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A Low-Budget Film That Almost Cost Me My Life
by Eric “Protein” Moseley
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Unhoused filmmaker Eric Moseley hard at work in downtown Los Angeles. image: E. Moseley AS AN ADOLESCENT, I WAS ALWAYS
fascinated by footage captured from wars. I was attracted to film of historical combat but the most devastating stories to me would come from what was going on at that time, mainly the footage and photos from the unexplainable Vietnam War.
For some reason, I was fascinated by the raw footage of reality captured on the battlefield by photojournalists risking their lives to bring those stories, that hadn't been regularly reported before on local broadcasting, directly into our living rooms. Through a 19-inch, black-and-white television, I had the opportunity to witness how the reporters put their lives alongside soldiers trained to kill.
The war correspondents' position carried them to the most devastating areas of the planet. Once there, they endeavored to draw near enough to the activity to give composed records, photographs or films. Accordingly, this is commonly viewed as the riskiest type of news coverage. The risk alone is what made it so exciting.
No one who likes raw footage will ever say to a risk-taking documentary filmmaker, "I liked your film, but only if the lighting would have been a little bit better when the lion attempted to attack the local villagers.” Or, "If you could have just held the camera still when you were filming the shootout between the LAPD and the bank robbers.”
But it doesn't matter. You can get away with low-quality production when you know your content is what the audience is in search of. The riskier it is, the more compelling it will be.
Several years later, I became a single parent of my daughter Erica. I also developed an addiction to the powerful drug of crack cocaine, a complex descent which took us on travels from coast to coast and caused us to be unhoused in many different regions of the country.
By the grace of God, however, I was able to turn my life around, give Erica good education (she is a media worker and activist for the homeless in San Francisco) and become a social impact documentary filmmaker. Like the Vietnam war photojournalists, I found myself filming in a warzone that was somewhat different but had some similarities, what has been called “the war on homelessness.”
I have always been a risktaker. I believe that it is crucial in in documentary filmmaking but also many lines of work. Of course, the soldiers in the Vietnam war were courageous risktakers. As the soldiers shot each other with rifles, the journalist shot at both parties with a camera.
Those risks were responsible for me becoming known for what I do in different regions of the world. That led to me becoming part of the book “Unsung Hero: 25 Inspiring Stories of Kindness During the Covid-19 Pandemic", one of people covered for their extra kindness during the Covid-19 pandemic which was created by Story Terrace (a leading memoir writing service), which came out in 2020.
Moseley with the new book 'Unsung Heroes', which features his story. image: E. Moseley In reality, it almost cost me my life. Sure, I could have strived to become a documentary filmmaker who covers stories such as how Disneyland makes their cotton candy, or how blue jays fly south to escape the winter. No disrespect to those types of documentary filmmakers, but for myself, I had to be a little more adventurous.
Hence, I have produced several documentaries concerning raising awareness of homelessness. As a filmmaker, I, too, found myself in some dangerous areas alongside some dangerous individuals.
I have been taking a risk ever since I first picked up a camera and began shooting. My first experience with that process happened while making my debut documentary, “Skid Row Journey” (which was supposed to be a pilot for a reality show). The underground documentary was shot on location in skid row Los Angeles, New York, and Georgetown, South Carolina.
My life was on the line almost constantly while shooting in LA and New York, but not so much in Georgetown. Not only the conditions were much better, in comparison to the big cities, but I knew many people there. Thanks to Grandma Thompson (R.I.P.) and Barbara Thomson for providing me a safe place to shoot inside their home on Duke St.
Also, I would like to thank my ‘Li’l’” brother from another mother, Antonio “L.I.F.E.” Thompson for appearing in the film’s dream sequences.
Just being in LA at times can become risky. But if you add being surrounded by people who have nothing to lose and were accustomed to using violence to survive, that can pretty regularly put you into harm's way. Not to mention my camera was a Hi-8 video camera, the top of the line for homemade productions.
Even though I knew many people among the unhoused who line the streets of downtown LA, that was not cushion enough in such a teeming metropolis. Nevertheless I got about 2 1/2 hours' worth of raw footage of compelling homeless stories.
I soon after traveled to New York and found myself living in the back of Port Authority, near 42nd St and 8th Avenue. My daughter and I had done the Big Apple a couple of times before, but this time around, it was just me, God, and my camera,
I recall standing on a corner looking for someone who I could trust to hold my camera as I did an introduction. The man who I asked to assist me looked at me strangely said. "Do you know where you're at?” I said, “Yes, I do, but do you know where I've been?”
I then showed him the footage that I had previously captured from skid rows across the country. Fascinated, he gave me a “hood pass.” I knew that I had to complete what I had started and I was willing to do it by all means necessary.
Later, I produced several other documentaries. Some of the films had higher production values but with no comparison to my three latest films as far as notoriety. While it was bad enough dealing with the lonely and forgotten, I was faced with an even deadlier situation, Covid-19.
At the end of filming my latest documentary “In Correspondence With Eric Protein Moseley”, I began to feel ill. I immediately took a Covid test and tested positive. I cannot say for sure exactly where I contracted it from because I deal with all walks of life. To me Covid-19 was comparable to seven days of death, while still being alive.
Nevertheless, when making a documentary, you have to put it all on the line in order to get a good story, perhaps even putting your life in harm's way.
Ultimately, you are the storyteller. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how big your crew is. According the director Ron Howard, "It doesn't matter how much money you have to spend, it`s what you're capturing inside frame lines that going to have an impact on the audience or not."
Eric “Protein” Moseley is a filmmaker, actor and homeless consultant who lives in Los Angeles and can be reached
Posted on Oct 24, 2021 - 02:53 PM
by Eric “Protein” Moseley
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
Unhoused filmmaker Eric Moseley hard at work in downtown Los Angeles. image: E. Moseley fascinated by footage captured from wars. I was attracted to film of historical combat but the most devastating stories to me would come from what was going on at that time, mainly the footage and photos from the unexplainable Vietnam War.
For some reason, I was fascinated by the raw footage of reality captured on the battlefield by photojournalists risking their lives to bring those stories, that hadn't been regularly reported before on local broadcasting, directly into our living rooms. Through a 19-inch, black-and-white television, I had the opportunity to witness how the reporters put their lives alongside soldiers trained to kill.
The war correspondents' position carried them to the most devastating areas of the planet. Once there, they endeavored to draw near enough to the activity to give composed records, photographs or films. Accordingly, this is commonly viewed as the riskiest type of news coverage. The risk alone is what made it so exciting.
No one who likes raw footage will ever say to a risk-taking documentary filmmaker, "I liked your film, but only if the lighting would have been a little bit better when the lion attempted to attack the local villagers.” Or, "If you could have just held the camera still when you were filming the shootout between the LAPD and the bank robbers.”
But it doesn't matter. You can get away with low-quality production when you know your content is what the audience is in search of. The riskier it is, the more compelling it will be.
Several years later, I became a single parent of my daughter Erica. I also developed an addiction to the powerful drug of crack cocaine, a complex descent which took us on travels from coast to coast and caused us to be unhoused in many different regions of the country.
By the grace of God, however, I was able to turn my life around, give Erica good education (she is a media worker and activist for the homeless in San Francisco) and become a social impact documentary filmmaker. Like the Vietnam war photojournalists, I found myself filming in a warzone that was somewhat different but had some similarities, what has been called “the war on homelessness.”
I have always been a risktaker. I believe that it is crucial in in documentary filmmaking but also many lines of work. Of course, the soldiers in the Vietnam war were courageous risktakers. As the soldiers shot each other with rifles, the journalist shot at both parties with a camera.
Those risks were responsible for me becoming known for what I do in different regions of the world. That led to me becoming part of the book “Unsung Hero: 25 Inspiring Stories of Kindness During the Covid-19 Pandemic", one of people covered for their extra kindness during the Covid-19 pandemic which was created by Story Terrace (a leading memoir writing service), which came out in 2020.
Moseley with the new book 'Unsung Heroes', which features his story. image: E. Moseley Hence, I have produced several documentaries concerning raising awareness of homelessness. As a filmmaker, I, too, found myself in some dangerous areas alongside some dangerous individuals.
I have been taking a risk ever since I first picked up a camera and began shooting. My first experience with that process happened while making my debut documentary, “Skid Row Journey” (which was supposed to be a pilot for a reality show). The underground documentary was shot on location in skid row Los Angeles, New York, and Georgetown, South Carolina.
My life was on the line almost constantly while shooting in LA and New York, but not so much in Georgetown. Not only the conditions were much better, in comparison to the big cities, but I knew many people there. Thanks to Grandma Thompson (R.I.P.) and Barbara Thomson for providing me a safe place to shoot inside their home on Duke St.
Also, I would like to thank my ‘Li’l’” brother from another mother, Antonio “L.I.F.E.” Thompson for appearing in the film’s dream sequences.
Just being in LA at times can become risky. But if you add being surrounded by people who have nothing to lose and were accustomed to using violence to survive, that can pretty regularly put you into harm's way. Not to mention my camera was a Hi-8 video camera, the top of the line for homemade productions.
Even though I knew many people among the unhoused who line the streets of downtown LA, that was not cushion enough in such a teeming metropolis. Nevertheless I got about 2 1/2 hours' worth of raw footage of compelling homeless stories.
I soon after traveled to New York and found myself living in the back of Port Authority, near 42nd St and 8th Avenue. My daughter and I had done the Big Apple a couple of times before, but this time around, it was just me, God, and my camera,
I recall standing on a corner looking for someone who I could trust to hold my camera as I did an introduction. The man who I asked to assist me looked at me strangely said. "Do you know where you're at?” I said, “Yes, I do, but do you know where I've been?”
I then showed him the footage that I had previously captured from skid rows across the country. Fascinated, he gave me a “hood pass.” I knew that I had to complete what I had started and I was willing to do it by all means necessary.
Later, I produced several other documentaries. Some of the films had higher production values but with no comparison to my three latest films as far as notoriety. While it was bad enough dealing with the lonely and forgotten, I was faced with an even deadlier situation, Covid-19.
At the end of filming my latest documentary “In Correspondence With Eric Protein Moseley”, I began to feel ill. I immediately took a Covid test and tested positive. I cannot say for sure exactly where I contracted it from because I deal with all walks of life. To me Covid-19 was comparable to seven days of death, while still being alive.
Nevertheless, when making a documentary, you have to put it all on the line in order to get a good story, perhaps even putting your life in harm's way.
Ultimately, you are the storyteller. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how big your crew is. According the director Ron Howard, "It doesn't matter how much money you have to spend, it`s what you're capturing inside frame lines that going to have an impact on the audience or not."
Eric “Protein” Moseley is a filmmaker, actor and homeless consultant who lives in Los Angeles and can be reached
Posted on Oct 24, 2021 - 02:53 PM
