Cheer: an HBCU Experience is a 24 minute documentary that highlights the Morehouse cheer team and the athletic excellence behind their work. What began as a short class assignment at Spelman grew into a full documentary that examines cheer as a real sport. The film captures the strength, discipline, teamwork, and precision required to perform at a high level in HBCU spaces.
Through practices, sideline performances, interviews, and game day energy, the documentary reveals how much physical training and emotional commitment cheer demands. It also centers the women who lead the team and celebrates their impact on campus culture. Instead of treating cheer as an accessory to sports, the film reframes it as athletic performance in its own right.
This project represents my first major documentary and the moment I realized how much I love capturing real stories, movement, and lived experience on camera.
Behind the Documentary
I approached this film as both director and cinematographer. Because cheer is fast paced and physically demanding, I had to plan my shooting style around movement, timing, and safety. I captured practice sessions, drills, stunts, team conversations, and sideline performances. I worked with natural lighting, handheld coverage, and documentary pacing to keep the film grounded and authentic.
As a one person crew, I handled directing, camera operation, interviews, and audio. This project taught me how to build trust with real subjects, how to capture athletics on camera, and how to shape documentary structure from hours of footage.