She is my favourite creation.

Here's an outtake from the wardrobe test pics, which I shot on an unseasonably warm day last month.  Doesn't miss Rachel Anne look fetching in her custom suit?

I was delighted to work with Miss Hannah Fierman again, and of course Sir Troy (as always).

Photo by Kelly BlackmonPhoto by Kelly Blackmon

I had such a fun time with Miss Julia Badovinac as well!  This is our second collaboration (first photog) and she was, as always, a pleasure.

Photo by Jason Travis

Photo by Jason Travis

Photo by Jason Travis

I'm extremely excited about the finished product, and can't wait to share.

Thanks to friends Kelly B and JTrav for their creative presence, general assistance, and these killer 'Behind The Scenes' shots. 

And a big thanks to Megan, Ronda, and the House Rabbit Society.  In the famous words of Bill & Ted: You'll see!

They say every picture tells a story, so you assume that's especially true when there's a human element.  When looking at a portrait, your entire knowledge of the subject rests on how he's physically represented in a single frame.  So I'd think most portraits are very intentional:  The subject, who likely commissioned the portrait, puts his best foot forward to be depicted in a positive light.  The artist tries to find a medium between his own style and the desires of the subject.  The end result is a combination of who the subject really is, how the photographer/artist sees him,  and how that subject wishes to be perceived by posterity.   I love this level of deliberateness, and the commissioned portrait strikes me in particular for that intrinsic wealth of intentionality it demonstrates (a modern version of this might be, say, my friend J Trav's Persona series).

The idea for a nuanced, deliberate, storytelling-style portrait series sprang from countless trips to museums and thrift stores.  The details in a painting or photograph---a personal possession deemed worthy of remembrance, a little dog on someone's lap, the finger-worn smile of a long-forgotten girlfriend, the posture of an aristocrat preserved in oil---all made me wonder about the identities of these people, and in turn, the lives of those who cherished their images long after they were gone.

One image in particular captured my fancy, a fellow from Atlanta's own High Museum of Art:

Count Vittorio Alfieri, 1794, Oil on Canvas (by Francois Xavier Fabre)

There's something about 'ole Count Vittorio that I really love---I don't know if it's the look of consternation or the seemingly magical ring, but he's one of my very favourite portraits to date.

The character portrait series is assisted by the work of many talented individuals: namely, DP Troy Stains, who heads up lighting and proper exposure (we're shooting Hasselblad and YashicaMat images on both chrome and negative).  Among the others who have contributed to the portraits thusfar are:  Amy Taylor (Ministry of Tiny Hats), Raucous Goods, Suzy B. Designs & Vintage, seamstress Courtney Fort, and many others!

 I'm hoping to have the series to a point where it can be unveiled in early 2011.  Stay tuned!  

1.) Secret Fun Spot - Kirk Demarais and I seem to have everything possible in common.  So when his Film Family Portraits achieved internet cult status, I felt personally validated somehow.  Is that creepy?

2.) Inside A Black Apple – Blog of Emily Martin: artist, crafter, and all-around inspiration.   

3.) Strawberry Koi –Aya Smith’s whimsical fashion blog assembles the loveliest bits of imagery for your viewing pleasure.   I became acquainted with her quest for old-skool authenticity via the great Vintage hair styling tutorials on her Youtube channel.  

4.) A Journey Round My Skull – His assemblage of rare books with gorgeous/odd illustrations is truly awesome.  I found his work via the large-res scans housed on his Flickr.  If you’re in need of illustration or design inspiration, look no further!

5.) It Is The World That Made You Small – This seems rather biased as we are related, but Brock Davis is one of the finest conceptual artists I have had the privilege of knowing.  His playful pieces demonstrate a worldview that is all too rare in this jaded modern age.   He doesn’t have a blog of which I’m aware but I take regular inspiration from his Flickr.

Jean-Luc Godard, then a film critic for Cahiers du cinéma, first saw Karina in a series of Palmolive ads in a bathtub covered in soapsuds. He was casting his debut feature film, Breathless. He offered her a small part in the film, but she refused when he mentioned that there would be a nude scene. When Godard queried her refusal, referring to the supposed nudity in the Palmolive ads, she is said to have replied "Are you mad? I was wearing a bathing suit in those ads — the soapsuds went up to my neck. It was in your mind that I was undressed."[citation needed]

I really hope that quote is true, because it may be one of the coolest things I've read.

I'd like to thank the Jamies: Miss Jamie Bradley and the very talented Jamie Hopper, whose photographic body of work is simply breathtaking.  I believe this is her first short film project.

I was thrilled to direct a character piece without the crazy production constraints I'm used to---it was refreshing and fun, reminding me of film school days. It was especially exciting due to my longstanding desire to work with Miss Bradley in any capacity whatsoever.  She is just that awesome.

Oh, and props to Mr James Abercrombie for the little title page at the end! ;)

Check it out, if you so desire, on the film page.

 production still by: Jamie Hopperproduction still by: Jamie Hopper

Well to be honest, I've never felt very comfortable attempting to make sense of something as paradoxically trivial and important as art, at least without the proper degree.   But I do know that you get out of life what you put in, and art is largely the same. 

Here is a list of film theories birthed or adopted–more likely stolen–from several sources over the years:  academic texts, how-to manuals, late night conversations with friends, hushed comments in the back of a movie theater, set debates, and the occasional urge to scream.

They are less of a "ten commandments" and more of a testament to the compelling nature of film, or why anyone would bother writing such a thing out in the first place.  So if the subject interests you, particularly any production-types who may be stopping by:  may you find some agreeance here.  And please try not to be bothered by how many times I use the word "film"... I've run out of suitable synonyms.

manifesto

1.)  A film which wants to have personhood should create a dialog/dialectic with the audience, much like a relationship between two people.  Films, like friendships, have the power to influence and transform the individual when taken to heart.  But you the filmmaker must earn that trust by giving it to your audience first.

2.)  The audience should be given the benefit of the doubt.  If you consider their senses keen and fragile, as they might be when truly engaged in a film, as in friendship...then you might not quite so willingly exploit those senses to make some lame artistic point.  

3.)  Audience catharsis is important and should not be taken lightly.  This is why, at least in my opinion, audience exploitation became a problem in recent cinema.  The desensitization of people discourages them from genuinely attaching and believing, which is unfortunate, as people generally crave truth.   Postmodernism has a part to play in this, as well. 

4.) If a film is attempting authenticity, the voice of the filmmaker should never be heard or sensed (comedic scenarios excepted).

5.) All a film must do to be successful is be true to itself and the principles of the world/characters it has created.  As with anything, consistency is very important.  If a film pays off what it sets up, it works.

6.) All that being said, keeping the audience in mind is just a way of not being too self-indulgent artistically.  The only critic to whom you're actually accountable is yourself.  If you make every film for yourself, if you are true to yourself, you are actually making it for your audience, as well. 

7.) Good art is what allows us to put the most of ourselves in it.  This is true for the author as well as the audience.  Filmmakers should strive to make open-ended films which can relate to people, encouraging thoughtfulness and participation.  These will be the films which most impact others, to whatever end.

8.) "No artist believes in escapism. And we secretly believe that no audience does. We have proved, at any rate, that they will pay to see the truth, for other reasons than her nakedness."  credit:  The Archers 

As I say, this manifesto is ongoing and subject to change.