In the fall of 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University students Emma Ellsworth, Kenyatta Watts and Nathan Madden walked into a documentary film class as strangers—not only to each other, but to the art of film-making as well. The trio quickly developed an idea, narrowed a focus and began developing an outline for their film that was tentatively expected to explore the graffiti culture in Richmond.
In the three-months that followed, the trio worked diligently to learn all they could about graffiti’s history, purpose and perception. The team had no delusions that they would create the first film of its kind, as each knew graffiti has been well documented. The only hope was to produce a film that introduced graffiti in a different light and informed audiences from all cuts of cloth about an art form that is, at its roots, controversial yet beautiful. Their final product, 'Get up.' aired on PBS in January.
Our interview with one of the three film-makers Nathan Madden…
RVA TV: What was your connection to the graffiti scene that led you to document it?
NM: Heading into this, I had zero connection to the graffiti scene. Sure, I was an observer of the tags and graffiti pieces that I had seen around town, but I was unaware about what happened behind the scenes. I was completely blown away when I traveled to secluded areas where graffiti artists had done elaborate pieces. Vandalism, illegal, whatever … the real art isn't scribbled on the sidewalks and street signs. Some of the work out there is very impressive and is being thrown up in completely harmless places. It became clear to me that the more respected and talented artists pick their spots carefully. I think the graffiti we generally see around town—with the exception of a few pieces—doesn’t really do justice to what some of these people are capable of.
RVA TV: How was it collaborating with 2 other film-makers?
NM: This film was absolutely a group effort, and not just between me, Kenyatta, Emma and Kristine [executive producer, documentary instructor]. The artists who took the time to answer our questions really made the film possible. They all put themselves out there to try and help us understand something that is just completely over our heads. I think we all agree that our film serves as a good introduction to graffiti, like a Graffiti 101, but only scratches the surface.
RVA TV: What have you learn that you did not know before?
NM: I certainly look at graffiti differently now than I did pre-film. There is still so much that I don’t get, but I am aware of elements to look for. There are certain names now that jump out at me, certain tags … before making this movie I never would have noticed this stuff. I’ve been out fishing by the river and seen names on overpasses and bridges. It’s pretty interesting to see how much these people are putting their names out there.
RVA TV: So what can we expect in the future from you?
NM: I'd love to work on more short documentaries. I majored in journalism and currently work in print, but I definitely seek out opportunities to use film to supplement writing. The film equipment we had while I was in the School of Mass Comm at VCU wasn't always the most reliable, but damned if I don't miss having access to that stuff. All I have access to now is my dated laptop that doesn't really support editing software, so the video camera my folks gave me for graduation hasn't gotten a lot of use. Like most people these days, I'm pretty broke. I certainly intend to eventually invest in a more high-powered computer so that I can edit together videos for my friends bands, cookouts, outings and whatever else I might feel compelled to splice together. I just want to take on little projects that keep my skills sharp.