A Director's Thoughts (Episode 2 - Knicks, Cortados & Spielberg)

In what seemed to be a fever dream, is now reality. The Knicks are champs of the world and I haven't been the same since. Coffee really is everything & a summer of some blockbuster films awaits. Some thoughts ahead...

NYC has a buzz about it. An immaculate energy has swept across the tri-state area thanks to our Knicks. Long suffering fans like myself have found euphoria with fellow like-minded souls. However, there's also been another type of energy. It's been entertaining to say the least, seeing all these fans come out of the woodwork, albeit we already see who the "tourists" are & who don the blue & orange with a certain "look at me" energy. Social media is truly the death of us. All that to say, it's truly sad to see some of the hooligan work that's taken place since our game 5 victory, along with the parade. Cabs were taken over, buses were lit on fire, underwear was ripped away, people got punched in the face, traffic signs were mutilated & the GRWM crowd are still struggling to name 3 players on the Knicks. Then there's the NYC mayor's parade speech, forced player name dropping (which gets a C-) along with an almost 9 min run time, took away from key players to talk their "shit" on stage. Jalen Brunson deserved at least 4-5 minutes. He barely got 2. But that's a discussion for another day. At the end of it all, it's still #KnicksTape. Congrats Champs!

I had the recent pleasure once again of helping out on set at NY's coolest photo studio in Greenpoint, Mediumplex Daylight Studio. Shout out Ryan, Rick, Michael & Lauren. Greenpoint is probably my favorite area in NY. Older crowd, little more mature, some great vinyl shops, paired with some amazing places to eat. Not to mention the best coffee in NY, Rhythm Zero. Order the Coco Americano. But make sure you get a cortado in the afternoon. Coffee culture is a thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Greenpoint, (although flooded with runners of all levels in the AM) would probably be the area I would move to if situations were different. I'll probably be shooting some street photography over there very soon. A shame to see so many apartment buildings being built though. An issue we are seeing all over the tri-state area.

I'm getting back to podcasts lately & I just listened to Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey & Steven Spielberg talk about Kubrick's "2001 Space Odyssey" on The Rewatchables. What a treat. Being in the middle of writing my 2nd draft of my feature, it's important I keep myself grounded and accountable by listening to some of the greats. If there was one filmmaker I would have grabbed a drink with, it would be Stanley Kubrick. The only person I would get star struck by is deceased. He's had a huge impact on my creative side, so to hear Spielberg share some really great stories about him, was spectacular. Check out the episode if you haven't already.

We have some incredibly anticipated movies dropping soon. There's also a ton I need to see that I've missed. If there's a thing or two that you need to make time for, it's a good cup of coffee & a movie. Time to start taking my own advice....

Williamsburg, 35mm Ilford Sprite II (2021)