The January 2018 Shoot: (As) Easy as Apple Pie
Los Angeles Sunset - photo by Trevor Zhou
At one point during the day, panning the communal rooms and backyard of the Beverly Hills house, all Americans could be seen on set.
Yes we were - Americans. However, we were a strikingly diverse group of people of different races, ethnicities and gender. Diligently working away, we were Afro-Caribbean, African-American, Asian-American and Americans of various European extraction. What a group!
The Talent, or in other words, our interview subjects have been people of such a diverse nature, and they are intrinsically connected to Charivari, in some way or another.
“Looking at the footage we’ve shot, diversity is clearly reflected in our film.”
When entering any Charivari store you would meet people from a myriad of countries, and backgrounds. All of whom brought to the stores (and company), an air of acceptance, professionalism and sophistication.
Perhaps it’s from the schools we attended growing up in NYC, or the way we were brought up by our parents, either way it seems that this way of being permeates all aspects of how Ric and I live. But one thing is sure, we will make a concerted effort to make films reflecting how we are in life.
Funnily enough, it was never consciously decided that we’d promote diversity and equality within our production company; fortunately it is organic and natural for us to exist in this kind of environment. And it will, as a result, be how we conduct our business.
On another note, the #OscarsSoWhite movement might have been a decisive moment in the US film industry when it was clearly demonstrated how unrealistic or better said, how discriminative studios have been - no surprise there - but now appears to have started evolving to make their big-budget movies more inclusive. Amen to that!
Back to the shoot...
We wouldn’t describe the experience of our second shoot in Los Angeles “as easy as pie” - although it was a pleasure.
What is interesting to note, was that this shoot had a vibe, a rhythm. It was smooth.
We each added to the mix. We had tasks to accomplish and knew what role we played in making it all happen.
We had, and continue to have a common goal. And in reflection, at the end of the day it felt as if we were all pieces of the pie - each stepping up to the task of telling a golden lattice of woven stories, dusted with crystals of memories with a Big Apple filling.
Again our special thanks goes out to Our Faithful Crew:
David (DK) Kagen – Cinematographer
Ben Brady – Assistant Camera
Trevor Zhou - 2nd unit DP
Sean Byrnes - Sound
Chanel Panagiotopoulos - Hair/Make-up
Kim Mello - Key PA
And Thanks to our Interview Subjects: For sharing your time and participating—candidly in our film. For all of your anecdotes & all sorts!
Sarah Muñoz, Tatum O'Neal, Lina Bradford and Jill Fleischmann.
Pie courtesy of Jill Fleischmann
The Colors of Tziporah - a look at one of Charivari's former employees
Vibrant, passionate and warm. All words we use to describe her home, the tint infusing our film footage and the woman, style icon Tziporah Salamon. We entered into her lair of antiquities, old photographs and memorabilia placed carefully around the living room, painting her own personal Matisse; the artist who’s influenced her most.
Trevor (our 2nd unit DP) and I spent a casual Sunday afternoon shooting footage at her apartment and had the pleasure and privilege of having her share her extensive collection of antique and designer clothes, with us—some of the clothing dating back to the 1800s bought at auction. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention diving into a chest of her cherished Chinese clothing, deep as her personal history!
Tziporah, a vision in mauve,
seen on the cover of her coffee-table book,
“The Art of Dressing”
We were very happy to have captured her on film in her NYC apartment (purchased when she worked for Charivari) because she plans to sell it this year and relocate to Los Angeles where we’ll shoot her interview.
There’s a message she sends in wearing her beautifully embroidered garments, shawls, hats and Bolero jackets; her recurring Japanese, Turkish and Chinese themes forever dominating the spectrum of designs, especially the ones in her favorite colors of reds and mauves—she is an individualistic creative, a true original.
D-Source Note:
Tziporah is one of the stylish women featured in the feature documentary, Advanced Style.
Photo by Bobak Emamian on Unsplash
*SAVE THE DATE!
The 1st New York Shoot—Friday April 20th & Saturday April 21st
Thanks to your support, we are now more able to plan our next shoot.
If you will be in the New York City area and would like to be part of our production, please contact us via this website. Provide your full name, email address and telephone number.
D-Source Note: The 2-day shoot will only be comprised of 10 interview subjects.
If you are not selected as a participant for our 1st New York shoot, we will be sure to keep your details on file. And as we continue to raise funds and set dates for subsequent shoots, we’ll contact you with the pertinent information.