Art

Yuri Elvin is a talented artist and filmmaker in Los Angeles. View his work at www.yurielvin.com.

4. What are the similarities between painting and making movies? Of all the differences, what stands out the most?

Making movies is a collaborative effort. It is like a military operation: making a plan and following it through. I have found that, with my own films, I never give enough responsibility to anyone to make them a detrimental part of the schedule. When people work for free, they have to take care of themselves, things happen and people have responsibilities. Yes it is a control issue, but if I take care of the casting, scheduling, props, locations, food, and crew I tend to get my tapes at the end of the day. Of course I have to compromise certain aspects of the look. I have to trust the camera (which is why I try to get two of them). I have to trust the sound, and move the day along so that people do not get bored. I try to get the performances as well as the camera angles. The rest I trust in the universe to bring me genius in style through the hands of other people.

When I watch my dailies I remind myself to watch with an open mind. What I see in my head is not always what I get on tape. But, as they say, “the price is right.” Often by accepting the gifts of others time, it opens possibilities which would have never occurred had I dominated every breath of people within twenty feet.

Painting and drawing is a one-man show. When I make art I make it for me, being charged with every aspect of its creation…the texture, lighting, composition, motion, size and color all all mine. Accountability again falls upon the producer of the piece. The responsibility of creation is a big one. Yes, it can be a beautiful piece, but nothing lasts forever except our consciousness. Knowing that you will die and that the piece will eventually crumble to dust is a great relief, so powerful that I bring this aspect of fatalism to my personal life, and I embrace it happily.

When shooting a movie it is easy to compare people and tools. Crew members are brushes, knives, and colors among other things. Understanding that everyone is doing the best they can with what they are given allows for lenience in judgment, people have feelings and if you give them love and allow them expression, they will grow. As well, paint, colors, mediums, and implications have a vibration which needs to be nurtured. When a tool is used to the end of its life, it should be acknowledged and thanked for its help. To discard without love shows lack of appreciation and a hollow understanding of the gifts the universe has delivered. Personally, I have a very tough time using the color blue. I try, from time to time, to get it in there, yet it always feels forced. The frustration makes me respect it as an element that I have not understood and wish to learn to wield.

If I were to compare it to filming I would say that the intricacies of HD cameras, post production parameters and advanced editing and sound programs evade me; again, something to master. In film you can get someone who is better than you in the field you need (recommended), but in painting all you can do it try to grasp it. I suppose you could have someone come over and paint some blue on your piece, but that would be invasive and probably a little upsetting. I try to take the same approach to film as I do to painting…loose and rough. My art is admittedly very sloppy; I like it that way. When I gesso the canvas often times during the drying process I get dirt, feathers, and bugs stuck in the plaster; like the Chinese when they built the great wall, they used their dead as filler. If paint drips or I cut through the canvas, its all a blessing in this perfect state of imperfection.

Filming, I think that I may be all over the place at times. I feel that discontinuity to a level can be accepted as art. Mixing two different cameras with differing pedestals programmed is ok. I had to re-shoot a scene last month and lost an actor, but replaced him with a girl. The action is there, and the story moves forward. Eventually when there is more money available I can relinquish control and keep it straight; just trying to tell a story by following an outline. In art, often I have no idea what I am going to do. I just sit in front of a canvas and go, because if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen. Surrender to the process and let your sub-conscious take over. It becomes easier. I actually became ambidextrous at times, allowing the mind to draw what it wants. I believe that the artist within me is a female. I let her do her thing.

Film: same thing. Make a date and go. What’s going to happen is that at that end of the day you will end up with something. The art is to create. The combined energy of everyone on set, their mental fortitude and contentment will reflect upon the tape/film. Having been in film school forever and having worked in front and behind the camera for 12 years, I have either fought or watched a fight about everything there is to fight about. It’s not worth it…people are important. But, god bless Christian Bale for flipping like he did. I love him. And he is expensive for a reason. Don’t move lights behind him while he is acting, a little respect. Similarly, I flipped as an AD when crew was talking while we were rolling, even during MOS shots! A little respect people, please. We don’t flip anymore. (Thank God, it really puts people off).

5. If you had to choose one, which would it be?

For sure, I’d choose painting, for the mere reason that it is pure creation through divination. Even though both are extremely exciting, I find that both have an ego factor, and neither has a ceiling. That is probably why everyone I know is a nut. Film is a collaborative effort to create a vision. But painting is a direct reflection of what is going on inside. I guess when you can communicate your vision through film, you are actually reflecting as well…I guess it’s the same. But for me, I choose making art with my hands.

6. What are you working on at the moment?

I am shooting my movie every other weekend. I wrote about a madman love triangle (live action), mixed with an illustrated hyborian-aged story of mythology and war told in over the shoulder drawings about a karmic cycle concerning the madman narrated in English and Japanese by a blind child. I think its coming along pretty well. The crew is working for breakfast and tuna sandwiches, no budget, HD, dark comedy (maybe)…very fun. Additionally, I am writing a story about role-play gamers whose leader takes the game too far and begins to loose his flock (dark comedy as well). Painting-wise, I am working on a new series. I took a handful of previous work and painted over them with gesso…great texture. This group will be more universally dimensional than dark, and less human than before (maybe). The subconscious is an amazing conductor; I may have an intention, but then the mind will take it in a different direction if you allow her. At the same time, I am finishing up seven other paintings that I begun a few weeks ago which are half done, but are of a more creepy nature. Next, I’m going to begin another series on some larger (3′x4′) canvases that are works in progresses. I think I’ll do some sketches in the tone of Native American eagle-dancers and figures holding spheres on cold fire. We’ll see what happens.

On the job front, I am waiting for this pending SAG strike to end so that I can begin to collect my days in the locations department. I just got my teaching credentials but there is a hiring freeze on subs in California. So, I’m just selling everything in the house to buy more paint and pay the rent.

7. What’s your take on the current status of the industry as a whole and independent filmmaking in particular? What are your thoughts on the future?

The industry, well, it is really a shame that so many people are feeling this crash. As they say, the more you make the more you spend. This is very much a wake-up call to those who have over extended themselves financially. I think that when the economy in Hollywood does recover that people will be more frugal for many years to come, until they forget the lessons learned.

When I rediscovered art I began to sell everything non-art related. Not only has this saved me, but it has also kept me focused on writing, filming and painting. As an independent filmmaker I was answering ads for AD, PA, locations, storyboard, and muralist crew positions, to no avail. It turns out the entire town was as well. There are a lot of very talented people out there competing with each other for very few jobs. This is what got me moving. I realized that everyone was waiting for someone else to create the work, so I begun to create my project. Even though my crew is only eight deep, these people are available and excited to be a part of a project that is more personal. It is a chance for people to step up and preform in a position which is more coveted, as well having the time to do it. I am very fortunate to have good friends. I think that there is a shift happening right now. This is the time to be creative. It might actually be a gift. I know that for me it has been. The future holds the growth which we seed today. I believe that there are great things to come for anyone who has used this time wisely.

8. Where do you see yourself thirty years down the road, in your career and in life? Is there anything else you’d like to tackle?

In the future I see myself doing more of the same. God willing, with more exposure I can have the freedom to create on a larger scale, employ many people, and embark upon a body of work that will inspire as well as raise the consciousness of the planet to a loving place. I believe that my life is an epic tale. I have been through so much, misbehaved so badly, lost so many friends through pure self-abuse and immaturity. My wisdom comes as gifts from reading my own history. If I don’t learn the lessons life provides for me, I get kicked back down the pit of reflection and repair. Having run in circles for so long and being in so many fields has introduced me to many people and many experiences. All is not lost. I would like to write a book, an autobiography if I may be so vain. My life has been a ton of fun, heartache, humor and miracles. If I can help someone through lessons learned and make them laugh, maybe they will see life in a better light. After all, we are just a bunch of monkeys fighting for the same banana…but some monkeys have three eyes.

*****

To contact Nate Barlow, please visit the contact page of his website at: NateBarlow.com. To contact Yuri Evlin, email: yurielvin@yahoo.com, or check out his work at www.yurielvin.com.

DA: What inspires you and who are some of your creative influences?
 
JD: The simple blessing of unlimited creativity in my blood is my biggest inspiration. My earliest influences are Ric Ocasek, Brian Wilson, Jim Morrison, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, The Clash, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran Janes Addiction Parliament/Funkadelic, and the Chili Peppers. The list can go on. Growing up, music was my greatest soother. I used lay in bed with the radio next to my ear, mesmerized by the harmonies of The Beach Boys or an incredible Jimmy Page guitar solo.
 
DA: How did you create the unique sound of Human Brother?,
 
JD: By just plugging my instruments in a letting the magic happen. I don’t overthink every move when I’m writing. If I do, it gets stressful, its no longer a liberating experience. Then my ideas get cloudy. I like to just release myself to the moment and let my feelings be speak through the music,  just swimming in the juices. Hey there is my next album title: “Swimming In Juices.”
 
DA: Well, that was an in the moment idea right there; sounds very provocative.
 
JD: Well maybe that’s what I meant by it then, the next songs may be sensual. We play as we go.
 
DA: There is a very lush landscape of styles in the production of Human Brother. Did you come up with ideas randomly or did you have an idea of music genres you wanted to mix together before recording?
 
JD: I don’t believe anything is totally random. Of course a lifetime of playing funk and rock music, as well delving into industrial and electronic music over the past decade was something ingrained in the map of my musical heart. Everything that I’ve come across musically in my life was meant to be utilized.  At the same time, I sat down and began writing the record I had nothing but an open mind, a clear head and a sense of silent determination to make something pure from the depths of my being.
 
DA: You wrote, recorded, and mixed all the songs for Human Brother alone. Do you prefer working solo and whether yes or no, why?
 
JD: Yes, I must admit that after years of trying to get on the same page creatively with other artists, I feel completely liberated working alone. The best feeling in the world is being able to see your vision and bring it to life with no outside opinions or suggestions. All artists have their level of insecurity and vulnerability, and let’s face it, we’re super sensitive. When other people put in their two cents, it causes us to second guess ourselves. Then the purity of your work can be compromised and tainted. It can, and has in the past affected my decisions. With that the innocence and sincerity in what I am creating is tainted or altogether lost. Others however love collaborating, and that works for them. That’s great, whatever works.
 
DA: Your lyrics cover a variety of possible themes? What were you thinking and feeling when writing? What was going on in your life at the time?
 
JD: I wrote this record as a tribute to one of the most amazing artists and human beings to influence my life in countless ways. Her name is Carole Jean Shultz and she is my mom. When she was alive, she always encouraged me to sing. Before I only wrote and produced for other artists, played drums with other bands, and lead guitar in my bands. My Human Brother record is the first time I’m singing all the lead vocals. When she passed, I wanted and needed to do something beautiful for her, in her honor. The best way I knew how is through music, and to use my own voice this time. All I hope for is that she can somehow and someway hear my gift to her.
 
DA: Tell us about your background in music.
 
JD: I started out as a drummer at the age of around 9. Then I picked up guitar at 15, and later bass and keyboards. I never looked back. At 20 was when I started producing and writing songs for myself and other artists. I also decided to focus on becoming a lead guitarist, which took years of hard work and many hours of dedication. After working in studios several years as a composer and producer, I decided to be self sufficient in the recording process. So I set up my own home studio started recording and mixing myself.
 
DA: You make it sound so simple. How was the learning curve?
 
JD: Oh yeah, well there was a lot of frustration at first. Hundreds and hundreds of hours spent trying to figure out the programs, the tricks of the clicks, and my new best friend became the help button. Very little sleep, dark eye circles. I was a man obsessed. But let me tell you its worth it. Once again, nothing feels so liberating as knowing you can make your own music without needing anyone. The investment in a home studio, I highly recommend it. That is if you’re willing to do the sleepless nights too.
 
DA: You are also a professional fine artist for many years. When you paint and make music, do you consider yourself the kind of artist who maps out all the details beforehand, or are you more spontaneous and whimsical?
 
JD: Definitely spontaneous and whimsical when it comes to writing, recording, and painting. It just comes so easy to me. The energy of the moment flows out like water and I don’t plan anything. It’s all subconscious expression. I think the creative process is more enjoyable that way. You can look at the work later pleasantly surprised and think, “Wow, there’s some pretty trippy or intense or even nutty things, going on deep inside there.”
 
DA: You come from a family of professional artists/painters. What was it like growing up?
 
JD: It’s like a small miracle. My parents, Jack and Carol, my brother Adam and sister Rachel, we’ve all made a comfortable living with our art. I know my parents being extremely supportive with anything we wanted to try artistically has a lot to do with that. It built our confidence, which is key for anything you want to do in life. Growing up in a household of artists, well of course it was fun. My dad especially is a great comedian and prankster and my mom, she was the kind of artist who gave new meaning to the term creative genius. We all learned to create through her, and what she passed on is the most priceless gift I will ever have. It was definitely my fate to create!
 
DA: How has it affected you as an artist?
 
JD: I also never realized how lucky we were to be allowed the freedom to experience life in such an open minded environment. Not many kids grow up that way. How it affected me shows in my work. My art feels free and expressive to me. I would say primal too, I totally tap into the inner cave man.
 
DA: Interesting. Would you say your inner cave man is more Fred Flinstone or Jack Black in Year One?
 
JD: Neither. I’d say more like the guys in Quest For Fire.
 
DA: Wow, that is real deal primitive.
 
JD: That’s me the real deal.
 
DA: Was it competitive, between family members?
 
JD: Absolutely no competition in our family. We all have our own thing that makes us very different. We were all in such awe of each other’s abilities. All it did was add to the inspiration. I know how lucky I am to say that. That’s usually not the case between siblings.
 
DA: What are some of your greatest accomplishments as an artist?
 
JD: Winning an LA Music Award for a song called “Look Like Angels.” I co-wrote and produced that for Girl Without Fear. Raising almost $50,000.00 for the Grammy’s and Musicares Foundation, is up there too. DJ Rodney on the Roq playing my music on KROQ and having a song in regular rotation on KCRW. It was pretty sweet when my band first band opened up for Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine and also Madonna hiring my band Trulio Disgracias to play her birthday party. I got to jam side by side with George Clinton that night.
 
DA: Well that’s quite a few accomplishments. Wow. You managed to please Madonna on her birthday, I’d say that’s a small miracle.
 
JD: Nah, Madonna was a walk in the park, compared to measuring up onstage with members of P-Funk and Fishbone. You don’t know pressure until world class funk musicians are staring you down from backstage, daring you to screw up. So they could literally beat your ass. Playing with them on a regular basis took all my chops. And gave me more chops!  That’s important. Jamming with musicians who will challenge your skill and take you up a notch.
 
DA: Can you share some of the best moments, events, or special honors in your life regarding both your music and your paintings?
 
JD: When I opened for Public Enemy with my band Trulio Disgracias at USC and graced the cover of the LA Times Sunday Calendar section the next morning. I am currently working with Guitar Center and The Butterfly Effect Foundation. I am the featured artist on their website and we are offering 175 limited edition prints along with the original painting “Pop Goes The Butterfly” to be auctioned off at a major music event coming soon.
 
DA: What is on the agenda for your art and music the rest of the year? Where can we see and hear everything?
 
JD: I am now getting my record label Deep Pocket Records in full throttle to release my new solo album “Vision Days On The Life Ride.”  We are brainstorming independent marketing strategies, especially for the web. That’s where music lives these days, when you’re not playing a live show. Continuing to sell my art privately and through galleries. Continue to raise money and awareness for various charity foundations with the proceeds from my art. You can find my music at www.humanbrother.com and my art at www.jdshultz.com. The Girl Without Fear site is being re-worked right now, but all the  tracks I co-wrote and produced can be streamed all over the web where the album is sold,like iTunes, Amazon, and CDbaby.com. Also MySpace and Facebook, of course. Of course!

Yuri Elvin is a talented artist and filmmaker in Los Angeles. View his work at www.yurielvin.com.

1. You’ve been a producer, an actor, below-the-line crew… What do you like to do most? Why?

Looking at filming as a whole I’ve found producing to be the most challenging. Unless you own the intellectual property or are a part of point participation, it can feel as if you are just making someone else’s film. As a producer, the responsibility to complete the film falls solely upon your shoulders, whether it’s your decisions or actions or anyone else’s. That can be frustrating during hour 18 of any day, but for sure rewarding when you wrap the work that you have followed through from conception.

For me, most of my “below-the-line” work has been as an AD (assistant director). This is an amazing experience because, you get to direct everything except the actors. Learning the balance between anticipating the next action and executing it well takes developed confidence. It also requires spiritual growth of eyes on the back of your head to be on point and predict the future. Any position, but especially AD, makes you count down the days till you can direct your own project, at the same time knowing that you can shave off the minutes and make your day all the while weighing the schedule versus crew contentment for the best possible result.

But acting is bliss. Knowing your character inside-and-out and being “off-book” is the greatest experience when you show up to a production that is already intact and running smooth. As an actor you carry a scene that helps to move the story. When you hear the words “moving on” you know that your performance is immortalized and you can empty the past to focus on the future. At the same time, as an actor you lack control of the vision of the film, so even though you are an essential artistic part of the medium, you still have to surrender to a faith in “the process”.

2. How did get your start in entertainment?

I began painting at age 2, and would do so on and off as a kid. I drew all through high school. When I was a senior in military school, one of the cadet’s parents came to shoot the weekend parade with 3 cameras. It was Shuki Levy of Saban (Power Rangers). It was so cool seeing it close up, that I decided to make movies.

After graduation my mother informed me that my college money was spent on straightening me out (the Academy), and that if I wanted to go to school I’d have to pay my own way, except for room and board, while I was enrolled. My grades suffered because I began to paint full time, work full time, and took a full load at school. I had to put away the art supplies until I had a career, or so they said. So, I did. I put my art supplies in a box and walked away.

I went from Santa Barbara City College, to UCSB for film studies, and then got a scholarship to AFI Masters Program in producing. That was fun. After school, I started to UPM and AD for a wonderful Kormanesque-producer who operated out of Sun Valley. I worked on low low-budget films for a couple of years. My jobs entailed everything from filing permits and driving the trucks, to convincing people to work for free and replacing them as fast as we lost them. Good times.

Next, I did a post graduate internship at Samuel Goldwyn. I was sitting down for my first day as they were firing their literary guy who had requested every teen vampire and werewolf script from every lit agency across LA. My job was to read all 40 of them and write coverage. The problem was that they all blurred together after the first week and my coverage was useless. When I left, they gave me a recommendation to work at an entertainment attorney/producer’s representative’s office. That was hell: a year at $400 a week, 12-hour days, learning how to lie and burn people, and tolerate his imp. I have never heard so much screaming and yelling about nothing. My step-father, on his deathbed, explained to me that “people only scream out of fear.” I realized it was the truth.

Thus, one day when I was rolling calls, my boss started his yelling, for no reason. I put him on hold. That changed the game. When he returned, he started yelling and screaming again. I waited patiently to speak. He finally quieted so I informed him that the yelling didn’t impress me anymore. I could yell too, and I was bigger than him. If he wanted to impress me he would have to start breaking things; it was my unofficial 2-week notice. I’ve never seen anyone afraid of loosing an employee for fear of what they may reveal about their practice. So I trained my replacement for 3 weeks, I was cut early, and my replacement followed me out the door. Great friend to this day.

Leaving the “office” I hopped back into AD work, joined SAG, and went to work with Wim Wenders for a few years. He put me in his movies and housed me every time my girlfriends kicked me out. God bless him. This would be a great time to not mention my brief yet substantial visit with the world of substance abuse. Lost a lot of friends again…

After I landed I decided to shut-off my mind for a bit. I did background work and a bit of production on the side. I quickly realized that being paid decent cash to sit on your ass, draw, write, talk to beautiful women all day, eat five-star catering at 6 hours in was bliss. I would show up to set for years with my backpack full of library books and just read, write, and research…and write, and write, and write…until the writers struck.

No work, no play, the idleness horrified my mother who was waiting for my life to fold in upon itself again. She drove down to LA and gave me my art supplies (which I had put away 15 years earlierin order to get better grades in school). In all that time, I had forgotten that I was an artist.

Within a year I jumped from smaller canvases to 3′x5′, as well as illustrated a book on psychology, I even had an 8′x’8′ piece hang in Pershing Square. I designed a few tattoos and had 3 gallery hangings.

Getting frustrated with trying to promote myself I decided to shut off my publicity and only paint for me. Through this my writing blossomed. Being on set everyday for almost 12 years made me pretty sharp in the filmmaking arena, as well I had about 100 new friends.

With the pending SAG strike and the whole town waiting for someone to create the work, I decided to do just that. I dusted off some outlines, combined 3 stories, and then shaved off the ridiculous.

3. You’ve recently seen quite a bit of success with painting. Have you always been a painter? If not, what led you into another form of artistic expression?

Yes I have recently had some success with painting, the TV pilot “Eastwick” written by Maggie Friedman just rented over 20 paintings from me for the design of the show. I am very excited to see if the show gets picked up. It will be the most exposure I have had. Maggie is really a very talented writer and it is an honor to be a part of her story world.

I believe that the need to create is somewhat programmed into my DNA. My father, Steve Elvin, was a painter in Marin County, California. My mother began to paint at 40 and is quite successful. I was painting at two years old. My mother says I would awake in the middle of the night and work on my easel. I have a photograph of myself painting as a child with a plastic pipe in my mouth. As a born artist, it frustrated my mother that I never kept steady at it. I picked it up again after high school, dropped it, but picked it up again recently after 15 years of forgetting that this is what I do. Then I wondered what would happen if I transformed my art into filmmaking. So, finally I have.

(End of Part 1)

*****

To contact Nate Barlow, please visit the contact page of his website at: NateBarlow.com. To contanct Yuri Elvin, email: yurielvin@yahoo.com or visit his website at: www.yurielvin.com.

Kristin Eppley is an amazing young painter and musician currently residing in Santa Monica, California. Check out her website: www.kristeneppley.com to view her amazing art and learn more about her. She currently working on three new paintings for which she is commissioned.