Using Animated Graphics with Archival Footage

In support of their mission to bring North Carolinians content that can change lives for the better, public media network UNC-TV sought to report on the history of Black Wall Street in Durham, as a continuation of their Black Issues Forum series.

We were honored to help bring this important story of Black entrepreneurship to life, with motion graphics that worked dynamically with the interview and b-roll footage. Designs were carefully created to show the location of Black Wall Street, how it evolved and, eventually, split apart; an important, impactful time in N.C. history.

About the Client

UNC-TV is a growing multiplatform statewide public media network consisting of 12 stations providing four channels of digital television service as well as original content delivered through unctv.org and a variety of online channels. Since 1955, UNC-TV’s commitment has been to serve all North Carolinians with content that can change lives for the better.

Client Objective

Black Wall Street was a term coined during the early 1900s by W.E.B. Dubois as a result of the thriving number of black owned businesses on Parrish Street in Durham, North Carolina. As a continuation of their Black Issues Forum series, UNC-TV sought to report on the impact of Durham’s Black Wall Street in an engaging, thoughtful format. With the interviews and b-roll footage complete (thanks to our friends at Triangle BLVD, we took the lead on animations to breathe even more life into the story.

It was especially important that the motion graphics be designed in a way that would support transitions between interviews and illustrate the location and evolution of Black Wall Street. The final video would be presented at an event intended to spark discussion around the future of the Durham community.

Our Approach

John Merrick, among the many other great men who started Durham’s Black Wall Street, saw a need, had an idea, and had a commitment to succeed. You can’t lose with that mindset.

The interviews laid the groundwork, with interviewees either having witnessed Black Wall Street in its heyday or being descendants of businesses founded at that time.

The animations were designed to both add context and signal to the audience a transition of thought. For example, Highway 147 often skirts the blame of ending Black Wall Street due to its congruence with desegregation. The use of the map animation reveals to the audience the clear split that divided a thriving community—an imperative point UNC-TV felt needed emphasis, because it was ultimately seen as the catalyst that ended an era.

Results

The history of business and entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the American story, but the experiences of black Americans are often absent from that narrative.

This project ultimately supported UNC-TV’s larger Black Issues Forum. The video was featured as part of their special preview screening and discussion of “Boss: The Black Experience in Business.” The event was their way of honoring and celebrating the past existence of Black Wall Street, followed by a discussion of the future community in Durham, North Carolina.

An estimated 75+ members of the Durham community attended, and the video continues to be featured on UNC-TV’s website today.