including Apple and Microsoft.
‘… the companies were part of a system of forced labour that led to the serious injuries or deaths of the children.’ (Al Jazeera, 2019)
African resources have been coveted by the Western world since the 5th century, and in cases like these in the Democratic Republic of Congo mines, they are sources of death and contribute to a modern form slavery.
Beachler outlined to me the Wakandans mining world and the culturally significant role it plays.
‘Wakandan's have complete agency over their resources, and the mine is a technological amazement.’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
She talks about the juxtaposition this shows, the important difference between corporate oppression and what can happen when people control their own resources and land. The inclusion of the mining space in the film is a subtle nod to the horror facing other African mines, and what these places should be like.
The mining shaft and Shuri’s lab, that sits inside it, is the most impressive piece of set design work in the film, engineering wise. Vibranium is used to power everything, the tracks, trains, lab, everything. Although both the underground system and overground city both work in the same way and are powered by the same thing, they have a very different look. This difference is to highlight the important message of illegal child labour in mines in the rest of Africa, to set it apart from the exciting world of Wakanda. One of the most racially conscious conversations in the film happens in the mining shaft, between T’Challa and Killmonger. They argue and discuss the fate of Wakanda, whether the world should be educated on its past atrocities and helped to start a new, or whether revenge should be taken on it. The design of the underground space enables the two messages to be clear and stand on their own, the place is dark and serene, nothing distracts from the significance of what is happening, and what is being shown.
Conclusion
Black Panther is a representation of African cultural design. The design and architecture of the project enables subconscious messages to be relayed, it consciously, and with pride, showcases the beauty of African architecture in a way not accurately seen in Hollywood before. Traditional designs and styles have been used by artists for years, however the origins for these techniques have not always been credited, Black Panther, however, makes it very clear where all the inspiration came from.
Through this dissertation I have attempted to answer my original questions, using my research and analysis to understand how exactly this film creates the cultural impact it has.
The rich history implemented into aspects of the architectural design and set dressing imply to the audience the detailed research done by the movie’s key crew. The fictional history of Wakanda is spread thickly across all aspects of every set, every scene’s focus is the country. Whether it be the technology possessed by it or the fate of its long traditions. The focus solidifies a relationship between the audience and Wakanda, Beachler uses this to comfort many African descendants across the world watching the film. Wakanda enables those without a history to adopt its culture. The fictional country is so full of references to Africa, its tribes, cities, architecture, design, fashion etc. that Diaspora Africans are able to feel at home.
Referencing comic Wakanda was important in the development process to Beachler. However, live-action Wakanda is quite different. The difference was important in order to create a realistic African country, an aspect not used in the 60s comic book.
‘in 1968 I had to understand what people, in general in the West, knew of and thought of Africa. Subsaharan Africa was not something that was taught, it's history or it's present. But Egypt was, as seen in every museum in the world, and in those early iterations of Wakanda it was a mix of that and NYC’(H. Beachler, personal communication, December 14, 2020)
Wakanda in its current form is a subculture of all that surrounds it, so many nationalities are represented inside the country. That is why it was so important for the production team to develop a new Wakanda, to represent the real people that live in the continent this fictional world is placed.
M’Baku’s and T’Challa’s rivalry would not have the same impact if their throne rooms were not as starkly different as they are. The observations made would not be possible without the contrast in design Beachler provides, without the attention she paid to each part of the set, the objects within it and the entire set as a whole. The audience is able to understand the emotions and aims of the two rulers when watching the scenes. The layouts, colours and dressing create atmospheres easily felt by the viewers, enabling all emotion to be readable without words even being said.
The subtle nod to real human stories, inside the design, expands on its important place in modern cinema. The mineshaft is operated solely by technology, no person put at risk. The design being so slick and practical is, probably, not far off in the reality of our world. Wakanda’s control over their own land is apparent, and contrasts places all over the world that do not have a say in their own lives. However, the mines in Black Panther are a direct line to DRC’s struggle.
Black Panther is a definitive example of African exemplification. The production design is the key to the heart and soul of the film, is provides a base for the narrative to expand from. Black Panther was described by multiple people, including the magazine Vox, as,
‘a love letter to black culture,’ (Johnson, 2018)
This statement encapsulates what the representation the film provides means to the black community.
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