A Word: Designing Wakanda

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3.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2022

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters this November. The franchise has provided a showcase for African Americans across the entertainment industry, including those behind the scenes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with one of those rising creatives, conceptual artist Phillip Boutte Jr. Boutte left an acting career for film design, working on several sci-fi blockbusters. They discuss how Black Panther has helped change the dynamic for African American film professionals who had struggled to get a foothold in Hollywood. Guest: Production designer Phillip Boutte Jr., co-founder of 9B Collective, the first Black owned conceptual artist incubator in the industry. Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola. You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:04.0	Summer is the prime season for Hollywood blockbusters, but one of the most
0:08.1	anticipated superhero movies this year is Wakanda Forever, that's doing
0:12.8	theaters in November. It's a showcase for Black Excellence, not just for
0:17.2	actors, but also for the designer who brought the Black Panther's world to life
0:21.8	on screen. It's not just about getting people hired, it's about getting them
0:25.9	hired, giving them equity, right, which is giving them a place to where they
0:29.5	have a position of power to tell that story.
0:32.5	More on Wakanda and the rise of Black creators in Hollywood, coming up on a
0:37.0	word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay with us.
0:41.5	Hello, I'm Ian Sulling, and I'm with one of McCain's farmers who grow
0:44.5	there, petite. Hang on, these are all looking potatoes.
0:47.5	That's kale, Ian. You do know you need potato to make
0:50.7	chips, right? Yes, but we don't just grow potatoes. We actually
0:54.5	rotate different crops to help keep the soil healthy. So, we eat
0:57.4	McCain chips. I'm helping do some good. Exactly, yeah. You're
1:01.3	supporting the move to regenerative farming. By the way, I do know
1:05.0	the difference between kale and potatoes. Of course you do.
1:08.4	McCain, let's all check in.
1:13.4	Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else. I'm your
1:18.4	host Jason Johnson. You may not know Philip Boutet Jr's name, but if you've
1:23.0	been to the movies, you've seen his work. He's done production and costume
	...

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