So at first I thought this was just a drive-in in Los Angeles (and I was stoked about that because I’ve never been to a drive-in). Imagine my surprise to learn that these guys are a production company/directing collective.
Then I took a second to think about it. Yeah, that’s what the artist of tomorrow (today) has to do: diversify. Not only do they direct, they have a pirate radio station, they run a drive-in, they have a recording studio/editing facility in the desert and they sell merchandise.
I think that’s the new model for struggling/starving artist. I’m trying to figure out how to do this to myself. How are you expanding your brand?
(I just heard echoes of the derby girl that spurned my affections)
If you’ve ever met me in a bar or seen me in a decent restaurant and asked “what’s a good beer” then you’ve heard me give an impromptu lecture on brown ales or how a pilsener is different from a lager. Yes, I’m a beer geek and it’s all because of a documentary called BEER WARS.
This week, that documentary is available on iTunes (and apparently my PS3 too but I can’t stop playing BORDERLANDS to check–help). Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof.
(that’s the documentary on the “iTunes->Movies” homepage sandwiched between NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU and some Hulk cartoon while I download the latest FRINGE).
Of course I’m biased (dear FTC, I worked on it for almost three years but I am not being compensated for this mention… but if the director wanted to buy me some tasty cupcakes I wouldn’t say “no”) but I think it’s a pretty damn good doc. Also, the “making of” was mighty interesting so I can’t wait for the behind-the-scenes book (hint, hint; nudge nudge).
As everyone has been weighing in with their films of the decade, it’s time for me to do so. What’s different about my pick(s) is that it isn’t about “the best” so much as what I feel defines the major trends of the last ten years, something that sums up our hope and fears, what we’ve been grappling with for the past decade.
That’s why my two films of the decade aren’t even a couple of my favorites.
So why these two? I think they encapsulate major trends in the market and the collective psyche. In the case of SPIDER-MAN, I think this film kicked off the comic-book-to-movie explosion of this past decade. Yes, I know the X-MEN movie came out first but this one earned 5 times what that flick reaped and I think I know why? It boils down to two things. One, it was the first major blockbuster after the event that defined our decade. Two, the scene where the Green Goblin is wailing on Spider-Man and then out of nowhere bystanders start pelting the bad guy with garbage and yelling, “We’re New Yorkers! We protect our own!” I swear to you I saw people light up and cry at that very moment. In the fantasy of this movie, and in the pit of our hearts, that’s who we wanted to be. That’s what we needed to feel. That’s how we want to see ourselves.
As for 28 DAYS LATER, this film was about our fear of others, the unknown, the looming man-made apocalypse, chemical and biological warfare, even the air we breathe. It was our collective mistrust morphed into rage. Plus it kicked off the whole running zombie thing which launched an avalanche of a revival in the genre. Just look at all the comics and awesome games like LEFT 4 DEAD or how about an awesome flick like the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake. I don’t think we’d have any of those if it weren’t for Danny Boyle’s post apocalyptic nightmare.
Okay, time for you thoughts, questions and violent dissent.
Of all these, I’ve only seen four of them more than once. Am I out of touch with television? Possibly. I own a television but I get no reception of any kind on it, not even the local channels. Therefore, let me give you my top show of the decade and a runner up.
Why? Because it’s a reboot/remake (they dominated our decade), because it’s about the event that defined our decade and the resulting quagmires, because it went to those dark places (the middle of season 2 still haunts me), because it rocked. This is without a doubt the best show of the decade.
Why? Because the first season was a near perfect season of television, because Kristen Bell owned it, because it’s a teen based high school noir powered by a revenge core that took teens seriously and nobody has done it better since, and lastly because it rocked!
Oh, there’s nothing like some Schadenfreude from The Hollywood Reporter. Here is their list of the ten biggest movie flops, in order of suck, from the last ten years.
If you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you know I’m looking for small shooting/editing gigs. I was recently put in contact with a San Francisco based company that primarily produces short videos for small businesses. Sounds like the perfect kind of work for me. I contacted them, they asked me to attend a webinar, I sent them a link to my films and I received this reply.
Thank you for attending our orientation webinar yesterday. I hope you found it informative.
I took at look at your links and they’re really create & good, but I had a difficult time assessing what kind of a job you’re capable of doing if sent out on a XXXXXXXX project. Do you have any links to your work that are more XXXXXXXX-style (b-roll over interview) that I can take a look at? If not, do you think you could create something like that for me to look at? Please let me know.
… they’re not sure if I can produce a 30-60 second video that’s interview driven yet intercut with b-roll (for the record, I taught at class at UCLA [proper, not extension] for three quarters where the students produced this exact kind of work) so they want me to shoot something for them to take a look at?
Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
So this is where you help me help you. I need to produce a 30-60 second short that promotes something so why shouldn’t it be your small business/services/cause/whatever?
Did I mention I’m willing to do this for free?
But wait, there’s a catch (a few, actually):
I will come out and shoot for an hour, two max.
Half the time will be spent interviewing you (or whoever runs the organization/business in question).
The other half of the time I will be shooting b-roll.
I am willing to travel a short, reasonable distance from my home (let’s say 20 miles). Any further than that and you have to pay for all associated travel expenses upfront. I might be willing to forgo this expense if your business/organization/cause is super cool (e.g., I’d do this for Tippi Hedren but only if she lets me in the cage with the tiger).
I will upload the piece to my Vimeo account where you can grab the embed code and repost the video.
If you’re balking at my terms, remember that 1) I have a track record of high quality films, 2) I’m a professional using this piece to seek more work so it will be of the highest caliber and 3) I’m doing this for free for you.
Now, if you read her site recently and managed to shove past all the industry rumors and executive swaps there was a tiny story reporting that the Advanced Television Systems Committee just approved a mobile DTV standard.
So why should you or I care? Well, were you excited by the iPod Nano with built-in FM tuner? No, me neither, but I was excited by the possibility (actually, I kinda was but I’m trying to dramatize my point).
Well, what if you could use your iPod to tune into your local Fox station to watch FINGE? We are now one step closer to that possibility.
They also put me on the front page (click image to see more).
The bad news: they edited out my “more critical” points but “they appreciate my candor.” Also, they recently email blasted members with a review of the Filmmaker Forum but only included some other guy’s softball regurgitation of the weekend.
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