Shot of the Day: Day Zero

Hey all,

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!

Bri and I are about to run out but I wanted to stop by and say hi.

So my new year's resolution is actually hard-wired into this very blog, for better or worse. 2009 is going to be one of the most challenging, exciting, unpredictable and absolutely adventure-saturated as I've ever encountered, and I thought of something I could do to stay frosty and creative while taking a visual log of the next year with my family, friends and any/everything in my orbit. Pompous and pretentious? Probably, but fuck it, can't hurt to try (as Edison once said...or was it Hitler?).

Inspired by the "fly on the wall" ease of Danny Clinch's misc. snapshots (which he frequently sends out in a mass email, much to our delight since Bri and I are huge fans) and the admirable dedication and discipline of Brian Collins' addictive Horror-Movie-A-Day website, I'm going to attempt, every day for the next 365 of 'em, to capture a moment in time, once a day, and present it here in photo-form. With cameras within fingertip's reach every day, even as close as my pocket with that trusty iphone and as powerful as Bri's fucking killer new SLR (it's AWESOME), I thought "Hell, it can't be hard to grab a moment in time digitally, right?" We shall see how this hasty plan develops, and there is no particular agenda or thesis for these pictures (sorry, no visual installation at the Guggenheim for me)...they're likely to be the most random and boring mise en scene snaps you're bound to view on the interwebs, so I guess i'm doing it more for my own archival purposes than anything else, to see if I have the discipline to pull it off and see where it goes creatively. I'm usually so quick to pull out a camera and capture an image from the "frame" in front of me, usually taking impromptu shots of shorn facial hair, gum on a seat in the movies, the always-entertaining shenanigans of Banzai, Bri sleeping on the couch looking cute (or getting annoyed) and the like...so why not make something constructive out of it, no? Hell, it could be fun, and I think with the crazy year that's ahead of us, it could elicit some compelling stuff.

So, a day before the ribbon is cut on this arguably stupid idea, I thought I would throw one up for "Day Zero"....

DAY 0:
Shot with Iphone. Click to Enlarge.

...It was 7am and I was off to the gym before work. I can't believe I actually get up to be miserable and sweat for an hour, but it's worth not quietly hating myself in the reflection. So, blearly-eyed and a gut filled with vitamins, I was out the door and driving down Venice Blvd, and suddenly, I'm driving straight into Stephen King's THE MIST. There was a rare stillness in the air that was both inviting and beautiful and creepy as fuck at the same time.

So, here's to a cool creative challenge. More to come, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling a little early.
Viva 2009!

Staying Scary,
Joe

See more Seymour by the Seashore...

Hey all,



Happy Holidays! Sorry its been a while, but you know when you just have SO much to say or rabble on about that it becomes this daunting task? Since the last big entry, I've literally had some life-changing events occur, some I can talk about, some I can't (yet...;)) but its been a hell of a month from Thanksgiving till Xmas and hopefully I'll find the time to sit down and recount it, even just for my own purposes so i don't forget it all.

However, I gotta share one moment, this is just something to file under "Hollywood Holiday Weirdness".



Last night, after a last-minute trip to the doctor's, Bri treated me to dinner to Urth Cafe, the one in the taint between Santa Monica and Venice. The better of the three Urth franchises (the West Hollywood branch, made famous by ENTOURAGE, even though I've yet to see Frank Darabont or Johnny Drama there, is way too packed with people ) the hip cafe has some cool Vegan deserts for Bri and one HELL of a Tea Latte...and if you think that's a girly drink, fuck off, you haven't tried one.

So we walk out from a nice dinner and taking dessert and Tea Lattes home with us and get in the Prius, leave for home. As we're driving down Main street near the Longs Drugs, an elderly man walks across the street to his own beat, taking his time as he does. We weren't in a big rush, so we slowed for his Jaywalking and when he crossed our path, he put up a big finger towards us, pointing his index finger in our direction. Now, it wasn't a hostile, defensive "Im walkin' here! Don't you DARE run over me!" kinda point...it was more like "Hey now...keep on keepin' on gang!" point, a cool point, if you will. But, as he kept pointing and walking as his feet met the sidewalk, Bri said "Hey...wait a minute" and then my Nerd Alert went off like a match to cotton; Is...is that Seymour Cassell???



Yup. The legendary veteran actor of numerous films, big (Indecent Proposal, Rushmore) and small (Cassavetes' Faces, Uwe Boll's Postal...?!) was just strolling along, minding his B's and Q's, but POINTING at us like we were somehow the chosen ones. I said "That...looks...like....nope, it is, that's Seymour Cassell! What the hell!?!" I mean, like an US WEEKLY....aging actors Jaywalk too! We were both a little stunned but smiling, it just further made what was starting out as a shitty day into a pleasant evening. Just one of those surreal moments that you can only find in Hollywood on a Tuesday night at 9:40 in Venice....and I had to share.

More to come, but to you and yours....have a safe and Happy Holiday!!! See you in 2009...its gonna be a WILD RIDE!!!

Staying Scary,
Joe

My new music video, kinda.

Hey all,

Lots more to come for the Holidaze (ears still ringing from the Metallica show) but thought you'd get a kick out of this "sweeded" music video I did with G4's Kevin Pereira. He approached me with an idea after creating a song in Apple's GarageBand that sounded almost pitch perfect to the latest Kanye West single, "Love Lockdown" (which I frikkin' love BTW). But to show the world that you can be an artist without the high production values, we made the song and the music video (shot on the Panasonic HVX200 HD camera, cut on FCP with amazing VFX from Luis Hurtado) with little to no money, little to no time and here is the result...and we're pretty happy with it (and sure Kanye will not be thrilled). Enjoy!

For reference, here is the Kanye video first...look at those whites!


Now, for Kevye West's version. Kick it homey...:

Kevye West: 808's and Expirations Dates (Guac Lockdown) - watch more funny videos

Also, you can see it in GLORIOUS HIGH DEFINITION HERE
(CLICK ON "WATCH IN HD").

Thanks so much to Kevin for the chance to stoke my inner R&B video director and to Luis who kicked ass with the anamorphic flare porn.

Happy Ho Ho Ho's!

Joe