1. What made you choose to create a documentary film? At what point did you decide to make this film?
We started filming random weirdness in my life many years ago while I was touring the country tattooing. I have a vault of tapes that would kill an elephant. I was filming some short YouTube stuff about abused pitbulls before the Vick case broke. The project grew, the experiences got more intense, some of my friends in LA wanted to be in the film, and presto, we found a real live movie happening. The story is intense, definitely not Animal Planet type sh*t.
2. What are your hopes and ambitions for this film?
I hope that the film is seen by people that are in some way changed or motivated. Not to save dogs, but to do something. Something positive in their lives and in the lives of those random weirdos that float in and out of life like disposable ketchup packets. There is so much happening around all of us so often that it becomes a blur, a lifeless experience of stagnation. Stagnation is life on pause, as is frustration. I hope that this film in some way kills that sh*t for someone somewhere, and they do something awesome for someone or something they don't know. Random awesomeness.
3. Do you have any formal education in film making?
I did some home porno in college. Does that count? I still have the footage.
4. Did you have an art direction when creating the footage or were most of the scenes home movies that were edited together?
I had a very distinct direction while we were filming and while we were editing. Much of the home movie stuff was added here and there, and found its way into the story.
5. How did you decide what to include in this documentary?
With as many hundreds of hours as we had to argue about, it was really more of a question of "what are we definitely NOT going to use"??? Much of the footage was not in any way related to the storyline and I didn't want to include random weird shit from my life more than necessary. Shock value debauchery was NOT something I wanted to utilize at all, but of course everyone involved in editing kept returning to that. It is an easy jump for people who don't really know me personally to force feed that drunken gun shooting tattooed lunatic portrait down the throats of the viewer. It was a difficult aspect of the project for me.
6. How did you balance your time between creating a film and your businesses?
I didn't it ruined my life and it sucked. I took on way to many things at one time. I learned a lot from that.
7. How did you find funding for the film? Was it self-funded?
I ran all my companies financially into the ground (not literally but almost!) to complete this film, but they are back in full force baby. My tattoo career, the studio in Atlanta (www.AllorNothingTattoo.com) , and my online retail company (www.Strangleholdmerch.com funded this film 100%. No partners, or distractions. Most of it was filmed by my friends and family. It is as independent a movie as any film ever made in the history of earth. It was very difficult, a long expensive crazy process. But that way we could make it any way we wanted to. I think the "F" word is in the film about 200 times?
8. How do you believe your personality was portrayed in this film?
I don't like that part at all. No one can ever make anything about me without using guns and money and adolescent behavior. It's limited mostly to the beginning of the film, but it still bugs me. One of the producers felt it was vital, and everything was late, so we left that old footage in. Much of the footage is over 10 years old, filmed on a slew of cheap ass cameras over the years. The most recent footage was filmed by a production company, albeit small and ghetto, nonetheless "real" cameras began showing up. This topic is actually even discussed in the film itself.
9. Are there similarities and/or differences between tattooing and film making?
Mostly differences. In tattooing you are alone, by yourself as an artist, creating artwork specifically for a person, it is extremely permanent, efficient, and personal. Film making is for a broad audience, to be viewed and judged by the anonymous masses, and is reliant on a group effort. It is much more like creating music to me. I was a musician prior to tattooing and in a band you are reliant on the performance and creativity of others, where-as in tattooing it is a solo thing. Many of the people involved in the film were exceptional people, passionate, fiery, motherf*ckers. I think that translates to the viewer in some way, but it is definitely not what it would have been if I had created it myself. Filming an interview or experience, or landscape is art just as much as any other medium. The technical aspect of actually editing that art, is much like doing math in my head. Frustrating. This is where opposing influence dilutes the original art, and by the time it is digested by the viewer it has been diluted and set to music and changed. Tattooing is not like that. It is much more deliberate and beautiful... to me.
10. What was your favorite part of the process?
The premiere in Vegas, and in LA were fun. So I guess the END was the best part! When the project was completed. Art is never really complete, just abandoned.
11. How long did it take for you to create this work from start to finish?
Much of the footage is 10+ years old and is from my years of touring, travelling, partying, so technically this project is the culmination of a lot of destroyed video cameras and police reports. There is even boobies. We cut out all pornographic material however. It is a damn charity film after all. It doesn't view like one.
12. Do you have any advice for others who want to create a film?
Be careful who you work with 100%. Artistic collaboration is key. Be careful. This is where I made my largest mistake. In the interest of time and money, I brought in some folks I shouldn't have. Making a film is very much like painting with multiple artists. In my tattoo studio we do a lot of collaborative tattooing (more than one artist on same client). If the artist I'm working with is a douche bag, well it's not going to be any fun and the imagery and execution itself will reveal that. Same with film.
13. Do you plan to continue to create documentaries?
I'm working on a secret project now. Not a documentary, but something very special.
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