Visual Intonation
Visual Intonation, hosted by acclaimed director and screenwriter Vanté Gregory, delves into the vibrant world of Black artistry. Each episode features intimate conversations with visionary creators, exploring the depths of their craft and the cultural resonance of their work. Vanté Gregory's insightful approach illuminates the nuanced voices shaping contemporary art, offering listeners a profound journey through diverse artistic expressions. From emerging talents to established masters, Visual Intonation amplifies the richness of Black creativity, inviting audiences to experience art through the eyes and voices of its most compelling practitioners.
Visual Intonation finds film not only as an art form but as a basis for education and cultural interaction.
Visual Intonation
EP 125: Shaping the Sun with CInematographer Taj Devore-Bey
Visual Intonation Podcast – Featuring Taj Devore-Bey
In this episode of Visual Intonation, we sit down with Taj Devore-Bey, a rising Philadelphia-based cinematographer whose lens is shaped as much by trauma as it is by talent. Before he picked up a camera, Devore-Bey was navigating the sharp edges of adolescence in Southwest Philly, where a life-altering home invasion forever redefined his idea of safety. At 16, he witnessed his father survive a near-fatal shooting — a moment that shattered the concept of home and safety, and later echoed through every frame of his visual storytelling.
Devore-Bey's artistic journey is rooted in dualities: light and shadow, chaos and calm, grit and grace. A former high school football player at Cheltenham and a student of film and media at Mott Community College, he brings the discipline of sport and the depth of scholarship into his work. He has served as Director of Photography and Assistant Editor on Awaken: A Tale of Inner-City Violence, Crime, and Its Impact — a film that mirrors much of what he has lived and seeks to interrogate through his camera.
His voice is young, but his eye is seasoned. Influenced by visionaries like Spike Lee, Terrence Malick, Ava DuVernay, and the visual mastery of Bradford Young and Chivo Lubezki, Devore-Bey crafts work that refuses to look away. Each shot is an invitation to see — not just what’s there, but what it means. His commitment to empathy and perspective permeates every project, including his collaboration on Pulled Over/Pulled Under, where he worked alongside a powerful creative team addressing racial profiling and systemic injustice.
Join us for a conversation that moves beyond the lens: into memory, identity, survival, and the enduring question of how art can not only reflect the world, but reshape it. Taj Devore-Bey isn’t just documenting stories: he’s reclaiming them.
Taj Devore-Bey's Website: https://www.tajdevorebey.com/
Taj Devore-Bey's IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm12091903/
Taj Devore-Bey's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tajdevorebey/?hl=en
Taj Devore-Bey's Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/tajdevore
Taj Devore-Bey's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/tajdevorebey
Visual Intonation Website: https://www.visualintonations.com/
Visual Intonation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualintonation/
Vante Gregory's Website: vantegregory.com
Vante Gregory's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directedbyvante/
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Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@directedbyvante
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