black children, with director Ibra Ake saying: "Just seeing that as a black man, coming from America, I'm like, yeah this is opposite of what I have to inspire me growing up. You just don't get to see representation like that or black people honored in that way." Director Jenn Nkiru explained how on the set of the "Brown Skin Girl" video, there was "a huge presence of life", specifically a lot of flowers and plants, representing the themes of growth and nurturing. The "Ja Are E" set consisted of a hearse converted into a party vehicle with neon lights, symbolizing the prince's "reckless effervescence", according to director Blitz Bazawule. The church featured in the "Nile" and "My Power" videos was painted fully in white by a team of over 100 people working for 38 hours straight, to reflect the use of white as a symbol of mourning in certain cultures. According to production designer Hannah Beachler, the solemn nature of the funeral in "Nile" and the celebratory nature of "My Power" not only reflects the protagonist's journey, but also symbolizes Black Is King's message of "mourning what we were in order to celebrate what we are". The Bese Saka adinkra symbol was placed on the floor of the church to signify power, abundance and unity. 8-foot tall, 10-foot wide and 3-foot deep arches covered in a black-and-white print were added to the set. The arches were inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, bringing "the piece into an abstract and modern space". According to director of photography Santiago Gonzalez, the set represented "a temple dedicated to the power of femininity, sisterhood and motherhood". Filming Principal photography for Black Is King took place in the latter half of 2019 for four to six months. The filming was carried out across six countries on three continents, with Beyoncé wanting to include both the African continent and diaspora. Beyoncé described the filming as "absolutely an adventure", stating: "I performed in the belly of sand dunes and I floated in the middle of the ocean. I landed on mountains to swim in waterfalls." Africa The Nigerian chapter was led by director Ibra Ake, with Dafe Obro and Meji Alabi as co-directors. Filming for the "Keys to the Kingdom" video took place at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, as Ake wanted to show a vision of Africa that isn't fantastical, but