[Trailer] Teenage
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Most documentaries about the early 20th century generations usually involve preaching about the two World Wars, the Depression, the Cold War, and other milestones that shaped different decades throughout the 1900s. The concepts of families and how they may function or the social norms of people's every day lives may be explained, but rarely are the thrills of youth discussed.
A trailer that recently caught my eye was one for Matthew Wolf's latest documentary called Teenage. The film takes a creative angle on history in the 20th century discussing the nonexistence of teenage years and the drastic transition from kid to adult. In fact, the goal of the film seems to be to pinpoint when the rebellious acts of youth were finally accepted into the teenage domain. A collection of diary entries, rare archival material, and voices from the century illustrate the living collage that the film advertises itself to be.
This appears to be Matthew Wolf's first major production; however, he has made small appearances in a lot of big works like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was co-written with Jon Savage. What excites me the most is the original score composed by Deerhunter's very own Bradford Cox, who is the band's lead singer and guitarist.
Teenage will be in select theaters on March 14, 2014.
[Documentary] Instafame
Internet fame is such a mixed bag of "success." Is it even fair to encapsulate internet fame as being "successful"? Many so-called internet celebrities are known for arbitrary reasons, whether they're super attractive or know the right people or any stupid reason. Some legitimately have earned that fame, such as the many musicians and artists that have found their following through their interactions online.
One such platform used to attain internet fame is Instagram. Since the social network platform/application launched back in October 10th, it has become a formidable platform for users to share their amateur photos, selfies, food, you name it. After Facebook acquired the business in 2012, the platform has seen an enormous growth, both in users and visibility. As a pro-Instagram lot, we give so called "Instagrammers" their due with our "IG Weekly" posts, sharing the spotlight on those who have taken to the service in creative, inspiring ways.
In a documentary entitled Instafame, a "strategic planning consultancy" called Sylvain Labs centered on the 15-year-old Shawn Megira, an Instagram user with more than 81,000 followers. By focusing on and following him, they attempt to analyze what it is about this so-called "Instafame" that drives teenagers, and whether it can be seen as a true measure of success. However, by doing so, they lose sight of their main goal: analyzing what exactly it is that brings this so-called fame. What did Megira do to attain so many followers, to be followed when out in public, to amass a purported "fan page" in his honor?
They pose an interesting thesis, but don't ultimately delve into whether Megira's "instafame" was gained by merit or circumstance. Without it, all of the speculation about how online fame affects teenagers and their personal dreams and goals is a bit moot. Nevertheless, the documentary serves a purpose by exploring this rising level of "success" that seemingly anybody can attain. If you have 12 minutes to spare, it won't be wasted watching Instafame.
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[Documentary] Chicago Hip Hop Profiled in "The Field"
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WorldStarHipHop, the website best known for knock out videos and general ratchet-ness, decided to bring their cameras to Chicago for a special video special titled The Field, detailing the in and outs of not only the Chicago hip-hop scene, but the social and socioeconomic ramifications that surround it as well. Shot by Sher Toor and Jonathan Hall, the doc is an interesting take on the issues facing the Second City, from those who have become rhyming reporters to explain what is happening around them.
The documentary delves deep into the "drill" movement, focusing on the record 2012 murder rate as the major catalyst for the rise of the haunting beats riddled with gunshots and stories of surviving with little and trying to find a way out. Upon first hearing about the documentary and it's publisher, I was immediately skeptical. Although named better than Vice's "Chiraq" documentary done earlier in 2013, The Field digs beyond the surface issues by going to the sources for the answers.
I found it interesting to hear artists like Lil Bibby, Lil Durk and Lil Reese talk about the stress from the success they've realized lately, what it potentially leads to. Hip-hop today has become such a game of numbers, it's interesting to hear some of the artists at the top of the game here talking about how far they've come with almost a semblance of regret, not unlike a star athlete that doesn't especially like sports. Music may be a passion to many, but to these young artists from the rough neighborhoods, it's more than that; it's a way out. Toor and Hall do a tremendous job organically demonstrating this through first person accounts and careful storytelling.
What the documentary really does is hone in wholeheartedly on a specific location in the country and demonstrates how hip-hop music is largely seen not as a way to get famous, but a vehicle to escape their current environment. By highlighting the likes of Bibby, Reese, Durk, King Louie and Katie Got Bandz, the filmmakers did an excellent job in drawing the very thin line between the artists and those around them. Given more time with the subject, the video could have possibly been the hip-hop Hoop Dreams.
The project is both inspirational and upsetting, casting a light on not just the murders that plague the landscape, but also the catalysts that lead to the current situation. It's a surprising production for WSHH, an interesting take on the rise of drill through the violence and crime of the south and west sides of the city. Riding through the streets, talking to the people that live there, it perfectly captures a very certain period in the history of Chicago by highlighting the good and the bad, and the unexpected.
[Video] The Making of Innanetape
The anticipation is building as each day of the week that goes by brings us closer to the release of Vic Mensa's Innanetape, due out September 30. The tape is the re-introduction to Mensa as a solo artist since dropping Straight Up EP when he was 16. Heart of The City hung out while Vic did his thing in the studio and today released a video documenting the construction of the Innanetape. Check out the footage below.
http://youtu.be/3Hd6nXIahhc
THROUGH THE LENS: Will Robson-Scott
Earlier this summer Will Robson-Scott took to the streets of Chicago to document the cities violence in the film called Chi Raq. This film was to show people how violence has been plaguing not only the city but its people who many have come to refer to Chicago as Chi-Raq because of the resemblance to the war stricken country of Iraq. The movie is centered around those who have been affected the violence in some way shape or form. The photos were taken during filming of the movie and include the people that were featured in the film. Check out the photos and watch the film here.
[Photos by Will Robson-Scott]
[Video] "Devotion" A Tree Documentary by Closed Sessions
Photo by Virgil Solis
Closed Sessions has always made its name by blending hip-hop with documentary-style video. No one does it better than Andrew Zeiter, responsible for most of the original CS videos over the years. The Tree documentary was shot around Pitchfork Music Festival July 21-23 in Union Park in Chicago where Tree performed for the first time earlier this summer. Closed Sessions has always teamed up with talented local artists, collaborations with the Soul Trap innovator have been well done and the latest coming out of Soundscape Studios is no different. Check out the full video below.
http://youtu.be/vw7cpLCoC1Q
[Video] M.I.A. Documentary Teaser
Not all is well in the world of M.I.A. With her album Matangi constantly getting pushed back due to some behind-the-scenes problems with M.I.A.'s label, it seemed like Matangi would never see the light of day. The female rapper thus took it upon herself to drop the video for one of the album's tracks, "Bring the Noize," as a show of good faith for her fans. A planned documentary to coincide with the release, directed by long-time M.I.A. friend, Steve Loveridge, also had its production halted.
Annoyed by the major label execs' politics, Loveridge himself leaked a teaser to the M.I.A. documentary he had been compiling footage of over the years. Featuring archival interviews with Kanye West, Diplo, Spike Jonze, and more, the documentary looked not only at M.I.A.'s popularity, but also her family life surrounding her father's noted ties with the Tamil Tiger Guerillas sect in Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, the odds of the documentary being released are relatively slim. Loveridge shared a private email exchange between himself and a Roc Nation representative over the weekend in which he simply brushes the rep away. The documentary still has support from M.I.A., so it's possible that it could find life in the future, although it would have to jump hurdles to escape the legal ramifications and ties with Roc Nation. M.I.A. hinted at a possible Kickstarter to help fund the production costs:
im gonna need @kickstarter and my fans to help make this exsist , ive been black listed through normal channels !!!!!!!
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) July 7, 2013
Even if you're not a fan of M.I.A., the ties between herself and her father are interesting enough themselves. I'll be keeping an eye out for this documentary; hopefully some kind of agreement can be met so it can still follow the release of Matangi, which is scheduled for a fall release... for now.
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[Video] #100Trill X ElevenHundred interview
#100Trill (MikeJaxx and Grade Aplus) were recently interviewed by ElevenHundred for their upcoming documentary. Shot inside Jugrnaut, the mini-interview goes into a bit behind the mindset of the LOD members, including their adoption of the trill lifestyle, as well as a question I personally have wondered myself: "What's up with that gold piece, Jaxx?" The interview is set to #100Trill's "Chain Clean," which was a nice touch. Expect to hear more from the group... hopefully really soon.
http://youtu.be/LmOa2cwYBUs
[via ElevenHundred]