The Roots Webisodes – Episode 4
So this is the final installment of The Roots series. This final video in a nutshell is everything the label wanted and pretty much what every corporate client wants, a happy upbeat montage of people living fabulously. If you have been following the series you know I wanted more. I wanted to capture the human side, the relationships, a portrait of artists at work. In the end it wasn’t worth the energy needed to fight the corporate beast and I gave in. The label was happy with this final video, but less so with the first three. This taught me a valuable lesson that is helping me maintain my artistic integrity in a corporate world. My friend Luca who owns the Atlas cafe on Havemeyer put it best. He said ‘Do one for them, do one for yourself.” A simple elegant solution. No more fights over artistic merit. If they are paying you the best you can do is make suggestions and move on. Leave the bold artistic statements to the projects you can control.
That being said it’s not all bad working for the corporate beast, especially when it involves getting paid to hangout backstage and onstage with The Roots, Kanye West, Lykke Li, and lots of beautiful and talented people.
Enjoy
TrevZ
The Roots Webisodes: Episode 3
In Episode 2 you witnessed a compromise in visions. I wanted to present a behind the scenes candid portrait of The Roots and the world they occupy. The label wasn’t on board with my vision and the videos started to evolve into a carefully controlled montage of all that is cool about The Roots. Clearly I was a bit naive thinking that I could tell it my way when the label was paying the bill. I had to fight for every inch of creative freedom and at some point all the re-edits just aren’t worth it. At this point it felt like I lost the trust I needed from the label and the group. There seemed to be tension every time I turned on the camera. Not having sufficient trust is a documentarians worst enemy.
What you see in the video below is a montage piece, highlights, which I can do in my sleep. What you don’t see is the story I really wanted to tell. The creative process, the brotherhood of the band. I wanted to show the human side of The Roots. A story of a bunch of guys who happen to be really good at what they do. I think thier audience would have appreciated that. This video takes place at The Roots picnic 2009.
Enjoy
Trevz
The Roots Webisodes: Episode 2
In this never released 4 part series for the album How I Got Over, celebrity photographer Ben Watts documents The Roots for that album. If you saw the entry for Episode 1 you know about my frustration dealing with the label when it came to penetrating the carefully crafted veil of The Roots. I wanted to document them with their guard down, smoking, fighting, talking about folks, etc. The Roots wanted something more montage like, complimentary and high energy. Episode 1 was as close as I got to capturing that. This episode is sort of a compromise. I guess it is to be expected when the label is flipping the bill. In the end no one seemed happy. I think this contributed to the project getting shelved. I thought despite the label not being happy with the end product that I worked my butt off on these videos and I wanted it to see the light of day even if it is late. Here it is Episode 2.
Enjoy
Trevz
The Roots How I Got Over – Episode 1
Over a year ago I got a call to document The Legendary Roots crew as they were in the process of producing their album “How I Got Over.” As a filmmaker not of the “industry” it was fascinating to see the private behind the scenes Roots vs. the public ready for primetime Roots we have grown used to. The private Roots are far more intense than I would have imagined. I had hoped to capture more of that side but often ran into roadblocks from the band and the management whenever my lenses penetrated that carefully crafted image. I was able to capture some intense and private moments but not nearly as much as I would have liked. The little that I did get was fascinating. Hopefully it shows a side that you guys have not seen before. Not sure when or if this series will ever get the official release it deserves. I doubt it. Seems like anything of substance has a harder time gaining traction online than in traditional media. It’s less a world of story-lines and substance and more a world of sound-bytes, montages and cool kids. But instead of bitching and moaning about the state of the web, I’m going to do something pro-active and publish the 4 part series here weekly starting today.
Enjoy Episode 1
TrevZ
THE ROOTS TEASER
I have tried without much luck to land a web series or promotional campaign with a major artist or client without much luck. I have sent dozens of treatments, had a shit load of meetings, and have come as close as I could come without actually booking a gig. I am convinced that Viral Video will kill the Music Video star, but labels didn’t seem as convinced.
Well a few weeks back I got a call from a music producer to document a studio session for The Roots. We have done work with him before, documenting one of his artist Antoinette Costa which was super cool. We discussed doing a web series but nothing ever came of it. Well it turned out this producer also produces and manages The Roots.
So back to the gig; I arrived that night thinking this would be a one day gig just like most others. As the night progressed he tells me he wants to do a series leading up to the release of The Roots next album “How I Got Over” releasing June 23rd. For some reason at that time it didn’t quite register that I just landed my first web series with a major label. It happened so quickly and so smoothly that it caught me entirely off guard. And with The Legendary Roots crew, Wow! I can only imagine that this is how D.A. Pennebaker felt when he got his first big gig. (Geek reference) Anyway wish me luck. This could be a huge step in my crusade to advance the Viral Artist Series genre.
Here is the video teaser
Big thanks to Okay Player & Universal Music. And wish me luck, its a huge challenge.