Joseph M. Wilcots

In his over three-hour interview, Joseph M. Wilcots (1939-2009) speaks about his interest in photography as a teenager and his filmmaking experiences while serving in the Navy. He describes his work at the Westheimer Company -- in particular, the creative work being done for the special effects on the original Star Trek series. He relates how he became the first Black member of the cinematographers union and identified the slow shift in adding other Black members over the years. Wilcots talks about his work in independent filmmaking and reminisces about some of the people he worked with, including director Gordon Parks and cinematographer Robert Surtees. He speaks in great detail about the two projects for which he is most associated, the miniseries Roots and Roots: The Next Generations, for which he served as director of photography. He recalls meeting and working with Alex Haley, and talks of working with actor Marlon Brando. He notes the impact of Roots and what the miniseries meant to him, and acknowledges his work on the Alex Haley/Norman Lear series Palmerstown U.S.A. Lastly, he gives his impressions of three individuals for whom he worked extensively: actor/director George Stanford Brown, Bill Cosby, and Michael Jackson. Gary Rutkowski conducted the interview on December 5, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA.