Artist Statement Number One

Artists make art. Artists are a strange breed of creators, thinkers of the unknown, and doers of the impossible. Pretentious as it sounds, I consider myself an artist. But I believe this it is a gift you are born with, sort of a gene. You do not necessarily need to be trained in art; rather it is something that comes naturally to some people. This is not to say that you cannot perfect your technique and craft by learning from masters and practice. Being an artist is in your DNA, a calling you can not turn away from, an inner voice that nags at your very being morning to night. You have no choice; it is part of who you are and how you express yourself.

My own art tells a story. Whether it is a photograph or a film, I try to show a glimpse into another world, a reflection into another’s life. My photographs trigger a memory and a statement about a time and place. Art is a way of reliving past experiences, and conveying an expression of it to others. It is very personal to me. A great philosopher has said, “Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art”(Goethe).

I am attracted by light patterns, the nuance of a gesture, and images that express my unique visual sense. My images tell a story, brief narratives of life. Whether it is a fashion shoot, photos of taxis in the night in the Czech Republic, a study of kids’ with bad hair cuts, the golden light of early morning on a Parisian street, the futurist architecture of Berlin, the back stage frenzy of a German Cabaret theatre, the women of Moscow, one of Kyoto’s last Geisha, wacky dogs, or night views of the city from Mulholland Drive, I hope to share with the viewer what I experience, and how I see the world. The thrill of looking through the lens, the rush of capturing a moment, and the sheer pleasure of sharing it with people has never left me.

Everyone has their own personal way of viewing any work of art. The same image can tell a different story to each person that views it and that story might be quite different from the artist’s original intent. This is one of the wonderful things about art.

Alexander Roos Blog

Assignment 5 4-17-09

Alex and the Pirates

Group members: Zoe, Lindsey, Stephanie and myself

Assignment: To create a work of art in which all members of a group participate and use their unique talents.

Once assigned to my group, I knew instantly what we should do:  a print ad for a shoe company. This would combine Zoe’s graphic design abilities and showcase Lindsey’s and Stephanie’s dance skills as the models. I would perform the duties of producer and art director.  Because our group had talented dancers as models, I intended to inject a feeling of motion into the shoot and eventual ad.

The product to be sold in the ad would be shoes and I needed to find a company that had a visually interesting line of shoes.  I approached Cydwoq (pronounced sidewalk), an LA based company that makes handmade leather shoes.  I chose Cydwoq because I wear their shoes and I am impressed with their offbeat artistic designs. They have developed a niche following and saw this ad as a way to reach the youth market.

The next step was to find a location that matched the style of the shoes and that would allow for the dance motion I wanted for the ad. The shoes are architecturally inspired so the location was very important. I have a friend who has a cool penthouse in a downtown skyscraper. He thought it would be a fun idea so he agreed to let us shoot.

 I am a photographer and originally wanted to take the pictures myself, but ultimately asked my friend Jessica Janos to shoot the ad.  I discussed with Jessica the style and concept of the ad, and we came up with a way to execute my vision. I wanted to show everyone respect and to embrace their contributions and opinions.

We are now in the final stage which is the photo shopping of the appropriate images. Zoe is the master of this.  We are collaborating on the look of the ads.  A key decision will be where to put the Cydwoq logos.  Potentially it will be an online ad.  It will be great to see the finished product.

Over all, I wanted to create a shoot that utilized all my group’s expertise and artistic talents. It was important to me to create a work of art that had purpose and substance and could be used as a calling card for possible job opportunities in the future.

I either have Prof. Feagin to thank or I am got lucky to be paired up with my pirates who inspired me.  Thank you Zoe, Lindsey and Stephanie.

Prettyface, The Movie

My filmmaking experience has knocked me out of my comfort zone. Currently, I am a co-producer on a feature film project titled Prettyface that is in pre-production. Because filmmaking is collaborative by nature, I am one of many “artists” working on this project hoping to get it realized. I have found that being a producer requires a strange cocktail of qualities like patience, creativity, intuition, diplomacy, and the need to be a perpetual optimist. I believe that the best producers are artists and that their taste and choices impact every aspect of the filmmaking art. The art making process for a movie is different than anything I have experienced before.
As with all films, the project begins with a concept, an idea that develops into a script. The film’s very talented director and writer Jessica Janos has written a compelling and unique script that has proven to be very attractive to actors. Prettyface is set in 1969 Chatsworth, California when that area of Los Angeles was sparsely populated and was mostly chaparral, horse trails, and dry creek beds. Two fifteen-year-old girls, best friends but very different from each other, are the main protagonists. “Jenna” has no father in her life and a mostly absent and “skanky” mother. She has street smarts and the soul of a poet. Her neighbor and friend “Marlena,” is from a loving nuclear family but she is very naïve, square, and religious. While the girls are riding horses in the nearby brush country, one of their horses runs off. They are intent on getting the horse back. A good-looking young man on horseback comes upon them and offers to help find their horse. He also invites them to a party that he and his friends are having that evening at an old deserted movie ranch. Naïve “Marlena” is up for it but “Jenna” is wary and only agrees to go when the boy says it is the best place to find the lost horse. It turns out that this is actually the Spahn ranch, the temporary hangout of the Manson family. This is not a story of the famous Tate- LaBianca murders, but the events that happen to the girls during the next several hours are the crux of the story and their lives will be changed forever.
A great thing about filmmaking is that each new project allows you to immerse yourself in some new era, place, and culture. Working on Prettyface, I had to learn about the sixties, a sex, drugs, and rock and roll period. The most daunting job so far has been the casting process. Daveigh Chase and Lorraine Nicholson have been chosen to play the fifteen-year-old girl characters. The casting of the role of “Charlie” was the most difficult. He needed to be someone unconventional, and Jessica had a brilliant idea, Flea, The bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who incidentally is now studying composition at the USC’s School of Music.) Flea looks exactly like the real Charles Manson. Though primarily a musician, he has acted in several good films with top directors such as the Coen Brothers, Tim Burton, and Gus Van Zandt.
My experience on this film has illuminated a whole part of the filmmaking process that was new to me and will be invaluable in my career. The very nature of filmmaking is a collaborative effort, very different from an individual artist creating by himself.
Prettyface is hoping to begin shooting Summer 2009 and be released 2010.

http://www.prettyfacemovie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PRETTYFACE-The-Movie/51095864340


Alexander Roos Extra Credit #1-Ass. 2, 4-15-09

Ernst Lubitsch, A Film Legend

It has been said that a man named Ernst Lubitsch invented the modern Hollywood. Who was this man and what does that extravagant statement mean? It was the early thirties, the beginning of the great depression and the beginning of talking pictures. The American public was down and hurting and movies were the cheapest escape and entertainment. But a new type of movie was needed to take advantage of this different kind of film in which characters actually talk to each other. Lubitsch, an immigrant from Germany and a veteran actor and then director in that country’s thriving film industry, virtually single handedly created a new genre to take advantage of sound; the romantic comedy. He adapted movie stories from European literary sources to American taste and created movies that were sophisticated and sexy but above all, entertaining and funny. These films, which came to be called Romantic Comedies, were just the tonic that the public needed to help them momentarily forget their woes. Other filmmakers much admired Lubitsch and soon followed his lead to make films in this new genre; some of the most famous being Frank Capra, Leo McCarey, Howard Hawks, and Preston Sturges.

The Romantic Comedy, this Lubitsch invention, has remained a staple of the American film, though today it is hardly recognizable from the great ones that Lubitsch made. One of the prime practitioners of the romantic comedy today is Judd Apatow who has either directed or produced such films as: The 40-year-old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Superbad (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), and Pineapple Express (2008). Funny though they are, the humor is of a crass nature and there is none of the subtly or sophistication of Lubitsch films. Nevertheless, they fill the same need for escape that the public needs today during these days of recession and hard times, as the great master Lubitsch provided during the thirties depression.












Apatow’s Romantic Comedies Movie Posters

Assignment 3, Extra Credit #1