Gents Classic Cuts @gentsclassiccuts

Screen grab from Gents Classic Cuts Barbershop.

Things are different on this side. Here is a return to the classic space of a barbershop.

S.07.2019

I was going to Gents Classic Cuts for months and never mentioned camera work. Honestly I didn't know if I could do it justice. It's so dope the meticulous details, and the vibe in this shop. I get teleported to a vintage era every time I walk in. I feel like that runner's high you get... that vibe Goku gets when he is about to get out of his time capsule. Just always wanted to be a fly on the wall and soak up the vibes of the shop in real time. This is how it feels to my eyes. Just felt the shop needed to be showcased in some way. I was going to do a feature piece inspired by the video below:

However, the guys at the shop decided to keep it simple and clean. They wanted a quicker turn around. I enjoyed the simplified ideas they had and their suggestions to have the second part of the video in black and white, to return to the classic space of a barbershop.

Their creative direction helped steam roll this into a return to the classic gents man cave we all know and love. I'd say this is an 80% done project. If I could finish it I would have the guys near some of their antique cars and just catch candid moments of them outside after they closed the shop.

- MCMXX

ROAD TO 30 @AIRVINCE1

Vince Alvarado reflects on 30 years of life from his adolescence in Florida to accolades in New York City. As Vince enters his thirties he is ready to carve a new path.

I Said No to the Super Bowl, You Need Me I Don't Need You

S06.2019

I met Vince while in college. We bounded through, amongst other things, hip-hop and the art of an untold story. Vince called last week and told me the same day I sent him the final edit, he had turned in his resignation letter. He wanted to take some time out of the corporate world to redefine his creativity and build his portfolio. He described sitting in Times Square after he turned in his resignation letter and just having this brief moment to himself - thoughts pacing from fear to opportunity. We discussed how the timing of this project was art imitating life.

I've worked with Vince to direct and produce some features on his Train of Thought NYC YouTube series. One that I am most proud of is the feature on @DanielGotHits.

Vince currently lives in New York, and in November he wanted to collaborate on some video projects. The one he was most passionate about was a letter to himself and his parents about entering his 30's. He asked me to film and produce the project. He would run the loose theme of a letter with the footage I produced, and I could reinterpret the project as I liked for my own portfolio. I let Vince know close to my house there was a park that had an eerie forest vibe, and the forest could symbolize how one's journey is never a straight and narrow path.

After bouncing a few ideas around we decided to shoot in the forest/park, and drive to our old university. I also played around with some footage I had for a segment on Vince for his own series, Train of Thought NYC.

I wrote audio for Vince to VO over the footage, and I later used reverb and spread out the lines to elongate the message/speech. I'm content with my first project o the new year. My first quarter goal is to produce my own webisode series.

I said no to the Super Bowl

You need me I don't need you

Ape Shit | 02. Apeshit

Hov

02.04.19

- MCMXX

TRAIN OF THOUGHT NYC @AirVince1

Vince reflecting on his time in New York City, birth place to his parents and family. His homecoming has led him to many journeys throughout the years as a resident to Harlem and Brooklyn. See how he embraces the essence of NY.

And Since I Made it Here, I Can Make it Anywhere

S05.2019

How fitting this is issue 19, and this is 2019. I originally finished the draft around 2017/2018 and thought I lost it. It was bugging the heck out of me. I wanted to get better at putting things out into the world, even if it felt like a draft to me, an unfinished product, it still can inspire someone or show that my potential has not yet been reached. I'm growing, I'm progressing. I randomly found it backed up in my google drive last week after a year or so of thinking I lost the draft. I kept the assembly of edits the same and added some music by producer Musikal. I added a touch of reverb on Vince's voice to give it a spoken/word hip hop interlude type effect.

Vince has been working on a webisode series titled Train of Thought NYC, where he shadows New Yorkers in their element of doing street performances/services near underground train transits. He asked if I could do a segment on him, where he talks about what it takes to survive in NYC, and what embodies the essence of the city.

And since I made it here

I can make it anywhere

Blueprint 3 | 05. Empire State of Mind

Hov

01.17.19

- MCMXX