Finding a Crew

(It is recommended by the author to read the first two blogs, "In the Beginning" & "I Had a Dream", in order to follow along on the series timeline.)

The dates were set. I was finally on my way to making a documentary about the controversial photographer, Joel-Peter Witkin. I obtained permission from the artist himself, and locked down some dates in July of 2011 when my crew and I would descend upon Albuquerque, New Mexico for a series of interviews with Mr. Witkin. 

Two problems presented themselves right away. The first being: I didn’t have a “crew”. And the second: I had no ideas for a budget. It was time to start calling in some favors.

Writer-director, BC Furtney was the first person that came to mind. Having been a fan of his work since I met him ten years earlier, I always wanted to collaborate on a project with him. BC’s list of credentials includes two award-winningshort horror films, Disposer & Mister Eryams, as well as his most recent film, a bloody modern-noirfeature called New Terminal Hotel. I sent him my proposal and he agreed to sign on as both Executive Producer and Co-Writer. Furtney had some ideas about who we could use for our crew.

Nickolas Rossi is an accomplished Director of Photography with a long list of credits to his name. Along with being the DP on New Terminal Hotel, he has also been behind the camera for the documentaries Incest: A Family Tragedy & Reality Show.  Rossi has been a long-time fan of Witkin’s work and was very enthusiastic to sign on to our new project.

Ernesto Galan was next on the list. Galan is the owner of Scalped Productions in Boston, and is a highly-skilled professional in all aspects of filmmaking. He has produced and directed commercials, music videos and documentaries. Ernesto was also the editor on New Terminal Hotel. Furtney asked him to help us out in the audio and lighting department and he agreed.

The team was almost complete.  BC had tapped Rossi & Galan, and now I needed to ask an old friend to help me out with the music. I met Trevin Pinto when I was 16 years old. He and I became friends while working together at the library. The truth is, I was a little nervous about asking him to score my documentary. He was one of the first people I showed the Witkin book to after I found it in the library. He found the book’s content very difficult to look at. Trevin has been a life-long musician and has scored many of Furtney’s films, as well as having written and recorded music for a ton of other projects.  I proposed my idea to him and to my surprise; he agreed to compose the score for my film. His thoughts about Joel-Peter Witkin had come full-circle, and he was now interested in learning more.

That was it. I had a great crew, and things were looking up.  I couldn’t have been more excited to see it all coming together.  Now all I needed to do was put together a budget.

Stay tuned for the next installment… “Funding the Dream"

- Thomas Marino

I Had a Dream

(It is recommended by the author to read the first blog, "In the Beginning", in order to follow along on the series timeline.)

In the Beginning

This new blog is brought to you by Thomas Marino, the director of the documentary “Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye”.  The ideal goal behind this blog is to give the fans and viewers of the film an inside look into the making of this documentary.

It is only proper for me to start this off by going back to the beginning, back to 1996 when I first came across the work of Joel-Peter Witkin.  This is where it all started.

I was 16 years old, living in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, and trying to hold down my first job at the local public library.  It was a quiet night, with not many patrons in the library when I started perusing the Art & Photography section, and I came across a large hardcover book, simply titled “WITKIN”.  On the cover of the book was a black and white photo of a woman sitting naked, wearing only gloves, and cradling a small dead dog in her hands.  The woman’s hair was long, parted out into seven different points, and with each one of them tied to the wall behind her.  Her face was hidden behind a mask of another woman, made out of what appeared to be a paper collage in the shape of a large T, which hung down to her abdomen.  Upon seeing this image I was instantly curious as to what this book was, and what it may contain inside.  So I began my exploration.  Little did I know my life and perceptions of beauty were about to be transformed right before my eyes. 

As it turns out, the book was a collection photographs from the artist, Joel-Peter Witkin.  It was a retrospect of his life’s work in photography for the first 20 years of his career.  Along with over 100 photographs from Witkin, there was also a brief biography written by Germano Celant, and an essay written by Witkin himself.

When I opened the book I couldn’t help but stare.  Losing all sense of my surroundings, I stared at each image the way a child stares at a magician as he pulls the rabbit from the hat.  An overwhelming feeling of wonder and bewilderment swept over me, and I was completely fascinated by what I was seeing.  Never before had I been privy to an artist who could be so brave and uncompromising in their craft.  His graceful way of photographing corpses, dismembered body parts, transsexuals, circus freaks, dwarfs, and dead animals left me with an urge to learn more about who this artist was.  I spent the next two hours pouring over every picture.  With every turn of the page I found myself strangely drawn into this whole new world, and I wanted to share my new discovery with everyone I knew.  However, not everyone I shared this book with would feel the same enthusiasm I had.  Most of them simply brushed off the images as grotesque and morbid, with no intention of giving the artist the credit he deserved, and no desire to learn more about him.  I quickly realized Witkin’s work is not for everyone, and from that moment on I began my journey of self-discovery.

Cut to 13 years later.  I had spent most my young adult life traveling and living throughout the United States, and later found myself returning home to the San Fernando Valley for family medical reasons.  I had little possessions upon my arrival back to California, as most of my stuff sat in storage in Colorado, including my Witkin book.  Months had passed as I tended to the needs of my family, and Joel-Peter Witkin was the farthest thing from my mind, until one night when I had a dream…

Stay tuned for the next installment… "I Had a Dream." 

Please subscribe to this blog to follow along on this journey of making "Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye".

-Thomas Marino