THE OTHER POINT OF VIEW IN FASHION.

Posts Tagged ‘Meryl Streep’

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THE NAKED EYE OF JED ROOT by Navo

In Arts, EXCLUSIVES, Fashion, INTERVIEW, Icons, my novel, photography, politics, viewpoints on February 4, 2010 at 6:00 am

“…there’s so much more that goes into being a successful fashion photographer than the quality and originality of the photos. In order to have a long successful career you have to learn to collaborate with a great team…”

- Jed Root, naiveboy.com (Feb. 4, 2010)

Photo: Chris Melton


ADAPTATION


“Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.” a quote from a creative writing instructor Mr. Robert McKee, widely known for his popular “Story Seminar” all over the world. In the 4-time Academy Award-nominated movie “Adaptation” written by Charlie Kaufman, the Emmy Award-winning actor Brian Cox (Bourne Supremacy, 2004) portrayed Robert McKee’s character (who was McKee’s personal choice for the role). The film follows a desperate-for-a-draft screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (played by Nicolas Cage) attended McKee’s course. More than 2 years ago, like Charlie Kaufman’s character and countless active Hollywood screenwriters today, I have sat on that very same chair. Sitting in the middle of the Director’s Guild Auditorium, I was surrounded by storytellers coming from different parts of the world, different walks of life, some are today’s most celebrated writers, some are aspiring writers, some are working on their latest novel or screenplays, some have the look of cynicism, some came back for the second or third time just to refresh their memories and some just looks like deers caught in the headlights.

Robert McKee and I at one of his Story Seminar.

DIABLO CODY


All these years I know that photography has always been my first love and I’ve flirted with writing for years, like a married man having an affair with a more mature, more intellectually engaging woman. In my humble opinion, although fashion photography gives me an opportunity to tell stories through my images, most of the time I felt its skin-deep, its like a very perky young wife I have so much fun with but my conversations are limited to Louis Vuitton Bags and Paris Hilton. I want more.

I remember living in LA for a year, surrounded by actors and slashes, — actor”/”bartender”/”writers, dancer/actress/writer, taxi driver/singer/writer, bouncer/beatboxer/actor/writer, waiter/model/actor/writer, and the list of “slashes”goes on, one thing they have in common, they all think they got what it takes to be the next overnight A-list celebrity since Diablo Cody, a stripper/screenwriter/writer/blogger, an Academy Award Winner for Best Original Screenplay for her script of the 2007 4-time Academy Award-nominated movie “Juno.” Like more than half of the population of California, I felt like I have a story to tell, travelling all over the world and back, I’ve met so many “slashes” but not a single “photographer/writer” (if your out there, please email me at info@navostudios.com), in my experience, photographer/writer’s are a very, very rare kind of species, people who can tell stories through images and words. And I was empowered more by the challenge, I had the same tingly sensation the first time I saw my work in magazine covers, writing makes me see the world like a kid in a candy shop, I’m surrounded by overwhelming stories that a lot of people haven’t heard of, and I have that front seat in a great big stage called “life.”

The “Fashion Stratosphere” can be narrowed down to these major professions, the Designers, the Photographers, the Clients, the Models, the Celebrities, the Creatives, the Model Agents/Bookers, the Talent Agents, Photography Agents, the Businessmen/Investors, the Interns/ Assistants, the Editors/Writers, the Casting Directors, the PR Managers, the Bloggers and the Digital Retouchers. The most competitive business in the face of the earth have these people as it’s “major” players, they are the people behind the machine, collectively has inspired the most recent films such as Bruno (2009), Zoolander (2001) and Devil Wears Prada (2006). An industry that has no rules, no boundaries, double standards, mind-games, people who create their own personal rules, and some who break those rules, however you perceive it. I just found myself surrounded by a bunch of colorful, artistic, one-track mind, cutthroat characters, as a photographer I was intimidated, as a writer I was overwhelmed and excited, the world is my oyster, I asked myself in several occasions “Why I haven’t seen these wild bunch in TV or Movies?” I felt like a secret agent researching for a great story to tell, and I’m elated when I found one.

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC


In the modern zeitgeist, you can divide the fashion industry into 2 categories, “the familiar careers” and “the new careers”, if you ask an 8-year-old kid what is a photographer? or a model? or a writer? or a fashion designer? Somehow they will have a strong grasp of the idea of what these people do, ask them again what is a digital retoucher? or a pr manager? or a fashion blogger? or a male-model booker? unless they have been coached, you might get some pretty interesting answers that will make you smile or laugh. It’s a very young industry and very few references in the media for the next generation to fully understand. Only last year that two notable films about bloggers have been written and produced, one is “Julie and Julia”, directed by Nora Ephron, starring Meryl Streep in a  story of Julia Child and her start in the cooking profession, intertwined with blogger/author Julie Powell‘s life and struggles (played by Amy Adams) and the documentary “We Live in Public”, stars Josh Harris exposing the problems of privacy in the internet age, directed by Ondi Timoner.

Dangerously Naive is my journey with you as my readers, my struggles toward: a good story, well told (like what Mr. McKee always say on his seminars). My mission, to tell you stories that you will never read, or will rarely read in any magazines and books about the fashion industry, stories that most “fashion magazines” tip-toes around. Today is a world-exclusive story told through my one-on-one interview with a legend and an artist in his own right, a man with a career that spanned for 2 long successful decades yet his life you haven’t seen in any hollywood films,  a great eye for discovering and nurturing new creative voices in the world of fashion, a pioneer of his profession but stays out of the limelight, the man behind the legendary Make-up artist Kevyn Aucoin, the agent of some of most iconic photographers in the industry today such as Michael Thompson, Diego Uchitel and Bettina Rheims, popular photo-blogger Scott Schuman “The Sartorialist”,  brilliant Make-up artist Dick Page, world-renowned Stylists Joe Zee and Elissa Santisi,  leading Hair stylist Serge Normant, highly regarded Manicurist Sheril Bailey, most sought after Props/Set Design Tom Bell, internationally acclaimed Illustrators Jean-Philippe Delhomme and Hiroshi Tanabe. A peek into the life of a Photography/Creative Agency Owner, Mr. Jed Root.

The images of iconic photographer, Michael Thompson represented by Jed Root Agency.

2 DECADES OF JED ROOT


LOPE NAVO: Thank you for dropping by Naiveboy.com Jed, your one of the busiest people in the industry and its an honor to have you for an interview. I’ve written an article a month ago titled “THE TEN: GREATEST FILMS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS” and discovered there are more than 31 films that has been written and produced revolving the lives of photographers, some are box-office hits, some are oscar winners, some are hollywood classics and some are my all time favorite movies, to start the interview, do you have any favorite film about a photographer(s)?

JED ROOT: Thank you!  It’s a pleasure Lope! As far as a fictional Hollywood film specifically about a photographer goes, it would have to be 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film “Blow up”.

NAVO: What’s your top 3 favorite films? and why?
ROOT: Pasqualino Settebellezze/ Seven Beauties (1975) by Lina Wert Müller, Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) by Hayao Miyazaki, and The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi.  I guess they’re all examples of stories where the characters develop in unexpected ways and you have no idea where the storyline is going; no idea of what’s going to happen next.  I suppose it can be fun and somehow comforting to watch a predictable movie but you still can’t wait to see it happen.  But that’s never really appealed to me so much.  Stories where the characters evolve and develop have generally been my favorites.  HBO’s Six Feet Under (2001) would be another great example.

NAVO: Six Feet Under is one of the greatest TV series ever written in my book, and I’ve seen the entire five seasons and 63 episodes, I miss the Fisher family and every episodes’ view on human sexuality and human mortality. But going back to the movies, have you ever seen the 1996′ 5-time Academy Award-nominated film Jerry Maguire? A story about a sports agent (played by Tom Cruise) has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it and ultimately changing his life at the end, have you ever had one of those moral epiphany in your life or this things are just  a clever work of a screenwriter?
ROOT: Believe it or not I’ve never seen “Jerry Maguire”.  But I’d have to say no, I don’t think I’ve ever had any sort of moral epiphany.  I do think that the idea of “moral epiphanies” is just the clever work of screenwriters and biblical writers.  One’s morals and ethics are something that evolves slowly over the course of one’s life as a result of experiences, influences and ever-changing beliefs.

NAVO: Being the premier agency for leading fashion photographers, stylists, and hair and makeup artists within the fashion industry for more than 3 decades, is truly inspiring for people all over the world, especially it is one of the most competitive if not the most in all the industries that ever existed. What inspires you?
ROOT: Thanks Lope!  But it’s only been 2 decades; no need to make me older than I am.  Although when I started, I never thought I’d ever be saying ONLY 2 decades.
I suppose what inspires me most is the way this business constantly changes and evolves.  Fashion can be defined as “A current (constantly changing) trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons”.  I enjoy being involved in the creation of something that’s got a pretty limited life to it, although fashion is just a part of what I do.  The challenge of dealing with the constant change in this business keeps me pretty inspired.

The images of photographer, Diego Uchitel represented by Jed Root Agency.

30 SECONDS OR LESS


NAVO: What is your favorite part of your job?
ROOT: Dealing with people. I enjoy (and think I have a pretty good talent for) identifying other people’s talent, nurturing it, pushing them in the right direction, and teaming them up with other talented people whom I think they’ll be able to collaborate with very successfully.  I’ve learned to apply this not only to the people who I represent, but also to my employees.  I enjoy coming up with strategies for my talent’s careers, as well as for my own company.  Just running such a diverse company is very exciting.  Finding ways to pull together all the different departments (Photographers, Hair Stylists, Makeup Artists, Colorists, Prop Stylists, Fashion Stylists, Manicurists, Illustrators, Syndication) and all of our different geographic locations (New York, London, Paris, Tokyo), and inspire good communication, collaboration and synergy between them all is challenging but VERY satisfying.

NAVO: How did you become an agent Jed? At what point did you know you want this career?
ROOT: It certainly wasn’t something I knew I wanted to do growing up. If you’re not involved in this business it’s pretty unlikely that you’d even know this sort of job exists.  I moved to New York in 1981 with my then-boyfriend Kevyn Aucoin because he wanted to be a makeup artist.  But I had no idea at all of what I wanted to do.  So I helped him and slowly got involved in the business.  I somehow managed to get booked as a hairstylist on several fashion shows (Carolina Herrera, Revillion Furs and a few others), even though I had never done hair in my life!  Luckily all the shows called for just a tight chignon (I went through gallons of hair gel!).  But it was a great experience working with all the amazing runway girls of that time like Pat Cleveland, Apollonia, Alva Chin, etc.  I also helped Kevyn with the makeup on a lot of shows and pretty much became an expert at applying false eyelashes on all the girls in 30 seconds or less each.

As Kevyn actually started to work more, I acted as his agent and he started working with Steven Meisel (I think fashion stories for Mademoiselle Magazine is where they started working together).  But I really had very little knowledge of how this business worked and no real experience.  So when he got the offer to join a real agency (Art + Commerce), I was perfectly happy for him to go with them.  For a while I worked odd freelance jobs in the business (assistant to stylist Barbara Dente for a bit) and then managed to land a job at one of the best model agencies in New York at that time, Name Models.  This was in 1986 and I still had very little real experience.  But the owner of the agency, Louise Despointes and all the other agents (Sara Foley, Susan Quillin, Laura McKenna) were amazingly supportive and I learned a lot from them.  But after 3 years I realized that while I loved the business, I didn’t really like representing models. Also, at that time, Kevyn had become quite dissatisfied with his agent (he was no longer with Art + Commerce at that point, he had move to a smaller agency that no longer exists).  So I decided to set out on my own and open my own agency for hairstylists, makeup artists, photographers.  In January of 1989 I opened my company in my 5th floor walk-up East Village apartment.  Kevyn, of course, was the first on my roster; Sheril Bailey and Michael Thompson followed within a month and they’re both still with the agency.

NAVO: What’s the difference between being a model agent/booker and a photography agent?
ROOT: There are of course many similarities.  I guess the main difference is the nature of the relationship between the agent and the model or photographer.  With models you’re generally representing someone much younger than you. With photographers, they tend to be at least somewhat in the same age range as their agent. There are a lot of 18-20 year old models, but very few photographers under 30.  Also, photographers work can evolve and change dramatically over the course of their careers.  I think the models that have super-long careers are the ones that have changed very little.

THE TRAVEL AGENT


NAVO: What does your parents/ love ones think about your craft and your profession?
ROOT: My family doesn’t really have any idea.  Unless you’re involved in this business it’s pretty hard to grasp what it’s about and what we do.  Until the day she died, my grandmother was convinced that I was a travel agent, because she knew I traveled a lot and called myself an agent.  Whenever I have to check-off  “profession” on one of those surveys, I can never figure out the right box to use. But my family fully grasps that I’m successful and happy, so that’s enough.

NAVO: Where were you born and where did you grow up?

ROOT: I was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, but my parents moved to Dearborn Michigan when I was quite young.  Then when I was about 10, we moved to New Orléans.  New Orléans in the 70’s was really something!  We moved again and I went to high school in Springville, Alabama (a small town not far from Birmingham; hated it there!).  After graduation (like just a week after graduation), I went back to Louisiana and attended LSU.  But I was not too big on school, so I actually attended very few classes and only stayed enrolled for about a year and a half.  Then moved to New York where I’ve been ever since.

NAVO: Whats the most iconic images that you remember while growing up?
ROOT: As a kid, I don’t remember any photo in particular, but in general it would definitely be all of those fantastic photo stories in National Geographic.  It was amazing how the photography could be so stunning and so informative at the same time.  Fashion-wise, it would have to have been Avedon’s Versace ads; models like Jerry Hall, Atilla, etc., lounging on giant pillows, with hair by Suga.  Especially the way they were printed in the OLD W Magazine, back when it was a color broadsheet!  I actually used to buy it specifically for the ads!

NAVO: I completely remember those Versace campaigns with giant pillows and I also collected them! Photographer Richard Avedon is truly a fashion visionary, who would you consider a visionary in the photography history?

ROOT: So many!  Brassai, Man Ray, Gordon Parks, Steiglitz, Steichen, Penn, Avedon, and some lesser known ones like Clarence John Laughlin and Chris von Wagenheim.

NAVO: What’s your favorite piece of artwork you own?

ROOT: That’s difficult! I have a huge photography collection, so it would not only be difficult to choose something from that, but it would probably piss-off a bunch of other photographers.  I have a bit of Southeast Asian art, a few 16th, 17th, and 18th century paintings and sculptures, and a long list of other miscellaneous pieces.  I guess the most dramatic piece is a 19th century marble sculpture by Fanny Marc that I bought in Paris.

The images of legendary photographer, Bettina Rheims represented by Jed Root Agency.

SIX PIXELS OF SEPARATION


NAVO: Whos your favorite Hollywood Icon?

ROOT: Maybe Lauren Bacall.  She doesn’t seem to give a shit what anybody else thinks of her. That’s pretty refreshing since we seem to live in a world of self-obsessed celebrities, demi-celebrities and semi-celebrities (and plenty of non-celebrities) all working frantically to manipulate their image.

NAVO: What’s your top 3 favorite albums/records of all time?

ROOT: Amtrak Blues (Alberta Hunter), Use Your Illusion (Guns N’ Roses), Can’t Stand the Resillos (The Rezillos)

NAVO: Whats the last book you’ve read lately and what is it about?
ROOT: Six Pixels of Separation, by Mitch Joel.  It’s about online social networking and how everyone is now The Media.  But you have a very active blog, so you already know that.  I’ve also been reading The Tale of Genji on and off for about 4 years now.  Since it’s over 1,000 year old, 54 chapters, well over 1,000 pages long, and traditional Japanese literature never uses proper nouns, it can be pretty difficult to follow in parts.  But it’s a great story!

NAVO: What do you think of the disappearance of a lot of magazines (367 magazines closed in 2009) for the past years?
ROOT: It was bound to happen sooner or later even without the internet. There were too many “independent” magazines out there.  Even if some of them were doing very interesting work, it was a bit of a false economy.  Many of them simply were of little or no interest to the public.  People worked for these publications for free and actually financed the content, and then the main people purchasing those publications were those contributors plus a few of their friends and business associates.  With all the blogging and social networking tools that are now available (for free!), it will be very difficult for many of the rest to survive.  People are saying that magazines are going to be gone in a few years.  I don’t believe that, although I’m pretty sure that there will be very few magazines printed on PAPER a few years from now.  The publications that have a unique voice and are able to understand and utilize the new way in which “media” is now defined will thrive and they’ll always need creative contributors.

NAVO: It all boils down to survival of the fittest, do you remember the first photos you have taken and with what camera Jed?

ROOT: I don’t remember any photos in particular being first.  But it was with my father’s old Yashica.  It was a great camera.  I still have it.  I should probably see if I can get it restored before they stop making film.

Jed Root's mansion in Upstate, New York and one of his art sculptures.

BREAK WINTER IN HALF


NAVO: What’s an ideal regular vacation for a Jed Root? What activities does it include?
ROOT: I have a big, beautiful old house in upstate New York. I spend almost every weekend there and as much time as possible over the summer.  I do a lot of gardening and swimming.  I love to entertain friends there.  I do a lot of cooking and have built-up a pretty fantastic wine cellar. But I take one “traveling” vacation per year.  Usually in January I try to go someplace warm for about 10 days.  It really helps to “break the winter in half”!  This year I went to Costa Rica.  My main activities there were swimming with sea turtles and lying on the beach drinking tequila and smoking cigars.  But my winter vacation is always someplace different: Tahiti, Australia, Thailand…

NAVO: I’m not surprised you love travelling, thats why you always have a nice tan. What’s your top 3 cities in the world Jed and why?
ROOT: I only get to pick 3???? Well New York is my chosen home, so that has to be at the top of the list!  I love Paris, although it took me many years to start loving it.  I actually hated it for about the first 6 years after I stared going there regularly. I’ve probably had more fun in London than anywhere else.  Tokyo is a truly amazing, confusing, contradictory and inspiring place, I wish I was able to get over there more often.  That’s 4 and I could go on:  Rome, Sydney, Kyoto…

CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP


NAVO: There are thousands of new photographers each year and hundreds actually make it to the magazines and ad campaigns, are you following any of the new generation of photographer’s work? Anyone that stands out for you?

ROOT: Yes!  Lots of them!  But there’s so much more that goes into being a successful fashion photographer than the quality and originality of the photos.  In order to have a long successful career you have to learn to collaborate with a great team. Fashion Photography is more of a collaborative effort than any other type of photography. While the photographer may be the “captain of the ship” on a shoot, even the greatest captain can only do so much if he’s/she’s chosen the wrong crew or doesn’t know how to properly direct them and collaborate with them.  Also, fashion photography is primarily “Assignment Photography”.  The photographer is given a brief with certain objectives to achieve, be it for a magazine or an ad.  Someone else tells you what to do and you’re expected to give them back something that’s not only exactly what they asked for, but something that’s surprising and better than they could have envisioned it themselves.  It takes a long time to develop those sorts of skills and to establish the kind of relationships necessary.  Generally, I’ve seen that most of the photographers that skyrocket to the top overnight also tend to disappear pretty quickly as well.  It’s better to have a chance to make all your mistakes when not too many people are looking!

NAVO: What can you advise the young men and women all over the world who wants to make a living doing what you do?
ROOT: If you’re going to be an agent, you first have to have a love for what you’re representing (photography, sports, acting, illustration, etc.). Secondly you must have the talent and skill sets necessary for the job (dealing with people and their insecurities, a collaborative nature, confidence, social networking skills, being able to develop creative strategies, maintaining business relationships).  If you have those 2, then you need to know as much as possible about the business that you’re going to “agent” in by working within your chosen field and related fields, and being absolutely diligent about learning everything about the history, present, and future of that field.

NAVO: Besides Jerry Maguire, a sport’s agent, do you think another movie about agents should be produced so little kids will grow up wanting to be an agent someday, like how they look at photographers, astronauts, and doctors?
ROOT: No.  This isn’t exactly a “growth industry” at the moment. If we’re going to make films to inspire little kids to choose a career, there are more important ones than being an agent.  Plus I can’t imagine how somebody could make an interesting film about the life of a photography agent.  But if they ever do, I’ll certainly buy a ticket to see it!

http://www.jedroot.com/

http://blog.jedroot.com/jri/


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NEW YORK
Jed Root, Inc.
61A Walker Street
New York, NY 10013
USA
tel: 212-226-6600
fax: 212-274-0258

PARIS
Jed Root Europe
10, rue du Mont Thabor
75001 Paris
FRANCE
tel: 33 1 4454-3080
fax: 33 1 4454-9392

LONDON
Jed Root Limited
28 Mortimer Street
London W1W 7RD
tel: 44 (0)207 151 1000
fax: 44 (0)207 580 5598

TOKYO
Jed Root Japan
c/o Chisato Kohno Mgmt.
tel: 81 3 5447-5770
fax: 81 3 5447-5870

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http://www.mckeestory.com/

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Related Entry: http://naiveboy.com/2009/11/06/armed-with-saliva-by-navo/


________________________

info@navostudios.com

http://navostudios.com/

©2009 Dangerously Naive

©2009 Naiveboy.com

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SERIOUS AND SINGLE MEN: THE TEN BEST FILMS OF 2009 by Navo

In Movies, Top Ten, my novel, viewpoints on December 31, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Jeremy Renner, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Nicholas Hoult, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Peter Sarsgaard, Sam Worthington, Til Schweiger, and Michael Fassbender

I don’t have time to prepare 10 Best Films of ’09, I have dozens of blog entries in-line for January, and like the Fantastic Mr. Fox I have thousands of things to do, so many pictures to take, so many pages to write, so many dinners and coffee chats to catch, but my love for movies prevailed. TOP 10 films have popped out everywhere and everybody have their own favorites, movies that they can relate to and films that moved them. That’s why you will rarely see “Hangover” in a 60-year-old film critics top ten, and “A Serious Man” on a 15 years old’s list, the teens and tweens that controls MTV will surely crown “Twilight Saga: New Moon” as the best movie of 2009 (or the best film ever made, totally) and the 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, to 90′s dudes and duddettes behind the Academy Awards might lean towards “Precious” (not Golem’s “precious”), but I think it’s the subliminal message that’ll tick on the grand dads and grand moms’ subconscious before they vote (they voted for “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” win after all, and that was a great choice). Thats why they should put more teens and tweens in those Oscar jury so films like “Hangover” and “500 Days of Summer” won’t be snubbed, Oscar’s too serious and MTV’s so lame.

Anyone who’s following DANGEROUSLY NAIVE somehow know by now that I’m a 28-year-old photographer by profession who loves to post Top 10′s of whatever, whenever I get the chance and I’m also working on a fantastic novel (a literary masterpiece that’ll soon be adapted into an Oscar-winning film, I can daydream right?), yes most people email me asking to just keep my day job and shut up. But if you know me, the possibility of shutting up is bleak, unless you continuously feed me potato chips or chocolate chip cookies. So for those who care to know, my Top 10 films below passed my checklist of tasteful cinematography, and set design, the novel writer side of me (considering three of the films below are adapted from novels and a memoir) the films should have a solid screenplay, sprinkle it with great thespians and auteurs voilà MY VERY OWN TEN BEST FILMS OF 2009.

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1. The Hurt Locker

“War is a drug,” and I’m addicted Ms. Kathryn Bigelow. One of the best war movies ever made, and by far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War, considering hundreds of important war movies have already been created, yet in 2009 from a usually male-dominated genre a female director delivered, it’s really quite impressive. Hot Lead Actor (Jeremy Renner): triple check (drool), Well-acted: check, Great Ensemble: check, Intensely Shot: check, Action Filled War Epic: check, Solid Screenplay: triple check, Oscar Contender: triple check.

Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Cast:
Jeremy Renner – SSgt. William James
Anthony Mackie – Sgt. JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty – Spc. Owen Eldridge
Guy Pearce – Sgt. Matt Thompson
Ralph Fiennes – Contractor Team Leader
David Morse – Colonel Reed
Evangeline Lilly – Connie James

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Screenwriter: Mark Boal

Producer: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro

Composer: Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders

Studio: Summit Entertainment

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2. 500 Days of Summer

Narrator: This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.

And it lived up to its promise of honesty, wit, charm, originality, freshness, cleverness, creativeness, chemistry and broke out of the love story cliché’s that is Hollywood. From the drawing board to the final work (excuse the pun), Director Marc Webb and gang had created a burst of visual feast, like Woody Allen’s NYC in “Manhattan” (1979), Downtown LA has never looked so good, I almost want to move back there. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, and the film’s soundtrack are unforgettable. Oscar Nominations? I’m definitely rooting for them.

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast:
Joseph Gordon – Levitt as Tom Hansen
Zooey Deschanel – Summer Finn
Geoffrey Arend – McKenzie
Chloe Moretz – Rachel Hansen

Director: Marc Webb

Screenwriter: Scott Neustadter, Michael Weber

Producer: Mark Waters, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mason Novick, Steven J. Wolfe

Composer: Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

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3. Up in the Air

Ryan Bingham: How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life… start with the little things…

The Walter Kirn novel adapted brilliantly by screenwriters Jason Reitman, and Sheldon Turner, beautifully mounted by director Jason Reitman and led by the charismatic performances of George Clooney (drool), Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick. Oscar Contender? The Sky’s the Limit.

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast:
George Clooney – Ryan Bingham
Vera Farmiga – Alex Goran
Anna Kendrick – Natalie Keener
Jason Bateman – Craig Gregory

Director: Jason Reitman

Screenwriter: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Novel: Walter Kirn

Producer: Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Jeffrey Clifford, Daniel Dubiecki, Tom Pollock, Joe Medjuck, Ted Griffin

Studio: Paramount Pictures

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4. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mrs. Fox: This story’s too predictable.
Mr. Fox: Predictable? Really? Then, how does it end?
Mrs. Fox: In the end, we all die. Unless you change.

Hottie George Clooney: triple check (drool), Meryl Streep: check, Enchanting Tale: check, Severed Fox Tail: check, Creepy Puppets: check, Art History: check, Fury Little Animals: check, Roald Dahl Novel: check, Wes Anderson: triple check, Highly Stylized Animation: triple check, Oscar Nominations: What’s not to love? triple check!

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast:
George Clooney – Mr. Fox (voice)
Meryl Streep – Mrs. Fox (voice)
Jason Schwartzman – Ash (voice)
Bill Murray – Badger (voice)

Director: Wes Anderson

Screenwriter: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Novel: Roald Dahl

Producer: Wes Anderson, Allison Abbate, Jeremy Dawson, Scott Rudin

Composer: Alexandre Desplat

Studio: 20th Century Fox

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5. An Education

Miss Stubbs: You seem to be old and wise.
Jenny: I feel old. But not very wise.

A star-making performance of Carey Mulligan as a 16-year-old schoolgirl’s charming coming-of-age tale set in London. Faithfully adapted by Nick Hornby from the memoirs of the well-known British journalist Lynn Barber. Peter Sarsgaard is hot as always, and one of my favorite actors in Hollywood in years. Oscar Contender? Educated guess is YES.

Genre: Drama

Cast:
Carey Mulligan – Jenny
Peter Sarsgaard – David
Olivia Williams – Miss Stubbs
Alfred Molina – Jack
Dominic Cooper – Danny
Rosamund Pike – Helen

Director: Lone Scherfig

Screenwriter: Nick Hornby
Memoir: Lynn Barber

Producer: Finola Dwyer, Amanda

Composer: Paul Englishby

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

_______________

6. Inglourious Basterds

Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin’.

Hottie Brad Pitt: triple check (drool), Hottie Michael Fassbender: triple check (triple drool), another Hottie Til Schweiger: triple check (drool), Quentin Tarantino Movie: triple check, Fresh and Fearless Rewriting of History: check, Nazi Monster (Chrisophe Waltz): check, Knife Wielding American Commando: check, Genre-Blending Thrill Ride: triple check, Revenge Served Cold: check, Utter Violence: check, Blood Spatters: check, Oscar Contender: triple check. Now the big question is for a straight guy like QT, how does he come up with the hottest ensemble of actors? Pitt, Fassbender, and Schweiger in one movie, Hunk Heaven: triple check.

Genre: Drama | War

Cast:
Brad Pitt – Lt. Aldo Raine
Mélanie Laurent – Shosanna Dreyfus
Christoph Waltz – Col. Hans Landa
Eli Roth – Sgt. Donny Donowitz
Michael Fassbender – Lt. Archie Hicox
Diane Kruger – Bridget von Hammersmark
Daniel Brühl – Pvt Fredrick Zoller
Til Schweiger – Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino

Producer: Lawrence Bender

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Studio: Miramax Films

_______________

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcUTv3LH3ss

7. A Serious Man

Rabbi Marshak: When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies…

The Coen Brothers most mature and greatest film to date, returning to their homeland of the Minneapolis suburbs to tell a story of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) who strives to be a good man. A virtuoso lead performance, great supporting cast, perfect blending of dark humor -the Coen Brothers way, and beautifully photographed and mounted. Oscar Contender? Seriously yes.

Genre: Comedy | Drama

Cast:
Michael Stuhlbarg – Larry Gopnik
Richard Kind – Uncle Arthur
Fred Melamed – Sy Ableman
Sari Lennick – Judith Gopnik
Aaron Wolff – Danny Gopnik

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Producer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Composer: Carter Burwell

Studio: Focus Features

_______________

8. Avatar

Jake Sully: Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the dream.

What is a Top 10 without the “A” word, yes the “A” word, you guessed it… the world’s beloved Avatar. Although more impressive on a technical level than its screenplay, 3D effects bring the audience into the alien world, it’s an imaginative, absorbing filmmaking nonetheless. James Cameron still has the gift after more than a decade since the maiden ship sank. I never heard a photographer who doesn’t love this pure Cameron Visual Masterpiece, he’s a movie-god and Sam Worthington is a sex-god. Oscar Nominations? Are you from another planet?

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast:
Sam Worthington – Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana – Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver – Dr. Grace Augustine
Giovanni Ribisi – Parker Selfridge

Director: James Cameron

Screenwriter: James Cameron

Producer: James Cameron, Jon Landau

Studio: 20th Century Fox

_______________

9. Sin Nombre

“The greatest sin of all is risking nothing.”

A dark, bleak and violent movie, part harrowing immigration tale, part gangster story, for a début by writer/director Cary Fukunaga, it’s quite impressive. Sensitive, insightful and deeply authentic. An Oscar Contender? A possible dark horse, I’m rooting for them.

Genre: Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Cast:
Marco Antonio Aguirre – Big Lips
Leonardo Alonso – Policía Judicial
Karla Cecilia Alvarado – Marera

Director: Cary Fukunaga

Screenwriter: Cary Fukunaga

Producer: Amy Kaufman

Studio: Focus Features

_______________

10. A Single Man

Isherwood, Ford and Firth film is beautiful and the art direction impeccable, powerful performances especially of its lead. The last time I saw Colin Firth was in Bridget Jones Diary and his performance in this film is truly inspired. I love Julianne Moore, I love Nicholas Hoult, I love Matthew Goode, and I love Tom Ford. Will Oscar love them too? Mr. Firth has more chance.

Genre:Drama

Cast:
Colin Firth – George
Julianne Moore – Charley
Nicholas Hoult – Kenny
Matthew Goode – Jim
Jon Kortajarena – Carlos

Director: Tom Ford

Screenwriter: Tom Ford, David Scearce
Novel: Christopher Isherwood

Producer: Andrew Miano, Robert Salerno, Chris Weitz

Studio: Weinstein Company

________________________

Honorable Mentions:

Thirst

Broken Embraces

Food Inc.

Two Lovers

Drag Me to Hell

The Road

Paranormal Activity

Antichrist

Sunshine Cleaning

The Hangover

District 9

Zombieland

Watchmen

Precious

Star Trek

Up

________________________


Related Entries: http://naiveboy.com/2009/11/12/i-want-to-have-sex-with-mr-tom-ford-by-navo/

http://naiveboy.com/2009/12/06/the-ten-greatest-films-about-photographers-by-navo/


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©2009 Dangerously Naive

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THE TEN: GREATEST FILMS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS by Navo

In Movies, Top Ten, my novel, photography on December 6, 2009 at 4:38 am

DAMN, I NEED TO HIT THE GYM AGAIN

Why did I become a photographer? Do I really love taking pictures or I just like the idea of being a “photographer”? Do I have the right reasons for my passion and obsession for this hobby, for this job? Can a person fake his talent, his eye, his happiness, his vision? Can I just act like a photographer for decades, for the rest of my life and get away with it? Can I just be easily a photographer the moment I invest in a digital camera? I think the most important question is - CAN I FOOL MYSELF AND THE WORLD? I was 18 when I took my first pictures in art school, that was right after I gave up painting and writing and focused on my photography and after a couple of years worked as a graphic designer in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, later Hong Kong, my designing job supported my love for travelling and documenting them, the skylines, the people, the parties, the beaches, the friends, then one day got tapped in Dubai to shoot a DSquared2 advertorial and the rest is history as they say, that was roughly 6 years ago, and the first 3 years was a slow pace into the transition to photography and giving up graphic design altogether, once you learn to love something you need more time to care for them, being a camera person keeps me busy and occupies most of my days for the past years, I take portraits of beautiful people, “Damn, I need to hit the gym again” is the no# 1 reaction to my work, especially with men, I don’t know if thats a good sign, but for some reason I think I should get a commission to all the countless gym memberships I sold, I take pictures of men like I take pictures of buildings, they have to look magnificent, naked, architectural and mysterious.

THE ARTIST & THE POLITICIAN

It’s been a work in progress and a never-ending learning and developing my style that I could call my own, I thrive on adversity, makes life more interesting and journal-worthy. But like any other industries, you don’t only have to worry about your trade and your own business, the industry of beautiful people is also filled with the nasties, politics is deeply entrenched in the very structure of the fashion industry machine. There’s more politics in the fashion house than the white house, and half the wit and education, thats the irony. Thousands of very talented individuals, countless photographers gave up the battle, lensmen who loves photography to their bones, but hates the politics, artists who can’t stomach it, or just basically not built for it. Everytime you look at a billboard in Time Square,  you can’t help but wonder, what this people behind this beautiful pictures have to give up, have to sell, have to kill to get this job? Yes, gone are the days when photography is only about taking good pictures, knowing the camera, going to an art school or just get a Photography for Dummies book, it’s not only about lenses and tripods and reflectors, it’s not only about models and lighting and creativity anymore. You have to be a hustler, a mobster, a bully, a pimp, a thief or a prostitute to be on the top of the foodchain, and unfortunately there’s no university in the world you can learn Fashion Industry Politics or even a Fashion Politics for Dummies book.

MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, THE SEQUEL

L. B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies, Diane Arbus, Billy Kwan, Laura Mars, Harlen Maguire, Dick Avery, Anna Cameron,  Jeff Kohlver, Seymour ‘SY’ Parrish, Lucy Berliner, Alexandre Rodrigues, Russell Price , Charles Castle, Robert Kincaid and Richard Boyle are some of the most unforgettable characters that I’ve ever seen in the silver screen and there’s one thread that binds them all together. The hunky thespians (some of my favorite actors today)—Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes 2009), Patrick Wilson (Watchmen 2009), and Bradley Cooper (Hangover 2009),  cinematic legends—Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino 2008),  James Stewart (The Man Who Knew Too Much 1956), Fred Astaire (The Sky’s the Limit 1943) and Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire 1993), and Hollywood megastars—Nicole Kidman (The Portrait of a Lady 1996), Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman 1990), and Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde 1967) have something in common. They will always be my personal favorite actors, because they played once in their remarkable careers a role with bravado, grace and intelligence—the role of a photographer.

If your life is a movie, will it be a Romance? A Thriller, a Mystery or Crime saga?  Perhaps Drama, a War or Adventure Epic? A Horror or a Comedy? A Musical or an Action Sci-fi? Some people who thinks they know me (the Frenemies**) will say my life is a downright HORROR movie, a gay psychopath monster photographer who makes everyone’s lives miserable, sounds like “The Midnight Meat Train, The Sequel” to me, some people say I’m also DRAMATIC, so i guess, there’s a possible bromance lurking between the bloodbath, my life has been casualy summarized into a D-list cult flick in the 70′s.

OSCARS LOVES SHUTTER BUGS

Obviously film and photography are close relatives both use film or digital cameras to capture the world as they see it and tell their different stories. The Academy Awards (Oscars) obviously loves photographers, most films featured on the list are either nominated or have won a major award, most of them for their roles as photographers, many iconic and important films all over the world revolves around that guy (or girl) holding a 35mm, whether they’re risking their lives to reveal a monster of war or a revolution, psychopatic photographers tracking or stalking the protagonist or a photographer tracking a psychopath,  fashion photographers having illicit and scandalous sexual affairs, shutter bugs falling in love with their muse or just becoming obsessed with their subjects, or a combination of all that, these are the characters that have helped millions of moviegoers around the globe (including me) a glimpse into the life of the imaginary, the gritty, the tender, the romantic, the obscene, the savage, the genius and the human—the photographer.

**a future article you’ll find here in Dangerously Naive.

1.

Rear Window (1954)
Through his rear window and the eye of his powerful camera he watched a great city tell on itself, expose its cheating ways…and Murder!

The legend Alfred Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece.  Could easily be my favorite movie of all time. James Stewart as L. B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies, a wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Grace Kelly co-stars as Jeff’s girlfriend Lisa Carol Fremont. Nominated for 4 Oscars (Best Cinematography, Color – Robert Burks,  Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock,  Best Sound, Recording – Loren L. Ryder, Paramount,  Best Writing, Screenplay – John Michael Hayes and other 4 wins and 5 nominations.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: John Michael Hayes (screenplay) Cornell Woolrich (short story “It Had to Be Murder”)
Release Date: 14 January 1955 (Japan)
Genre: Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

2.

The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
A Love Caught In The Fire Of Revolution.

A young Australian journalist (on his first job as a foreign correspondent), Guy Hamilton (played by Mel Gibson) tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a half- Chinese dwarf photographer Billy Kwan as Guy’s local photographer contact, a role for which Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver) as Guy’s love interest, a British Embassy officer. Combining political intrigue, steamy romance, and engaging characters, Peter Weir’s well-crafted, highly enjoyable adventure is one of the few successful efforts to make a Casablanca-like movie for modern audiences. The film was shot in both Australia and the Philippines. An Oscar win and other 7 wins & 15 nominations. Also on the list of my all time favorite classics.

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: C.J. Koch (novel) C.J. Koch (screenplay)
Release Date: 21 January 1983 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance | War

3.

Road to Perdition (2002)
Pray for Michael Sullivan.

Jude Law as Harlen Maguire a psychopathic assassin who likes to photograph his victims, Harlen tracks hitman Michael Sullivan Sr. (Tom Hanks) and son in Illinois during the Great Depression. Paul Newman (in his final theatrical screen appearance) as John Rooney, an Irish American organized crime boss of Sullivan Sr., and Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney, the crime boss’s son. A story that had minimal dialogue and conveyed emotion in the imagery. Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons.  Winning several awards, 17 wins & 51 nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Cinematography win, and nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Paul Newman. One of the best film produced this decade in my list.

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers (WGA): Max Allan Collins (graphic novel) and Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)
Release Date: 12 July 2002 (USA)
Genre: Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

4.

Closer (2004)
If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking.

Julia Roberts as Anna Cameron, a quietly independent divorce and successful art/portrait photographer, Jude Law as Dan, a thoughtful but unsuccessful novelist and journalist, who authors a book about Jane (Natalie Portman), a gorgeous young runaway from New York’s seedy sex industry, and Clive Owen as Larry, a dermatologist with the lust and manners of a soccer hooligan. The plot revolves around the infatuation of the couples for one another, an elaborate character study of two London couples as they engage in an ultimate game of partner swapping. The film was recognized with several awards and nominations, including Oscar nominations (and Golden Globe wins) for both Portman and Owen for their performances in supporting roles, and other 8 wins & 20 nominations.

Director: Mike Nichols
Writers (WGA): Patrick Marber (play) Patrick Marber (screenplay)
Release Date: 3 December 2004 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance more

5.

Hard Candy (2005)
Strangers shouldn’t talk to little girls.

After three weeks chatting with the 32-year old fashion/portrait photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson - Watchmen 2009) ‘Lensmaster319′ in Internet, the mature 14-year old Hayley Stark (Ellen Page – Juno 2007) finally meets. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him. The first feature film for director David Slade, who previously had worked mostly in music videos. Disturbing, controversial, but entirely engrossing, a well written with strong lead performances. A movie that stays with the viewer long after leaving the theater, garnering 5 wins & 6 nominations in different award giving body.

Director: David Slade
Writer (WGA): Brian Nelson (written by)
Release Date: 14 April 2006 (USA) more
Genre: Drama | Thriller more

________

One Hour Photo (2002)
The things that we fear the most have already happened to us...

Robin Williams as Seymour ‘SY’ Parrish, a creepy photo developer and photographer. He has a vast knowledge of modern photography and develops photos at a one-hour photo lab in a local department store and becomes obsessed with one of his customers, a young suburban family, the dad, Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan), the mom Nina Yorkin (Connie Nielsen) and their kid. Williams won a Saturn Award for Best Actor (2003) for his work in the film, other 5 wins and 14 nominations.

Director: Mark Romanek
Writer (WGA): Mark Romanek
Release Date: 13 September 2002 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Thriller

6.

Cidade de Deus/ City of God (2002)
If you run you’re dead…if you stay, you’re dead again. Period.

Based on a true story, a shocking and disturbing, but always compelling story of two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood slums of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer (Alexandre Rodrigues as Buscapé – Rocket), the other a drug dealer (Leandro Firmino as Zé Pequeno – Li’l Zé). The story is told through eyes of Buscapé, a poor young fisherman’s son who dreams of becoming a photographer one day. The film received four Academy Award nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Directing (Meirelles), Best Editing (Daniel Rezende) and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mantovani). Before that, in 2003 it had been chosen to be Brazil’s runner for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it was not nominated to be one of the five finalists.

Directors: Fernando Meirelles  Kátia Lund (co-director)
Writers: Paulo Lins (novel) Bráulio Mantovani (screenplay)
Release Date: 2002 (Russia)
Genre: Action | Crime | Drama

________

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
The most terrifying ride you’ll ever take.

Bradley Cooper as Leon, a documentary/art photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer named Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) dubbed the “Subway Butcher” and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets of New York. A creative and energetic adaptation of a Clive Barker 1984 short story of the same name (which can be found in Volume One of Barker’s collection Books of Blood), with enough scares and thrills to be a potential cult classic. 4 wins in different categories.

Director: Ryûhei Kitamura
Writers (WGA): Jeff Buhler (screenplay)
Clive Barker (short story “The Midnight Meat Train”)
Release Date: 7 August 2008 (Russia)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

7.

Funny Face (1957)

Fred Astaire as Dick Avery, a fashion photographer in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over the store is left in a shamble, sales girl Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) comes to the rescue. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer. Richard Avedon designed the opening title sequence and consulted on the film, and Bill Avery was the still photographer. Nominated for 4 Oscars and other win & 5 nominations.

Director: Stanley Donen
Writer: Leonard Gershe (written by)
Release Date: 13 February 1957 (USA)
Genre: Romance | Comedy | Musical

________

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Clint Eastwood as Robert Kincaid, a photographer in the farmlands of Iowa on assignment for National Geographic magazine and wanders into the life of a bored, middle-aged Italian housewife Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep), for four days in the 1960s. They fall in love, but she’s married with children. A film adaptation of Robert James Waller’s wildly popular, bestselling novel. Eastwood and Streep, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1996 for her performance in the film, other 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Writers (WGA): Richard LaGravenese (screenplay) Robert James Waller (novel)
Release Date: 2 June 1995 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance

8.

Under Fire (1983)
This wasn’t their war but it was their story…and they wouldn’t let it go!

Nick Nolte as Russell Price , a star photographer, one of the journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979. Ed Harris as Oates and Gene Hackman as Alex Grazier. Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Writers: Clayton Frohman (screenplay) Clayton Frohman (story)
Release Date: 21 October 1983 (USA)
Genre: Drama | War

________

Salvador (1986)

James Woods as Richard Boyle , an American photojournalist down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 Salvadoran civil war. While trying to get footage, he becomes entangled with both leftist guerrillas and the right-wing military.  The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Woods) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Stone and Boyle), and other 3 wins & 6 nominations

Director: Oliver Stone
Writers: Oliver Stone (written by) and Rick Boyle (writer)
Release Date: 23 April 1986 (USA)
Genre: Biography | Drama | Thriller | War

9.

Photographing Fairies (1997)

Toby Stephens as Charles Castle, a photographer numbed with grief after the sudden death of his young wife, devotes himself to his work as a photographer in World War I. Charles is given some photographs purporting to be of fairies. His search for the truth leads him to Burkinwell, a seemingly peaceful village seething with secrets where he becomes drawn into a web of passion, romance and violence. Ben Kingsley as Reverend Templeton. 5 wins and 3 nominations.

Director: Nick Willing
Writers: Chris Harrald (written by) Steve Szilagyi (book)
Release Date: 19 September 1997 (UK)
Genre: Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

________

High Art (1998)
A story of ambition, sacrifice, seduction and other career moves.

Ally Sheedy as Lucy Berliner, a very talented drug-addicted lesbian photographer that contributes with high-art photography magazine Frame meets a young female intern for the magazine, Sydney ‘Syd’ (Radha Mitchell) both of whom seek to exploit each other for their respective careers, while slowly falling in love with each other. Berliner’s photography (Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin‘s work. The photographs themselves were made by Jojo Whilden. 7 wins and 14 nominations.

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Writer: Lisa Cholodenko (writer)
Release Date: 12 June 1998 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance

10.

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

Faye Dunaway as Laura Mars, a very successful high-end fashion and advertising photographer and Tommy Lee Jones as Detective John Neville notes striking similarities between her art photos and those of real crime scenes. The screenplay, adapted from a spec script titled Eyes, written by John Carpenter, was Carpenter’s first major studio film. Producer Jon Peters, who was dating Barbra Streisand at the time, bought the screenplay as a starring vehicle for the actress, but Streisand eventually decided not to take the role because of “the kinky nature of the story”, as Peters later explained. The role went to Dunaway, who had just won an Oscar for her performance in Network. It was shot entirely in New York and New Jersey. The famous sequence where the Laura Mars character photographs a group of models against a backdrop of two burning cars was filmed over four days at New York’s Columbus Circle. Gallery Exhibition Images of Laura Mars are shot by Helmut Newton. Despite its lukewarm critical reception, the film was a box office hit, earning $20M off of a $7M budget, 1 win and 1 nomination.

Director: Irvin Kershner
Writers: John Carpenter (screenplay) and David Zelag Goodman (screenplay)
Release Date: 2 August 1978 (USA)
Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller

________

Blow – Up  (1966)

David Hemmings as Thomas, a successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he frolics with young models, then meets the mysterious Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), he accidentally captures on film the commission of a murder. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars and other 7 wins and 4 nominations.

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Writers: Michelangelo Antonioni (story) Julio Cortázar (short story)
Release Date: 18 December 1966 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Thriller

________

Other film’s that centers around the life of a lensman:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Scarlett Johansson as Cristina (photographer)
Javier Bardem as Juan Antonio Gonzalo
Penélope Cruz as Maria Elena
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus (photographer)

Robert Downey Jr. as Lionel Sweeney

Mad Dog and Glory  (2000)

Gentlemen’s Relish (2001) (TV)

No Small Affair (1984)

Stardom (2000)

Head in the Clouds (2004)

Femme Fatale (2002)

The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997)

The Photographer  (2000)

Harrison’s Flowers (2002)

The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)

Catch & Release (2007)

Pecker  (1998)

________


“Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.”

- Walker Evans, American Photographer (1903-1975)

Related Entry: http://naiveboy.com/2009/11/06/armed-with-saliva-by-navo/


info@navostudios.com

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©2009 Dangerously Naive

©2009 Naiveboy.com


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THE LAST MEN STANDING by Navo

In Arts on November 18, 2009 at 3:43 am

“People like you and I, though mortal of course like everyone else, do not grow old no matter how long we live… [We] never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.” - Albert Einstein’s letter to Otto Juliusburger

Bassman, Frank, Demarchelier, Weber, & Leibovitz

THE OLDEST 28-YEAR-OLD IN THE WORLD

I still don’t have a Twitter. I joined Facebook earlier this year, after being constantly bombarded by the electronic Facebook invites of my college mates from art school, I finally gave in. Sometimes, updating status, replying to messages, wall tags and photo comments are something I do to keep me company while retouching some of the images I took in Photoshop, in between photo shoots, waiting for my flight, waiting for my luggage, waiting for a friend in a coffee shop, just finished reading a book or done my research for my novel, Facebook somehow sneaked in to my routines, should I be worried? For all my growing readers and followers out there, I appreciate your emails and support, I  attended a worldwide blogger’s 2-day conference over the weekend to upgrade myself and literally everyone (about 200 bloggers, web developers, writers, coders) has a Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, together with their website and other contact details in their business cards or their blogs, I feel prehistoric, the oldest 28-year-old in the world who don’t Twit and a Facebook amateur compared to my niece who have used Facebook and Twitter since birth, now I’m worried.

MR. IRVING PENN 92

My favorite feature in Facebook is the “top five” list of everything you can think of, top five movies, top five sandwiches, top five Britney song, top five Sarah Palin books (although she has only one, hopefully), of course I don’t want to be left out by the other cool kids, so I made a couple of list of my own, like the hit “Top 5 Famous Dead People I Would Like To Invite For Dinner”– James Dean, Charles Darwin, Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler, and Albert Einstein (I’m definitely sure 3 of them are vegetarian and I definitely got a lot of fb comments for that), and after browsing The New York Magazine in LAX, Aug 16, ’09 interview of the famed photographer Annie Leibovitz (59 yrs. old), “Photography is not something you retire from, Photographers live to a very old age and work until the end.” (Lartigue lived to be 92, Steichen 93, and Cartier-Bresson 94.)  “Irving Penn is going to be 92 next month, and he’s still working.” Leibovitz said. I quickly made another “top 5″ last September 13 at 5:53 am (it’s still somewhere on my facebook wall), “The World’s Oldest Living Iconic Photographers” where Mr. Irving Penn topped the list at 92, shortly after a month (October 7),  Ms. Lillian Bassman (92) took Mr. Penn’s spot at the top 5.

FIVE LEGENDARY LIVING LENSMEN

It’s a youth-obsessed industry, a working fashion model’s age brackets from 14 to 21 and less than 1% of them work up to their 40′s (Claudia Schiffer 39, Christy Turlington 40, Naomi Campbell 39, and Kate Moss 35), but great photographers get to last twice or more than any great supermodel’s career in a lifetime which is fascinating and inspiring for a “late twenties” photographer like me, their career’s longevity and their resilience are something that a lot of “top” fashion photographers in their 30s or 40s at the moment can only dream of. It would be interesting to know if any of the five legendary living lensmen and women Twits or have Facebook “top fives” of their own. Two caucasian women, three caucasian men, two immigrants, three american-born, one photojournalist, one portrait photographer, two fashion/celebrity photographers, one fashion/art photographer, three have started with Harper’s Bazaar Magazine, and all based in the east coast, four in new york, one in miami, here are the updated list of “The World’s Oldest Living Iconic Photographers” still working today.

________________

Lillian Bassman (92)


A painter and an American fashion photographer, born in Brooklyn (1917) to a jewish immigrant parents from Russia (1905).

Bassman’s work as a fashion photographer started at Junior Bazaar (1940s) and Harper’s Bazaar (1950 -1965), by the 70s she abandoned fashion photography to work on her own photo projects, resulting to 40 years of life’s work (films and prints) thrashed, some salvaged hundred images re-appeared and her work was re-appreciated in the 90s. Her photography style is the high contrast, grainy finish, and geometric camera angles of her subjects.

In an industry ruled by “White Men (gay or straight)”**, Bassman is now one of the last two “great women” standing. And that is still an understatement for me.

**a future article you’ll find here in Dangerously Naive.

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Robert Frank (84)

An important American art/photojournalist, born in Zurich, Switzerland (1924) to a wealthy Jewish family.

Mr. Frank emigrated to the United States in 1947 and like Ms. Bassman started as a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar. He travelled to South America and Europe after the brief stint with the magazine, and like Ms. Bassman worked on his more personal works, and came back in the 1950′s to NYC for a group exhibition in MOMA and then moved to Paris. His frustrations with the control of the editors over his work colored his fashion magazine experience, nonetheless he moved back to New York, 3 years after the exhibition and worked as a freelance photojournalist and completely abandoning fashion photography altogether.

In 1958, “The Americans” was published, his widely celebrated photographic book cemented his position in the history of American photography.

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Patrick Demarchelier (65)


A French fashion photographer, born in 1943 to a modest family and started as a wedding photographer at the age of seventeen.

Like Mr. Frank, Mr. Demarchelier emigrated to New York (1975), Elle, Marie Claire and 20 Ans Magazine was the first stints he had as a fashion photographer after working as a freelance photographer/ assistants to such greats as Cartier-Bresson. He later worked for Harper’s Bazaar (like Mr. Frank and Ms. Bassman) and Vogue (1992-present). Demarchelier also is behind several blue chip campaigns including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, TAG Heuer, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lacoste, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, and became a household name after the 2006′s Meryl Streep film The Devil Wears Prada with the lines- “Did Demarchelier confirm?”, and “I have Patrick!”.


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Bruce Weber (63)

An American fashion/celebrity photographer, born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania (1946).

Mr. Weber’s first fashion photography work appeared in GQ magazine in the late 1970′s, shot Bloomingdales catalogs in 1978, Calvin Klein Campaigns in the late 1980s to early 1990s, introducing him to the American households. His photograph of supermalemodel Marcus Schenkenberg nude in the shower, catapulted him to celebrity status. Then later working with fellow celebrities like him, Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, Chet Baker, Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jr., Jackson Browne and virtually all the stars in the hollywood’s walk of fame, the dead and the living. Today, he is behind the countless ad campaigns such as Calvin Klein, Pirelli, Revlon, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch and unlike Mr. Robert Frank, Mr. Weber embraced the fashion industry and worked with virtually all the top fashion and celebrity magazines existing in the world today.

Mr. Weber’s work are mostly in black and white and homoerotic. (A House is Not a Home and Bear Pond to name a few of his numerous homoerotic nude photobooks).

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Annie Leibovitz (59)

An American portrait photographer, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (1949) to a modern dance instructor mother, and a lieutenant colonel father (US Air Force).

She took her first pictures in the Philippines while studying college, and to be with her family, after her father was stationed there during the Vietnam war. Ms. Leibovitz returned to the US in 1970 and started a career as a staff photogrpaher for Rolling Stone magazine, then in 1973 became its chief photographer (for 10 years) and helped defined the look of the magazine with her celebrity portraits of Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and like Mr. Weber the rest of the names in Hollywood’s walk of fame and virtually every celebrity that are in the headlines today, from President Obama to Miley Cyrus (for Vanity Fair Magazine).

Ms. Leibovitz’s signature style is the close collaboration to her subjects and on her earlier works are the more orange/yellow hue tint to the present work’s blue-ish purple hue. – Navo

Related Entry: http://naiveboy.com/2009/10/08/thank-you-mr-penn/