After exploring several post-industrial cities in Europe, Philip and I knew we’d have to check out the cities on our side of the pond. It was just a matter of finding the time, because, if you recall, gallivanting around Europe was no easy task.
Late one Tuesday night, in the midst of shooting our Detroit B-Roll, Philip found an unexpected break in our wall-to-wall schedule. Even though, we were swamped with an endless list of city shots, technically, we didn't have any concrete meetings until Friday. So if we postponed our B-Roll for 2 ½ days...
He looked up from his computer, “wanna drive to Buffalo tomorrow?”
Talk about short notice.
No plans, no directions, no place to stay...
Yeah, let’s do it.
2 ½ days…
Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Cleveland…
We hopped in Philip’s mom’s fuel-efficient VW Beatle, fired up the ol’ smart phone, and headed across the border.
I searched for profiles on Couch Surfer that had “photography” as an interest, and once we connected with the locals, they pointed us toward the abandoned factories.
Unfortunately, our last minute notice didn’t result in any open couches to sleep on, but oh well- after a full day of driving and shooting, a reclined seat in the rest stop parking lot was a godsend. …even in a Beatle.
(Rest assured kickstarters: we ain’t spendin’ your generous donations on froufrou hotel rooms; at this point, every penny we save goes directly into cooler things… like, color correction… or gas).
Highlights of the road trip include: the police searching our car at the Canadian border, authentic Buffalo wings, and winding through the tiny steel towns of Pennsylvania…
But I guess the best highlight is the footage. We got everything we needed, and we were back in Detroit with time to spare on Friday afternoon.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Detroit interviews pt 2
“I’m just a guy who gives a fuck”
…that’s what Zone 8 Thug turned neighborhood activist Yusef Shakur told us.
Yusef grew up on the streets surrounded by drugs, violence and prostitution, and not in a good way. Shortly after dropping out of high school, he was sent to prison for nine years; his life was over. Trapped in an institution that perpetuates the thug mentality, there was no hope. …Until one day, a prison transfer reunited him with the mentor his inner child needed most- his father.
Yusef and his father rekindled their relationship, and just like that, Yusef turned his life around. He finished his GED, got out of prison, and returned to the ‘hood that had raised him to start a community center. It’s part café, part bookstore, and part computer center. It’s a safe haven for kids to hang after school; and with the block parties he helps organize, it’s Yusef’s way of “restoring the neighbor back to the ‘hood.”
Mark Convington might not have an epic life story like Yusef’s… In fact, he wasn’t even trying to become a community leader when he cleaned up a vacant lot. Mark just wanted to plant a few vegetables to discourage people from dumping trash, but before he knew it, neighbors were pitching in, kids were learning how to farm, and the sprawling garden was providing healthy food for all.
If there’s anyone who believes in the power of these vacant lots and abandoned buildings, it’s Dan Pitera and his team of architects. They’ve committed to restoring purpose to these forgotten places. In one old house, they removed an entire exterior wall and added outdoor seating for a project they call ‘the playhouse.’
Dan will be the first to admit- they can’t just turn these spaces into anything they want; they need to listen to the people, and make spaces the community will use.
That’s why people like Vince Keenan spearhead voter education programs to make sure the people have a voice for the change happening in their neighborhoods.
Vince is currently promoting the Council By Districts initiative. If it passes, each district will have equal representation in City Hall and those representatives will actually have to live in the district they serve.
In Brightmoor, we toured a church where the pastor has committed to serving everyone- believers, non-believers… he built his church for everyone. So instead of a sanctuary, the congregation invested in a gymnasium. They set it up for services on Sundays, but every other day of the week, it’s a safe place to play.
The city has a lot of potential, and according to Free Press journalist John Gallagher, it’s just a matter of “Re-imagining Detroit” (hey, that’s the title of his book!).
Gallagher promotes ideas that embrace the shrinking population, like tearing up under utilized roads to make way for “greenways,” putting more resources into urban farming, and even “daylighting” forgotten streams that were paved over when the industrial revolution took foot.
A lot of these bigger projects take time and money. But as local small crepe shop owner, Torya Blanchard, told a lecture hall of University of Michigan business students (and I’m paraphrasing here)… all you need to succeed is a good idea and a good accountant, so stop wasting your money, drop out of business school, and do it.
That’s how Torya opened her crepe shop; she cashed out her retirement, took out a bunch of loans, and now she owns three restaurants in the Detroit area. She believes small businesses promoting growth at the neighborhood level are going to save this town; we just need more ideas and more people to act on them.
One solution didn't focus on a growing economy at all.
Grace Lee Boggs is a 96-year old political activist who marched with Martin Luther King and collaborated with Malcolm X. According to her, people need to focus first on "growing their souls." It's an approach that might seem unconventional at first, but when a woman who’s seen as much as she has says it, you better listen.
…that’s what Zone 8 Thug turned neighborhood activist Yusef Shakur told us.
Yusef grew up on the streets surrounded by drugs, violence and prostitution, and not in a good way. Shortly after dropping out of high school, he was sent to prison for nine years; his life was over. Trapped in an institution that perpetuates the thug mentality, there was no hope. …Until one day, a prison transfer reunited him with the mentor his inner child needed most- his father.
Yusef and his father rekindled their relationship, and just like that, Yusef turned his life around. He finished his GED, got out of prison, and returned to the ‘hood that had raised him to start a community center. It’s part café, part bookstore, and part computer center. It’s a safe haven for kids to hang after school; and with the block parties he helps organize, it’s Yusef’s way of “restoring the neighbor back to the ‘hood.”
Mark Convington might not have an epic life story like Yusef’s… In fact, he wasn’t even trying to become a community leader when he cleaned up a vacant lot. Mark just wanted to plant a few vegetables to discourage people from dumping trash, but before he knew it, neighbors were pitching in, kids were learning how to farm, and the sprawling garden was providing healthy food for all.
If there’s anyone who believes in the power of these vacant lots and abandoned buildings, it’s Dan Pitera and his team of architects. They’ve committed to restoring purpose to these forgotten places. In one old house, they removed an entire exterior wall and added outdoor seating for a project they call ‘the playhouse.’
Dan will be the first to admit- they can’t just turn these spaces into anything they want; they need to listen to the people, and make spaces the community will use.
That’s why people like Vince Keenan spearhead voter education programs to make sure the people have a voice for the change happening in their neighborhoods.
Vince is currently promoting the Council By Districts initiative. If it passes, each district will have equal representation in City Hall and those representatives will actually have to live in the district they serve.
In Brightmoor, we toured a church where the pastor has committed to serving everyone- believers, non-believers… he built his church for everyone. So instead of a sanctuary, the congregation invested in a gymnasium. They set it up for services on Sundays, but every other day of the week, it’s a safe place to play.
The city has a lot of potential, and according to Free Press journalist John Gallagher, it’s just a matter of “Re-imagining Detroit” (hey, that’s the title of his book!).
Gallagher promotes ideas that embrace the shrinking population, like tearing up under utilized roads to make way for “greenways,” putting more resources into urban farming, and even “daylighting” forgotten streams that were paved over when the industrial revolution took foot.
A lot of these bigger projects take time and money. But as local small crepe shop owner, Torya Blanchard, told a lecture hall of University of Michigan business students (and I’m paraphrasing here)… all you need to succeed is a good idea and a good accountant, so stop wasting your money, drop out of business school, and do it.
That’s how Torya opened her crepe shop; she cashed out her retirement, took out a bunch of loans, and now she owns three restaurants in the Detroit area. She believes small businesses promoting growth at the neighborhood level are going to save this town; we just need more ideas and more people to act on them.
One solution didn't focus on a growing economy at all.
Grace Lee Boggs is a 96-year old political activist who marched with Martin Luther King and collaborated with Malcolm X. According to her, people need to focus first on "growing their souls." It's an approach that might seem unconventional at first, but when a woman who’s seen as much as she has says it, you better listen.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
…And we’re back
I didn’t journal much when I was in Europe; I blogged. Now, it’s the opposite.
I’ll find a balance someday. Until then, let's get caught up.
We’re well into the editing process on the movie, so stay tuned for post about...
Week Two of the Detroit Interviews, Exploring America's Rust Belt (in a VW bug), and the Joys of Editing at 4am.
I’ll find a balance someday. Until then, let's get caught up.
We’re well into the editing process on the movie, so stay tuned for post about...
Week Two of the Detroit Interviews, Exploring America's Rust Belt (in a VW bug), and the Joys of Editing at 4am.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Ranch Dressing (Michigan’s ketchup)
I’m really behind with this journal.
While Poland was part work and part vacation, filming in Detroit is part work and another part work. Detroit Lives! has a lot more going on than this film- and with a few different art fairs this weekend, last week was intense. Philip had to print about 300 shirts. Converting the basement studio into a mini assembly line where we could work and sing along to REM’s “Monster” wouldn’t normally be such a chore. But, of course, we couldn’t start that work, until we had finished this work…
Detroit Interviews: Week One
Detroit needs money; Detroit needs business… So we spoke to the head of Tech Town: a business incubator that helps startups get off the ground. Partnering with Wayne State University, they have the resources to help everyone from the little guy printing bumper stickers to scientists breaking new ground in biomedical research.
Philip Cooley, a local restaurant owner, is fostering his own sort of creative incubator. By buying an abandoned factory, he’s fixing it up to house creative ventures, like Adriana Pavon’s fashion design studio, with the expectation that his residents spend some of their time mentoring local youth.
Detroit is reclaiming some of its old business community as well. Skidmore Studios flocked to the suburbs a few decades ago, but now, government incentives and city tax breaks make the move back Downtown a no-brainer for owner Tim Smith. Plus, his new offices are going to have a sweet view of Comerica Park.
Some people might ask- “why do businesses get tax breaks while the city is forced to lay off police officers?” Well, we spoke to one Internet entrepreneur who, among other ideas, is proposing a tax system involving an interactive “Sim City” type map where taxpayers could choose where their funds are allocated.
Detroit Soup is one way to see how community money is being spent (it’s also a way to GET some community money). This micro-funding platform is a monthly dinner open to the public where people pay $10 at the door and anyone can pitch their ideas for community improvement projects. At the end, everyone votes, and the winner gets the door. Past winners include a fashion designer who wanted to produce coats that convert into sleeping bags for the homeless and transforming a vacant lot into a sculpture park.
City beautification doesn’t cost much at all. Chazz Miller with Public Art Workz convinced the owner of a run-down factory to rent him the space for nothing more than the cost of fixing it up. Now, the factory has become an entire compound for artists as they paint murals around town, teach classes and mentor kids. And their activity has even spurred development of other storefronts on the block.
Then there’s the Heidelberg Project- a block of rotting houses that became home to an eccentric artist in the mid-80s. He painted one house with polka dots, then he built sculptures out of rusted shopping carts or whatever else he could find… then he painted another house, he covered another with thrown-out stuffed animals… 25 years later, thousands of tourists come to visit, kids hang out to learn how to paint, and the locals pitch in to keep it looking nice. That’s neighborhood pride.
While Poland was part work and part vacation, filming in Detroit is part work and another part work. Detroit Lives! has a lot more going on than this film- and with a few different art fairs this weekend, last week was intense. Philip had to print about 300 shirts. Converting the basement studio into a mini assembly line where we could work and sing along to REM’s “Monster” wouldn’t normally be such a chore. But, of course, we couldn’t start that work, until we had finished this work…
Detroit Interviews: Week One
Detroit needs money; Detroit needs business… So we spoke to the head of Tech Town: a business incubator that helps startups get off the ground. Partnering with Wayne State University, they have the resources to help everyone from the little guy printing bumper stickers to scientists breaking new ground in biomedical research.
Philip Cooley, a local restaurant owner, is fostering his own sort of creative incubator. By buying an abandoned factory, he’s fixing it up to house creative ventures, like Adriana Pavon’s fashion design studio, with the expectation that his residents spend some of their time mentoring local youth.
Detroit is reclaiming some of its old business community as well. Skidmore Studios flocked to the suburbs a few decades ago, but now, government incentives and city tax breaks make the move back Downtown a no-brainer for owner Tim Smith. Plus, his new offices are going to have a sweet view of Comerica Park.
Some people might ask- “why do businesses get tax breaks while the city is forced to lay off police officers?” Well, we spoke to one Internet entrepreneur who, among other ideas, is proposing a tax system involving an interactive “Sim City” type map where taxpayers could choose where their funds are allocated.
Detroit Soup is one way to see how community money is being spent (it’s also a way to GET some community money). This micro-funding platform is a monthly dinner open to the public where people pay $10 at the door and anyone can pitch their ideas for community improvement projects. At the end, everyone votes, and the winner gets the door. Past winners include a fashion designer who wanted to produce coats that convert into sleeping bags for the homeless and transforming a vacant lot into a sculpture park.
City beautification doesn’t cost much at all. Chazz Miller with Public Art Workz convinced the owner of a run-down factory to rent him the space for nothing more than the cost of fixing it up. Now, the factory has become an entire compound for artists as they paint murals around town, teach classes and mentor kids. And their activity has even spurred development of other storefronts on the block.
Then there’s the Heidelberg Project- a block of rotting houses that became home to an eccentric artist in the mid-80s. He painted one house with polka dots, then he built sculptures out of rusted shopping carts or whatever else he could find… then he painted another house, he covered another with thrown-out stuffed animals… 25 years later, thousands of tourists come to visit, kids hang out to learn how to paint, and the locals pitch in to keep it looking nice. That’s neighborhood pride.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
the passing of a Detroit great
We start the bulk of our interviews this week, and just like Poland we’re going nonstop for two weeks, often sitting down with three people in one day. Same drill: politicians, artists, entrepreneurs…
It’s unfortunate that one artist we’ll never get the chance to talk to. David Blair was a poet and songwriter who had moved to Detroit 15 years ago, and it was clear from the start, this man was more than an autoworker. The way he worked with words… simply amazing. About a year ago, Philip interviewed him for another project and developed a friendship with him. But just as Philip returned from Europe, looking forward to reconnect with him, he got word that Blair had passed away.
Using the old footage, we cut a piece to honor the man who had the ability to change the lyrical landscape of art… if only he had a little more time. RIP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWvgWihtXg&hd=1
And if you’re a fan of ‘The Simpsons,’ make sure to look up a video of his poem “My name is Karl.”
It’s unfortunate that one artist we’ll never get the chance to talk to. David Blair was a poet and songwriter who had moved to Detroit 15 years ago, and it was clear from the start, this man was more than an autoworker. The way he worked with words… simply amazing. About a year ago, Philip interviewed him for another project and developed a friendship with him. But just as Philip returned from Europe, looking forward to reconnect with him, he got word that Blair had passed away.
Using the old footage, we cut a piece to honor the man who had the ability to change the lyrical landscape of art… if only he had a little more time. RIP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWvgWihtXg&hd=1
And if you’re a fan of ‘The Simpsons,’ make sure to look up a video of his poem “My name is Karl.”
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
back in the zone
It took all forms of transportation to get me out of Paris- a train to the north coast, a taxi to the port, a ferry to England, a bus to London…
My flight was early the next morning out of Heathrow, so when I was looking for a place to stay, the choice was a no-brainer: my very first couch surfing hosts! As I rolled my luggage down the narrow streets of Dulwich to Ramon and Ronald’s quaint townhouse, the trip came full circle. Ronald cooked dinner just like he had nearly two months ago, and as I ate and reminisced about the trip, it made me sorry I couldn’t do the same with everyone else I’d met on the trip.
I flew across the Atlantic, coming to terms with the fact that my European adventure was over (for now).
but no time to look back; I've got another half a documentary to shoot.
The sun was shining in good ol’ Detroit as Philip picked me up from the airport yesterday. Great to reunite with my long lost partner in crime. And great to get rid of some extra baggage I had been lugging around the past month…
I didn’t really buy souvenirs, but there was one item I HAD to get back to the states. It was my quest. It’s something Philip and I had been searching for ever since we set foot in Poland. So when the item was bestowed upon me only days after Philip had departed for the US, I knew I had a job to do- I had to get it back. It was huge, heavy and breakable, but everywhere I went, I carefully packed it into my suitcase. Didn’t matter if I got stopped at customs; I had to try. And after all that… it’s here...
…A giant jar of homemade polish pickles.
[thanks, Malwina ☺]
We kicked back and munched on the sweet dills as we swapped stories of the past month.
Later that evening, we headed to an event at the Detroit Creative Corridor Center (dc3). Philip’s company Detroit Lives! is going to be working with the dc3’s business incubator program. They’re setting him and other local entrepreneurs up with collaborative office space, connecting them with marketing experts, and doing whatever else they can to help these small ventures grow.
Philp and the other entrepreneurs got recognized, I got to meet a lot of the people we’re going to be interviewing for the documentary, and there was a kick-ass buffet with free drinks.
I think some people went to a bar afterward, but I wouldn’t know. I was asleep by 10.
It had been a long 48 hours of traveling. It had been a long two months.
Today, consider me on Eastern time.
My flight was early the next morning out of Heathrow, so when I was looking for a place to stay, the choice was a no-brainer: my very first couch surfing hosts! As I rolled my luggage down the narrow streets of Dulwich to Ramon and Ronald’s quaint townhouse, the trip came full circle. Ronald cooked dinner just like he had nearly two months ago, and as I ate and reminisced about the trip, it made me sorry I couldn’t do the same with everyone else I’d met on the trip.
I flew across the Atlantic, coming to terms with the fact that my European adventure was over (for now).
but no time to look back; I've got another half a documentary to shoot.
The sun was shining in good ol’ Detroit as Philip picked me up from the airport yesterday. Great to reunite with my long lost partner in crime. And great to get rid of some extra baggage I had been lugging around the past month…
I didn’t really buy souvenirs, but there was one item I HAD to get back to the states. It was my quest. It’s something Philip and I had been searching for ever since we set foot in Poland. So when the item was bestowed upon me only days after Philip had departed for the US, I knew I had a job to do- I had to get it back. It was huge, heavy and breakable, but everywhere I went, I carefully packed it into my suitcase. Didn’t matter if I got stopped at customs; I had to try. And after all that… it’s here...
…A giant jar of homemade polish pickles.
[thanks, Malwina ☺]
We kicked back and munched on the sweet dills as we swapped stories of the past month.
Later that evening, we headed to an event at the Detroit Creative Corridor Center (dc3). Philip’s company Detroit Lives! is going to be working with the dc3’s business incubator program. They’re setting him and other local entrepreneurs up with collaborative office space, connecting them with marketing experts, and doing whatever else they can to help these small ventures grow.
Philp and the other entrepreneurs got recognized, I got to meet a lot of the people we’re going to be interviewing for the documentary, and there was a kick-ass buffet with free drinks.
I think some people went to a bar afterward, but I wouldn’t know. I was asleep by 10.
It had been a long 48 hours of traveling. It had been a long two months.
Today, consider me on Eastern time.
Monday, July 11, 2011
let’s go
I have two speeds in life- frantic and stopped. In Paris, I got my share of both.
The first few days were something out of a Hemingway novel. I’d make coffee, camp out with the ex-pats at a quaint English bookstore, read, write, walk on the riverbank, drink, smoke, discuss the expanding universe and how insignificant life is…
But before long, it was time to shift gears. John and I were determined to make something of our time together, and when we first talked about my visit, he had said four words I can never argue with, “let’s make a movie.”
My Parisian lifestyle made it pretty easy to write the script, but that’s about the only thing that came easy. We had to hold auditions, buy props, borrow lights, not to mention, the script had to be translated (Like I’m not gonna capitalize on my chance to use pretentious French subtitles).
Then, my final two days in France, we had to shoot it… that’s when things really got crazy.
Our director of photography was a friend of John’s who films commercials for a living- a real pro. Just one problem: he barely spoke English. The actors playing the French characters were the same way.
Communication on set was a cluster-fuck buzzing around John-the-translator as everything had to be explained at least twice.
No time for rescheduling; no time for pickups; no time for explaining things twice! We had two days!
It was exhausting, it was frustrating… and it was totally worth it.
Don’t ask me when I’m going to have time to edit yet another movie.
I prefer frantic over stopped.
Maybe that’s why I don’t get along with Hemingway. For me, his stories just amount to a waste of time. Except for one- his very first short story- ‘Up in Michigan.’
Damn… that reminds me…
Next stop: Michigan.
The first few days were something out of a Hemingway novel. I’d make coffee, camp out with the ex-pats at a quaint English bookstore, read, write, walk on the riverbank, drink, smoke, discuss the expanding universe and how insignificant life is…
But before long, it was time to shift gears. John and I were determined to make something of our time together, and when we first talked about my visit, he had said four words I can never argue with, “let’s make a movie.”
My Parisian lifestyle made it pretty easy to write the script, but that’s about the only thing that came easy. We had to hold auditions, buy props, borrow lights, not to mention, the script had to be translated (Like I’m not gonna capitalize on my chance to use pretentious French subtitles).
Then, my final two days in France, we had to shoot it… that’s when things really got crazy.
Our director of photography was a friend of John’s who films commercials for a living- a real pro. Just one problem: he barely spoke English. The actors playing the French characters were the same way.
Communication on set was a cluster-fuck buzzing around John-the-translator as everything had to be explained at least twice.
No time for rescheduling; no time for pickups; no time for explaining things twice! We had two days!
It was exhausting, it was frustrating… and it was totally worth it.
Don’t ask me when I’m going to have time to edit yet another movie.
I prefer frantic over stopped.
Maybe that’s why I don’t get along with Hemingway. For me, his stories just amount to a waste of time. Except for one- his very first short story- ‘Up in Michigan.’
Damn… that reminds me…
Next stop: Michigan.
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