kids + money in los angeles

_posted in los angeles | 09 June 2007

really nice piece from lauren greenfield its all about kids and money in los angeles. it seems to cover the spectrum based on what i've seen of la and the various kids i've met. some of these kid are very preceptive and have a great deal of insight concerning their access to money and for some the lack of access. some of these kids just made me sad that they will be adults some day that think in a very skewed american materialism way. that they'll be more concerned with what they are driving than about what's in their heads and hearts.

i'm a serious fan of lauren greenfield's work. her photography and documentaries are very much about young women. i have a coworker who doesnt believe that the images in the media have a serious affect on young girls, that these girls should know that britney and the rest arent something to look up to. that's easier said than done and when was the last time you met a 13 year old who could rationally navigate through the dangeours tarrain of sexuality and body image they see every single day without some guidance from an adult.

greenfield's documentary thin is a very honest film about girls and their seriously skewed body image. after watching it i just so depressed about these girls and how they've found their way into such a bad place in their head. it's saddens me that we allow girls to think they should be a certain way, while any other option is the wrong option. i knew greenfield first as a photographer and thought her pieces on the "girl culture" were great. a very eye opening piece. i can only say i hope that when i have a daughter i can help her navigate all the bullshit that's pushed onto girls very early in their development.

hipster hell

_posted in los angeles | music | 09 June 2007

last night at the ima robot show i observed some of the worst examples of hipster known to man... los angeles style hipster... as autumn put it, "the only thing a guy is allowed to wear to a concert is a tshirt and/or hoody and a pair of jeans, none of the bullshit im seeing right now." here here sister!

there were a gaggle of girls with headbands, short short tennis shorts and banded socks that came up to just below the knees and wristbands. basically they looked like old school bjorn borg.. i wanted to piss on them...

there were too many guys with bandannas around their necks or covering the bottom half of their face. do you own a horse? or colt 45? are you a bankrobber from circa turn of the century? NO!? then dont fucking ever do that again... oh and a few threw in fedoras to make it just right...

if you wear shorts or a skirt that stops just below your point of entry, then i consider you a complete whorebag... thats just my take on it all...

and no i dont like going to concerts with 12 year olds or maybe they were 17 i dont know. they were all so short. and no im not interested in how long you and your sleazy looking girlfriend can make out, cause it actually made me want to throw up that you kissed for 15 minutes (yes i timed it) nonstop. thats fucking nasty.

_soundcheck: ima robot: ima robot

"i want to do what you do!"

_posted in dayedayerocks | film | los angeles | 30 May 2007

last week was spent filming senior portfolios at manual arts high school. antero asked if i'd be interested in helping out and i figured it would be a great start for breaking in my new camera.

it was definitely more than breaking in for my camera, it was a learning experience to say the least. all of antero's kids are second language kids, so they may misstep here or there with the english language, but they are some of the sharpest kids i've had the pleasure of meeting.

the senior portfolios are new this year and antero wanted it filmed in order to show his 10th and 11th graders what they are expected to produce in their senior year. each year seniors will have to give a 30 minute presentation about their experiences in high school; both positives and negatives, their mission and future plans, break down each year based on their accomplishments and challenges. the most important thing in my opinion was their "global issue of injustice." each student had to pick a global issue of injustice that they believe they will be able to address as, well as adults. it was obvious to see why some students choose what they choose for their global issue, while others stumbled a bit in their attempt to articulate their chosen issue and how they will be effective in the fight of this issue. but it was obvious that thought went into what subject they choose.

i was privy to some extremely personal moments in this class and i can only say i was fortunate enough to be allowed to be there. the experience was so much more profound than anything i could try to convey here. i was impressed by kids who only 4 or 5 years ago knew no english and were new to america; to her cultures, views, expectations and her educational system.

i heard a few kids talk about the unfairness of not graduating when they passed their classes, but weren't able to pass the english part of the senior exit exam, the CAHSEE. one kid spoke about how he had no idea he could go to college, since people were telling him undocumented students cant go to college. i'd say 90% of them spent their first year in high school in a virtual language blackout. since they didn't understand english they felt alienated and alone and found it easier to skip school to find some semblance of community. right or wrong, who's to say we wouldn't try to find what makes sense in a situation like that. many of them spoke about their decision to drop out, but luckily they found teachers like antero and travis, among others who made sure they didnt make that tragic mistake.

each day i filmed i went home tired. not just physically, but emotionally. i saw these young adults talk about their personal struggles, personal losses, failures and successes. i saw young people close to tears when talking about losing loved ones, being disconnected from family or reintroduced to family they haven't seen since they were babies and how that changed them. i listened as a parent sat in the back of the room proud of her child's growth. i listened as they praised my friend antero for being a great teacher, albeit he assigned "too much work" and too many thick books to read. i felt a sense of pride that im friends with someone who makes such a mark on young people. its hard not to think about these kids and pray and hope that they become the lawyers, dentists, teachers, policemen, musicians and great human beings they all have the potential of being.

on a personal note. during the lunch break on the first day i ran into one of antero's kids from the intersession class where i taught a short documentary workshop. she was one of the girls i asked to film conversations the kids were having and she saw me and came to me excitedly, saying, "daye! i've been looking for you, but mr. garcia said you were at work." and we talked and i asked her where she'd be going to school and what she plans on studying and she said, "i want to do what you do! make movies." you can't imagine how that felt. it's so amazing to know that you helped someone find something they love, something they are excited to learn about. i was so moved by this. and i giggled to myself that she wants to do "what i do," when im barely aware of whatever it is im doing. but as marina said in class yesterday, "each time you make a new film, you're starting from scratch. and if you're not scared, not nervous about it, then you're done making films." it's that freshness of the unknown that keeps you going and maria helped me realize that also.

this summer we're planning a documentary workshop with noel again and i'm hoping maria will be involved. i so enjoy being at manual arts, rather its me filming my documentary or just visiting my friends there and helping them out. on friday ill be holding an editing class for a few of the kids from antero's theater class at ucla. i think that's a great start for a weekend.

_soundcheck: glen hansard and marketa irglova: the swell season

"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

"black love brown pride"

_posted in dayedayerocks | los angeles | 09 December 2005

this morning i broke my regular routine and listened to music on the way to work today... and who did i blast from palms to westwood you ask... tupac, doing it l.a. style... to live and die in l.a. and there are two lines that put last night's conversations into perspective...

_quote

Cause would it be LA without Mexicans? Black love brown pride and the sets again

coming from blacklanta, um.. i mean atlanta, to a city where i'd be lucky to see any brothers or sisters in a the span of a week, has definitely been an experience to say the least... don't get me wrong, my grandmother always said my various groups of friends were my very own rainbow coalition, blacks, browns, yellows, whites... so shit im down for whatever set, as long as mofos are cool...

but living in "diverse" los angeles means im not living in the mix of diversity. it's funny how diversity really means segregated here in los angeles. if you want to see black people, you need to drive to lamert park, inglewood or crenshaw. and while latinos are everywhere (i love a place where any national minority is almost 50% of a city's population) you still have to drive to their neighborhoods if you want to experience latino culture.

one of the first people i met here in l.a. is half mexican and half panamanian... im sure both of us being half panamanian is what made us connect more than anything else. ever since i was a kid i've had a stronger connection to the latino/caribbean part of my culture. although im jonesing for the black side of l.a., im sure loving the brown side just as much. when i first got to l.a. it was obvious how culture works here, how black and brown are even purposely sectioned off from one another, and how they both are sectioned off from hollywood.

today this is a big deal, cause i got an email from a friend who's a teacher at santee high school in south central los angeles. and yesterday marked " the second day of the Santee High School Riots." the news would have you believe its a black vs. brown war, but like all things, media reduces the complexity of the issue which makes it easier to generalize and misinform. below is some of what my friend has to say... take a minute to read the full email.

_quote

Santee was opened way too soon and the problems at Jefferson were not solved but transferred over to Santee. It opened to soon in the sense that there was no discipline plan safety plan in place, It opened up with 15 substitutes, staff had little training on how to conduct sensitive human relations issues. There is an amassing amount of racism on campus from teachers on to students. Students have complained numerous times to me personally and many complaints have gone unreported because as students say, "Ain't nobody going to do nothing." Moreover the students themselves have internalized hate and all too often used to fuel hatred toward violence against one another.

_update

chris: blacklanta?
chris: come on
daye: hehehe
daye: it is blak
daye: hehehe
daye: dude its one of the blackest cities in the country
daye: you come on
chris: that doesn't mean it should be called blacklanta!
daye: hehehe
daye: thats why i said... um... atlanta
chris: lets change africa to blackfrica while we're at it
daye: ive heard white people say that... thats why i love it
daye: they were complaining...
daye: "fucking blacklanta"