My Boss-u-mentary

I've been collaborating with a best friend of mine for about 8 years now. We spent our first 2 years in South Florida as students, producing art shows (he called them experiments) trying to change our school and every student and teacher in it. We spent our last 6 years in NYC as professionals, producing campaigns on sustainability, trying to change our world, or at least the minds of everyone living in and affecting it. (Before you think I'm bragging or coming off cocky, with only 3 people reading and 1 person commenting on my blog, we've obviously got a ways to go.)

While working together, we've been lucky enough to travel the globe on photo shoots and "fam trips". We've been to Scotland, the Caribbean, Mexico, and most recently Dominica, all on our clients' poor exchange rate dimes. We've had our work published in National Magazines and hung in Times Square. And f***k, we've even met and collaborated with the likes of photographer Sebastião Salgado and Harrison Ford.

It was during one of our many "remember back when we..." sessions that my friend and boss said we should document and record what we're doing. That in a few years we would love to look back on, and share our mistakes and achievements. That we might just possibly be making history. Not necessarily "lay down in front of a tank, world-altering history," but at least "I think I saw that on YouTube kinda' history." Now this wasn't the first time he had said this. And it wasn't the first time I agreed that I loved the idea–the idea in theory that is. But I never actually took him seriously.

Until about 2 weeks ago, when he showed up to work with his video camera, and a claim that he just ordered 100 DV tapes, declaring in so many words, "This is the day our documentary begins." When I asked him who was going to film it, he basically said he would film some and he would hire an outsider to film most of it. But either way he would have control over the edit.

This has raised a bunch of questions in my mind that I could really use help in answering. (1) Can one person decide he/she is going to document the lives and work of others without their consent? (2) Can it truly be called a documentary about a group if one of the stars has control over the edit? (3) Will any of us remain friends after all is said, recorded, editing and screened? (Number 3 I have to admit, along with what picture of me will be painted, is what worries me most. Will I come off as the agency's foundation or the agency toolbox?)

I praised Startup.com, religiously watched The House of Boateng, and ironically enough am watching "Long Way Around" as I am writing this. I love these kinds of documentaries about creative people trying to achieve what appears to be the impossible. I just wonder how much I'll enjoy and believe in them after going through the process myself.

One last question. Am I in a way creating a self-directed, self-edited, zero-consent "documentary" about the same group myself by publishing this story without their permission?

Comments

[jimmiestone]

I dont remember anything the day after Antartica, can we film that?

[alan]

ok, i will now comment. not b/c i feel bad that your girlfriend was the only one for a while, but because i'm really starting to like this thing.

he thinks he will capture the agency as it really is just because the resolution on cameras has gotten better, but this coming from a man that tenses up like a frog with an m-80 up it's ass when the lens turns to him. he should know that to see what we are really doing, you can film it, or blog about it, or email it... you just have to come to antarctica with us.

-A

[4 th. reader]

I think I know what you say. But is important to know that Control he, will not have. It will be based on the I-ching, a continuation of Cage's experiments. A sort of VOID on VOID type of experiment.
So If you worry about your image, just be you!, because that will be the only way you will come out like a human.
God is recording us anyway, and no human can be god, because we are all god, so lets record us. Confucing yes, thats the point. How can we will explain without going back to our past.
By the way, the episode on friday, was a juicy and dramatic, that is gonna break the ratings!, you looked great, and the boss friend of yours look like an bad editor.
great blog!, and I am looking forward to the screening.