Making films with the responsibility of a photojournalist

by definition ya'll: Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such as documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by the qualities of:

•Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events.
•Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone.
•Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.

Like a writer, a photojournalist like Janey (i.e. ME) is a reporter but he or she or Jane or Joey must often make decisions instantly and carry photographic equipment, often while exposed to significant obstacles (physical danger, weather, crowds).

“it was the best thing I did for myself Saturday”

he forced himself (i.e. I-self) to go to a museum on National Museum Day ! = FREE DAY at 6000 museums nationwide motivated him!?
Henri Matisse was the-HIS destination.
HE (i.e. the STAR of this blog) entered into a curated wonderland of colour & black and white sketches. Charcoals. Oils (on canvass-duh). Drypoint on vellum. Monotype on chine colle. Plaster cast onto monumental bronze.

SO what’s ur point? This is my point!:
In essence, there was just SO MUCH STUFF Wahoo

Who was this Matisse character??? (you wonder in a whisper)…
ANSWER: a totally prolific artist with a need to just keep making perfect beautiful things. Works, that were utterly important for others to gain joy and inspiration, learn from technique and craft, and enhance my no-idea-what-to-do-Saturday.

As an artist (utilizing FILM as my primary form of expression at the moment), my desire is to continue to mix the Fine Arts into ( directly into) the cinematic realm.

Titles like “Flowers and a Ceramic Plate” stuck with me. And STRUCK me. I want to move into this kind of a direction. It may be hard to explain in a blog, but I am working towards this direction already.

p.s. I am happy with my books, still photography collections, and recent performance art pieces. My upcoming FM PUBLIC RADIO interview will be interesting this Thursday.

p.s.s. Matisse documented the various stages of some of his works (i.e. the Bathers). I want to begin to catalogue the various stages/renditions/primitive stages of my works prior to their final screening moment. To show the numerous stages deeply connected with my process.

Interesting documentary and "minimalist" style

{Winner! Best Documentary, European Film Awards 2003}

In 1975-79, almost two million Cambodians lost their lives to murder and famine when the Khmer Rouge forced the urban population into the countryside to fulfill their ideal of an agrarian utopia. The notorious detention center code-named 'S21' was the schoolhouse-turned prison where 17,000 men, women and children were tortured, interrogated and executed, their "crimes" meticulously documented to justify their execution. In this award-winning documentary and astonishing historical document, Rithy Panh and his team undertook a three year investigation involving not only the survivors, but also their former torturers. They persuaded both groups to return to the actual site of what was formerly S21, now converted into a Genocide Museum, to face their past. One survivor, Vann Nath confronts his captors, some of whom were as young as 12 years old when they committed their atrocities.Human Rights Watch, widely regarded as one of the most influential and important human rights organizations in the world, and First Run Features, which for 25 years has distributed films that confront human rights issues, formed a collaboration to bring awareness to films that shed light on human rights abuses throughout the world.

Very Cool Bookstore Window, NYC

Courtney, River and Claire

Weird. weird. weird wierd nite (last nite, that is).
I finished up final sound touches on new film before sending out to Europe (Claire whispering sound fx) , and as i leave (i.e. walked out of) the internet facility there is/was Courtney (love). on a bench. hiding under her mane and hat. inviting me for a chitchat. weird why exactly??? (you asked). because C.Love kinda embodies everything Claire IS. anyways, she was upset. i made her laff by confessing that i took her off TWITTER due to her 80 Tweets at 3am, daily. her commentary on that was "YEAH JOEY. I STOPPED DOING TWITTER NOW TOO".

i left her with a friend and went to see Joaquin Pheonix (Rivers' brutha) in "IM STILL HERE". It was AWESOME! It was SO great! I laughed loud many times. overall, it's just a good spirited movie with an eccentric talent that wanted to have an "Andy Kaufman moment" (moment=YEAR).

Just woke up.
i blabbed enuff for now.
Goodbye.

xo

Email from old filmschool classmate

September 14 at 11:36pm

Heya Joey,

We watched the films tonight (the Girlstories trilogy), FINALLY! Good stuff... great stuff. Classic Joey. You don't let down. PJ said the order of the films was great and after much discussion he decided Homewrecka was his favorite. I was blown away by the accuracy and detailed descriptions of the subjects. Of course I had a million questions. I was shocked to see Renee Peperone's photo credit. What is she up to these days? Of course, I'd love to talk more about the films but I probably need to watch them again. Also, I am sure I will think of other thoughts. But all in all, damn intriguing stuff. PJ said they got under his skin... the second one reminded him eerily of a girl he used to date. What your doing with the films now?

Give me some background, if you will, on the films.

ok, it's late and I am still brain-fried from all of my traveling last week. I just wanted you to know we finally sat down and watched them... and thought they were amazing.

talk soon,
heather and pj

ME (i.e. I) under supermarket surveillance !

Gotta Love being on PRIMETIME.

Especially after having free samples of bread and dip.

bye,

me

xo

Fashion Week in NYC !!!

ART School reunion 2010.

Class Union with Art School "family". One of the best days in a long time.

God Bless FILM.

45 inch vinyl "AUDIOBOOK" releases

I am truly considering releasing some of my new spoken word pieces/books onto 45 inch Vinyl records. I am researching the possibilities out there currently. YES, this can get a bit pricey, but I may be able to pull this off for at lease one book release.

Will keep ya'll posted ...

Killer Fish

I grew up on this stuff. "PIRANAH" type of movies...etc...(notice i use the term MOVIE and not FILM. Duh. there's a difference). Well, i totally did it and saw this movie to kill (no pun intended) off my boring Saturday. i am still congratulating myself for going. The movie was awesome, and maybe partly because i expected it to be heinous. the sound design was SUPERB. the cinematography was GORGEOUS. the gore was NOT computer generated and not ridiuously silly either, very realistic. Casting was perfect, and it was way cool to see that Elizabeth Shue is still around and getting work (I love Shue).

Thumbs up for this"movie". It was fun. 3-D didn't bug me. In general, the director (who did it with his French debut HIGH TENSION) created a place and atmosphere of an Arizona desert and blue water paradise that felt so good to be in, despite the bloody waters.

Go see it if your into rocks, blue water, and tough blonde female sheriffs.

me

xo

p.s. jane (i,e, ME, took the image above with my cellphone. Hence the quality. No, i was not getting my left hand devoured while taking the shot).

Self-Publishing my Writing

I am excited to self-publish my books now that I have begun writing and completing some major works. Researching avenues, and possibilities, that I have to get my writing "out there" has been really interesting. Getting random strangers to have the interest enuff to buy my stuff is 2 kool.

Problem Now is PRICING.

luv,

mexo

Lincoln Center landscape is getting visually redone.

CLICK ON THESE LINKS FOR MORE DEETS:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/arts/design/02lincoln.html?src=mv

http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/6577

Postcards from the Future- says Hersh.

Pretty Scary hearing Kristin Hersh describe the power of art last night.
A talk about art in general (is what it was).
It's great power.
It's grand ability.

"Work" of any creative art (particularly film and music) contains an inexplicable power to predict & describe the Future. "Postcards from the Future" is how she, and Rosanne Cash, described this thing. I have experienced this too many times. Not a nice thing to go through, as its spooky to know that all true creative makings, when sincere, avails the power of witch doctors.

At least these witch docs we speak of don't charge the high rates$$$$$ of those clowns down in the Delta, sucking away on crawfish. Helllllll No (i.e. HELL in the nicest sense of that word)

love,
me
xo

p.s. i have absolutely NO interest in reading her "Rat Girl" memoir book, but she WAS a great speaker (in my opinion).

Feet in Boiling Water ?

Gimme a break. The only interesting thing about new quasi-doc film LAST EXORCISM is to witness the evolution of this new Genre of cinema completely grown from cheap video availablity (and corporate sharks swimming around the lucrative territory to make money$$$$. Did I smell a LAWYER? somewhere)

Anyways, this film is a sandwich of Blair Witch Project, Open Water, Paranormal Activity and Rosemaries Baby all in one boring 90 min. Dont waste your money on this. If you want some real action....if you want some real shivers, blow your money on a Ouija Board. And dont tell the othere player you got the bottom of the thing "rigged up".

bye.
mexo

YELLOW SHADES JANE GOTZ NOW

Dear Jane (i.e. Dear ME), what did you purchase today at a "talked down" rate?

Dear YOU (i.e. meaning ME part 2): YELLOW GLASSES!!!!

sincerely,

ME (part 3)

p.s. they are cheap and should last a good 6 days.

Bye.

xoxoxo

Watching my "Vlogs" in my car

I (meaning JANE) enjoyed driving around randomly (i.e. no destination).

ME (meaning i) enjoyed watching myself talking to a self-recorded camera in my VLOGS (video journals) on my ipod set-up suctioned to my vehicle windshield. 91 minutes of video-journaling. 91 minutes of listening to the ups and downs of my creative process, and how things panned out or "didn't" pan out at times.

Fun. fun. fun.

p.s. see my face in the ipod screen. yes. he (meaning me) is a cutey-pie.

bye.
xo

DIY film labels. FINALLY !

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/movies/22indie.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Film: A Cliff "portrait study"

I want to make a film based upon a portrait study of rhythms created by the Cliffs of the North East Coastline.

I am notating ideas for the visuals. And sound.

Stay Tuned.

Pardon the shaky cam as i walk back to my car. Ran to take notes (where? Rhode Island Cliffs)

me.

xo

Malaysia Film Fest !

Yours Truly...in Malaysia...

HELL F&#%% YES

Luv,

Me

xo

P.S. KLEX aims at introducing both historical and contemporary experimental cinema to the Malaysian audience, nurturing the experimental film and videomakers in the region, and developing experimental cinema communities in Malaysia. KLEX will be a venue for a discourse on critical issues related to the edge of cinema art.

My "SPOKEN WORD" performance in Brooklyn

David Shuff comment: You did great man! Several people at the drinks after told me how awesome your story was and how they didn't even care if you went over because they were hooked.

Benjamin Scheim comment: Joey!! Your story was great and EVERYONE was psyched you were able to tell it. We're really happy you came and all look forward to seeing you again and hopefully hearing another one!
cheers,
Ben

Jessika Sutberry comment: You are a storytelling idol. When you get rich and famous dont forget us little people. WE DONT SLEEP WAITING FOR YOUR STUFF! Its official, we r starting a fanclub. Period.

Editing my film trailer

Trailers are so fun to create. Total propaganda. One has the ability to "tease" in order to "trance" large groups of people (usually strangers) to "submit" to a "Bigger Picture". FUN. FUN. FUN!

Fun Film-Icons T-shirt gallery

Ingmar Bergman and Werner Herzog T-shirts designed after heavy metal Rock Gods groupie wear. Too funny.

A Colony of Poison.

I have to work on a trailer tonight, but that's besides the Point. DO this Blog first. Jane. Hello! Jane! Let's talk about "THE COLONY". Let's wake da brain up and talk bout that bee movie (reference here is regarding the documentary film I, ME, JANEY just saw at the IFP Docs Fest downtown (its your responsibility to look up the address of that tiny place READER).

I Like It (he said, he meaning ME).

Very "formula" doc (yep. OMG, they have formulas now. So bad, that it makes me happy i never picked up things like "cooking". I don't wanna ever get bitten by the "formula"bee (no pun intended, actually Bull, TOTAL PUN INTENDED)

Another film revealing the problems that are prevalent (and growing) within our eco-environment-corruption-marketplace. HE (i.e. me) meaning the U.S. Commercial Industry, Capitalism and the demise of the "small business guy" (Mom and Pop BeeKeepers). All around the pollenization of the honeybee that is required for us to eat our Blueberries and Almonds.

There is an epidemic. The bees are dying. The farmers are screaming for help. Noones doing anything. We will soon need to be buying certain foods in foreign countries. Why? Due to Poison. Due to the market of Pesticide. It is killing All of us slowly. And now even the bees.

bye.

My new Oreo cookie keys.

cambodian betrayals and cam batteries.

Strange experience. Felt more like I was observing a “revenge” flick ala Charles Bronson, while at the same time feeling an uncomfortable $10 splurging for a HOW TO CONDUCT A BETRAYAL movie. But hold on Jane, chill. Isn’t this thing about a deserved betrayal? Ummm, yes. Buuuuuut the idea of a 10 year preparation to hang (metaphorically speaking) a person via a documentary filmmaking in Cambodia bothered me. Perhaps it was the lack of actual Cambodian genocide footage that created this strife. Honestly, not sure. By definition, what happened in the killing fields of Cambodia (i.e. the senseless killings) by the hands of that communist radical regime , deserved retribution. But at what cost? Is it ok to get more blood on some sticky hands while seeking a lil “payback”? If you wanna win many indie awards, then that answer is- YES.

Strange experience. For me. As an artist. And a humanitarian. The filmmaker could have simply notified the International authorities about the whereabouts of this murderous political monster that he interviewed. Why engage in more negativity and discrete horror. Maybe, for a movies sake, we all like to pay money for a little action-packed story. I don’t think anyone should feel sorry for this old man who is betrayed by the filmmaker after committing himself to a phony friendship of 10 years to get a few confessions for his audience (DID ANYONE JUST SAY, "LEN" )- but the audience would have been on board with or without “setting up” the old Uncle. I feel. But wait a second- who IS the real audience?

Strange experience. that paid off in very weird ways. I still think about this film, in terms of it’s accomplishments (not in art style and/or aesthetic). In the end, I left reminded that ALL people are capable of very terrible things. Very cruel things. Very evil things. I am still recovering form the realization/reminder that not only “bad” people do “bad” things, but actually “good” people have that capacity as well. A sad thing to be reminded of. A despicable truth. And probably why Julia Roberts does so well, repeadtidly, with her campy fun-loving good spirited girl with a smile moviez. In general, most people don’t wanna be reminded of this kind of stuff. And don’t need to be.

Especially not me.

But did you like it Jane?
Yeah, I guess I did.
Bye.

STickers (unaffordable BUTworth a cell-shot)

Yes. I LUV stickers. BUT these were a lil' off budget. so what did you do instead Janey? ummm, i took pictures of the stickers with my cell-fone instead. i figured, "capture the memory of the thing with a Kodak Moment"....so there you are.

TTFN. BYE.

mexo

RISD professor's memorial site.

Weird. strange. Thought provoking. What happened at RISD Jane? Well, a painful realization that celluloid is confirmed to be dead- and digital has won the expensive ruthless war. "this writer" (i.e. ME) went to visit the gravesite of Paul Krot, respected photographer/professor at RISD RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (died prematurely of cancer. An early demise he had actually predicted BEFORE his diagnosis of cancer). His gravesite is a beautiful stone designed after a canister can of film developer !!!

This was, hands down, the most amazing cemetery i have ever been to in my life (and that includes Paris).

Goodbye (but not a gravesite bye bye, but a digital TTFN)

xox

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON THIS PHOTO PROFESSOR LEGEND...

http://www.as220.org/darkroom/who-is-paul-krot.html

Photography trip in R.I.

Brilliant Cyclops

Here is a link to a young woman who recently lost her eye during a protest (Israel vs Palestine). She was just an artist, getting "involved", and a tear-gas missiled canister was shot to her face. She is now at Cooper Union and refuses to have a false eye implanted. She creates her own glasses to cover up her lost eye. Weird irony: she had an EYEBALL as her logo BEFORE this happened to her! What strange things happen in this life that we live, huh. WEIRD and WEIRDER.

here is a link to her blog site:
http://thirstypixels.blogspot.com/

p.s. i am currently in Rhode Island to visit Brown and am way excited (and stuffed). Very nice kind people in Rhode Island. Interesting and THANK GOD!

It never seems to End.

One would assume that now that all of the coverart for the three films (i.e. trilogy of my teen-educational series) has been completed and printed, i could go out and celebrate and not think about film/writing/doing. ummm, nope. already gotta get focused for the next project. A major party in the movie buisiness game (i have been sworn to not say the Name) is interested in my work and in particular a new feature length idea. I am typing and scribbling away. I can say one thing for sure: my next film WILL BE A FAIRY TALE.

I am zipping up my mouth after that leak.

GOODBYE FOR NOW!
mexo

Learning Experience(in a cheap doc)

"Who Killed Nancy" was both terrible, and meaningful, at the very same time. From an aethetic standpoint, the film was done in the most despicable cheap video around. BUT. The information was so extremely informative, and delivered such importance, that it serviced a respectable "Means to a cheap-video End". I am now absolutely certain that punk musician Sid Vicious (John) did not murder his wacky girlfriend Nancy. The evidence provided by the police reports, the testimonies from all of those who were in the room (rm. 100) at the Chelsea Hotel that night, successfully do what the NYC police department, Rikers Island, and criminal court never got the chance to do (since Sid aka John died a month after the crime committed).

All "story" aside, there was a statement made by a member of that movement that impacted me profoundly. "Drug addiction is a disease. And how can you hate a person inflicted with a disease. That's like hating those who are suffering cancer." It is so true, and carries such complexities. When you love a person, who is inflicted with this "disease", it's so hard to not get angry at all of the the collateral damage that tags along. The Thefts. The Lies. The Cheating. The Devious behaviour. The Relapses. All = Tuff stuff. You see this film and you hear about his mother (who committed suicide when the Sex Pistols reunited) literally bringing him bags of needles at his apartment because she "loved her son so much" and you just sit there in your seat, drop your popcorn, and realize that Every Single Problem that we have stems from the beginning of our childhood. Makes ya wanna go dig up Freud and throw darts at him....or popcorn. Salted, of course. Why salted?? ummmm, contempt. the truth hurts Sig. Not Sid, SIG!

bye.

xo