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Oakland Angles Against Film and Art by Doniphan Blair
After the Oakland Film Office left its star with CineSource Magazine for safe keeping, staff started using it to meditate on Oakland cinema.photo: S. Middlestein
As if Oakland's troubles are not enough, it continues angling against its film and arts communities, despite their proven capacity to generate money and mental health.
The city ended the performance piece that was the Oakland Occupy and its vibrant art scene. The entrepreneurial Art Murmur Gallery Night is an obvious success but, it too, is being threatened with tougher policing. And the elementary and high schools are phasing out art and music education.
On the film front, the city sacked its esteemed commissioner, Ami Zins, halved its Film Office staff and continues to squeeze its Film Center, putting their longterm residency at the old Oakland Army Base in question, see article.
Oakland has even turned against yours truly, stiffing CineSource on ad payments, postponing ad contracts, and hampering the studio that puts it together, A Media, with excessive bureaucracy and insurance requirements. Improving the latter are two simple ways for Oakland to save money.
On top of the millions paid here in taxes, fees and salaries by Hollywood, Hollywood North and commercial projects—that are now dropping due to the Film Office cutback, there is the immense contingent of filmmakers. Yet to achieve Art Murmur visibility levels, it will eventually, I am convinced, due to the Murmur's leadership, California's cutting-edge capacity and the sheer number of filmmakers.
How many exactly? Well, it's hard to say but whenever CineSource does an Oakland issue (April 2009, June 2011), our hits jump over 400%! We also know they are extremely diverse: from Pixar people to DIYers, some taking the limo to the airport, others making features for the price of a used Honda.
Contrary to the shouts of "We are the 99%," which are laudable in other regards, the rich are instrumental in keeping the high arts aloft, especially film. But they often don't know from new and visionary art frequently comes from below—as we can see with the Oakland Occupy or Art Murmur.
In two years, the Murmur has emerged from almost nowhere and now attracts some 5000 folks monthly for the gallery stroll, the circus-like atmosphere—replete with sidewalk artists, musicians and food vendors—and a few fine folk buying the increasingly better art. The Occupy also inspired musicians, plen air painters, silkscreeners and flash mobs—including an over a hundred dancer piece by One People—but it had poor media management, surprising considering the leadership the alt-media mag Adbusters.
'I should go back and be a student again, and do student films,' says Francis Ford Coppola in Gary Leva's great doc 'Fog City Mavericks.'
The Bay Area became an unbelievable center of cinema innovation and success in the 1970 and 80s with Lucas's "Star Wars", Coppola's "Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now", Saul Zaentz's "One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest", Philip Kaufman's "Right Stuff" and much more. Although that astounding paragon is unduplicatable, if we hope to even approach its heights, we need something fresh, more personal, postmodern and penetrating.
"I have always thought... that everything I did was an experiment for some future time... The irony is that... at the age of 65, I think I should go back and be a student again, and do student films, but with this great wisdom I have learned over these years," says Francis Ford Coppola in "Bay City Mavericks" (2008), Gary Leva's masterful documentary our Golden Cinema Age.
Master Francis also said, in 1991: You know, that suddenly one day, some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the next Mozart and make a beautiful film with her little father's camcorder. And for once, this whole 'professionalism' about movie making will be destroyed forever and lead into an art form... That's my opinion."
Instead of incredible adventures and period pieces ranging across time and space, these features will be about life. And where is there more life (and death) around here than in Oakland. It is simply too hard to be a gritty soulful filmmaker in San Francisco or Marin—a couple of the richest places on the planet. How can they serve as a location or inspiration or incubator—save for tragedy, like the absence of love among the elite?
The Art Murmur is pointing the way with some seriously self-revealing video art, notably at the Krowswork Gallery, owned by Jasmine Moorhead. This month, Monet Clark bares both her soul and her body, and some complex local issues like marihuana growing, in a half a dozen stunning, highdef and large-displayed performance pieces.
Monet Clark in her 'Look Book' series (lft-rt: Trimmer, Dakini and Muse), now showing at Oakland's Krowswork Gallery.
Despite a disinterested city, CineSource will continue advocating aggressively. Before she was fired, Ami Zins entrusted us with the Oakland Film Office's faux Hollywood star, symbolizing a sacred cinema troth. Indeed, CineSource recently acquired the URL ShootOakland.com (to be developed as interest and income allow), and started the campaign, "Shoot Oakland (Cameras Only, Please)".
A little flip, perhaps, since it plays with Black Panther iconography (if you think it is in bad taste, let me know) but brutal honesty and irony is necessary for art to access the untouchable. CineSource also supports a Panthers' monument in West Oakland's DeFremery Park, to honor and learn from that history—critical today with the Occupy Movement's talk of revolution.
On November 29th, eight people were shot in West Oakland, including a one year-old child—who tragically died. Would a "Shoot Oakland (Cameras Only Please)" campaign make any difference to those shooters? Probably not but the arts, including public service advertising, are still a good counterstrategy to low self -esteem and -expression. Although it was initially rumored the victims were making a music video—local rapper Kafani was nearby and Jewish-black-Canadian rapper Drake was mentioned, which would have added irony to injury, it appears untrue.
Between the Oakland Occupy on one hand, the Oakland Murmur on the other, and Oakland's city severe budget cuts, we have to figure out how to become more functional on our own through the arts, volunteerism and other innovations. Filmmakers with their expertise in mixed economies—grants, credit cards, interns and sales—can lead the way.
Cut the city bureaucracy through a blueribbon committee; stimulate the dialogue between the different parties; look for those embers of insight and genius and give them air, visibility and critique. At least that's what CineSource is hoping to do—feel free to or join with us anytime.