Written By: Michael D. McClellan | Tijana Petrović is in the public eye, and for all of the right reasons. The Belgrade-born filmmaker, cinematographer and lecturer is one of the featured artists in The Hudson Eye, the inaugural new program presented by the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation and arranged by curator Aaron Levi Garvey. The series, which aims to stimulate cultural and economic diversity in the area, takes place August 23rd through September 2nd, 2019, timed through Labor Day Weekend in historic downtown Hudson, NY.
The Hudson Eye is the perfect vehicle for Petrović’s mesmerizing, monumental work Canyon, a 45-minute video projection of a continuous traveling shot of a winding canyon wall in Glen Canyon, Arizona. Equal parts ambitious, artistic, and thought-provoking, Canyon re-introduces the world to the fabled lost beauty of Glen Canyon, documenting the imprint of time and changes it carves into nature’s terrain. The film is especially timely, given the extreme weather and climate change the world now experiences as the new normal.
Canyon is also a history lesson of sorts, a reminder of man’s indelible imprint on the environment: In 1963, the floodgates closed on the newly constructed Glen Canyon Dam near the Arizona-Utah border, locking the waters of the Colorado River behind its concrete face. The water pooled behind the dam, slowly filling in the vast canyon – and the maze of slot canyons and grottoes feathering around its edges. Seemingly lost forever was the magnificent natural splendor of Glen Canyon, as well as oases like Cathedral of the Desert, Ribbon Canyon, and Dungeon Canyon. But now, after a decade-long drought that has reduced the 254 square mile reservoir to half of its 9-trillion gallon high-water mark, Glen Canyon is once again revealing itself to the world.
Petrović brings all of this into focus through her intriguing views of a winding canyon wall in Glen Canyon, taking the viewer on a contemplative journey that will screen on loop throughout the festival at the corner of 8th and Warren in Hudson.
FifteenMinutesWith caught up with the filmmaker born and raised in the former Yugoslavia.
Please tell me about growing up in Belgrade. What memories stand out most, and how did
this region, still healing from war, influence your filmmaking?
Growing up as a teenager in the 1990s
in Belgrade (then Yugoslavia, now Serbia) meant that we lived through two wars,
sanctions that lasted an entire decade, long teacher strikes, extreme economic
inflation, and a period of transition from socialism to capitalism that has
been slow and painful in many ways. In terms of filmmaking this period had a
very strong impact on my love of cinema as an artistic medium. Living in a big
city meant that I had access to the cinematheque which showed foreign and classic films by most important film
directors. I spent a lot of evenings there
watching films by Kurosawa, Bergman, Chaplin, Tarkovsky, and many others. Cinema provided an escape world. We had accepted the absurdity of things happening around us
and the senselessness of the war. But these films were dealing with big questions and
ideas about humanity and their attention to the subtleties
of human existence was very much needed in our lives.
You studied filmmaking at The New School in New York. How did the school’s multidimensional
approach to education help shape you as an artist?
It was during my studies at The New School that I decided I wanted
to focus on documentary film, so my experience there was foundational in terms
of what I wanted to continue doing with film. I was part of the very first
class of the documentary certificate program at The New School. We had great
professors and were exposed to really accomplished and talented guest
filmmakers. We took classes in the Media Arts department and I also worked at
the Parsons School of Art and Design’s Photography lab as a student which
allowed me to use their photography facilities and continue my photo work.
An MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University is
next level stuff. What was this experience like for you, and what aspect of
this journey did you enjoy the most?
It is an intensive program that has strong educational goals in
terms of preparing you to work as a professional in the documentary film world.
You are immersed in working on your own films during the two-year program and I
think this aspect appealed to me the most. Having to make a film in a very
short period of time and move on to the next one. Even though it felt
overwhelming at times it gave me an opportunity to explore different approaches
to filmmaking.
Let’s talk about the technical aspects of documentary filmmaking.
What were some of the more difficult techniques or concepts for you to master,
and what type of equipment are you using in your documentaries today? What cameras do you shoot with most?
I use whatever camera and format are best for the project I’m
working on. I still shoot 16mm film with a Bolex camera, and I recently shot a
project on an Arri SR2 16mm camera. But most often I shoot on digital cameras
of various sizes. In certain situations I use very small cameras, like the
Black Magic Pocket Cinema camera in order to have a smaller footprint and be
less conspicuous in public. In other cases, where I am able to move slowly and
take my time, as in a current project where I’m shooting desert landscapes that
I plan to manipulate in post-production I’ve used a RED Dragon camera and shot
on a very high resolution.
Is lighting as difficult to get right as it appears?
Yes, definitely.
Documentaries tell stories. You strike me as a natural
storyteller. What draws you to
documentary filmmaking?
What appeals to me the most is the documentary process itself
which for me is one of exploration, digging, revealing. I don’t know very much
about the subject of the film at the start, usually a film is born out of some
instinctive attraction, an idea that seems appealing to me and resonates with
themes I’m interested in. But it’s the process of making the film that then
generates new ideas and creates itself, and this process is one that always has
to be very open in the beginning and remain open for a while in order for some
new element to be revealed. I love that documentaries allow for spontaneity and
surprise and I love when these elements are included in a film. It feels like
you are collaborating with reality.
You also teach and lecture. What are some of the common mistakes
that beginning filmmakers make?
Most early mistakes have to do with technical issues and the
general lack of experience with using the equipment. But this is just a part of
the process and the best approach is to try to embrace the mistakes and find a
way to integrate them into the project. This is a truly creative approach to
documentary filmmaking, to always be responding to your material, rather than
trying to control it tightly. Often times these ‘mistakes’ allow you to
discover something new or end up being an important element in the film.
I love the concept behind Changed Landscape. You have the mundane
overlaid with reminders that the world in which we live has become far more
complicated and chaotic than ever before.
Where did you draw your inspiration for this film?
I was interested in making a film that didn’t have any kind of
story but was rather shaped by an imposed structure and was conceptual in
nature. I also wanted to work with image and sound in a way that created new
content when juxtaposed together. But in terms of content I think the film is
concerned with a feeling that was very familiar to me as a young person growing
up in post-war Yugoslavia – a sense of absurdity of everyday life in light of
extreme circumstances, the banal and the tragic put together.
Let’s talk about The Hudson Eye. How did you get involved
in Jonah Bokaer’s inaugural 10-day public program?
Jonah Bokaer had seen a few of my recent works and was interested
in including something in the festival. He asked me to send them to the curator
of The Hudson Eye, Aaron Levi Garvey who decided to include Canyon,
the video projection that will be shown at the festival.
I’ve watched the 7:58 excerpt of Canyon,
and it is brilliant. Please provide me
with the genesis of this project.
I was interested in landscapes that were altered in some extreme
ways for human use and over time couldn’t be controlled any longer. Instances
where our predictions about a place were no longer valid and our ability to
control it was lost. I came across an article by Rebecca Solnit about Lake
Powell and the declining water levels which revealed the canyon walls that were
under water for many decades. She writes with such brilliant insight about the
circumstances of the formation of this man-made lake and its precarious future
in light of environmental change, that I was immediately drawn to this
geography.
Canyon – Tijana Petrović
The idea about a single traveling shot came once I had spent some
time at the lake. I am very much drawn to films that use long duration to
express ideas – films of James Benning, Sharon Lockhart, Chantal Akerman, and
others who are concerned with the element of time in their films and how it can
shape our seeing.
I wanted to create a visceral relationship between the viewer and
the place and I didn’t think that would happen by explaining the story of the
lake. I wanted to create an experience in which the viewer could have a very
intimate engagement with the piece and its subject. I felt that by filming it
in this way I was placing a magnifying glass in front of the viewer, and that
gesture I felt spoke for itself.
From a technical standpoint, what were some of the biggest
challenges faced in shooting Canyon?
There were many technical challenges. Doing a single take is
always a difficult task and in this case there were many parameters we had to
figure out before shooting the actual piece – time of day to shoot in, getting
to know the actual route, and many other more technical issues related to
in-camera settings. We ended up doing many iterations of the shot over a 10-day
period.
Last question: If you had one
piece of advice for aspiring filmmakers, what would that be?
To keep making work, look for support and community and watch a
lot of films.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Tijana Petrović is a filmmaker born and raised in the former Yugoslavia. Her films have screened at festivals and screening venues internationally including True/False, Ann Arbor, Anthology Film Archives and Dok Leipzig among others. Her work has received support from various institutions including The Enersen Foundation, University Film and Video Association, RI Council for the Humanities among others. Tijana studied documentary film at The New School in NY and holds an MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University. She is a lecturer at San Francisco State University and Stanford University. Currently she is a Resident at the SFFILM FilmHouse for 2019.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:The Hudson Eye is an artist-driven 10-day public program and urban showcase, with a focus on Dance, Music, Performance, Film, Visual Art, Dining Out, and Nightlife. Works by the following artists will be featured during the First Edition of Hudson Eye: Jonah Bokaer Choreography, Ryder Cooley, Laura Gutierrez, Patrick Higgins, Rachel Libeskind, Elena Mosely, Tony Orrico, Tijana Petrovic´, Matthew Placek, Davon, Betti Rollo, Erika Schipa, Sheida Soleimani, Timothy Stanley, J.M. Tate, Alexander Turnquist and others.
The Hudson Eye will also feature daily Hot Topic Talks hosted by guest speakers whose professional affiliations represent the diversity of Hudson. Speakers include Dr. Carrie Wilkens, Dr. Jeff Foote of Center for Motivation and Change, Sean Kelly founder of Sean Kelly Gallery, Dr. Gidon Eshel of Bard College, Ned Sullivan of Scenic Hudson, Jon Bowemaster and others.
Written By: Michael D. McClellan | Philippe Halaburda is a busy man. The French-born, New York-based abstract artist is a conduit of emotion, absorbing the environment around him and translating it, prolifically, into works that pull and tug on our subconscious. Abstract, geometric shapes burst from his imagination, his color choices not unlike the works of the late modern master Henri Matisse, who also got his start in the South of France. There is no off switch: Halaburda’s hyper-inquisitive DNA fuels the inspiration behind his work, brilliant pieces created on a variety of mediums including canvas, paper, plexiglass, cardboard, and wood. He relentlessly explores the world around him, his iPhone at the ready, his mind ablaze with possibility. Equal parts New Age artist and old-school cartographer, Halaburda often melds these two passions, creating imaginary topographies that move the needle on an deeply emotional level. It’s all part of what makes Philippe Halaburda deliciously unique.
“Art is my love,” Halaburda says, settling into the
interview. “When I am creating art, it’s important for me to have my own style.
I’m not interested in doing something that has already been done.”
Like genius abstract artist Mark Rothko, who moved through
many artistic styles until reaching his signature 1950s motif of soft,
rectangular forms floating on a stained field of color, Halaburda has also
undergone his own transformation. Several of them, actually. The purity of his
abstractions and methodical practice by which he arrives at them make his work
instantly recognizable, and the radically simplified elements reflect what he sees
as the spiritual order underlying the visible world, creating a clear,
universal aesthetic language within his canvases. While his art has been
compared to the Suprematism movement of late Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir
Malevich, there are also traces of the De Stijl movement championed by the
Dutch master, Piet Mondrian. It’s as if both styles were fed through the blender
of Halaburda’s mind until something entirely new poured out.
“For me, relationships are the foundation of everything I
create. Whether I’m in the studio with brush and canvas, or I’m on the street
with my iPhone, my art is connected in some way to the deep, emotional elements
built into relationships – whether that is contradiction, or harmony, or
something entirely different.”
“Adhhaferaa”, acrylic, felt tip marker & pencil on stretched canvas 100 x 100 cm- 39″ x 39″ USA – 2018 Philippe Halaburda
Born in Meaux, France, a serious rugby accident landed Halaburda
in the hospital, ending his athletic career and propelling him on a the journey
to where he is today.
“I was in the hospital for two weeks,” he says. “I was
sixteen at the time, and it was during this period that I started to draw. I
drew comics, because I wanted to tell stories, and I discovered that I liked
it. There was no stopping by this point.”
Like Andy Warhol, who was struck down with a neurological
disorder which kept him off school for nearly a year, Halaburda’s recovery from
a badly broken knee took six long months. Similarly, both leaned on art to pass
the time.
“I continued to draw comics,” Halaburda says. “Every day I
enjoyed it more. It was something my parents noticed and supported. Once they realized
how passionate I was about art, they encouraged me to think about a career
where I could use my creativity.”
Following graduation, Halaburda went away to study graphic
design at EDTA SORNAS in Paris. He spent three years there, in a small class of
20-25 students, where his formal academic training ranged from nudes to still
life to illustrations. He also started to paint during this time, first on
large paper and then on canvas. And then, a year after graduation, Halaburda
received the ultimate validation that he should pursue art as a career.
“In 1996, I organized my first exhibition in Paris,”
Halaburda says. “There were twelve paintings in the exhibition, and I sold
three of those to a young curator. Up until that point, I’d never imagined
trying to become a professional artist. I was still drawing comics and doing
illustrations on paper…it was not my dream to become a painter. Later I started
drawing the same characters on large paper, and after that I started to paint a
little bit, which led to my first exhibition. It was a fun period in my life,
because I was creating art and trying to see what would happen.”
Halaburda held down an assortment of odd jobs as he
continued to launch his young art career – working shifts in bars, cafés, and
restaurants, all while continuing to paint. He also shared a small flat with
two friends from Switzerland, one of which who returned home over the summer to
work with his father. Halaburda joined him, met a girl, and suddenly found
himself on the move.
“The Errstii quantum 7”, acrylic, color tape, pencil & paper 61 x 48 cm – 22″ x 19″ – USA – 2019 Philippe Halaburda
“She lived in Bern, so I ended up relocating,” says
Halaburda. “We were married for three years. I was still painting, but during
this period my pallet changed. I was using cold colors…blues, primarily…my
paintings were mostly interior scenes, and were influenced by being inside so
much during the long, cold winters.”
Halaburda’s style continued to evolve during this period.
While still figurative, he was no longer focused on drawing characters as he
had in France. Instead, he was slowly moving toward abstract expressionism,
combining shapes on the canvas, twisting and bending them into something
altogether different.
“Up until this point, I had been committed to drawing
figures, using black outlines to define the shapes and then filling in with
color in a very traditional way. It wasn’t a conscious decision to go in a
different direction. It was a very natural progression.”
Relocating to Aix-en-Provence, a university city in the South
of France, Halaburda’s pallet changed yet again. His work became more pink,
with a focus on brighter colors.
“I was still painting characters, even though the background
was becoming more abstract. It might be a simple sketch, but you might only see
the head of the character. The rest would be combined with the background in
some interesting way.”
Between 2009 and 2012, Halaburda abandoned figurative
painting altogether. Untethered from its restraints, he could fully immerse
himself in the emotional center of his art.
“It was the final leap for me,” he says. “I had taken some
time to focus on other things, such as graphic design and theatre direction. When
I returned to art, it was with a renewed energy and a different perspective.”
Inspired and restless, Halaburda put on solo exhibits across
Southern France – the port city of Marseille, the communes of Nailloux and Châteauneuf
du Pape, the city of Avignon – but struggled to make ends meet. It was a
pivotal moment, one that changed the trajectory of his life.
“I changed my website from French to English,” he says. “I
had decided that I wanted to leave Southern France, and I started making plans
to move to London. It felt like a natural step for me, because I wasn’t selling
enough to continue working as an artist.”
“Phhaetonn Retioluus 1” acrylic, felt tip colored, pencil on paper 30 x 20 cm – 12″ x 8″, USA, 2018 Philippe Halaburda
As chance would have it, an art dealer in the United States
landed on Halaburda’s website. Convinced that the colorful, geometric abstracts
would be well-received stateside, he reached out and proposed that the artist
pay a visit to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2013, Halaburda’s exhibit debuted at
the prestigious Peyton Wright Gallery, boosting both his Q-Rating and his
bottom line.
“That was a turning point for me,” Halaburda says. “I was
making ten times the money for the same art that I was selling in France, so I
started making plans to move to the United States. I decided that New York City
was the best place for me, so in 2016 I made the leap and opened my studio on
Bogart Street in Brooklyn.”
Now fully immersed in the New York art scene, and with a
thriving business and dozens of shows and exhibitions under his belt, Philippe Halaburda
continues to push the envelope with his art while building on his reputation as
one of the city’s top abstract artists.
Matisse, Malevich and Mondrian would no doubt be proud.
What inspires you?
Since the beginning, my art has been very autobiographical.
I’m telling my own story through my paintings – I try to express my
subconscious thought, my memories, and my emotions. All along, I’ve been
influenced by the things that surround me. When I was in Paris, I was inspired
by the light, the historical backgrounds, the canals, and things like that. In
Switzerland, it was the weather. When I moved to New York, my style became more
chaotic, linear, and geometric. I don’t use curves anymore because I don’t see
curves in the city. I am inspired by the topography and cartography. I break
the grid to create my own interpretation of New York. So, inspiration comes
from the places that I live. My art is a reflection of what I am feeling, and
how I am interacting with the world around me.
You abandoned figurative art for abstract art.
A figure can still be present in abstract art. It might not
look like a physical object, but it’s still there, distilled down to its most
basic elements. It’s like zooming in and taking a closeup look at what’s inside
the object; the emotions, the feelings, the life that pours out of it.
Do you ever suffer from the artist’s equivalent of
writer’s block?
My creativity is like a faucet. It’s like when you go to the
kitchen, turn on the water, fill up the glass, and then turn the faucet back
off again. So, creativity is there for me whenever I want it. It never dries
up. I’ve never had a problem in that way, because there has always been
something creative that comes to me. It could be good, it could be bad, but the
creativity is always there.
Do you ever suffer from burnout?
Art is something that excites me, and makes me feel like a
little kid. I never suffer from stress when it comes to my art. I enjoy it. I
don’t want to control it, and I don’t want to know what is going to happen. I
just let it happen. I only concern myself with painting when I am in the
moment. I want to surprise myself with what I create. And as long as I am
having fun, and creating something positive for the people who enjoy my art,
then I’m going to be happy.
The artist in his studio – Philippe Halaburda
Is it true that you multitask when creating your art?
Whether I’m working on paper or on canvas, I often don’t
work on just one at a time. I might work on ten at a time. It’s my way of keeping
things interesting, and it helps me to remain intuitive and authentic. It’s
also how I push myself to the border between control and no control.
Jackson Pollack often tapped into the dark corners of his
mind. Where do you go?
Living in New York, it is easy to be up and down. This city
can make you bipolar. Jackson Pollack was a reclusive and volatile personality,
and he struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. I don’t have these
problems. I have a skill to create images every day, and I enjoy producing work
that people enjoy, so I don’t have to enter into a dark place when I draw or
paint.
What’s it like reading reviews about your work?
I’ve never had a critic write something grossly negative
about my work but, even so, that wouldn’t bother me. I’m open to any critic,
they can say anything that they want. Maybe someone doesn’t understand my art
because they think my art is not easy to access, but that is something that
doesn’t upset me in the least. I enjoy bringing a piece of work to life.
Whatever happens after that, I can’t control.
Do you have anxiety when your work premiers at an
exhibit?
No, I’m confident that the art will speak for itself. I also
see the proper distance in my work – when it’s finished, and it’s hanging in a
gallery or displayed at an art fair, then it’s not for me anymore. It’s for the
audience.
Do you ever complete a piece of art? Or do you abandon
it?
When I look back at my first exhibition in 1996 to the most
recent piece of art I’ve created today, I realize that they are all connected
in some way. So in that sense, the art that I create is never abandoned, but it’s
never completed, either. That’s because each piece is connected to the next
piece that I create.
When did you sell your first piece of art in the United
States?
In 2010, I decided to take a break from painting. I started
working as a designer and an art director, which is what I did for the next two
years. And then, in 2012, I started to
paint again. I decided to change my website from French to English, because I
was trying to find galleries in France, but nothing was happening. At this
time, an art dealer from Santa Fe, New Mexico, came across my website. He
contacted me and said that he thought my work would do very well in the United
States, so I traveled to Santa Fe to meet him.
He started promoting my work to some galleries in Santa Fe, including
the prestigious Peyton Wright Gallery. We quickly sold two large pieces at a
very good price, which was about ten times more than I would have gotten in
France.
Abstract thinker: “As an abstract artist in New York, my work process delves into the complex undercurrents of intimate and collective interactions.” – Philippe Halaburda
Was there a pivotal
moment when you decided to follow your path as an artist? Is there a milestone in your history that has
really influenced your career?
I studied graphic design in Paris, and graduated in 1996. It
was a great experience, as I received some art history and academical teachings
that were very valuable. At this time in my life, I was drawing more comics and
illustrations. It’s only after graduation that I started to adapt my characters
on larger supports and then on canvas. I consider myself a self-taught artist.
When I started to paint on canvas, I considered it as something temporary
before I moved on. I never imagined that I would be doing this 25 years later.
Can you tell me about
the process of making your work?
I work in a very spontaneous and instinctive way. I need
that to stay focused and in motion when I paint. To keep this state of
intuition highly active, I’ve discovered different ways to work: One technique is
to work on different pieces at the same time. For me, it’s a good way to stay
authentic and sincere during the process of creation. When I start, I don’t
know what will happen. There are no sketches, only accidents, choices and risks
in my painting. I like to be just in that thin border between control and losing
control. My goal is to find the right visual conclusion of this process each
time I do a new artwork.
Do you have a
favorite photograph or painting, which inspires you? A favorite artist, perhaps?
Today, not anymore. I can appreciate works and style of
other artists but I don’t have a favorite one. I loved Jean-Michel Basquiat,
not only because of the work but more because of his free approach of art. When
he was painting, he was totally free. It’s something I really try to keep in
mind. I like different aesthetics in photos and paintings, but I don’t have a
favorite one. This is likely because I don’t want to copy, or to be influenced,
or to follow a certain trend. For example, when I was living in Bern, Switzerland,
I discovered the art of Paul Klee. I have been influenced by him – the same
with Picasso, and with Matisse in the South of France. I recognize their impact
and heritage, but I never tried to follow them. I met them – in a symbolic way
– because I was following my own path.
Please tell me about
your outdoor murals. And, is there a bit
of Banksy in Philippe Halaburda?
No, I don’t think there is some Banksy in my art. My images
are less direct and probably more conceptual. I have only done three murals. I
have a new concept for the coming months: Color tapes on the sidewalks,
pavements, and streets of Brooklyn or Manhattan. I am looking for a new way to
adapt my style to this kind of urban environment, and I think this is one that can
fit perfectly to my visual universe.
Your style is
distinctive – strong, colorful abstract shapes filled with emotion – uniquely Halaburda. Have you ever thought about translating your
art in the world of fashion?
I’ve never directly thought about that, to be honest. I know
my art can be used for a lot of commercial purposes; fashion is one of them. I’ve
never had the opportunities, I suppose, and that explains why it didn’t really
happen. But it’s something I would really like to do. I can imagine creating a
complete graphic and visual universe for a new collection, for example.
Your work unlocks geometric
patterns, breathing refreshingly new life into such unglamorous subject matter
as conduit, pipes and cables. Could you
see yourself as an architect in another life?
Yes absolutely! I think I would be a very intuitive
architect, and I would enjoy breaking architectural codes and rules that are
followed today.
Tell me about your
relationship with architecture, and how deep that relationship goes in your
work?
My relationship with architecture is unconscious, because
even if I like a certain type of architecture – modern, pure, elegant and
graphic, for example – I never really had interest to study it. For me, I am
attracted by the visual and graphic aspect of it, not the technical one. I
think I realized this when I was working on the effects of architecture on
human life when I came to live in New York City. Being in a big city like New
York opened my eyes. It really helped help me to understand my themes as
artist.
How do you view relationships
in your art?
For me, relationships with others are probably the most
important source of inspiration in art. How we interact all together, how I can
feel apart or excluded from the world as human, as an artist. I probably have
more sensitive approach than most anyone else, and I feel the necessity to
express that. I need to. After more than twenty years of practice as artist, I
can say it’s a way to accept who I am and what I want to bring to this world. What
does that mean today, living in a time like our modern and crazy world? What
are the true values of unconscious connections, the ones that not only make all
of us unique, but also bring us all together? How I translate all these
psychological aspects in my art, that is the real challenge.
New York in the 1950s
witnessed an explosion in abstract expressionism. Now that you live in New
York, what is your take on some of the great art created during this time
period? And do you see yourself at the
forefront of a modern day abstract movement – New York Abstract Expressionism
2.0?
Yes. Prior to the ‘50s there were a lot of European painters
who came to the United States, many of them because of the events in Europe. I
think they influenced the American painters who were living here. I think that art
today has no more borders. Art has cultural roots, but as an artist, I feel – because
I came to New York City – that I belong to the lineage of this art history in a
way. I hope my art has a lasting artistic value – time will either confirm it
or not. For the moment, it’s hard to think about because I am living it. My
style is different from the art courants, but I feel I am part of global art
history. I am also a very independent artist. I don’t belong to a group of
artists. Today, being an artist is probably more of an individual process than the
collective approach it was a few decades ago. So, if I can be the one who
represents the New York Abstract Expressionism 2.0, I will be flattered.
How did growing up in
France shape your artistic sensibilities?
I think in France, we have a very strong connection to
history, art, literature. Of course, not everyone is like that. My family is
not really into it, but because I followed graphic studies, literature, etc., it
definitely impacts my own sensibility.
What have been your
most exciting and challenging artistic commissions, and why?
My first commission in New York City was in July 2016. It
was a black-and-white mural on the backyard wall of an art residency in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was quite a big one and it took me so much more time
than expected to finish it, mainly because of the hot, humid weather, the bad
quality of the wall, etc. At the same time, I working on another commission for
a hotel in the Bahamas. It was a huge canvas in three parts. It was funny,
because this project had the same deadline as the outdoor mural.
Are there young artists that you follow these days or feel a particular connection with?
To be honest, not really. With Instagram, I receive a lot of contacts from young artists who wants to get in touch or share their work with me. I am still on my very own and personal path because I don’t feel established enough as artist. I am still very far from that. And it’s probably good because it pushes me to stay active and renew myself. It’s also a way to realize that my art is seen, appreciated and respected by other artists. It’s funny because, I was the one who were contacting older artists 20, 25 years ago and now, it’s my turn to be approached by younger ones.
Written By: Michael D. McClellan | Back in 1989, when Biz Markie belted out the line “Ohhhhh baaabbbbbyyyy youuuuu!…got what I neeeeeeed,” the former Juice Crew funnyman crossed over, barging into the mainstream like that crazy uncle who shows up unexpectedly at the family reunion, his gap-toothed smile instantly relatable even if the gold chains, four-finger rings and cocked brim baseball caps spoke to a hip-hop culture most at the time didn’t understand. The clowning – we turned on MTV, and there was Biz singing the chorus of Just a Friend dressed as Mozart in 18th-century clothing – made it easy to let our guard down and let him in, the same way millions of kids would do when he uncorked “Biz’s Beat of the Day” on the Nick Jr. hit show, Yo Gabba Gabba!, a generation later. Biz was one of us – a little on the hefty side, happy-go-lucky, the perfect goofball to skateboard with on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
For Biz, the commercial and mainstream success of Just a Friend introduced the world to an
artist whose recording career had been steadily building since the mid-‘80s.
His 1988 debut album, Goin’ Off, featured
odes about going to the mall, dances that seemed impossible, and the joys of
picking boogers. He was part of the hip-hop collective Juice Crew, assembled by
producer Marley Marl (on Ty Williams’ Cold Chillin’ label), and anchored by the
group’s core that included the larger-than-life spectacle that was Big Daddy
Kane, the slippery tongued Masta Ace, and the profanely prickly Roxanne Shante.
And his hit, Vapors, stormed Yo! MTV Raps to become one of the show’s
most requested songs.
Biz Markie scored big with his one-hit wonder, Just a Friend. The single reached #9 on the Billboard charts in 1989.
A year later came the release of his second album, The Biz Never Sleeps. The cover comically
portrays the rapper as a mad scientist mixing chemicals as if he’s in search of
the perfect formula. With the possible exception of Will Smith, Biz Markie’s
comedic persona carved out unique niche in the late-‘80s rap scene, just in
time for Just a Friend to take off. The
song peaked at #9 on the Billboard charts, becoming a one-hit wonder with an
off-key chorus that everyone loved to sing, the accompanying video eventually earning
Biz the nickname “The Clown Prince of Hip-Hop.” The album proved almost as
successful as the single, peaking at #66 on the Billboard 200 and #9 on the Top
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, respectively, on its way to certified gold status. For
the Harlem-born funnyman, life at the end of the ‘80s was good indeed. Trouble,
it turns out, was just around the corner.
~ ~ ~
When Biz Markie’s third album, I Need a Haircut, dropped on August 27, 1991, the music industry
was on a legal collision course over copyright infringement, with his single Alone Again soon at its epicenter. Musically,
Alone Again samples several bars of
the familiar piano riff from Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 1972 hit, Alone Again (Naturally), and Biz sings
part of O’Sullivan’s hook for his own chorus. On the surface, Alone Again seemed to follow a very
similar template to Just a Friend,
which also riffed off a piano loop and song hook borrowed from singer-songwriter
Freddie Scott. Behind the scenes though, a storm began to brew.
“Samples,” Markie says with a laugh. “It was all about the samples.”
When sampling technology and practices became hip-hop’s musical blueprint in the late 1980s, the business and legal rules were a gray area. Since the techniques created digital copies of source material, copyright holders could argue that unauthorized sampling violated their intellectual property. Those doing the sampling could argue they were repurposing fragments of recorded music to create something entirely new. Up until 1991, disputes around whose argument carried more weight tended to be settled outside of court.
This is where Biz comes back in.
In 1991, O’Sullivan sued Markie over the Alone Again sample. The case came hot on
the heels of a $1.7 million settlement between members of ‘60s rock group The
Turtles and the rap group De La Soul, stemming from a few seconds of a Turtles’
song sampled by De La. With the O’Sullivan/Markie case, one complication was
that Markie and Warner Bros. initially tried to clear the sample through O’Sullivan,
but when O’Sullivan declined to do so, the label released the song anyway. This
set up the eventual legal showdown which, unlike the previous cases, didn’t get
settled out-of-court but instead ended up being decided by judge Kevin Duffy in
a far-reaching decision for future sampling practices.
The landmark case filed by Gilbert O’Sullivan against Biz Markie forever changed the music sampling landscape
Duffy found Biz guilty of infringing on O’Sullivan’s copyright,
ordered the rapper to pay $250,000 in damages, barred Warner Bros. from continuing
to sell either the single or album and, most astoundingly, referred the matter
to criminal court on the grounds that Markie was liable for theft. That Markie
was never charged is only the footnote in the bigger story. Duffy’s decision
permanently altered the landscape for sampling, not so much curtailing it – sampling
is still rampant today – but changing the creative and business practices
around it.
For Biz, his response to all this drama came two years later
with All Samples Cleared!, a tongue-in-cheek
swipe at the historic legal hot water he’d just navigated. The cover art finds
Markie playing both judge and defendant, restaging the Duffy courtroom with a
smirk. On the LP version of the album, the samples are prominently, properly
included on the back cover liner notes. There are no sideways shots at either
O’Sullivan or Duffy on the tracks, no “fuck you” lyrics aimed at either man.
But then again, going hardcore wouldn’t have been the Biz Markie way.
“Had to keep it real,” he says of making his point with the
cover art. “My way of laughing at the whole legal brouhaha and then moving on down
the road.”
~ ~ ~
The Biz has stayed plenty busy in the intervening years
since. There were television appearances on In
Living Color and a 1996 freestyle rap commercial on MTV2. Tight with the
Beastie Boys, Biz also made guest appearances on Check Your Head (1992), Ill
Communication (1994), Hello Nasty
(1998), and their four-star anthology The
Sounds of Science (1999).
“We had a great relationship,” he says of the influential Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop group. “If they called me to do something, I was
down. We never planned stuff out. We would just hang out and if stuff happened,
it happened.”
Tight: Biz Markie and the legendary Beastie Boys, together ’til the end
In 1996, Markie appeared on the Red Hot Organization’s
compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly,
alongside Wu-Tang Clan, Coolio, and Fat Joe, among others. The CD, meant to
raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African-American men, was heralded
as a masterpiece by The Source
magazine.
In 1997, Markie appeared on the Rolling Stones’ song Anybody Seen My Baby? on their album Bridges to Babylon. In 2002, Markie appeared in Men in Black II, with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, playing an alien parody of himself, whose native language sounded exactly like beatboxing. A year later he released his fifth studio album, Weekend Warrior, with tracks featuring P. Diddy and DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 2004, his song Vapors appeared on the soundtrack of Rockstar’s popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2005, Biz detoured from his recording duties to appear on the first season of the television show Celebrity Fit Club, losing more weight than anybody else in the competition.
Since then, he’s had the beatboxing segment on Yo Gabba Gabba!, opened for Chris Rock’s No Apologies tour, deejay-ed all over the world, and continued to appear on a stream of television programming, including Spongebob Squarepants, Empire, and Black-ish.
His legal troubles long since forgotten, it turns out that
it’s Biz Markie who has had the last laugh.
Who inspired you?
My father is one of
my musical influences. He played saxophone with Johnny Coltrane. My first
exposure to hip-hop was listening to groups like the Cold Crush Brothers,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and the ‘L’ Brothers. The ‘L’ Brothers was the first cassette that
I ever owned.
When did you know you
wanted to make music for a living?
I knew that I wanted to do music since eighth grade. As soon
as I heard that ‘L’ Brothers cassette I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.
I’ve got brothers and sisters who are doctors and lawyers and cops, but I
didn’t want to do that.
What was your
family’s reaction?
I got put out the house! My mom put me out the house because
I chose this path, and she told me not to don’t come back until I was a
success. I would never do it any differently. Hip-hop or die. I can’t really
think about anything else. I’m self-made, I didn’t follow anybody, and I did it
myself. My way. My rap. That’s why I always thank the fans, because the fans
are the ones that said, “Yo! We like you this way! We don’t like you like that one. You’re not like
a Rakim or a KRS-1. Be yourself, bring that comedic side out!”
How did you get into
music?
I got my start by beat boxing when I was in my teenage
years. I put on a show…I would dance,
rap, do everything to keep it popping. I
learned a lot from Marley Marl as far as how the studio works. I just watched
everybody and tried to do the opposite of what a lot of people were doing. I
learned from the whole industry. I learned from teaching myself.
I learned the most about hip-hop from the streets of New
York. I still follow the rap scene because I’m a DJ, and I’ve been doing this
for 27 years. I DJ all over the world.
I’ve got a tour going on right now called “Decades Collide – ‘80s versus ‘90s.” It’s a battle between two local bands from
wherever I go. They get onstage and perform, then I get on, then they get on
one last time, and I close it out. It’s a Live Nation tour. It’s an adrenaline
shot!
Fans love your
comedic side. Do you have a favorite comedian?
Before he passed away, one of my biggest influences was
Benny Hill. I met him when I went to
London. He said, “Yo, you’re funny like I am!”
And I was like, “Yo, yes I am!”
How did your comedic persona
come about?
My pops played every instrument, but mostly the saxophone.
For me, hip-hop was different. In hip-hop, you could be whatever you wanted to
be. If you know me, you know that my style is different from anybody else’s
style. That’s how I could fit into so many other different groups. Whether I’m
rocking with the Beastie Boys, or Juice Crew, I fit everywhere because my joint
was happy. Being comedic comes natural. Somebody could be the straight man,
more serious, and I’m coming across with a positive vibe, so my stuff was
different. You saw Two and a Half Men
right? Charlie is the funny man, and Allen is the straight man. Or The Odd Couple? Felix is the straight
man, and Oscar is the funny man. I’m the funny man, I’m more kid oriented.
Speaking of kids, how
did you get involved with Yo Gabba Gabba!?
Christian [Jacobs] and Scott [Schultz] were the creators and
directors of the show. They were friends of mine. They wanted me to do “Dancey
Dance” but my back was hurtin’ and I didn’t feel like doing it, so I made up “Biz’s
Beat of the Day” on the spot. That was in the pilot, and the response was
overwhelming. The rest is history.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Biz Markie (L) and Jamie Foxx (C) pose with members of the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba at Yo Gabba Gabba Live! – Los Angeles, CA at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/WireImage)
What’s your favorite
thing about working with kids?
Just the pure excitement, and the fact that they aren’t self-conscious. They’re not doing stuff ‘cause it’s cool, they’re just doing something ‘cause they like it. That’s what I like about kids.
Let’s switch gears. Is
it true you that you met the legendary Big Daddy Kane at a battle?
Yeah, I met Kane in Brooklyn and we rapped against each
other. I heard about him around the ‘hood, so I wanted to take him down. I put
out the challenge, and he finally came looking for me.
Who won?
Yo, I did [laughs]. He didn’t expect me to come at him with
funny shit. Kane’s style was hard and serious, but it didn’t work against my
style of rap. So we got down after we met and battled – back then I used to get
into all kinds of parties and stuff, so he eventually rolled with me. We’re
still tight to this day.
You and Big Daddy
Kane joined the hip-hop collective Juice Crew.
There will never be another Juice Crew. Ever. But I’d say
that the closest thing to Juice Crew would have to be Wu-Tang. I mean, like us,
they had different rhyme styles, personalities and they all rhymed about
different things.
Marley Marl, Biz Markie & The Juice Crew
Let’s talk about your
albums. Tell me about Goin’ Off.
Goin’ Off – This
one was my first, so it’s the one that means the most. I was just happy to make
an album.
One of the most
success songs on the album is Vapors.
What’s it about?
Vapors is like, you get a whiff of my success. Before I was
successful, you ain’t paid me the time of day. Soon as I got hot, you get a
whiff of my success. So you get the vapors.
Your next album was The Biz Never Sleeps.
I had something to prove with my second album. This is the
one that had the song Just a Friend
on it.
Just a Friend was a monster hit!
Nobody liked that record. People thought it was whack. Even
my peers were telling me not to do it, that it was garbage, but they didn’t
hear what I heard. I’m like, “Okay, I hear you, but I still believe in it.”
Even my record company dissed it, but all of a sudden it popped. It was a
different story then. They looked at me, like, “Yeah!” All of a sudden they
believed in it, but I knew that I was the only one there from the beginning.
That’s why I do things my way, and not anybody else’s way. You’ve got to
believe in yourself.
How’d your life
change when Just A Friend blew up?
Not much changed. I just became really, really popular
overnight and got more money. But otherwise I was the same and not much
changed. I’m always the same dude no matter what.
Is it true that you
actually weren’t going to sing the hook on Just
A Friend?
Yeah, I was tryin’ to get my man (Juice Crew singer TJ) Swan
but he said he was doing his album. Then I tried to get Al B Sure, and I tried
to get Keith Sweat. They were both too busy doing their own stuff, so I said
I’ll do it. The rest is history!
Tell me about I Need a Haircut.
That’s the album that I got sued over [laughs].
In 1993, Biz followed the drama created by the Alone Again (Naturally) sampling court case with All Samples Cleared!, a tongue-in-cheek (and litigation-free) album release
Where were you when
you found out about the whole court case over your sample usage?
I was driving in my car and they told me about it. Good
thing is, I never even had to go to court! It was the record company’s thing.
Were you concerned
that it might hurt your career?
No. I actually didn’t think it affected things much. I felt
real talented then, and now too, so I would’ve just jumped into something else.
I’m a survivor. Whatever I do, I’ll always provide and survive.
The case affected
hip-hop as a whole. Did you think it would be that monumental?
I didn’t know then that it’d be that important. I just
thought it was another court case. Sorta like if you got pulled over and got a
traffic ticket or something [laughs]. I don’t even really think about it. I
know it was important, but I have to only think about the future. I did that
during the case and I still do that now.
You’ve released five
albums, four of them on Cold Chillin’ Records. What was your main contribution to
establishing Cold Chillin’?
Besides me being me, I was like a talent finder. I like to
believe in people, so I put Kane on. I was always a team player and that’s
probably my main contribution to Cold Chillin’.
Let’s talk basketball
for a moment. You’ve performed at
halftime of several NBA games.
I was born in Harlem. I grew up in Colonial Projects, right
across the street from Rucker Park. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the
Rucker before, but when I was young I got a chance to see dudes like Dr. J.,
Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so the NBA was always in my
blood.
Rapper Biz Markie performs during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019
Favorite NBA team?
I followed the Knicks growing up, but Kareem was from around
my projects, so that’s how I became a Lakers fan. The Lakers-Celtics in the
‘80s was a rivalry! That was my era! Larry Bird was the thorn in the Lakers’
side. The whole Bird-Magic thing turned out to be one of the greatest rivalries
of all time, because they could both do everything. And that whole rivalry
started in college, you know what I mean? Michigan State. Indiana State. Both
of those guys were incredible.
You’re a very
successful DJ. Any favorite stories jump out?
I was on tour with Will Smith – I took Jazzy Jeff’s spot for
a little while – and we were DJin’ in London. The Queen and other royals was in
the audience and they were dancin’ off disco. Another time I did an Oscar party
– Seinfeld, Kramer, and a whole bunch of them guys was there at the Grammy
party. Wild times, bro!
Will Smith is another
rapper with a comedic side.
Yeah, me and Will came out kinda at the same time. It’s just
that Will did his way of rap and I did my way of rap. I was experimenting with
rhyme styles at the time, and my subjects were different.
Your rendition of
Elton John’s classic Benny and the Jets
was recorded with the Beastie Boys. Tell me about that.
The way that came is me and the Beastie Boys and the Boo-Yaa
T.R.I.B.E. was all playing basketball at the Beastie Boys studio. After we got
done playing, one of their boys, [Money] Mark, got on the piano and they just
started playing rock songs. And I was singing every rock song, songs like Jeremiah was a Bullfrog, and they were
buggin’ out. When they broke down Bennie
and the Jets, and I just sang it.
You appeared on the TV show Celebrity Fit Club and set the record with a 140 pound weight loss. How was the experience of being on a reality show?
It was weird! But only because I didn’t know any of the
other celebrities on there. We were a bunch of strangers, really. I mean, I had
seen them all on TV before. But I had to get to know them. We were honestly
like a big family once we got to know each other.
Biz Markie’s friends Will Smith and Magic Johnson bet he couldn’t lose the weight. Thanks to Celebrity Fit Club, he dropped 140 pounds in his fight against Type 2 diabetes. Now, he says, he has to keep it off.
You are connected to
an eclectic group of acts, including The Flaming Lips.
Yeah, Flaming Lips is my boys. They’re my peoples. We did
two tracks. Wayne [Coyne] is super-duper creative and he’s just a fun guy.
When you look back on
your career, do you think you were a highly influential character?
Yeah. I think the way I did things were influential ‘cause
it’s still reflected in people today. You know, the way people rap and have
their pants sagging, whatever. Many little things man. Maybe I didn’t invent
these things, but I popularized it in many ways. I popularized a lot of things.
How do you see your
place in pop culture?
I don’t look at myself as just part of hip-hop. I look at
myself as being sorta important at different times. I was always popular at
school and that sorta carried over to my career. When I make a record, I don’t
just make it for one purpose, I do it for many different reasons. I don’t think
I’ll be remembered for just one thing, ya know?
If you had one piece
of life advice for others, what would that be?
Be yourself. Find
yourself by yourself. When you look
back, you don’t want to regret copying someone, and not being authentic. Stay true to yourself. That’s why I always do my stuff different. I
want to be remembered for me.
https://i0.wp.com/www.fifteenminuteswith.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the_biz_markie_interview.png?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1400600Michael McClellanhttps://www.fifteenminuteswith.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FifteenMinutesWith_NewLogoPrototype.pngMichael McClellan2019-05-27 01:23:452019-06-21 17:36:07Biz Markie – Just a Friend
Written By: Michael D. McClellan | Colin Chilvers knows a thing or two about special effects. Like the classic E.F. Hutton advertising campaign from the early ‘80s, when Chilvers speaks, people listen, and for good reason: The English-born film director won a Special Achievement Academy Award in Visual Effects for his work on the 1978 blockbuster Superman, helped visualize Michael Jackson’s gravity-defying lean in the Smooth Criminal video, and has served as the special effects coordinator for films such as Marvel’s X-Men, Harrison Ford’s K-19: The Widowmaker, and Vin Diesel’s The Pacifier. Not that Chilvers brings a boatload of hubris with him to the interview. Far from it. While the Oscar statue is usually in tow, it’s more for the audience’s enjoyment than the man who helped Christopher Reeve fly. Chilvers, it turns out, is about as chill and as humble as they come.
“When I broke into the business, working in special effects
didn’t carry the same weight that it carries today,” Chilvers says with a
chuckle. “You worked your 40 hours, and you went home at a decent hour. It was a regular job in the truest sense of
the word.”
Chilvers, who got his start in the late ‘60s, worked several
movies as a special effects assistant before given the chance to supervise Inspector Clouseau, starring Academy
Award-winner Alin Arkin. It was all the break Chilvers needed, launching him on
a nearly 50-year odyssey through some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and adored
cult classics.
“The buildup for Superman
was tremendous,” he says. “There was a
great anticipation for this film, and it was a proud moment when it was
released to the world. And who would
have thought that a little film like The
Rocky Horror Picture Show would still be going strong today?”
Christopher Reeve as Superman during production on Superman. Creative Supervisor and Director of Special Effects Colin Chilvers is at the far right. (Image courtesy of Colin Chilvers)
Born in London, Chilvers got his first real taste of the
movie business during the filming of 2001:
A Space Odyssey. It was here that he
scored his first job, only to be fired days later because the production designer
had promised the position to a relative. Nepotism, as it turns out, knows no
bounds.
“I learned quickly that it pays to know someone,” Chilvers
says with a chuckle.
Despite getting canned, Chilvers soon found himself working
special effects on The Battle of Britain,
which in turn led to a number of other credits. And then came Clouseau. There was no looking back.
“It reached the point where I knew I could do something I
loved for a living,” he says. “The
success of Inspector Clouseau opened
a lot of doors, and made getting other special effects jobs much easier.”
Those doors included a string of 1970s cult hits, including Tommy, Lisztomania, Rocky Horror
and 200 Motels – all while rubbing
shoulders with geniuses like Stanley Kubrick, or working with controversial filmmakers
like the notorious Ken Russell. Through it
all, Chilvers continued to build his resume and expand his network, ultimately
landing the special effects job on Superman
– and the challenge of a lifetime:
Making Superman fly.
“It was a different era,” says Chilvers. “You have to
remember, the industry was decades away from the special effects that we have
today. There were no computers, no CGI, no digital effects. Everything we did
back then, we had to improvise. And the whole world was watching. Everyone
wanted to go into the theatre and believe that Superman was really flying. We
had to improvise. There were a lot of tricks.
It was quite a challenge, but the result was something to be proud of.”
Winning the Oscar for Superman led to more success in the 1980s
– Superman II, Condorman, Superman III –
but it was a slew of toy commercials, such as promotions for Spidey Alive and
Starship Troopers, that brought Chilvers together with one of the greatest entertainers
in the world.
“During the 1980s, there wasn’t a bigger act than Michael
Jackson,” Chilvers says quickly. “Thriller
had become the best-selling album of all time, and Michael had performed his iconic
moonwalk on live TV. And then, after
touring, he went to work on Bad. I
was in the right place at the right time. It really helped that Michael and I
hit it off immediately. I enjoyed working with him.”
Colin Chilvers and Michael Jackson on the set of Smooth Criminal (image courtesy of Colin Chilvers)
With the King of Pop dancing and Chilvers directing, the duo
created Smooth Criminal, one of
Jackson’s most impressive works. The video,
central to Jackson’s Moonwalker film,
is best known for that gravity-defying lean during the ending dance sequence. Everyone wanted to know the same thing: How did Michael do it?
The secret, it turns out, was the genius of Colin Chilvers.
“Piano wire gets all the credit,” he says with a laugh. “It
was the staple of many special effects during the ‘70s, and it worked perfectly
in the Smooth Criminal video.
Sometimes the best tricks aren’t the newest.
Sometimes you rely on the tried and true.”
Chilvers would continue to work through the ‘90s and on into
the new millennium, eventually helping four of his nephews – Chris, Ian, Paul,
and Neil Corbould – launch special effects careers of their own. The foursome have worked an impressive list
of Oscar-winning movies, including Gladiator,
Saving Private Ryan, Batman Begins, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Gravity.
“My nephews have become very successful, and I’m very proud them,”
he says with a smile. “To see them succeed in a new age of special effects, to watch
them work on some great movies and win Oscars of their own…those things mean
more than winning the Academy Award.”
How did you break
into the movie business?
It was the classic Catch-22, because I was told that you had
to be in the union to get a job, and that you had to have a job to get into the
union. I finally cracked that one when I
got a job as a trainee animation director with a with a company in Borehamwood,
England. At the time, the office was right
next to the MGM Studios’ England headquarters, which happened to be where they
were making 2001: A Space Odyssey.
How did being part of
the union help?
Whenever a new movie was going to be made there, the union
would release a new list detailing the available jobs. On this particular
occasion, there was a job that came up on 2001. I had no idea what this movie was about, who
was directing it, but that didn’t matter.
It was a job in the movies, and I wanted to get into the business. I
applied and was interviewed by the producer, and when the interview was over he
said, “You got the job. You start on Monday.”
It was a very exciting time for me, because I’d finally broken into the
movie business, and when Monday rolled around I started my career as a junior
in the art department.
From humble beginnings to Oscar winner; for Colin Chilvers, it has been quite a ride (image courtesy of Colin Chilvers)
You finally break
into the business…and they immediately fire you?
When I showed up that first morning I met the production
designer, who had a confused look on his face.
He said, “Who are you?” and I proudly replied, “I’m your new assistant.” He promptly left the room and, about ten
minutes later, the production manager came in and said, “I’m sorry, but you are
sacked.”
The idea was that the job would go to a relative of the
production designer, but the production designer happened to be on vacation
when I interviewed, and the producer gave the job to me instead. When the production designer came back, he
told them that my hiring shouldn’t have happened, and I got sacked. As a member
of the union they had to give me a two-weeks notice, so I was actually on that
movie for two full weeks. Unfortunately,
I didn’t to get a credit.
Did you get a chance
to meet Stanley Kubrick?
I met Stanley once during the two weeks I worked on 2001.
I gave him a couple of ideas for one of the sets – if I hadn’t have been
sacked already, I’m sure I would have been sacked for talking to the great Stanley
Kubrick like that [laughs]. Later on, I worked
with Stanley during tests for Barry Lyndon
in England. I actually got to be quite
friendly with his daughter and husband through another friend, Steve Lanning,
who was an assistant director on Superman.
The special effects
world was quite different when you got your start in the late ‘60s.
When I started in the business, it was a job that I loved to
do, but it was a job. It’s only since
movies like Star Wars and Superman that effects people have
achieved celebrity status and developed their own following. It’s interesting
that people are so intrigued with the way that we did things. I get asked about
it all the time, because I’m one of a rare breed in that I’ve lived through a
digital revolution in special effects.
When I started working in special effects we had no computers, or motion
capture and all that. It was all
in-camera, or done on optical print. It
was a different world completely.
In 1971, you worked
on Murphy’s War, starring Peter O’Toole.
Peter O’Toole was a legendary actor, nominated eight times
for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Working with him was a thrill. Murphy’s War was set in Africa, but we actually
filmed in a remote location in Venezuela called Pedernales, also known as Dos
Rios, which was roughly 150 miles up the Orinoco River in the middle of the
jungle. I remember a Spanish fort on one
side of the river, and the kids who were selling the Spanish doubloons that
they had found while scavenging the countryside.
Peter O’Toole in Murphy’s War (1971)
It sounds dangerous!
The nearest town to us was an hour’s flight. I was just a junior assistant at the time,
and I remember being sent into town to buy supplies. I would fly into town on a four seat DC-3, load
up, and fly back. There were other times when I would drive an hour-and-a-half
through the jungle. Looking back now,
those trips were dangerous – who knows what would have happened had I broken
down, ran out of gas, or encountered bandits along the way. But in 1970, I was too young to even think
about things like that. The whole trip
was just a huge adventure for everybody.
What was it like filming
in such a remote locale?
We worked with the local Indians during filming, which was
interesting. They told us that we
shouldn’t feed them because their digestive systems weren’t used to the kind of
food that we ate. The movie company
built a village by the side of the river, at a point where the river was two
miles wide, and the natives actually lived there during filming. One of the things that we had to do in the
movie was to burn the village down and blow it up. This led to confusion,
because the natives had been allowed an amazing place to live for a time, and didn’t
understand why we had to destroy it.
Peter O’Toole’s
characteris the sole survivor of
the crew of a merchant ship, which had been sunk by a German U-boat.
We brought in a submarine that played the part of a German
U-boat hiding in the Amazon River. For
the role, she was modified by the addition of a cigarette deck and was painted with
a ‘dazzle’ camouflage pattern. When filming
was over, the submarine was actually sold the Venezuelan government.
Murphy’s War was
an amazing journey, because I hadn’t been in the business for very long before
being whisked off to a foreign land like Venezuela and spending four months in
the jungle. We also spent four months filming
in Malta, which was a British colony in the Mediterranean. Everyone spoke English and the wine was
really cheap. It was a lovely place.
That same year, you
also worked on the cult classic, 200 Motels,
written and directed by Frank Zappa and Tony Palmer.
That was a weird movie, as it attempted to portray the
craziness of life on the road as a rock musician. Frank Zappa played
himself. Ringo Starr played a
dwarf. Keith Moon, the late drummer for
The Who, played a nun. I was young at the time and happy to be working. Getting
a chance to interact with people like made it even better.
In 1975, you worked
on Lisztomania. Tell me about the
controversial director, Ken Russell.
Ken Russell was very talented. Some of his earlier films, which were focused
on classical composers – Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Franz Liszt –
were beautifully done. Ken was also quite a character, the kind who did
whatever he wanted and didn’t care what anyone said or thought.
There were more than
a few who questioned Ken Russell’s sanity.
During the filming of Lisztomania,
even his wife at the time was quoted as saying that she thought he’d had gone
crazy [laughs]. He would have these utterly berserk visions of what he wanted
to do, and much of it was outlandish sexual imagery. There’s a dance sequence in the movie
involving The Who’s Roger Daltrey, who was playing Franz Liszt. For that scene,
we were asked to build a 7-foot penis that was supposedly Roger’s. And if that weren’t enough, Ken decided that
he wanted three dancing girls sitting on it.
It was a very interesting movie to say the least.
In 1975, you also
worked on the rock musical Tommy.
I worked as a special effects supervisor on the film, which
was a musical fantasy film based upon The Who’s rock opera album Tommy. It was
an uncredited job, but it was rich in the respect that I was able to work with
some of the biggest names in music – people like Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner,
Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and Elton John.
Another big break
came that same year, when you were asked to work on The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
A good friend of mine had seen the stage production in
London, and was wild about it. I thought
it was going to be a pretty crazy movie when I read the script, and also a lot
of fun for the audience, so I was excited to be involved with this film. I suppose
nobody, not even the people who made the movie, realized how successful that it
would go on to be.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Tell me about some of
the special effects that you put into place for Rocky Horror.
Doing the rain scene at night was both memorable and
interesting, because there was no water. The hotel was actually a country house
that sat along the River Thames in Bray.
It didn’t have any water because it was derelict, so we had to put pumps
into the River Thames to create the rain.
When the wheelchair gets pulled up the stairs, we actually
had the wheelchair on wires. They didn’t
get rid of all of them during post-production, so you can still see some of the
wires one the film if you look closely enough.
When Frank N. Furter walks out into the mist and jumps into
the swimming pool, they had decided to paint the Sistine Chapel on the bottom
of the pool and position a camera up in the ceiling of the stage. I suggested using dry ice as he walked out on
the diving board so that you really wouldn’t know where he was going. Then we used
a big electric fan to blow away the ice for the big reveal. It was a nice moment
in the film, because it was a good reveal.
Brad and Janet walk hand-in-hand towards the castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The ‘rain’ was pumped in from the nearby River Thames.
Did you use real ice
when Meatloaf smashes through the freezer?
No, we used cast wax instead. We made blocks of wax and
stacked them up, and that’s what he broke through.
Richard O’Brien wrote
Rocky Horror. What was he like?
Richard was living as an unemployed actor in London during
the early 1970s. He wrote most of what was originally titled The Rocky Horror Show during one winter
just to occupy himself. I found him to
be very professional. Jim Sharman was
the director, and Richard didn’t seem to interfere with Jim’s direction – which
I suppose he had every right to do if he wanted. It never came across as him being a force in
that area.
What about the cast?
The whole cast had worked together before on the London
stage show. They didn’t need any
rehearsals, other than rehearsing on location, because working on a stage was
obviously much different than working on a film set. But they knew their parts
so well, which made shooting pretty easy to do.
In 1978, you landed
the job of a lifetime, working on the blockbuster movie Superman.
I have only fond memories of that experience. I actually made
the permanent move from London to Canada in 1980, during the filming of Superman II. I came over for three weeks to shoot the
Niagara Falls scene and met my wife, where she worked for the Niagara Parks Police.
Three weeks turned into four decades. That blessing happened because of the Superman
movies.
Please tell me about
the late, great Christopher Reeve.
Chris was a great guy.
I believe he was 23 when he first got the part to play Superman, and he
was always in character while on set. Interestingly
enough, he wasn’t the first choice for the role, but they ended up coming back
to him. It was the smartest move they could have made.
Why did they
originally pass on him for that role?
Chris was the perfect Clark Kent, there were no concerns
about that. While he was 6’-4” and very athletic, they thought he was too
skinny to play the Man of Steel. Chris went
through an intense two-month training regimen that was supervised by former
British weightlifting champion David Prowse, during which he switched to a protein-heavy
diet. It worked, because he came back a
different man. Once he got in that suit, he was
Superman.
The biggest special
effect in the movie – and the one that helped land you an Academy Award – was figuring
out how to make Superman fly.
I remember watching the Superman TV series, and I had also
gone to those Saturday morning matinees where they had superimposed Superman
against a screen, and those scenes always looked terrible. So the challenge was to make it look like he
could really fly.
Easier said than
done?
We had some crazy ideas of what we thought would work – for
example, we tried sticking a tube up the rear end of a Superman dummy and
firing it off of a cannon – but none of those ideas worked well [laughs]. But all
of the brainstorming finally paid off. Depending on the scene, we eventually had
five different ways that we could make Superman fly. That meant putting Chris into
various suits, depending on how we were going to fly him. It turned out very well,
given the tools we had at the time.
Give me an example of
one of those ways.
Today, with digital effects, when they put someone on a wire, they use heavy duty cord-gauge wire. We didn’t have all of the digital tools that they have these days, and roller scoping the wires out of the scene was a very difficult process, so we had to try to put him on thin enough wires that couldn’t be seen. It was difficult and it was dangerous, but Chris was great. I remember him being suspended 60-feet in the air on 16-gauge piano wire. He would say, “Whether I’m falling sixty feet or fifteen feet, it isn’t going to make a lot of difference.” Chris was amazing. We had the screen in the background, and a rig that we used to move around, which was very uncomfortable, but he never complained. He would do anything that we wanted him to do.
What was the deal
with Superman’s cape?
The cape was one of those things that presented a big
problem. Every time we put Chris up on
the wires and turned on the wind, the cape would wrap around the wires, which,
of course, didn’t look very heroic [laughs]. So, we had to devise a different way
of making it look like Superman’s cape was fluttering in the wind.
Les Bowie, who worked in special effects as a matte artist, came
up with this idea of putting a motor on Chris’s back. The motor had a bunch of sawed-off fishing
rods connected to it, which the motor would move, and then we would cover it
with the cape and put a bit of wind on it.
The magic motor beneath Superman’s cape – The remote-controlled cape-waving rig devised to allow Superman’s cape to billow as he flies. (Image credit: http://supermania78.com)
Problem solved.
Twenty-five years after Superman
I, my nephew was on the effects team for Superman Returns. He phoned
me from Australia, where they were filming, and asked what we did to make the
cape flutter. He was amazed at what we were able to accomplish without the aide
of digital effects.
Tell me about Marlon
Brando.
Unfortunately, we only had Marlon Brando on the set for 10
days. During that time he had a terrible
cold, or the flu, so he wasn’t at his best as far as that goes. It was quite a
big deal. By that point in his career he was strictly doing cameo work, and he
was paid a record $3.7 million and a healthy percentage of the gross profits
for his cameo on Superman.
Did you get to see Brando
act while he was on the Superman set?
Yes. The interesting about him was that he wouldn’t – or
didn’t want to – learn his lines.
Instead, he insisted on having cue cards positioned all over the
place. A lot of actors use cue cards,
but it surprised me that Marlon Brando would do that. There is the opening scene in Superman where they are sending the
child off in a spaceship. You obviously
don’t see this in the finished movie, but instead of a baby in the spaceship,
there is a cue card instead. During
filming, every now and again he would sort of do a dramatic look up in the air,
and he was actually looking at a cue card.
It was like that during his entire time on set. He would tell the prop guys where to put the
cue cards, and during filming there would be a few pregnant pauses, which
allowed him to find where his cue cards were located. It was a technique that I
didn’t expect from someone like Marlon Brando, but who am I to judge? He was a
legend.
Marlon Brando, who was paid $3.7 million for 10 days worth of work, brought star power to Superman
What about Margot
Kidder?
Margot was a sport. I
remember the scene where we put Margot in a car and crushed her. In Superman
II, we threw her in the river. She
was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done [laughs].
What were some of the
other challenges faced when filming Superman?
We were about six months into the production of Superman when the team’s morale had hit
a low point. The director, Richard Donner, got the editor to put together a 15-minute
demo reel, which included the shot of Superman becoming Superman at the Fortress
of Solitude, and him flying behind the camera. Richard showed that scene to the
whole crew, and you suddenly felt that you were going to be part of something special. That was Richard Donner’s genius. I remember
that he had a sign posted in his office that read ‘verisimilitude,’ and he
lived by that mantra. To Richard, he insisted that you must feel like what you’re
doing is real, and that’s what we all tried to do.
I remember that Richard Donner had gotten a copy of Star Wars from George Lucas before the
film came out, and he showed us that movie. It pumped everyone up, because it
was the first time that special effects was a major focal point in a motion
picture.
Star Wars changed everything.
Years earlier I had tried to get an English producer to do a
movie on the character John Carter of Mars, and the idea was flatly
rejected. They told me that movies like
that were finished, and that no one wanted to watch science fiction. And then Star
Wars came out, and suddenly special effects movies were all the rage.
You directed Michael
Jackson’s music video Smooth Criminal.
The lighting and the costumes – not to mention the dancing – are as amazing
today as when the video was first released. Congratulations on a masterpiece!
Thank you. I showed Michael a movie that I felt would fit
the theme of the video, something called The
Third Man. He loved the film-noir look that it had, so we used it as a
blueprint and worked with the camera man to light the video in a similar way.
Is it true that Smooth Criminal is Michael Jackson’s tribute
to Fred Astaire?
Yes, in many respects. The dance piece was Michael’s tribute
to Fred Astaire, but it goes deeper than that. In the video, Michael wears a
similar kind of costume that Fred had used in one of his movies, a film called The Band Wagon. You can compare photos and
see what I’m talking about.
We also had the pleasure of having Fred Astaire’s
choreographer come on the set, gentleman named Hermes Pan. He worked on a bunch
of films and TV shows with Astaire,
including those 1930s musicals with Astaire and Ginger Rogers. He was a giant,
having won both an Oscar and an Emmy for his dance direction, so it was a
thrill to meet him. He visited the set while we were doing the song and dance
piece, and said that Fred would have been very happy and proud of being copied
by such a wonderful person.
Michael Jackson pays homage to Fred Astaire with his wardrobe choice in Smooth Criminal
Michael Jackson’s two
most famous dance moves are the moonwalk from Billy Jean, and that gravity-defying lean in Smooth Criminal. How did you do it?
The inspiration behind Michael’s gravity-defying lean actually
came from my Superman days. It
required a bit of ingenuity. We had Michael and the other dancers connected to
piano wire, and fixed their feet to the ground so that they could do that
famous lean. I fixed their heels to the ground with a slot, so that they were
locked into it. If you look in the video, when they come back up from that
lean, they kind of shuffle their feet back to unlock themselves from the
support they had in the ground.
Michael Jackson seemed
like a positive, loving person. What was the mood on the set?
We had 46 dancers, plus the choreographers, hair, make-up, and
everything else. Every day at lunchtime we’d go and watch the dailies from the
day before. The mood was always festive, and it always felt like there was a party
going on in the screening room. Michael would be right there, and there was
always a lot of noise and excitement when everyone saw how good the dance
sequences looked. If Michael saw something he didn’t like, he would say, “We
can do better than that.” He pushed everyone to deliver their very best.
Tell me about your
work on Moonwalker.
Moonwalker was
Michael’s movie, and he was going to do exactly what he felt he needed to do to
make it perfect. The producer, Dennis Jones, was coming in from outside the
studio, and his concern was usually centered around the amount of time we were
taking. He had a habit of walking towards me and looking at his watch. Jerry
Kramer, who co-directed Moonwalker,
always had the same thing to say: “Dennis, with Michael, you don’t need a
watch, you need a calendar.” That’s
because Michael wanted it to be perfect, and he was in the unusual position
where money wasn’t an object. He was only concerned about perfecting his art,
and that’s the way he was. Not the usual
way to make a Hollywood movie, that’s for sure.
Special effects were
changing around the time that Moonwalker
was made.
We were using a lot of innovative techniques, especially for
those days, because this was just before the real digital era kicked in. We
were using motion capture, motion control – the robot was all motion
controlled. We did a lot of mattes, and things like that. We built some
beautiful sets. We actually shot in the same studio in Culver City, where they
shot Gone with the Wind, which was
kind of neat.
How did you land a
job working with Michael Jackson, King of Pop?
Avi Arad, who was the founder of Marvel Studios, once told
me that there is no such thing as luck, but in this case I felt lucky to be in
the right place at the right time. I was shooting a commercial in Los Angeles,
and I had an effects guy named Kevin Pike working it with me. Kevin had just
finished shooting Back to the Future,
and Michael really liked that movie, especially the DeLorean. Michael had
spoken to Kevin about the effects that he wanted to do for a music video. Kevin
asked him who was going to direct it, and Michael explained that all the
big-name directors like Steven Spielberg were busy for the next two years.
That’s when Kevin suggested me to direct. He then came to me and asked if I would
like to meet Michael Jackson. I looked at it as the ideal opportunity to get
through the door, as it were.
Did the two of you
hit it off?
Michael and I got along quite well during that initial
meeting, and the next thing you know I’m flying back to Los Angeles. I remember
checking in at the Château Marmont, and a very interested guy behind the front desk
says, “Excuse me sir, there is a call for you. It’s Michael Jackson.” And it
was! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Michael had just called me to say,
“Welcome aboard, let’s get together tomorrow.” We seemed to click from the very
beginning.
Michael Jackson and Colin Chilvers share a quiet moment together. Chilvers would direct the Smooth Criminal video and co-direct Jackson’s feature-length film Moonwalker. The two would become fast friends. (image courtesy of Colin Chilvers)
Was Michael Jackson
shy?
I got the sense that he wasn’t as shy with me as he normally
was with people that he met for the first time. We discussed various things
that he wanted to do with the music video, as well as with the 42-minute Smooth Criminal sequence that was Moonwalker’s
centerpiece. Above all else, Michael made it clear that he wanted it to be
a movie for kids. I had experience in this area – I had done a two-hour show
about Pippi Longstocking for ABC, and I had done a lot of kid’s toy commercials
for Hot Wheels, Barbie, and things like that – , and he really liked that. He also
liked the fact that I had gotten an Academy Award for special effects for Superman. What he wanted to do with Moonwalker involved a lot of special
effects, so he thought it would be a good idea if I worked with him.
How long did you work with Michael Jackson on this project?
What started out as a music video grew into a 42-minute movie
that took nearly two years to produce. It wasn’t supposed to be that long – we
shot for 18 weeks, which was a lot longer than I thought it would take – but
Michael was working on the Bad album,
and then he went on tour, and then they had to finish the album when he
returned. So they put us all on hold for three months while he finished the
album. Working with Michael on that project was a fun period of time in my
life. We had Joe Pesci and Sean Lennon on set, and of course we had the dance
piece in the middle of Smooth Criminal.
I was able to come up with that famous lean, so everyone walked away happy.
Michael Jackson’s gravity-defying lean created buzz worldwide, and became one of Colin Chilvers’ most famous special effects.
Looking back now,
what was it like working with the King of Pop?
That was a good period in my life that was very well enjoyed
by me and my family, especially my wife. We had some very nice dinners with
Michael, and sometimes Bubbles would join us. It was an interesting time to be
around Michael, because he was so on top of the game at that point. He had just
come up with Thriller, and was doing Bad, and we had everything we wanted.
Working with Michael Jackson was a dream come true, and it was amazing in all
ways.
Your nephews have
worked on some of the biggest films ever made.
I have four Corbould nephews from England who are all
working in special effects – Chris, Ian, Paul, and Neil. Two of them have won Academy Awards. Neil got his start with me on Superman, and has gone on to work on
some of the biggest films, such as Gladiator,
Saving Private Ryan, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Black Hawk Down. He’s also done several of the James Bond
films. He’s been nominated for four
Academy Awards, and has won two Oscars – one for his work on Gladiator, and another for Gravity.
Chris has worked on eleven James Bond films and counting since
the early 1980s. He’s also worked extensively
on the Batman films – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises – and has an Oscar for Inception, as well as nominations for four other films, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Paul has two Academy Award nominations, both for Best Visual
Effects in the movies Guardians of the
Galaxy and Doctor Strange. Ian has worked with his brothers on many of
these films as either a special effects technician or special effects
supervisor. The four of them are sort of
the top-notch crew in England at the moment, and a good way to segue toward
what I’m leaving behind, as I’m not in the movies anymore. The fact that they’ve all followed in my footsteps
is my legacy to the movie business.
Neil Corbould, Colin Chilvers’ nephew, celebrates his own Oscar win
Special effects has
changed a lot since your time working on Inspector
Clouseau.
There have been some incredible advances thanks to the
Digital Revolution. But then again, a lot of things haven’t changed. For
instance, on the movie Gravity, Neil
had to make Sandra Bullock fly on a wire – actually, he used a bunch of wires
so that he had complete access to all of her movements. There was no other way
of doing it because you still can’t make an actor act as a digital image. It
ended up being a pretty amazing effect.
What is one of your
proudest moments as a special effects artist?
That would probably be during the first Superman movie, when we were playing around and trying to make a
vortex. I actually put together a rig that created a perfect miniature twister
that was about six or eight feet high.
That was my most proud moment, strangely enough, because it required a
high degree of problem-solving. The
ability to problem solve is still a big part of special effects today, except
that they have a lot more tools to work with in the digital world.
Any regrets?
My agent once came to me and asked if I would be interested
in working on this weird movie about the Nazis finding the Ark of the Covenant.
I passed on it and, of course, Raiders of
the Lost Ark ended up winning an Academy Award and becoming one of the most
iconic movies ever [laughs].
Now that you’ve
retired, how do you reflect on your career?
I’ve enjoyed my career. Now and again I’m asked about movies
that I don’t even remember doing, like Saturn
3. Those experiences are all part of the journey, just like going to
Venezuela for those four months to shoot Murphy’s
War. You look back on something like that and can’t help but wonder how you
survived.
When I was leaving for art school at 16, who would have thought?
I come from a working class family in London, and suddenly I was thrown into
this sort of business, going to the exotic places and doing things that you
would never have thought possible. It’s just incredible when you think about
it. You can get a bit immune to it in the end, but thinking back on it now, it has
been a pretty amazing life.
Retired from special effects, Chilvers continues to work – his Oscar statue never very far behind (image courtesy of Colin Chilvers)
Last question: If you
could offer a piece of life advice to others, what would that be?
The headmaster of my primary school once said to
me, “Son, you’re going to work a third of your life, enjoy it.” And I can
certainly say that I’ve enjoyed that third of my life because it was such an
amazing journey. My advice would be to pursue what you are most passionate
about, because you only get one chance to do this thing called life.
https://i0.wp.com/www.fifteenminuteswith.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the_colin_chilvers_interview2.png?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1400600Michael McClellanhttps://www.fifteenminuteswith.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FifteenMinutesWith_NewLogoPrototype.pngMichael McClellan2019-05-19 04:24:382019-05-27 02:56:39Colin Chilvers – Movie Magic
