(DISCLAIMER- due to our tight shooting schedule, some characters are subject to change or be removed from the film overall, except the main character).
Officer Chase
Officer Chase is the "bad cop" of our "good cop-bad cop" duo. Although we don't want to portray a "demonization" of the police, Office Chase represents the dark side police and law enforcement- encompassing injustice, abuse of power, and inhumane acts that are driven by stereotyping and racism.
Ideally, we would like to depict him as a white male in his 40's, considerably tall and broad-shouldered to seem intimidating and overpowering. (like previously mentioned, this is subject to change to maybe a younger guy closer to our age yet with similar features).
The effect of having such a character is a vital part of our story. In contemporary culture, police officers have been portrayed as heroic figures of integrity, justice, and fearlessness. But the reality is, as journalist Wesley Lowery states about the film Detroit, "There are officers out there violating people’s civil rights, doing some horrific things. Having a full airing of that [in the film] was very powerful. I was unprepared for how jarring some of that would be."
This entirely positive portrayal of police in the media before the movement of police brutality awareness was due to the fact that the US film industry and general media has been historically dominated by the white culture who rarely (if ever) experienced the injustices that African American culture has had with the police as a part of their daily lives.
Highlighting such a topic as police brutality is a symbol of minority groups raising their voice on issues that white privilege might have otherwise been ignorant to. This is why a character like Officer Chase is a major part of the story we are telling.
CITATIONS:
Hawley, T. (n.d.). Police officer against white background, portrait, close-up. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/police-officer-against-white-background-high-res-stock-photography/sb10068030i-002
Lopez, R., & Johnson, T. (2017, August 01). Movies, TV Shows Evolve to Reflect a Changing, More Complex View of Police. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from http://variety.com/2017/film/features/police-in-movies-tv-shows-1202511299/
F. (2017, November 27). Detroit. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDGus2fnPQ4
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