Education
Blake FarberDirector / Film Maker and Guitarist of Olde Yorke http://blakefarber.com/Recorded 3/20/19 at the Eliot Hotel in Boston, MA in snow storm. Blake had just flew in from Singapore the nigh before, gave a talk the Berkley college of music, and then was just about to fly back to New York. What we talk about: Blake played guitar in Olde York. Played Europe, Japan, all over the states. Always lived in Manhattan. Born and Raised. One of Blake’s first show was Youth Brigade at CBGBs. How the closing of CBGBs marked a demarcation of a changing New York. Is New York the center of the world? Blake has been to 42 countries, his base is New York as the world and the diversity is there. Blake went to LA in 2002-2003. Dropped out of LA. Wrote a film script at 16, guidance counselor told him he would be working at IBM soon…a discouraged Blake left and went to work on movie sets as a gripper and making his own movies with friends in LA. Decided to go back to NYC. That was his “film school.” At age 17, got a fake ID on St. Mark’s place (Punk)…met some older dudes in a bar, started old yorke with his brother on drums. That led to tour but decided to make music videos to promote his band his tour. From there, networking through hardcore and punk to shoot music videos. When the DSLR world came out (Digital single-lens reflex camera), the technology allowed for easy travel and to make high quality videos. How did Blake made this life: -Networking / Travel. Invested in trips. -Made a portfolio-“Being cool”…attitude helps -Ingenuity-DIY Ethos. Blake’s two most ‘punk’ things he ever done: -Got fired / kicked out from MTV-Gave a talk / guest lecture at Harvard…Blake is a high school drop out. Go to school / university because you want to, not because you feel like you need to. I Origins, 2014. Movie quote: “To me, the best thing about living like a lab rat is that sometimes, really rare times, you actually discover something.” Directing Beyonce’s “Countdown” music video in 2011. https://youtu.be/2XY3AvVgDnsMTV in Times square and the dentist appointment. Shooting a Kotex commercial in Bangkok on Christmas day.https://vimeo.com/284929001A lot of recent jobs have been in commercials in Asia recently (at least once or twice a year). Ad agency goes to a production company and then they go to a director. How do you shoot on location in Asia when you live in New York? Filming in Singapore airport. Learning photography by trial and error and visual cues. Director cuts vs. what is actually released. Always shoot extra film in digital. A minute long commercial is at least a two to three day shoot with at least three different locations.Directing and filming the Oppo RealMe commercial in New York.https://vimeo.com/29538957…in only two days. How commercials these days are mini movies. Working on directing his first full length film. The curse of being self critical and its importance. Directing an ad campaign for peace for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games https://vimeo.com/163687351…and paying off the main drug lord with cash so that he could shoot in a Favela. City of God and Elite Squad. “Just Do It”