Wayback Thursday’s – Rock The Bells 2007
This week we take the Wayback Machine to August of 2007 and the Rock The Bells show that was held at Randall’s Island. If I remember correctly this was the first corporate gig I shot. It was for a company called Mirrorball and thier client Heineken who had a tent at the event. The video was intended as an internal video for Mirrorball to illustrate to the Heineken folks that they did their jobs. Mirrorball became my first regular client but for them these videos were all made as internal videos. At the time I was also creating weekly content on TheNewPop for public consumption from my non-corporate gigs. I thought that it would be great to create a directors cut of this event for TheNewpPop with their permission. They were fine with it. The Mirrorball cut just included the Rahzel performance, hence all the Heineken product shots. Our video included the storyline of how Tone and I documented that day. Today all my corporate videos are targeted at the consumer. A testament to how brands have embraced the web over time. But I digress…
To date the 2007 Rock The Bells show is the largest and wildest show I ever attended with or without a camera. Two groups that I grew up loving, The Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against The Machine were reuniting and another of my favorites Public Enemy was also performing. Needles to say the crowd was huge! It rained the previous day and it was muddy and really hot. The makeup of the crowd consisted of mostly Rage fans who were pretty out of control. The wildest and scariest moment I’ve ever had shooting came during the Rage performance of “Bullet In Your Head,” I was literally in the middle of thousands of frat boys and jocks violently moshing. This isn’t that hipster moshing shit where skinny kids crowd surf and bump shoulders, these were big corn fed white boys throwing fists with the intent to kill. And there I was this one black guy with a camcorder trying to capture it all. It was like wearing a big “kick me!” sign on my back. You can see a brief self shot of me screaming in the video looking like I was having fun. Trust me I was terrified!
The real storyline of the day was Tone’s mission to get onstage without a backstage pass. At the time we were both very competitive in the emerging photo video blogging sphere and we took offense to any other documentarian who was trying to lay claim to our scene. While I still had the video realm pretty much to myself Tone had a few folks starting to vie for his artistic and commercial throne as a photographer. He was out for blood and he got it! Tone talked his way backstage and in my opinion took some of the best images that he has taken to date. In the end this video is one of the more memorable days we remember during the early days of TheNewPop. Especially since we were both getting paid to do it. Imagine that, WE were getting paid to see Wu-Tang, P.E. and Rage. How could you ask for anything more?
Enjoy
TrVZ
Wayback Trivia: This video runs almost 12 minutes long and is more representative (albeit on the extreme side) of the earlier editing style that was TheNewPop before the corporate clients taught me the value of brevity in storytelling.
Movies from the Wayback Machine are particularly buggy. You may need to refresh a few times to see movie window.
Tracey Emin’s “Love Is What You Want” Exhibit
Wallpaper mag recently sat down with British artist Tracey Emin as she prepared for her first London retrospective at the Hayward gallery. Tracey who is best known for her confrontational and often sexual work dedicated one room in the exhibit to just Sex. Her reasons…
“People think that I make lot’s of work about sex, but I don’t I make lot’s of work about lot’s of things, I make lot’s of work about love, but I thought I would just give the people what they wanted.”
“Love Is What You Want” will be on exhibit through August 29th at the Hayward gallery.
I.D.W.P. – A Shining Example of The Avant-Garde at work in New Media
This past Friday on The Videographers Guide I spoke about branded video and how it is possible to be avant-garde in a commercial environment. The following video by Benjamin Robinson produced for Edwin Jeans is an amazing example of how the web provides a platform for corporations to build its brand in an artistic and avant-garde medium. As they describe it…
“A collection inspired by individuals living their lives in Edwin. Personal life experiences etched into the grain of the fabric… Motorcycle references pepper the collection… A sense of freedom, and of sharing with others the same need for flight and independence. Customisation of ones own motorcycle parallels breaking in ones own denims, unique in spirit.”
I was moved by both the visuals, and the “Mortocycle Song” by Arlo Guthrie. What an amazing example of creating a mood and having the courage to let it build and play out over six minutes. This is something that could not and would not be attempted in old media. New Media has created its own rules and its own artists, this video embodies the avant-garde approach of today’s videographer.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Courtesy of Hypebeast
Leica Portraits – wowe
Our latest video for the Leica portrait series features German born New York based photographer Wolfgang Wesener aka wowe, Wesener covered the NY Punk and nightlife scene during the 80′s and has photographed some interesting and eclectic personalities over the years. Coming from the New York nightlife scene myself and transitioning to the commercial world I was fascinated to hear how wowe dealt with many of the same challenges I struggle with today. Wolfgang also shared some amazing celebrity encounters with us including a memorable photo shoot with the late great James Brown. Log onto the Leica blog for the in depth interview and photos.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Tiny Feature Saturday’s – Everything is a Remix Part 3
This is the 3rd part of a fascinating series Produced by Kirby Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson titled Everything Is A Remix. In this episode they explore the act of creation. As stated in this video…
“The act of creation is surrounded by a fog of myths. Myths that creativity comes via inspiration. That original creations break the mold, that they’re the products of geniuses, and appear as quickly as electricity can heat a filament. But creativity isn’t magic: it happens by applying ordinary tools of thought to existing materials.”
Using the examples of the evolution of the personal computer as it’s prime example, the filmmakers give us a pretty compelling argument for why everything is a remix. This is a must see and I can’t wait to see the 4th and final installment.
Enjoy
TrVZ
The Videographers Guide To Not Falling On Your New Media Face – The Avant-garde?
I have spent allot of time discussing the commercial side of New Media. Giving advice and anecdotes about how to make it by crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. But what about the art? In the end isn’t it all about branding through art? New Media videographers are the latest vanguards of the filmmaking genre, arguably becoming the quintessential avant-garde artists of our generation. Producing work that is both non-conformist and socially edgy.
Some may argue that to be truly avant-garde one must totally disregard anything commercial. I argue that this is not always the case. Was Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec any less avant-garde because his illustrations of French Bohemian lifestyle were advertisements for venues like the Moulin Rouge? Was Helmut Newton any less of an avant-garde artist because he worked for French Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar? I am aware that in most cases (present company included), other than the genre there isn’t anything particularly avant-garde about New Media content. However every now and then I will find commercial work that pushes the boundaries and should be considered avant-garde. Here are a few examples…
Marcelo Burlon: “Marcelo Does Milan” – This video originally published on The New York Times website profiles the editor in Chief at Rodeo Magazine Marcelo Burlon. I love the way Marcelo and his circle of friends and artists embrace and own their inner Zoolander.
Cass Bird: “Sophomore” – This film made for the Sophomore brand is a fascinating look at local NY kids hanging out in Coney Island. There is a unpretentious unapologetic confidence that jumps off the screen and draws you in by giving us a refreshing look at NYC on one summer day.
Ruth Hogben: “Gareth Pugh S/S 2011″ – This Fashion film Starring Kristen McMenamy directed by Fashion Film pioneer Ruth Hogben’s captivated hundreds of editors, buyers and other industry insiders at Paris Fashion Week, where it was projected at giant scale in the Palais Omnisports in Bercy.
Merlin Bronques: “London Fields” – The photographer behind the Hipster blogging site Lastnightsparty has been directing videos for quite some time now. His eye for capturing the cool and the sexy in a non sequitur format is the embodiment of the New Media avant-garde artist.
Hopefully you found this post as inspiring and informative as I did.
Next Week: How do I get “it!”
Trevor “Trevz” Bayack is a Brooklyn-born filmmaker who approaches his web pieces as mini documentaries. Recognized as a member of the 2008 URB magazine Next 100 for pioneering the “video blog” Trevz continually makes his pieces shorter, sharper and ever more shareable” Follow thenewpop twitter feed for more.
Wayback Thursday’s – PS-1 “Love Is In The Air”
This week we take the Wayback machine to January of 2007 and a video that was shot during the summer of 2006 at PS-1. This video holds a special place in the New Pop storyline because it is the first time my former partner Tone and I shot an assignment together. I was doing a video profile of the band Kudu who were headlining that day and I invited Tone who I met a few weeks earlier on myspace to join me. We were both just discovering our love for photo and video and everything we covered seemed new and exciting. The energy we documented that day at PS-1 was arguably the most joyous we both encountered for many years to come. Back then it was all about capturing people having a good time and documenting people dancing. Capturing the energy of movement defined both our styles for years to come.
Another thing that made this video special was the last shot you see on this video. Every great party has that moment when the energy builds so much momentum that it explodes into one climactic moment. It can take hours, but when it happens you and everyone around you knows it and it becomes one shared orgasmic experience. Well I was fortunate enough to have anticipated that moment and to be in the right place at the right time to document it. As the sun was setting over PS-1 I panned down keeping my hand steady (since I had no tripod) when right at the chorus the entire court with hands raised high yelled in unison with the track of the same name “Love Is In The Air!” Tone and I just looked at each other amazed at the power of that moment. To date it is the arguably the most magical single moment I captured on camera.
If this post seems more sentimental than usual it is because as some of you know Tone and I had our relationship take a turn for the worse a few years back and haven’t seen each other since. Two days ago I accepted an invitation from Tone to attend an amazing event that he created called Live at The Loft. It will be the first time in over two years that we will see each other. This reunion will also be attended by our third former partner Texas who is a producer on the show. I can’t remember the last time the three of us were all together. We have traveled different paths in the past few years but despite our differences our ups and downs our successes and failures we will always share a bond that can’t be broken by time or circumstance. When you boil it down the story of The New Pop was if nothing else a love story between three friends, their cameras, and the city. What we have learned from each other over those formative years feeds much of what we do today, for that I am eternally grateful.
TrVZ
Wayback Triva: This shoot was also our first encounter with Margot Silvera who was promoting a dance rally protesting the cabaret laws that were killing nightlife at the time. The following week Tone and I did our second video together at this rally in front of Mayor Bloomberg’s residence titled “Dance If You Dare!” Today Margot is an entertainment attorney who represents TheNewPop among others.
Movies from the Wayback Machine are particularly buggy. You may need to refresh a few times to see movie window.
Aaron Nagel Studio Interview
This video courtesy of the folks at The Warholian profiles figurative artist Aaron Nagel who is currently exhibiting at The Shooting Gallery San Francisco thru July 2nd.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Final Cut Pro X is Here!!!!
Finally! A few months ago I posted an entry about the upcoming Final Cut Pro X from the Supermeet Las Vegas Nab 2011. Her is an excerpt…
“Final Cut X is a video editors wet dream. With FCP X Apple went back to the drawing board and pretty much made sense of the editing process. Revamping the way it handles image quality, color correction, organization, and editing on the timeline. No more worrying about knocking clips out of place, automatic audio sync, auto color matching, rendering in the background, a new magnetic timeline that groups and matches clips, an incredible new interface and a bunch of other revolutionary features. This is a game changer.”
Well it is Here, my god it is here and as I mentioned before it is only $299. I will be downloading this ASAP you should too. FCPX link
TrVZ
Indie Game: The Movie Official Trailer
This is the latest and official trailer from the film Indie Game: The Movie Directed by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot this film is a fascinating look into the mind of the indie game creators. They are truly the Harvey Pekar’s and Robert Crumbs of our generation. I can’t wait to see the film.
For more info about the film log onto the Indie Game website.
TrVZ
The Pursuit Of Cool – Teaser
From the same team that brought us Influencers comes a teaser for their next project The Pursuit Of Cool. If you guys know me you might know that next to “POP” my Favorite word is “Cool,” My third favorite word “Integrity” which according to this clip is cool again. So there you have it, two of my three favorite words in one teaser. As you can imagine I am looking forward to seeing the full length version.
TrVZ
Tiny Feature Saturday’s – Depth of Speed: Pangea
This week on TFS we present a new series titled “Depth Of Speed” courtesy of Hypebeast.com and director Josh Clason. According to Josh this series was born from a desire of story, travel and a love of anything automotive related. This first episode takes us to Salt Lake City, Utah and documents Andy Carter and his crew of Motor Bike enthusiasts known as Pangea Speed. Director Josh Clason should be applauded for his montage during the second part of the piece. Knowing when to shut up and let the visuals tell the story is an often overlooked skill in filmmaking.
Enjoy
TrVZ
The Videographers Guide to Not Falling On Your New Media Face – The New Media ad Model
Four years ago much of corporate America didn’t get social media particularly as it applied to video on the web. The very first videos I produced for marketing companies working in the fortune 500 sphere were internal videos used as either case studies or event recaps for their existing and prospective clients. They would never get published for public consumption. However in the last year or two corporations large and small are embracing the New Media ad model with branded videos directly targeted at the consumer. Here are some interesting stats courtesy of the The Business Of Fashion.
“According to network technology and services company Cisco, the number of people who watch web videos will surpass 1 billion by the end of 2010. By 2014, web video alone will account for 57 percent of all consumer internet traffic. Already, more than 2 billion videos are played each day on YouTube alone.”
Another interesting development that I have observed is that companies that previously only advertised in print, are embracing video marketing for the first time. What is it about video on the web that excites marketing departments in a way that TV ads don’t? Much of this is due to the lower budgets needed to produce and distribute web content, but also in many cases there isn’t the negative stigma that is associated with an old media commercial campaign. I think there are two main reasons for this.
1. The web encourages user interaction where TV ads are annoying and obtrusive.
Much like print, Viewers are engaged in the experience, navigating to content that they find most interesting. In many if not most branded videos, the product placement is often very subtle if noticeable at all. One industry that is way ahead of the curve when it comes to branded video content is the always forward thinking high fashion industry. According to TheBusinessOfFashion.com
“fashion brands, both large and small, are investing in online video content, while agencies that represent commercial artists are urging their fashion photographers to reposition themselves as image-makers who can direct short films.”
This recently emerging category has been coined “Fashion Film.” Filmmakers like Ruth Hogden produce awe inspiring visual masterpieces like this video for Gareth Pugh S/S 2011 that serve the same function that a high end fashion show would but with a wider reach.
2. For the most part there aren’t any artistic restrictions placed on the content.
The web genre is redefining what it means to have branded video content. Without the 30 second limitation of conventional broadcasting, filmmakers have been freed to convey a message without restrictions. The end result are videos with little or no product placement like this recent posting for Vans or this one for Intel. Or on the other end of the spectrum you will find videos that focus completely on the product but in a way that is a testament to its craftsmanship, like this one titled The Making of the Eames Lounge Chair. Videos like this tap into a previously undervalued consumer appetite for seeing craftsmen at work.
So What Does This Mean For The Videographer?
What photographers are to print, videographers are to blogs. The more aware you are of that dynamic in your relationship with brands, the quicker you will be able to adapt and cater your own personal brand to what your prospective clients need.
Next Friday – The Avante Garde Art of the New Media Videographer
Trevor “Trevz” Bayack is a Brooklyn-born filmmaker who approaches his web pieces as mini documentaries. Recognized as a member of the 2008 URB magazine Next 100 for pioneering the “video blog” Trevz continually makes his pieces shorter, sharper and ever more shareable” Follow thenewpop twitter feed for more.
American Apparel Commercial by Tony Kelly
Haaa, who knew American Apparel had it in them…
“On a makeshift dance floor set amongst a vast cityscape stand Jalen Testerman and Lil Demon, the world-renowned break dancers featured in Tony Kelly’s latest American Apparel commercial. The photographer has been the brainchild behind much of the brand’s imagery, this time shooting the American Apparel-clad youths in a humorous exhibition of wit and prowess.”
Source: HypeBeast
Wayback Thursday’s – Soled Out NYC 3
This week we navigate the Wayback Machine to August of 2007 downtown NYC and the Soled Out NYC3 episode. This event happened at the height of the sneaker/blogger culture led by sites like Hypebeast and Formatmag. Unlike today’s drab muted somewhat over-styled fashion palate, what stood out about this time was how colorful and fun it was. From the flyers, to the art, to the clothing, it seemed like everything was covered in bright day-glo paint splashes. Boutiques like Sugar Headquaters, Reed Space, clothing lines like Rocksmith, King Stampede and 10 DEEP, and events like the Cut&Paste digital design tournament all promoted this colorful palate which in turn infiltrated the music, the art, the fashion, the photos and videos posted on this and other street blogs. This video more than any other on TheNewPop, captured our experience with the fashion of that time.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Wayback Trivia: This episode was our introduction to the eclectic and sometimes hilarious Brad Digital who is the artist and designer behind the SoHo based Little Brooklyn art project. Brad hijacked the hosting duties from Tone and we were happy to oblige.
Please excuse the video proportions due in most part to the implementation of a new player on the site.
Eric Elms: No Way Out – Video Recap
New York Artist Eric Elms recently had a show at the Galerie Lazarew in Paris. Here is a video recap courtesy of Vans “Off The Walls TV.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Helen Mirren | Moma – Kandinsky
This folks at Lost & Found sat down with Academy Award winning actress Helen Mirren to discuss art, MoMA and more specifically the work of Vasily Kandinsky hanging at the MoMA. She really captures the browsing experience MoMA accurately.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Camerabag.TV – Harri Peccinotti
This is a preview of an upcoming episode from Camerabag.tv profiling photographer Harri Peccinotti. I can totally relate to his attachment to the tactile feel of paper and design. Someone once said that ‘drawing is the basis of every other art form.’ I strongly agree with this statement and maybe so does Harri.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Harri Peccinotti from camerabag.tv on Vimeo.
Etsy – Lacemaking in Lefkarka Cyprus
Usually today I would do our weekly Videographers Guide To Not Falling On Your New Media Face posting. However for the last week I have been visiting my family in Florida and it is impossible to do any writing with a house full of family around. So today I will do a cool video post in it’s place. This video by Alana Kakoyiannis for the folks at Etsy tells the story of a village of woman who have been passing on the craft of embroidering since the 15th century. Due to machine-made replicas imported from abroad their craft is dying out. My favorite shot is the one in which the old lady locks her gates with a ribbon.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Wayback Thursday’s – Love Brigade Episode 3
This week the Wayback Machine travels to September 2007 and one of the first brands we covered Love Brigade. During the summer of 2006 I walked into the Love Brigade store on Haveymeyer a total stranger pitching a plan for bringing quality video coverage to indie artist and entrepreneurs. At that point I had been providing video coverage under the name thenewpopsensation to artists with in studio monologues and music videos, now I was ready to step it up with a branded documentary style video series. I thought Love Brigade would be a perfect candidate to showcase what I was offering to potential clients. It took almost a year from the first meeting to series launch to obtaining my first paying client. This video (the third in the series) follows the Love Brigade crew to the NOLCHA fashion show. I find it fascinating to see how my storytelling technique has evolved from a slower paced narrative documentary style, to the fast paced brand friendly assortment of soundbytes and montages that it is today.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Wayback Triva: Unlike today where my new clients are all referred to me via other clients, during the summer of 2006 I would go from store to store with my brochure pitching the idea for thenewpopsensation without much luck. Thank god a new website was emerging on the scene called myspace.com. This site allowed me to meet exponentially more people in a fraction of the time. As far as thenewpop is concerned this is when the New Media business model was born.
Leica Portrait: Gigi Stoll
This is the second in a series of video portraits I am doing for the Leica blog. This one features fashion model turned photographer Gigi Stoll. In this portrait Gigi discusses her diverse portfolio as well as some of the challenges she faced making the transition to photography. Log onto the Leica blog for the full interview including Gigi’s take on Social Media’s impact on the industry.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Behind The Scenes – Holi Spirit Fashion Shoot
As Delhi locals celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi with the usual mix of ebullience and coloured powder, the folks at Wallpaper Magazine incorporated elements of that celebration into the pages of their Reborn in India issue. Looks like allot of fun.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Swinging in L.A.
I really dig this video titled Swinging in L.A. by Giuseppe Vetrano. The mood set by the Ray Charles (not Frank Sinatra as credited) soundtrack is perfect for the summer. Watching this video makes me realize that I have been so involved with client produced videos that it has almost been a year since I produced a video for art’s sake. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your financial situation) that pattern doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon.
Enjoy
TrVZ