a photographer in kabul

_posted in film | photography | 19 April 2007

i really dig olivier laude's photography. i'm new to his work, but im taken by his portraits. he's created a short video from his trip to Kabul in 2003.

the kids in this video just grab me. it's hard in the midst of all the craziness to stop and think about the everyday people affected by policy and politics.

his musical choice on the car radio is very interesting; joni mitchell. I can't think of a better singer to juxtapose the images and sounds of kabul.

_soundcheck: tim rice and andrew lloyd webber, jesus christ, superstar

a hard lesson to learn

_posted in dayedayerocks | 19 April 2007

i didn't think that i would say anything about what happened at Virginia Tech, but it's been eating at me. I can't even imagine what the family and friends of those lost are dealing with. I've not yet (and pray I never will) experienced a personal loss due to violence.

but while walking through the geology building this morning i was struck with an irrational thought; "what if some kid with a gun comes running through those double doors?" i looked around to see what doors were open. and for a split second i was scared. it was an irrational fear. but then i came to my senses. the truth is you never know what waits around the corner for any of us.

that said, i feel so much sadness for any young person who feels that taking their own life, let alone the lives of so many strangers is the appropriate thing to do, the only thing to do. i can't imagine what long, dark and lonely road this kid was on to think this was a solution to his problems. i think people overlook that there are some serious fucked up and lonely kids that feel, rather justly or not, that they are being left behind by the world or looked over or just forgotten. this isn't to say what was done wasn't a completely horrendous act. but i think as a nation we're going to miss the real lesson here. we can't continue to raise kids to believe they don't matter or that they have no sounding board or no one cares.

while driving home yesterday, Brooks Brown, Columbine survivor spoke the most sincere words i've heard since monday. take a moment to listen. in all i've heard this made me pull over and deal with my emotions. in a world where media outlets feel its appropriate to plaster a picture of Cho with a gun putting at the camera in the midst of death and tragedy, a kid who experienced what no child should, has some sincere words. the thing that struck me the most was Brown's mention of his FRIEND Eric Harris. after all Harris and Klebold did, this young man has the strength and humanity to still call a kid who did a terrible, unforgivable thing a friend. i think that will be overlooked, i think people still won't get it.

this isn't about gun control laws. this is about a kid that slide into a dark place a long time ago and he was overlooked; even with all the news about the red flags about his personality, he was still overlooked. i pray that no family has to deal with losing a child to school violence again cause some kid felt alone. i don't know what issues made him take this turn; his isolation, his racial identity, his economic identity, there are so many variables involved that we may never know. but what is obvious is his hatred; of the world and self. that sort of hatred does not appear overnight. it's a slow burn.

when i first heard about what happened, i instantly thought of Cho's parents. how do you survive knowing that your son is now a historical fact, a willful murderer, a shame of a nation? do not take from this a lack of sadness for those lost, but it must be said that there are some serious questions that we as a society must address. we are fractured and we are violent and we are uncaring when all is needed is a kind word, rather than a snarky comment and we are in pain.

this is about a young man who didn't find his way out of depression and madness. this is about us as a country. this about the 33 people who died on Monday; 32 people who, like every other day thought nothing remarkable would happen and now they are gone, and a kid who slide long and hard into a place that no one should ever have to go - especially not alone.

the oldies...

_posted in 18 April 2007

how much did this make my day? I can't help but smile while watching this... those who know me, know I love the kids and i love the oldies...

collaborations

_posted in dayedayerocks | versus | words | 17 April 2007

i completely dig collaborations. so i'm proud to present,

the american crawl vs. on a bed of california stars

"where's fidel?"

_posted in dayedayerocks | film | los angeles | 13 April 2007

"In 1961 I hopped on a plane to Cuba. After I landed I jumped into the first taxi I saw and turned to the driver and said, 'Where's Fidel?'

Back in those days everyone knew where Fidel was and he told me that he was speaking to a group of women at some hotel. So I said, 'Take me there!'"

Albert Maysles continues with his story of how he was able to film Fidel from the moment he hit that event, then how Fidel invited him to various events. While at one such event Fidel receives a telegram and after reading it, asks Maysles if he wanted him to translate the telegram. Maysles said, "Of course."

And Fidel says, "Your State department has severed relations with Cuba."

Who the fuck is standing next to Fidel at a moment like that!? That's a fucking turning point in history and Albert Maysles is standing next to a man who's country for over 40 years has held its own in the shadow of El Norte and its embargo.

Albert Maysles came to our film class yesterday for a few hours and spoke about his experiences making documentary films. He's over 80 years old and has a list of new projects that would make a 20-something year old faint. After our class we went to the Pickford theater to hear him speak again, this time with clips from a number of his films.

I've not seen all his work, but from what I have seen, it's obvious that Maysles has created some of the most iconic images in documentary history. He doesn't take himself so seriously (ala Werner Herzog, who I love as well, but boy does he take it all way to seriously) and is genuinely a nice fellow who feels fortunate enough to have been able to create a body of work, "he never gets tired of watching." He derives such pleasure from being able to tell stories that may help us all understand the world and each other better.

What better way to spend your life? Maysles taught me such a great lesson last night. No matter where you are in your life you always have room to get better, to explore, to want to not only be a better filmmaker but to be a better human being.

He said that direct cinema has always been his objective in filmmaking and that the idea of a "fly on the wall" is not what direct cinema is, cause "a fly has no intelligence." Being a documentarian is about "open-mindedness" and establishing that trust with your subject, and always trying to find the good in them, regardless of how you feel about them. As his mother put it, "there is good in everyone," and he and his brother always set out to find that good, even if they didn't like someone. After awhile you find yourself at least understanding this person due to this search for the good.

He recounted some advice he received when he went to Russia to do his first film, a short about psychiatry in Russia. Maysles studied as a sociologist, a social scientist, as he put it. But this introduction into film solidified his place in the world. He said he was told to "always use a tripod and have a point of view in your film." Maysles being Maysles, says without losing a beat, "I'm glad that I had neither a tripod, nor a point of view." And that is the way he's approached all his films. He believes that its his job to give the audience, "the opportunity to make their own judgement." Giving the film the ability to breathe and letting the characters feel safe in going into their own "sacred territory," with him and his camera present, is the just one of Maysles' amazing talents. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to be Maysles, to be a filmmaker of his caliber, without realizing that his films span over 50 years. Fifty years of luck, talent and just shear respect for not only the people he works with, but for himself and his belief that in every situation he's filmed, he belongs there. This one fact that he exudes, make the subjects of his films trust him and his process.

When I got home last night I told the hipster Ben about the night with Maysles and he said that he knew Maysles. And I was happy to hear this and it was due to the Rolling Stones film, Gimme Shelter. It struck just then that Maysles' range has always been broad. I've seen movies of his and had no idea they were his movies until recently. The one common element in those movies, before I knew the name Maysles, was the beauty and honesty in which he helped us experience other people's lives, other people's moments of truth.

The other extraordinary thing about Maysles is his mentorship. Unlike many filmmakers; narrative or documentary, Maysles has made sure to pass on his talents and skills to a generation of kids who could benefit from such guidance. His institute helps young kids with mothers who are incarcerated learn the skills needed to empower them to tell their own stories, to "create influential works of art while envisioning and realizing healthy futures."

Of all the filmmakers I've had the privilege to meet in the last two years, I'd have to say Maysles takes the proverbial cake.

_soundcheck: the shins, oh, inverted world

"you got more ideas than time"

_posted in africa | dayedayerocks | interactive narratives | photography | 09 April 2007

and... scene...

yea, it's been four months, i know. and in the last four months; lots of new projects, old projects revived, new ideas, etc.

a few things have stood out in the last few months; one being the time i spent teaching a workshop on documentary filmmaking with antero's kids from manual arts high school. it was only for two days, but i have to say it was the highlight for what has started out as a dreary year. the day after the workshop ended i realized i was getting up to go to work, not to hang out with these amazing kids. man, that was depressing. just those two days solidified my ultimate goal of film, media and teaching.

a few gems that i've come across.... enjoy.

MediaStorm always has great work. one piece thats stuck with me is "Kingsley's Crossing." Olivier Jobard created a great narrative from Kingsley's six month journey to get to Europe. there are times i need to be reminded that life requires courage and self-sacrifice, even when trying to make a name or a place for yourselve in the world.

Washington Post's On Being.
and
Peep Show.

_soundcheck: bob marley, legend