“Throughout my career, I was really itching to make art that was different. A little more against the grain and unconventional which brings me to my latest project Connie & Sly. Right before the pandemic, I directed an original short that’s unlike anything I’ve ever made. It’s an experimental dance film about two amateur thieves (sisters Connie & Sly) who set off a car alarm & perform a wild, hypnotic dance around the vehicle. Totally wacky…totally absurd. What I loved with this project is that I got to make something that felt a little more like my personality–something a little goofy. Not so self-serious which freed me up creatively. I got to partner with a stellar choreography company, LA-based Whyteberg, as well as composer Bobak Lotfipour who created this beautifully bizarre song from scratch. We’re releasing the film this summer and I couldn’t be more proud.”
“Iggy Pop will be hosting an exclusive intimate exploration of his recent album Free. The event will be filmed at the YouTube Space in New York and streams exclusively on the Iggy Pop YouTube channel. You can join the star in conversation with fans fortunate enough to have attended and been taken on a journey deeper into the latest Iggy opus...hailed as part of the ongoing Iggy Pop master class in ‘doing things your own way’.”
“A few days before the release of Monster’s 25th anniversary edition, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills stopped by YouTube Space New York for an in-depth, live-to-audience conversation, ‘Monster Talk’ with special hosts Adam Scott (Parks & Recreation, Big Little Lies) and Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Between Two Ferns), who also host a dedicated R.E.M. podcast called R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME? The one-hour ‘Monster Talk’ special, produced by Craft Recordings in partnership with YouTube Music, launches on R.E.M.’s Official YouTube Channel”
“What happened that day was so magical — we actually made four or five music videos in one day. What I love about that is that I’m such an in-the-moment person. All the fussing around that happens in the creative process sometimes leads to the most magnificent things, but at this moment I think we all felt it was important to capture my true spirit in an instant. So much of what came out through those shoots is the real me.”
“The film takes viewers behind the scenes on the set of the new imagining of the timeless song, written by John Fogerty...the mini doc also reveals dialogue between the characters and scenes from various locations in Montana, where the project was created. “’Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ makes me think of my childhood...it makes me think of heartbreak. Life is hard, life is beautiful, life is complicated and confusing sometimes. I wanted to tell a story that reminded us of those things: to live life to the fullest, and not be afraid, and embrace whatever you’re feeling.”
“I grew up in LA so, naturally, I was surrounded by the entertainment industry. There’s billboards everywhere, somebody’s parent is an agent...you’re kinda suffocated by it. So, you either concede, or you become a lawyer or doctor or neurologist or something. I did the former. When I was in middle school, I had a camcorder and I would make these stupid little videos with my friends. I used iMovie and taught myself how to edit from scratch…”
“For me, the song always evoked this confluence of emotions—nostalgia, hope, melancholy, etc. But throughout, it had a wild kind of energy…this adrenaline rush that just reminded me of my youth. So, we decided the narrative must be about friendship and what it’s like to escape and be free; when you’re out on the road, hanging with people who really get you.”
“As I continued to blast the song through my ears, I felt this wild rush of nostalgia and freedom, oddly mixed with heartbreak and melancholy; this beautiful anthem that kind of expressed how life feels sometimes...to celebrate this fleeting sense of time we have with the people we care most about...”
“The scenes are all a flashback for Frolova’s character, who is packing boxes in the intro when she comes across a photo and the song starts to play. The video speaks to the friendships we build as young adults, and how they so often are marred by time or distance.”
“This intimate, completely unadorned cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” will warm your heart. Andrew Bird and The National’s Matt Berninger recorded the song together in Bird’s living room; Bird provided the instrumentation, his trademark whistling and violin gracefully looping together, and Berninger reads the lyrics from a sheet of paper on the floor. “What do you think happens at the end of the [perfect] day,” Berninger asks Bird at the end of the song. Bird says, “I think they go back to Jersey.”
“The preeminent violinist and preternatural whistler always invites a guest to perform with him—John C. Reilly, Blake Mills, and Jim James are alums. He also has a crew of about six people milling about, filming his performance, and checking audio–that sort of thing. It is a perfectly intimate setup in the most private space imaginable...Bird’s team streams this quiet, personal performance to Facebook, where thousands of fans can semi-voyeuristically glimpse the musician jamming in his own home.”
“This breakup film literally kidnapped my feelings and is holding them for a very expensive ransom. Los Angeles-based film-maker Laurence Jacobs captures modern emotion in his short film ‘Life in Text.’ This one is so well done for something so short. We see Ben (played by Tyler Ritter) at a loss after a tough break-up with his now ex-girlfriend. He goes through the “I know you’re probably reading this and not going to respond but I’m going to text you anyway” phase and right when he’s about to hit send he’s transported into a virtual world.”
“Written and directed by Laurence and Jessica Jacobs, “Life in Text” finds the lovelorn Ben (Tyler Ritter) moping through his breakup with Haley (Alexandra Daddario). From the small things to the big ones and from pictures and videos to emojis, he relives their relationship in reverse – learning how to let go in the process.”
“Hold your boo tight tonight, fellas. Filmmaker Laurence Jacobs tells the story of a relationship gone sour, and how it got there, as he journeys back all the way to his first text messages with his now former girlfriend in this short film, Life in Text. Remember, think twice before sending a text you might regret. It could haunt you for a long time. ”
“I loved the concept. We live in a world where you can re-live conversations you’ve had with the people you care about and being able to do that is both wonderful but can also be painful. I love the story and the way Jessica and Laurence tell it in this film. It’s incredibly relatable...”
