The ignition of my love for the moving picture really came at 5 years old. It wasn’t through film; in fact, I don’t like most movies. It was through 80’s sitcoms, specifically “Three’s Company” and “Gimme A Break!” I used to record them on my Mom’s Betamax and just watch the opening theme songs over and over. The music, along with the cheesy poses that the actors would make while their name flashed on the screen, was fascinating to me. They were edited like mini music videos where a character would make some exaggerated move that always hit the music cues perfectly. It makes sense that later when I was a teenager, MTV (when they played videos) was also an influence.
The first time I visited New York City, I was 15. My favorite band at the time was Sonic Youth. As I started to absorb the city, I remember thinking their music made more sense. The buildings and the city’s landscapes informed them in some way. This is when I started to understand how in art, your environment informs everything that you do. So I was especially excited when Susannah, Andy, and I traveled up to Brooklyn for our first video shoot. After I filmed Andy walking down the street (next to that amazing mural), it started thunder storming. We packed up and were getting ready to drive home, until we passed this dock on the water overlooking the skyline as the sun was setting. It was too perfect to pass up, so we scavenged the car for umbrellas and ran towards the dock. I followed Andy down the dock as Susannah followed me with an umbrella to protect the camera. The wind and rain were erratic , but the sky was breathtaking. We left New York very satisfied with what we captured. It was truly a day we will never forget. I’m proud of the video that came out of it as well.
mapetiteshoesandchocolate 