sent this to www.indianafilms.tv today. it only BEGINS to sum up last nite, heheh...
"To Whom it May Concern:
I attended the Oblique/Mantis show at the Starlite Skating Rink in Winchester, Indiana last night (4/3/04), where your company was shooting a video for Mantis' song "Adam & Evil." Overall, I found your camera crew to be respectful and professional, but I must admit I was appalled, and furthermore disgusted, at the actions of one of your cameramen, whose name I do not know. Mantis is a straightforward, fun, all-out rock 'n' roll band. As a friend of a couple of their members, I can say with certainty that they possess an enormous amount of integrity and intellect, not to mention a profound kindness and appreciation towards their fans. Your company's --- or perhaps, cameraman's --- decision to put two girls up front (whom I assume are employed by Indiana Films, by the call for female models on your website), was ridiculous and offensive, to say the least. I say this because I was standing directly behind a small boy who had been watching the band the entire time, dancing around, having a good time and enjoying the music. Your cameraman pushed these two girls past him...two girls who had absolutely no interest in the band, their music, or anything that was going on around them, two girls that simply "looked good." The girls were pushed in front of many fans who were enjoying the music, but this particular boy --- who could not have been older than ten years --- continued to dance and have a good time. Your cameraman stopped filming the girls twice in order to tell this young boy to move back out of his shot, and the third time literally shoved the boy, who was on roller skates and unsteady as it was, out of the way and told him once more to stay out of his shot, while the girls blankly and numbly shook their behinds and smugly grinned for the camera.
Perhaps this is standard practice while shooting a music video. I know of many music videos featuring pretty girls who probably know nothing of the band they are standing in front of, mindlessly shaking their asses along to the beat. That's fine. But as a friend and fan of Mantis, the act of literally pushing a young child on roller skates backwards, in order to shoot two girls who stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the band's actual fans, is utterly and completely despicable. It is not only disrespectful to the child, but to Mantis' fans and to Mantis themselves.
I am not so naive as to think that this e-mail will instantly change these practices, but I do hope that it will at least force your company to re-think their practices and take into account the people who help to support and uphold Muncie's local musicians. The girls who were so callously pushed up in front of Mantis' fans were NOT a true representation of the band's fanbase --- they were placed there by your company simply for looks. I understand that. But in the future, it is my hope that your company will sprout a heart, a feel, for the bands for which you are shooting. Pushing a young boy out of the way to shoot two girls placed there by your company had absolutely no artistic merit.
For a company supposedly working for artists, this seems strange to me. And extremely, extremely disheartening.
Sincerely,
Xx j xX"
yeah.
