See You at The Movies
“I was summering out on Cape Cod with my girlfriend and I got a text from a friend asking me how long was I on Cape and so I told him I didn’t know then shortly after I received a call from J’s manager that he’d like me to meet up with J Mascis and talk about filming some music videos with him over the summer. His Manager Brian Schwartz said go to P-Town (Provincetown) and wait for a text to meet J Mascis. I said okay and drove to the end of the Cape to await my text from Mascis. My girlfriend and I were sitting on a park bench in P-Town eating pizza when I received the text from Mascis. He texted “Meet me at the karaoke bar in 30”. I walked into the karaoke bar and watched and filmed J Mascis sing two Tom Petty songs in front of about 20 people. After that we went for ice cream and the rest is history.”
“There weren’t many difficulties directing this video because I worked with a rag tag crew of locals who also happened to be some badass skateboarders and who were also huge fans of Dinosaur Jr. I guess the most difficult part of shooting was to not have fun. It was rad working with some talented Cape Cod locals that were enthusiastic about doing this. J Mascis is pretty much a rock god in Massachusetts and in many places in the world. Shout out to Cumby’s and Dunkin for fuelling us.”
“I used personal experience for the references in the video. My upbringing with my dad was kinda difficult due to alcoholism. Super stressful times and some of the only things that got me through those times was Dinosaur Jr’s music and skateboarding. Living in a small town in Texas where the skatepark scene didn’t exist in the late 80s early 90s and you’d have to travel 60 plus miles to try and see a concert with no guarantee that you’d get in because all ages shows were rare so empty parking lots, a shitty launch ramp and a cassette jam box blaring Minor Threat and Dinosaur Jr was all we had. There would be rednecks and jocks who would also harass us because skateboarding was viewed as a bad thing but really people just didn’t understand what it was and were uncomfortable with change or different things other than football, country music and county fairs. Also I’d like to add that J Mascis’s solos are the best. Sorry Steve Vai!”
“I shot everything on Cape Cod which is located in Massachusetts and is a vacation spot for east coasters. My girlfriend and her family are from there and also J Mascis spends some time there. He’s like a ghost though. One second you’ll see him cruising by on his bike and the next second he’s gone as though it never even happened. I shot on an old rail trail that used to be the train route but is now a 40 mile bike trail that runs through the Cape. It runs through some pretty cool scenic areas. I ride my bike through it sometimes and thought it would be a cool location. It takes you through several areas like a state park, a drive in movie theatre, lobster roll huts, coffee shops etc. You can also ride to the beach and sit and wait for Great White Sharks to breach while eating a cookie. I also shot at a skatepark in Orleans, Mass that was built by one of the actors Jake Sullivan and some of the other locals. Keep in mind J Masic also skateboards and is pretty good.”
“I like to roll on my skateboard while shooting my actor/subject. I guess that technique has been done for ages and that’s one of the ways I learned how to film stuff in the early days. I still do it to this day. Haul ass and shoot. I used a Blackmagic Mini Ursa pro, some Rokinon Cine lenses and a skateboard. I keep it pretty simple on these shoots. If I need to go big with production I will but I’m a big fan of making something outta nothing. I did the post on this music video. I colored in Resolve and edited it also. I did the post in Yosemite National Park in my RV. I went for day hikes and would work on the video after a good dinner in the lodge.”
“I absolutely enjoyed this project. I got to work with my friends and I got to work with my favorite artist, his team 7s Management and one of his labels SubPop. I also enjoyed eating at this Chinese food place called the Double Dragon and a pizza place in P-Town called Spiritus Pizza. (best pizza on the cape and possibly east coast)”