China Town Scouting

Im shooting on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday's shoot is for the Tatianas - a Indie , Rock band situated in Paris. Pierre is 18 years old ( middle ) is the lead singer and song writer. Timothee ( left) is the bassist. Lois ( right ) is drums. Flora Richard is there manager. A band with huge potential

Friday's shoot is for the band, Neimo. Neimo is everything you want them to be: cocky, brash, fashionable, raw, and loud. In other words, Neimo rocks. Neimo have just been signed by U.S based Shangri-la music a new music company headed by Jeff Ayeroff. Neimo is launching there second album “Modern Incidental” it is set for release this Spring. This deal will give them the chance to move to New York permantly and develope a fan base over there.

So the shoot im doing with them is rather different to what i would usually shoot. Or shall i say it just up my alley !! My concept is to have a japanese geisha oddly placed in the frame with them. Rock band versus geisha. I searched all over for the perfect specimen, and finally while browsing my friend GiGi Cheng's facebook friends i came across Crystal Ko. A perfect chinese geisha ( we will make her look japanese ) I met her for coffee the other night and asked the question. What is the difference between Japanese/Chinese/Korean ?? Alot of people get offended when i ask, and yes i have asked many times, but i never remember. They got there fingers and started pulling there eyes into weird directions , this is Chinese - straight slit eyes, this is japanese - slanted up slit eyes , and this is korean - slanted down slit eyes. They explained that most of the time they dont even know. So now i dont feel bad at all.

My second mission was to get a Kimono ( japanese robe ). I searched on the internet and only the first entry i found started like this - With the triumphant air of a sportsman who has landed his fish after a long and bitter struggle. yeah i figured that this was going to be a difficult task. I emailed my japanese Landlord Masako Sauliere and she forwarded my request to a few of her japanese friends. After 1 day i got an email from Gerald Menager, one of the partners from Kimonoya. Kimonoya is a shop in Paris that sells handcrafted traditonal japanese clothes and ornaments. Gerald told me to contact his wife Machi to enquire about the clothes. I phoned her today and arranged to rent the Kimono for 50 euro , but can probably get it cheaper.
Second mission completed

Third mission - Makeup artist and Hair stylist. I emailed makeup schools all over Paris, and have had no luck finding someone. I am desperate , and im already talking about doing the geisha makeup myself. I am hoping someone will help me. The reason i cant find anyone is because this whole shoot is a freebie.

fourth mission. I went location scouting for my 2 shoots yesterday. I decided to go to Chinatown in the 13th district. The 13th district, on the left bank, is really not my cup of tea although i think every district of Paris is small and unique in its own way. In the late 1970's and early 1980's this district really took off with the arrival of the "boat people" from Vietnam. This district had fallen victim to the depressing urban development started under the Gaullist government. This working class neighborhood was torn down and replaced by impersonal and ugly high rise buildings. No true Parisian can be found in this concrete jungle. But the Chinese people call it home, well there new promised land. The rents are cheap, there is plenty of space. They have built there own city - even the Mc Donalds takeaway looks like a chinese temple. There are over 150 restaurants in this southeastern part of Paris. Its definitely a place to visit. Just dont go on a Monday as its rather quiet and uninteresting. I did enjoy seeing the old Chinese woman with white hair selling fruit on the side of the road. I took a few pics to show you.

But I have definitely discovered the best place for my neimo shoot. Near the statue of liberty in Paris. Yes, Paris has 2 statues of liberty. We were watching National Treasury - book of secrets
( in france they call it Benjamin Gates et le livres des secrets ) on night and Benjamin gates discovered a clue on the statue of Liberty in Paris. Me and Brad both looked at each other in confusion, and said " i didnt know that !!" . Great so thats our location for our next shoot. Seeing Neimo has just been signed by a New York based company, this would be a good concept New York versus Paris. mmm..

The Statue of Liberty was presented by the people of France to the people of the United States in 1886 to honor the friendship between the two nations. Today, it is recognized as a symbol of liberty throughout the world. mmmm.. interesting. odd i wonder how the people of France feel about the american citizens. I dont think there is much love there. in fact, i know there's not.
It was established as a national monument in 1924. It underwent an extensive $86 million renovation, just in time for the Statue's 100th birthday in 1986. More than 5 million people visit the statue each year.