Articles tagged “Schmoo-light”

Schmoou-light on: Daniel Klopp

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

I am thrilled to be spotlighting one of Schmooru’s most worldly filmmakers [though there's a lot of competition out there!] who has worked in Peru, Australia and the US. Daniel was an amazing help in getting reactions to the US election in Australia for Current TV’s election coverage. He filmed, edited and delivered an amazing assortment of interviews within 24 hours [this included a hellish amount of technical difficulty] and had the best attitude during the whole thing.

Daniel uses his talent to give voices to underrepresented communities around the globe and has dedicated his life to this service. Below you’ll get to know your fellow Schmoo who has a whole lotta heart and a ton of talent.

Daniel Klopp

Tell me about yourself as a filmmaker. Who/what inspires you? How did you get started?

Working on a global scene provides me with many opportunities to share life with people and through the speaking of their stories, experiences, and challenges, film and print found their way into my journey. Desperately advocating for social justice for marginalized people, I have used the media of film to campaign for action. Amateur and humble beginnings led my journey to larger opportunities in the media environment. My inspiration comes from people. The lives and experiences of people thriving to survive motivates me to continue learning about film and using it to express current issues. Individuals like Eva Perón, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Mother Teresa inspire me.

You’re one of our more worldly producers, can you talk about your various living locations and what it’s like to produce in the US vs. Australia and Peru.

While passing through the States, I spend most of my time connecting with people, advocating for the current situations on global poverty, and getting Americans involved with what is happening in the lives of our families in developing nations.

Living in three diverse cultures is complex, both socially and emotionally. Endlessly experiencing jet lag from countless hours of international travel predominantly reigns as most challenging and one that I have the least patience for. Working in film in Australia presents simplicity and distance. I find that the majority of Australian culture manifests a calm, collected, and reflective perspective. I typically spend a couple of months a year in Australia, living among the Great Ocean Road, five minutes walk to the beach, near the small town of Apollo Bay, Victoria. Filming is crisp, colorful, and quick. Rich blues of ocean water and skies mixed in with static city life in Melbourne is complex. Life is cruised, full of espresso, and wine, and very boring for me. Predominantly, I spend my time in Australia, waiting for my trip back to South America. Its like, well, hovering at 10,000 feet above Chicago’s International Airport, (ORD), in an eternally rotated holding pattern, munching nervously on that tiny bag of salted peanuts.

I find that experiencing life in South America most exhilarating and emotionally charged. Life is diverse, challenging, and beautiful in South America. Additionally, life experienced among no running water, sewage, and electricity while filming in remote regions is challenging. Having permanent residency status in Peru, I make my home/office in capital city, Lima. I typically spend 8 months a year in South America. Working in film in South America is rich and engaging and completely involved. One of the challenging experiences however is limited access to western nations to connect the current story. Filming in South America involves potent smells, rich and deep textures in faces of people, and sights of risks while speaking out. Close brushes with danger are toxically real.

What are you working on now?

I am editing a recent project on the Colombian militant narco-terrorist group, F.A.R.C, and their negative influence on the lives of teenagers and families in a community along the border of Colombia and Ecuador. I just flew out of Peru, South America last week after shooting another story on 21 teenagers living in a community with no running water become united through the formation of a soccer team.

Next up? How the drug trade along Amazon River between borders of Colombia and Peru function among locals who steer away from illegal trade. Does anyone want to come along?

Where do you think the media business is headed? And how do you as a filmmaker fit into that?

As Internet based content continues to expand and evolve, I believe that as a filmmaker, it is crucial to remain educated. The ability to remain involved in the industry is much easier through viewer-based content and I believe that I have a responsibility to society to remain informed, educated, and aware of the paths that media industry is directed.

What does being a Schmooru mean to you?

Having worked briefly on a couple of projects previously, with one of Schmooru’s curators, I was invited to join in the Schmooru journey from its implementation into the world. I’m incredibly blessed and enthusiastic to be apart of the experience. Being a Schmooru involves watching diligently, listening intelligently, and acting boldly. I believe that being a Schmooru involves the responsibility of being prepared to sacrifice time, energy, and resources to aid in the growth, development, and expansion of an incredible dream. I believe that being apart of Schmooru is growing into a life long journey of amazing experiences.

What has been the most rewarding/challenging piece you’ve worked on? Why?

The most rewarding piece that I’ve had the opportunity to work on was Down to Dribble,

http://current.com/items/89935623_b-ball-camp-in-the-andes.htm – responses

I found this incredibly rewarding because through the creation of the documentation, response was initiated. As a result of this story, others got involved to advocate and speak for those who have been silenced by poverty.

In reality, my experiences in telling the stories of others have yielded some uncomfortable security situations. Challenging moments include uncertain moments of compromised safety in order to advocate for the marginalized people. I can say that my experiences of being held at gunpoint by corrupt military officials, running for cover from stray bullets of gunfire between two drug cartels in Tocache, Peru, and being thrown into the back seat of a Toyota Helix with a pillowcase shoved over my head and taken down dirt tracks for 4 hours from Juanjui to Tarapoto, Peru rate among my most challenging moments, however, it has helped me to become the person I am today. I do not support the innate risk to put one’s self into danger, however, I will not stop advocating for justice for the marginalized people until I breathe my last breath.

Here is a link to some of Daniel’s work:

http://current.com/items/90184408_wraparound-hugs-for-peru.htm – comments
Check out Daniel’s work here: http://www.v4peru.com

and as always make sure to add him as a friend on Schmooru.

Huge thanks to Daniel for agreeing to talk to us about his amazing work.

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Schmoo-light On: Steven Tagle

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

What makes Schmooru special is the amazing community of filmmakers that it attracts. One of the main goals that Dan and I set out to accomplish was to create a network that really clicks with each other above and beyond what we facilitate. In order to start getting to know each other a little better I’ll be spotlighting producers from time to time. Our first entry is Steven Tagle who has been generous enough to share some insights into his work as a filmmaker.

Documentary filmmaker and fellow Schmoo

Documentary filmmaker and fellow Schmoo

How did you get started as a filmmaker?

I started making films in college as a member of the Stanford Film Society. I gravitated towards film because it seemed like such a democratic, DIY medium. Coming to film from theatre, I loved the idea that I could express myself and document the experiences of others without needing a performance space or an entire troop of actors and crew members. I wrote, directed, and produced three narrative shorts at Stanford. After college, I bought a Canon HDV camera and moved to LA to pursue film. Working as a “one-man show,” I started producing short-form documentaries for Current TV about a range of local and national issues.
What is your favorite thing you’ve worked on and why?

In January 2008, I covered the New Hampshire primary with Current. I felt that for the first time, I was using my camera in exciting and socially conscious ways, covering issues instead of politics, and affording viewers a first-hand look at the presidential primary circus. I loved the opportunity to put my filmmaking skills to work in service of “real” news. Working with Current’s production staff and a cadre of talented citizen journalists, I attended the Democratic 100 Club Dinner, met passionate volunteers, and chased the presidential candidates from event to event trying to get my questions answered. Those five days were the most exhausting and worthwhile filmmaking endeavor I’ve participated in since moving to LA.

What does it mean to you to be a “schmoo”

Other than Dan Beckmann’s pet, I think being a “schmoo” means being part of a daring and necessary journalistic experiment. Our community of skilled media producers endeavors to expand the definition of user-generated content by covering local issues intelligently and insightfully, producing pieces that professional media outlets and organizations will pay to broadcast. Being a schmoo means reporting from ground zero, using your unique voice to shine a light on local issues that the rest of the nation may not be aware of. It means engaging with a decentralized network of socially conscious producers to improve your craft, educate others, and make an impact with your work.

Would you say you’re more on the “schmooze” side or more on the “guru” side of things?

I’d say I’m comfortably in the middle. Though I’m not a total schmoozer, I like knowing that the producer network exists and feel comfortable tapping into it if I need to. On the other hand, I don’t consider myself a new media guru either, though I’m pretty adept with the equipment that I own. Funny, I didn’t know those two words were the roots of schmooru…

Anything else you want to tell us about being a filmmaker–advice etc.
I think that filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers, must be brave, must be unflinching. The filmmaker has a responsibility to act as a witness, to give voice to the voiceless. No image is off limits; filmmakers must train themselves to overcome their inhibitions and not look away. We travel to the edge of public consciousness and return to raise awareness with our art.

And, as an added bonus, we’re going to hear 25 random things from Steven a la the Facebook meme. Read on, you may learn some very fascinating things about your fellow Schmoo.

1. Favorite movies: Gattaca, The Truman Show, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
2. Favorite directors: Ang Lee, Alfonso Cuaron, Stephen Daldry, Rian Johnson, and Richard Kelly.
3. In sixth grade, I gave a presentation on Steven Spielberg with blow-up dinosaurs and a photocopied version of Spielberg’s head on a stick.
4. In eighth grade, I wanted to be a filmmaker because Dawson on Dawson’s Creek wanted to be a filmmaker.
5. In tenth grade, I bought my first video camera, a Sony Hi8 camcorder.
6. I used the camcorder to film myself lighting things on fire with my friend Kyle.
7. “Flatfish,” my first short film, is about two boys who use sock puppets to deal with the college transition. At the screening of that film, the first half of my introductory remarks were made in Greek.
8. A week before production started on “Model Man,” my lead actor cracked his head open on a banister.
9. At my mom’s suggestion, I cast my high school friend, Barrett, as the replacement. I made him shave his arms, wear striking blue contacts, and glue a rotating key to his back with tar.
10. Number of times I’ve slept on the couch in the Stanford Film Society office: five.
11. My first summer in LA, I interned at Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures.
12. Favorite feeling from that summer: driving a golf cart around the Warner lot, passing groups stopped on tour trams.
13. Favorite quote from that summer: “Who do I have to sleep with to get off this film?” (Courtesy of Dan)
14. Best filmmaking advice I’ve ever received: “Do everything before you’re ready.” (Thanks Danielle!)
15. Bad dialogue grates on my ear like nails on a chalkboard.
16. I’ve been to Sundance four times.
17. I can never recognize celebrities.
18. Current TV was the first company to pay me for my creative work.
19. My documentaries usually include shots of my subjects’ feet.
20. Producing “Trent Loves Greg” and covering the issue of gay marriage during the New Hampshire primary gave me the strength to come out.
21. I came out on national TV the night before the primary.
22. I was mugged at gunpoint while filming a travel series in the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires.
23. My colleague said that I wrestled with the muggers for my camera.
24. I returned to La Boca a few days later to film “Street Kid Book Factory” with collective journalist Sarah Gilbert.
25. I appreciate documentarians who are unflinching: who can capture their subjects without ever looking away.

If you want to know more about Steven and check out some of his past work, please visit his site at: http://steventagle.com/films

And of course, don’t forget to add him as a friend on Schmooru!

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