Editing The Learning Tree (section)

== Film production ==
''The Learning Tree'' was bought by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969 and became the first film directed by a black person for a [[Major film studio|major American film studio]].<ref name="mitchellinterview" /> Parks later said:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Gordon Parks' big score |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/gordon-parks-big-score |website=rogerebert.com |date=14 December 2012 |publisher=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=24 February 2022}}</ref>{{blockquote|Until a few years ago blacks didn't even dream about getting into movies, except as actors. It was a closed world, sealed off by discrimination. Ken Hyman, the president of Seven Arts, liked my book and knew my photography. We had a meeting that lasted 15 minutes and he gave me the job of directing ''The Learning Tree''. All of those years of prejudice and bigotry were broken down in 15 minutes.}}

''The Learning Tree'' was shot on location in [[Fort Scott, Kansas]], in the fall of 1968, and the production process was scheduled to take three months.<ref name="mitchellinterview" /> Fort Scott had been where Parks grew up, and it was also the basis for the fictional town of Cherokee Flats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.washburn.edu/reference/cks/mapping/fictional/index.html#cherokeeflats|title=Kansas Fictional Towns, Map of Kansas Literature|website=www.washburn.edu|access-date=2017-12-08}}</ref>
[[File:The_Learning_Tree_filming_location_(Gunn_Park_Fort_Scott,_KS).jpg|thumb|Gunn Park filming location for various scenes.]]
[[File:The_Learning_Tree_Filming_Location.jpg|thumb|The Learning Tree Filming Location where Newt, Marcus, and friends go swimming.[[File:Judge_Cavanaugh’s_House_from_The_Learning_Tree.jpg|thumb]]House used for filming as Judge Cavanaugh’s residence.]]
Kyle Johnson remembers that when production began there was a circus in town. As a result, the circus scene in the film features an actual circus rather than a staged one. Moreover, the circus scene included citizens of Fort Scott, who were there for the circus in town anyway.<ref name="mitchellinterview" />

Additionally, Johnson recalls that his “most enjoyable work as an actor” was done under Gordon Parks. Specifically, Johnson says “I really enjoyed ''The Learning Tree;'' for me it was like being part of a tight-run ship, a well-oiled machine. You do your part, and you recognize its importance and relationship to all the other parts, cast, crew, director and so forth.”<ref name="mitchellinterview" />

Parks is said to have followed his instincts while filming and encouraged the actors to follow their own instincts while acting. This ease while filming arguably contributed to the fact that scenes were shot in very few takes.<ref name="mitchellinterview" />

During the film production, executives from Warner Bros. often visited the set. Warner sent representatives over to check on Parks and make sure that production was running smoothly, allegedly because Parks was an African-American director.<ref name="mitchellinterview" />

The [[United States Information Agency|US Information Agency]] produced a film called ''My Father: Gordon Parks'' (1969) that film presents a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a feature film based on  "The Learning Tree,"  produced by Allegro Films and directed by Meyer Odze.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Archives NextGen Catalog |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54014 |access-date=2024-04-23 |website=catalog.archives.gov|series=Records of the U.S. Information Agency }}</ref>