A Short Film On Project T-Dot At Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

A Short Film On Project T-Dot At Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Location: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2024, Production Company: The Ark Media Group, Executive Producer: Ajani Charles, Producers: Ajani Charles, Anthony Delacruz, Director: Ajani Charles, Writer: Ajani Charles, Director of Photography: Ajani Charles, Production Coordinator: Anthony Delacruz, Post-Production Supervisor: Anthony Delacruz, Editor: Keegan Tam

My new solo Project T-Dot art exhibit at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, based on my 18-year-old documentary project on Toronto’s hip-hop culture, community, and history, has been open to the general public for approximately four months in the airport terminal’s atrium.

I am honoured to share a short film on the exhibit that many skilled people contributed to. It begins with video footage from Project T-Dot that I have captured over the years.

The exhibit’s positive impact on several levels and its ability to educate many on Toronto’s hip-hop history has been incredible and humbling, especially considering the many resources and forms of cooperation that have gone into it.

Among other effects, the exhibit introduces globally celebrated and lesser-known members of Toronto’s hip-hop scene to those who may not be familiar with them or their contributions to Toronto’s hip-hop heritage.

Undertaking the production of a short film about my new exhibit while simultaneously managing the exhibit’s production and promotion was a formidable challenge that I embraced with determination and passion.

Moreover, producing an exhibit and a short film at an airport in the downtown core of a major city was relatively complicated, and numerous variables, including many security procedures, were to be considered and adhered to.

A Screenshot From A Short Film On Project T-Dot At Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Location: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2024, Production Company: The Ark Media Group, Executive Producer: Ajani Charles, Producers: Ajani Charles, Anthony Delacruz, Director: Ajani Charles, Writer: Ajani Charles, Director of Photography: Ajani Charles, Production Coordinator: Anthony Delacruz, Post-Production Supervisor: Anthony Delacruz, Editor: Keegan Tam

Although the processes previously mentioned were exhausting and required much support from many adept and dynamic organizations and individuals, the efforts were worth it, and I am grateful.

Also, I have spoken and written about the Pygmalion effect in the past, and it certainly played a role in the meticulousness employed in creating a short film on Project T-Dot at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the exhibit, and Project T-Dot as a whole.

The Pygmalion effect is a psychological phenomenon where higher expectations improve performance in a given area, primarily when those expectations stem from third parties.

So, the fact that many of the most talented and accomplished individuals and organizations within Toronto’s hip-hop community were aware that my new exhibit was being produced led me to put my best foot forward. The same applies to the impact of my collaborations with the many notable organizations involved in my new exhibit.

The short film on Project T-Dot at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport was and still is essential to my new exhibit.

Production began on Monday, January 8, 2024, during the first phase of the new exhibit’s installation.

Through the film’s production, I wanted to convey the ethos of Project T-Dot and Toronto’s cultural richness.

I also wanted to convey the unique nuances of my new exhibit in less than two and a half minutes in a visually appealing manner that aligns with Project T-Dot's black-and-white aesthetics.

Such aesthetics reflect the nostalgia associated with the project and the black-and-white nature associated with certain aspects of hip-hop culture in Toronto and elsewhere, like the rap battles that define King of the Dot or breakdancing competitions, where the outcomes are decisive.

My new exhibit captures the essence of Toronto’s hip-hop scene, including, but not limited to, the struggle for international recognition musically, through visual arts, and otherwise.

Such a long-term struggle is ongoing and often delineated by apparent successes, setbacks, and misinterpretations by those who know little about Toronto’s hip-hop heritage or have never been to Toronto.

I am grateful to the fantastic crew involved in a short film on Project T-Dot At Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport:

Production Company: The Ark Media Group.

Executive Producer: Ajani Charles.

Producers: Ajani Charles, Anthony Delacruz.

Director: Ajani Charles.

Writer: Ajani Charles.

Director of Photography: Ajani Charles.

Talent: Ajani Charles.

Production Coordinator: Anthony Delacruz.

Post-Production Supervisor: Anthony Delacruz.

Editor: Keegan Tam.

Camera Operators: Ajani Charles, Anthony Delacruz, Keegan Tam, Chara Ho, Braeson Holland, Eric Shum, Justin Piravogi.

Unit Still Photographers: Ajani Charles, Anthony Delacruz, Chara Ho.

Camera Gear: Canon Canada.

Executive Assistant: Danica Villanueva.

Catering: Hong Shing Chinese Restaurant.

English To French Captions Translator: Asselin Charles.

Soundtrack: “Too Comfortable” by Dante “Ithedon” Lopez-Gomez.

Thank you to Gavin Sheppard, Ritchie “Rich Kidd” Acheampong, and the Remix Project for introducing me to Dante “Ithedon” Lopez-Gomez and consequently facilitating the short film’s soundtrack.

I am also thankful for the essential contributors to the production and promotion of my new exhibit, including Nieuport Aviation, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, PortsToronto, which provided much-needed b-roll footage of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and its operations for the short film, the City of Toronto, Canon Canada, the CONTACT Photography Festival, ICON Digital Productions, which provided much-needed b-roll footage of my new exhibit’s printing process for the short film, and Dot2Dot Communications.

I encourage all Torontonians and travellers to Toronto to visit my new exhibit.

As mentioned in my new short film, it is located past the airport’s underground tunnel, specifically in its passenger terminal’s atrium, every day between 5:00 AM EST and 11:59 PM EST until the beginning of 2025.

The exhibit’s 60 large-scale vinyl prints feature over 80 Toronto hip-hop community members.

The exhibit’s 55-inch interactive touchscreen describes their careers, contributions to Toronto’s hip-hop culture and history, and positive impact on Toronto, Canada, and the world. It includes hundreds of images from Project T-Dot.

The touchscreen’s user interface will be updated with new content throughout the exhibit’s duration. Globally, it is the first comprehensive database featuring a major city’s hip-hop community. It will only be available at the airport (for now).

Project T-Dot at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport features notable figures, including but not limited to Baby Yu, Boi-1da, Chris Bosh, Click, Director X, Drake, Future the Prince, Haviah Mighty, Jessie Reyez, Jonathan Ramos, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Killy, Lissa Monet, Maestro Fresh Wes, Marlon Palmer, Mastermind, Master T, Monika Deole, Moses Znaimer, Ron Nelson, SAFE, Shawn Desman, SKAM, Skratch Bastid, Smoke Dawg, Starting From Scratch, TOBi, The Weeknd, and Tyrone Edwards, and influential organizations, including but not limited to 100 Miles Brand, Advance Music Canada, Bag of Trix, Battle of The Beatmakers, Flow 93.5, Do Dat Entertainment, Ground Illusionz, Honey Jam, Hong Shing Restaurant, Justice Fund, Manifesto Community Projects, MuchMusic, Play De Record, October's Very Own, Operation Prefrontal Cortex, Roots Rhymes Collective, The Circle, The Forgiveness Project, The Remix Project, the Toronto Raptors, and Too Black Guys.

Visitors are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences of the art and Project T-Dot on social media using the hashtag #projecttdot and by tagging me (@ajaniphoto). The exhibit’s press release can be viewed here.

I look forward to sharing more about my new exhibit in the coming weeks and months, including many interviews and a special announcement regarding the featured short film.

I am highly motivated to complete the other facets of Project T-Dot, including but not limited to a coffee table book, a Project T-Dot movie, a new Project T-Dot digital platform, new Project-T Dot art exhibits, panels, and other events, and a non-profit organization that will oversee the project as a whole while teaching youth from Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods how to turn their hip-hop art forms into sustainable non-profits and businesses.

Despite being in production for 18 years, this is only the beginning of Project T-Dot, and there is far more to come.

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