People think that I'm crazy because I generally detest shooting Red Carpet Movie Premieres (they actually think that I crazy for a lot of other things, too). They say, "oh, the glamour, the excitement, the stars"! Well, yeah, so? I add fuel to the fire when I say things like, "I was so close to Angelina that I could smell her perfume"! For reasons that I can't quite fathom, this gets most people very excited. And I've shot them all; Brad, George, Angelina, Madonna, J.Lo, and blah, blah, blah, blah.
So, it's fair to ask, "what could be so terrible about that? It sure beats getting shot at or hurricaned on"! Well, as usual with me, it's esoteric in nature. Why should I use my skills as a photographer to make famous people more famous? Why should I make celebrities more celebrated? Why should I make the super rich, richer? Because by covering these events that's exactly what I'm doing! These events are staged at great cost to promote the release of a new movie and the stars that act in them. It's a self-perpetuating machine that is designed to keep the industry constantly in the public eye. Furthermore, as a society we WORSHIP the cult of celebrity. It has become so prevalent in modern culture that we have created new phrases to describe the phenomenon. Being famous for being famous is the latest term coined to fit this niche in modern society. I need to use only one name to make my case: Kim Kardashian.
Movie studios usually spare no expense to make the premiere a "glamorous" affair, at least for the celebrities. It's another story for the cameramen who are crammed into position like so much cattle or smelly sardines! Each celebrity is surrounded by dozens of assistants, publicists, security, and other hangers-on making a clear shooting angle difficult. That's why the photographers bring step-stools with them. They use them to shoot "down" on their subject and past the crowd! It all makes for, what we call in the industry, a pig fuck - lots of squealing signifying nothing!
What's equally ironic for me is that I wouldn't go to most of the movies whose premiere's I'm covering!! Tonight is a prime example. I'm scheduled to cover the RC Premiere of Haywire at the Sunshine Theater on East Houston St. This winner is about a spy who gets double-crossed and seeks revenge. Wow! That's an original idea. And here's the best part; it's not a super-guy-spy, it's a super-chick-spy! Give me a freakin' break!! How predictable and trite. I wouldn't see this film with YOUR dime. But Hollywood will keep making them and keep selling them and keep making money on them as long as you keep buying them. And I'll keep covering the premieres because they pay me to do it. Yes, I'm a whore, too!
Look, the bottom line is this: I want my work to mean SOMETHING. And this ain't it!! Shakespeare said it best, "this is all sound and fury, signifying nothing"! And look for my photos tomorrow! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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