BODY TYPED

NEW WEBSITE!!

2012-01-27T16:46:00.002-05:00

Very excited to announce the new BODYTYPEFILMPROJECT website. It is still in Beta, but we invite you to take a test drive.
Best,
Jesse

Poses

2011-08-29T16:21:00.000-04:00

More from the artist:
http://www.yolandadominguez.com/

L'Oreal UK ads banned for retouched photos

2011-07-27T17:46:00.000-04:00

(Reuters) - Two L'Oreal cosmetics adverts featuring actress Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy Turlington were banned in Britain by the Advertising Standards Agency on Wednesday, following complaints by MP Jo Swinson.

Liberal Democrat MP Swinson said the magazine adverts for foundations made by Maybelline and Lancome, both owned by L'Oreal, were misleading because the photos had been digitally altered.
The ASA upheld her claim and banned the adverts for Maybelline's "The Eraser" foundation featuring Turlington and Lancome's "Teint Miracle" starring the brand's ambassador Roberts, saying there was not enough evidence to show the retouched images accurately reflected what the products could achieve.
"Excessive airbrushing and digital manipulation techniques have become the norm, but both Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts are naturally beautiful women who don't need retouching to look great," said Swinson.
Lancome defended the image of Roberts as an "aspirational picture" of what the product could do and said her luminous complexion in the advert was down to her natural beauty and lighting used by the photographer Mario Testino. It said changes made by digital enhancement were not "directly relevant" to what the product was meant to achieve....

Full Article

Radio Show tomorrow am

2011-07-25T17:57:00.000-04:00

Looking forward to going on The Bill Newman Show tomorrow morning to talk about BODY TYPED, and a new project about Peter Blanchette & The Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra!

We are kicking off a fundrasing campaign to get us to Spain to film. If you are interested in making a donation here is the link!

Check out this article by Lisa Bloom on the Huffington Post

2011-06-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

"I went to a dinner party at a friend's home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time....."

How to Talk to Little Girls

“One size fits all” no longer applies to mannequins."

2011-06-16T17:56:00.000-04:00

Stores Demand Mannequins With Personality (Heads Optional)

"With retailers fighting for customers in the sluggish economic recovery, the generic white, hairless, skinny mannequin is being pushed aside by provocative alternatives that entice shoppers with muscles, unusual poses, famous faces and lifelike bodies."

Read more...

The Daily Beast on extreme photoshopping

2011-06-04T16:25:00.002-04:00

Caroline Forsling

"The former Sports Illustrated model was so outraged at an Estée Lauder ad that she says Photoshopped her image to make her older that she just sued the company for $2 million. The ad was for Plantscription, an "anti-aging serum" for women over 45—but Forsling is a mere 35. She’s claiming that the enhancement—or in her view, degradation—has irreparably damaged her career. She says she never used the product and it's deceptive advertising...."

--

Andy Roddick

"Men’s Fitness wants to know: How do you build BIG arms in five easy moves? When it comes to Andy Roddick, apparently the answer has more to do with Photoshop than tennis. After posing for this shot in early 2007, tennis superstar Roddick reportedly did a double take when he saw the magazine while walking through a Rome airport—noting that his biceps had been blown into “22-inch guns” and a prominent birthmark on his right arm had been removed. And while a Men’s Fitness spokesman responded to the scandal by saying he didn’t see “the big issue,” Roddick joked that he was “pretty sure I’m not as fit as the [cover] suggests.” Does Hulk Hogan want his arms back?"

Read and see more at:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2972/1/

ITVS's Women and Girls Lead

2011-05-17T23:00:00.001-04:00

Check out this new awesome initiative by ITVS:

Women and Girls Lead is a multiyear public media initiative to focus, educate, and connect citizens worldwide in support of the issues facing women and girls.

How rare it is to be satisfied.....

2011-04-30T11:40:00.000-04:00

Awesome East Works Mirror Project

About-Face NYC Launch Party!

2011-04-30T10:57:00.000-04:00

Next Tues @ Public Assembly!
PARTY MASH-UP featuring:

Eternia from Fat Beat Records with BEATBOXER ChesneySnow
DJ J.Dayz spinning Anthem Rock + Throwback Mashups
DJ Marcos Udagawa: Breakbeat /Psychedelic / Trip-Hop
DJ Average Jo throwing down hip hop dancehall +electric-house
45 SHOOTOUT: Dancehall Punk
Dammit! Tribute to BLINK 182: Double-Time Punk!
Care Bears on Fire: Pop-Punk

…A Benefit for About-Face NYC Launch-Equipping girls to understand negative media messages that affect self-esteem, identity & Body-image.
Come + party with amazing artists and help a Rad cause.
We go to schools and after-school programs with our media-literacy workshops + educate on how to look at media in a critical way. $ raised goes to a much-needed projector!
Thank you to all of the incredible artists who are donating their time + talent to this benefit!

Next Tuesday, May 3 @ 8:00pm
Public Assembly
70 N. 6th St. btw Wythe & Kent
Brooklyn, NY
L train to Bedford
$5 before 9 / $10 after

putting the pieces together... literally

2011-04-22T19:59:00.000-04:00

Working on editing all the pieces of Body Typed into one film. It's a challenging job actually but excited about making it happen. Feels like we are getting closer.

Seems like having them be shorter films is useful for teachers but any thoughts?

Best,
Jesse

Arnold talks about body image

2011-04-21T15:34:00.000-04:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about his body and getting older...

Katherine Schwarzenegger on Body Image and her new book

2011-04-21T15:31:00.001-04:00

Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver was just named ambassador for Dove's Movement for Self-Esteem, and now has written a book about having a healthy body image, "Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back."

Katie Couric interviews her:

WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES opens up for HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE!

2011-04-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

Very excited about this screening -- tonight in NYC...

Host: Iron Mule Comedy Film Series
92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street
8 pm
Tickets and more info:

April 16th Screening

Ted Talks --

2011-03-03T23:32:00.000-05:00

Athlete, actor and activist Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs -- she's got a dozen amazing pairs --and redefines what the body can be.

34x25x36 Screening at The Museum of Modern Art!

2011-01-31T14:26:00.003-05:00

We're thrilled to announce a screening of 34x25x36 at MoMA on February 26th, at 1:30pm. The film is showing as part of the 40 anniversary of New Day Films!

Join us if you can!

Best,
Jesse

Huffington Post's Top 10 Craziest Moments in Body Image in 2010

2011-01-11T14:10:00.002-05:00

Retrospective by Leslie Goldman, Author of Locker Room Diaries

"You want more? I'll give you more! Without further adieu, I present you with the Top 10 Craziest Moments in Body Image, Version 2010"

"Fiona’s Blog: Should Parents Photoshop Kids’ School Pictures?"

2010-11-27T11:27:00.003-05:00

Check out this interesting blog post about school photos and photoshop....
Rachel Simmons

MovieReshape: Tracking and Reshaping of Humans in Videos

2010-10-12T15:34:00.001-04:00

FILMS IN ACTION #1: Watch. Write. Read.

2010-09-16T11:57:00.007-04:00

Educators and activists using films in creative ways.

Workshop with Power Writers:
Youth at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe watch films on body image and respond with poetry.

More info at:
To Be Heard

FILMS IN ACTION #2: Media Literacy in the Barbershop

2010-09-16T11:50:00.005-04:00

Educators and Activists using films in creative ways.

CONNECT NYC leads violence prevention workshops with men and boys, and Daralee Vazquez is an educator in Brooklyn -- they teamed up to host a screening of WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES in a barbershop.
(Co-hosted by the barbers featured in the film itself).

Check out this NY Times article...

2010-09-07T15:22:00.001-04:00

For the A-Cup Crowd, Minimal Assets Are a Plus

Screening Wed. the 18th of August

2010-08-16T18:42:00.004-04:00

Paradigm shift is hosting a screening/ videotaping on Wed. night in NYC. Excited about all the partner organizations...

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18th at 6:30 pm
The Tank- 354 West 45th Street (between 8th & 9th Ave.)
Subway: A,C,E to 42nd Street/Times Square

Cost: $12 students/ pre-paid, $15 at door
BUY TICKETS NOW- LIMITED SEATING:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/117245

Legendary Women, Inc
Manhattan Young Democrats
New York Women in Film and Television
NOW NYS Young Feminist Task Force
RippleEffectArtists.org
Sideshow: The Queer Literary Carnival
Soapbox Inc.
The Women’s Mosaic
The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership
Trixie Films
Women’s Caucus for Art
Women’s Media Center
Women’s Sexuality Empowerment Apprenticeship

Totonto Film Scene Review

2010-07-30T10:20:00.002-04:00

Review: The Guarantee/34x25x36 – BITE ME! 2010, by Dasha Kotova

Two short films by Jesse Epstein concluded the first day of the first BITE ME! film fest. One was about the pressure to undergo cosmetic surgery, while the other looked at the mannequin manufacturing industry.In The Guarantee, a gifted young male ballet academy student is badgered by his teacher to get a nose job; supposedly, his large nose would get in the way of his career. Though he likes his nose just fine, he eventually gives in to the pressure, even though he’s told it would not guarantee him a contract with a ballet company. The story is told through drawings, which are quickly sketched as the main character narrates the events. This film reminds the viewers that body image issues affect males as well as females, and that seemingly trivial matters can be blown out of proportion by unfair societal standards. It is a frustrating look at the shallowness that seems to penetrate even the most skill-based types of the entertainment industry.

The second film takes a look at an industry ruled entirely by shallow standards. Have you ever felt a little spooked by store window mannequins and the joyless stares on their contorted bodies? 34x25x36 peeks into the process of manufacturing these uncanny objects. The title the film is the standard measurement used to create female mannequins, which is why you always see them come in the one body type. The mannequin designers in the film say creepy things like “There are no perfect women. We make the perfect women”. One of them even likens his work to European religious statues, both in terms of portraying people you don’t know the way you imagine them, and in terms of worshipping the fashionable products that mannequin display the way people might worship the saints. Now, when you pass by a clothing store, you’ll know the strange things that go on in the minds of the people that make the alien-esque figures you see there.

NY Times Article: My Mannequin, Myself: What Talking Heads Say

2010-05-06T13:06:00.002-04:00

By CATHY HORYN

Published: May 5, 2010

"Twenty or 30 years ago, it was relatively easy to walk down Fifth Avenue and see differences in mannequins, differences not only in color and ethnic characteristics but also attitude and even emotion, which were conveyed by the novelty of the displays and, of course, the fashion. Nowadays, though, with few exceptions, the great avenue provides a window into limited resources and eroded convictions. By using the generic-looking mannequins, stores seem to want to erase the issue of race and ethnic identity — as much as blogs now serve to highlight these distinctions.

“A lot of stores just avoid that issue by spraying everything gloss white and not putting any features on the mannequin,” said Michael Steward, the executive vice president of Rootstein, a top specialist in realistic mannequins based in New York and London. “They don’t want to make a mistake.”

Similarly, he said, a designer client will spend $50,000 a day for a model for an advertising shoot but will fret over the choice of mannequin until finally saying, “Oh, just make it headless.”

As for the hot topic of body shape, mannequin makers do care — up to a point. Since the purpose of a mannequin is to display goods, its measurements can’t be too far out of line with standard dress sizes. A bit bustier and fuller in the hips, fine. But a shape that actually reflects many women’s bodies is a tough sell. Ralph Pucci, a maker of abstracts, produced a plumpish mannequin a while back, but sold hardly any. “It was just a big wow in the press, and the stores went back to tried and true, size 2 and 4,” Mr. Pucci said"

Greetings from New Hampshire

2010-04-22T18:25:00.003-04:00

I'm up here at the MacDowell Colony working on expanding this film project -- and on a series of "films in action" videos for educators. It's great to be able to really focus on this without too many distractions.

PACE UNIVERSITY SCREENING

2010-02-04T11:28:00.002-05:00

"For National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Feb. 21-27: Beauty in the Eyes of the Beheld is a documentary by Liza Figueroa Kravinsky looking at modern perceptions of beauty. Wet Dreams and False Images is a Sundance award-winning documentary by Jesse Epstein that utilizes humor to raise serious concerns about the marketplace of commercial illusion and unrealizable standards of physical perfection. Q&A with filmmakers and special guests follows."

More info at New York Daily News

One Pace Plaza
7 pm

Peabody Essex Museum Film Day: Defining Beauty

2010-01-08T14:59:00.003-05:00

All three shorts will be screened
WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES
THE GUARANTEE
34x25x36

2pm Morse Auditorium

The Guarantee screening in Amsterdam...

2010-01-08T14:52:00.003-05:00

as part of Niet Normal: Difference on Display

"From December 16th 2009 to March 7th 2010 a major art exhibition that allows a large audience to experience different works will be held at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. The exhibition, entitled: Niet Normaal * Difference on Display, features the work of internationally renowned artists who in their work address a defining question of our time: what is normal and who decides?

Even as technology and progress generate new opportunities for people of all sorts, shapes and sizes, we seem to be striving to become ever more uniform. The market and the media increasingly determine how we look at ourselves and at each other. Perfection is the norm.

What is this norm, and who actually satisfies it? Where do we draw the line? At a facial wrinkle, a depression, at someone who isn’t interested in getting ahead, at a visible prosthetic device, taking pills to improve intelligence, at major cosmetic surgery?

Artists create space for diversity with humor and insight. Works by among others Marc Quinn, Marlene Dumas, Viktor & Rolf, The Chapman Brothers and Aernout Mik will be exhibited.Science, games and design will also be featured, and there will be a separate movie theater. In addition, performances, discussions, film screenings, lectures and parties will be held. The exhibition and parallel programming will engage, confront and offer alternative perspectives. Rebellion and humor alternate. Art and science come together to confront urgent questions facing today’s society."

MORE INFO AND TICKETS

Barbershop Screening of WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES

2010-01-08T14:20:00.004-05:00

“Barbershops have always been a place where people come not only to get a haircut – but to meet and converse about current events, politics, pop culture, music, sports, WOMEN, relationships and more.”
Quentin Walcott of Connect NYC

So, we're taking the film back to where it all started, and hosting a screening at Dee Dee the baber's shop -- Fade2Famous. After the screening, there will be a discussion lead by Dee Dee, Daralee Vazquez (Dee Dee’s sister), Quentin Walcot (Connect NYC) and Raid. The event will be filmed and will serve as an example of ways films can be used outside of theaters and in the community. For more information and to RSVP, visit the
Facebook event.

Saturday, January 30th 8:30pm at Fade2Famous (213 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn)

Adventures in Photoshop

2010-01-03T21:58:00.003-05:00

Dan Katz, who was one of the editors of Wet Dreams and False Images just sent this explorations in photoshop link:

http://www.celebuzz.com/celebs-what-if-they-fat-g153311/

POWER WRITERS chime in

2009-12-22T21:42:00.002-05:00

Truly awesome poets from Power Writers respond in writing:

Looking at Me
by Patricia Holman

My heart is beating slowly
To the rhythm of silence
And for once, I can finally say…
I am AT PEACE

There’s nothing to distract me
It’s just me
My journal, and
The craftiness of my pen

I look out towards my window
Trynna find some inspiration
Instead I see my cousin and his buddies
On the street

I redirect my vision
To the page below my hand
This is MY TIME
And I will not let any foolishness
Take control of me,
Let alone my mind

I look up towards the ceiling
Hoping maybe I’d see a vision
The vision that I make out
Is a vision of me
It’s what I wanna be

Without a blemish on my face
My skin looks like chocolate
My eyes are light brown
And there’s a dimple on each cheek

Check out my circumference
Which is lined with baby hair
Long locks to my breasts
Just a hint of grey hair

There’s a mole upon my shoulder
And my tits are perfectly round
My nipples just right
Not too hard, not too soft

Heading deeper to my core
My abs have the perfect 4 pack
My body like a coke bottle
Big across the top
Coming in around the middle

Now take a look at my behind
Lord knows, that thang is juicy
Nice and firm, with enough curve
To put a drink on it

My hips a 42
Check the swagga, when I sway
I make wide turns
So I put my signal on
Like a Mack truck

Put your face into my pocketbook
There’s not a stitch of hair nowhere
It’s like you’re on the Moon
There’s not a sign of life anywhere

My thighs are the thickest
You can’t but wanna taste ‘em
Like a milkshake
You couldn’t suck me through a straw

Talkin’ about suckin’
Face your eyes upon my toes
10 little piggies
Without a bunion or a corn
All in alignment

This is what I wish I could be
What I wish you could see
What I wish was me

But it’s not me…

The debate continues....

2009-12-03T14:19:00.002-05:00

NY Times:
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Published: December 2, 2009
AIRBRUSH WITH THE LAW Valérie Boyer has proposed legislation in France that would require that all digitally altered photographs of people used in advertising be labeled as retouched.

---
Point, Shoot, Retouch and Label?

VALÉRIE BOYER is 47, a member of the French parliament and a divorced mother of three. She is tall, fashionable and, dare we say it, slim.

But she has also created a small furor here and abroad with her latest proposal: a draft law that would require all digitally altered photographs of people used in advertising be labeled as retouched.

Some think such a law would destroy photographic art; some think it might help reduce anorexia; some say the idea is aimed at the wrong target, given that nearly every advertising photograph is retouched. Others believe such a label might sensitize people to the fakery involved in most of the advertising images with which they’re bludgeoned.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/fashion/03Boyer.html?_r=1

More on the Effects of Altered Images

2009-10-24T12:52:00.001-04:00

NY TIMES
By Randy Cohen

Many comments on yesterday’s post argue that the problems associated with radically altered images of women should be solved not by their producers but by their consumers, asserting that the latter must take “personal responsibility” (Nos. 4 and 19, for instance) or simply avoid these products and publications (Nos. 39 and 57, among others). Others assert that the only people affected by such images are “stupid” (No. 43), lack “brains” (No. 40) or are not “sane” (No. 20).

I agree that it is incumbent on us all to be informed and skeptical, and not just in response to advertising. But it is futile to rely on the critical thinking of even the most astute and determined consumer.

READ MORE...

The Video Op-Ed is also linked with the article

Should Photos Come With Warning Labels?

2009-10-20T11:29:00.002-04:00

NY Times Article By Randy Cohen

A Ralph Lauren ad, featuring a model with hips narrower than her head — so cartoonish, so grotesque, so right for Halloween — has become the latest focus of the already ongoing criticism of digitally altered fashion spreads, even though it ran only in Japan. Foes see such images as harming women by promoting a standard of beauty so false that it can be achieved solely by manipulating a photograph of an already slender model. This image is an extreme example of what happens to many ads, a practice that has become so dubious that some governments are taking action. Should ads using electronically altered images be banned?....

Read More...

--
I obviously have some opinions about this. Easier for me to express them through film/ video.

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

2009-10-15T23:33:00.003-04:00

The last few minutes of Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change
http://blogactionday.com/

Here's a link to some good info about climate change and public health:
http://chge.med.harvard.edu/index.html

MTSU

2009-10-15T10:12:00.002-04:00

Just got back from a 1st University screening/ lecture with the films. I'm incredibly inspired the the challenging questions that students asked after the screening. Forgot how good your brain can feel being in school.

MTSU Student Paper Write up

"Fat" Ralph Lauren Model Fired, Photoshopped

2009-10-14T23:38:00.001-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

BIG NEWS!!!!

2009-10-06T10:09:00.002-04:00

I would say that models are real women, but think this is very interesting.....

German magazine swaps thin models for real women

By MELISSA EDDY

Associated Press Writer

BERLIN — Germany’s most popular women’s magazine announced Monday that it is banning professional models from its pages in favor of “real women” in an attempt to combat an unhealthy standard of rail-thin beauty that it says has isolated its readers.

The editor-in-chief of Germany’s bimonthly Brigitte told reporters that, starting next year, the magazine will feature a mix of prominent women and regular readers in photo spreads for everything from beauty to fashion to fitness.

Andreas Lebert said the move is a response to readers increasingly saying that they are tired of seeing “protruding bones” from models who weigh far less than the average woman.....read more

Airbrushed photographs could be given government health warnings

2009-10-01T02:55:00.001-04:00

A group of 50 politicians want a new law stating published images must have bold printed notice stating they have been digitally enhanced....

Glamour's Average-Sized Model Gets Big Reaction - Blogs.com

2009-08-31T19:09:00.001-04:00

William Luciw blogs on the subject on Blipverts

Activists weigh in on ways to use the film

2009-08-20T17:41:00.001-04:00

Top Chef Carla Hall on being flat-chested

2009-08-20T17:18:00.005-04:00

While shopping for a meal she was cooking for filmmakers including Spike Lee -- at the NYC farmer's market, Top Chef Carla Hall -- chimes in about body types.

What do you have to say? Send us a link to a video response and we'll post it.
--Jesse

34x25x36 on PBS Site

2009-08-19T14:21:00.001-04:00

34x25x36 is up on the P.O.V. site for the next month.
You can watch it for free here.

Girls from Girls Inc. chime in

2009-07-16T13:01:00.004-04:00

Through Girls Inc. 2 interns are working on the film Going on 13 this summer. Katarina writes in after watching WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES:

Wake Up Fellaz & Feel the love Ladies

By Kick-butt interns

Katarina: Ok, so I’m on film duty! and there was this movie that Fu and I watched called, Wet Dreams & False Images. The title was enough for me to get excited about watching it! Lol. But seriously, this movie is pretty awesome. The entire time I was thinking, “Do guys really think that kind of stuff about women?”and they really do! At the beginning when those dudes were describing the chicks in the magazine, I really felt bad about myself. I mean I dont have *photoshopped* silky smooth skin, or anything like that. But man you cannot BELIEVE the female power i felt when those guys were dead silent watching the professional explain that everything they’d been worshipping in models was pretty much FAKE! ooomg it was awesome. Let’s just say I felt pretty sexy after that. I’m one of those people who had really starved for the “dream” bodies all the guys liked. Nowadays I’m thinking that there is somebody out there who is not ashamed to say “Hey, she ain’t no model, but thats the best part!” Lmao. It’s almost sad though.

All their lives guys have been misled, they’re gonna have to start realizing that real women aren’t what they thought they were. Suckers…

“See that, is smooth. Silky smooth, I could bet a million dollars that ain’t airbrushed.” - Dee-Dee “Booty Expert” O.o! :p

More at: Going on 13 blog

JVibe Article about the project

2009-07-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

Link

CBC

2009-06-30T19:31:00.009-04:00

Did an interview with CBC this morning, which was an interesting process. In the end we left off talking about fashion in terms of eating disorders, and about the obesity epidemic. Not sure this is the whole picture. Anorexia exists in places where large bodies are celebrated, and is usually associated with OCD. The same medication can be used for treatment of either. It can be easy to talk about body image in terms of extreme cases – and this almost let’s us off the hook. I’m really interested in images and perception – in what messages are coming at us – and how this affects how we see ourselves and each other.

In terms of advertising it’s all art and fantasy – but fantasy that needs us to think it’s real. Images are photoshopped “to death” but traces of imperfection are left in to make us think it’s real – or attainable. Attainable through a product. In an interview a re-toucher said:

"What you're looking for as a retoucher is a broom, something that covers your tracks. Some way of obscuring where you've been. And the first thing that people take out is the bloodshot-eyes, that's the last thing that I take out or just wipe, because that just makes it look retouched. So you stay away from those obvious makers that show that you've been there…That’s real and compelling, and the fact that I leave that in makes it seem more real."

There are some talented retouchers out there, and I would like to see how we react if they were given a credit in magazines.

We also talked about Elle magazine's recent publication of images without photoshop. And it made me wonder whether the discussion should be flipped. Maybe it’s the fantasy, or the perfected image, that’s competing with real life.

NCGS Conference

2009-06-17T12:21:00.007-04:00

Headed on the bus (wifi!) with Trish to the National Coalition of Girl's Schools conference. Presenting a video that I directed for their opening night.
Interested in talking to teachers about how they use films in the classrooms. Do they stream films, or always use DVDs? And, how do "smartboards" work?

Vogue editor launches new war on size-zero fashion

2009-06-15T23:40:00.000-04:00

by Will Pavia

The editor of Vogue has accused some of the world’s leading catwalk designers of pushing ever thinner models into fashion magazines despite widespread public concern over “size-zero” models and rising teenage anorexia.

Alexandra Shulman, one of the most important figures in the multi-billion-pound fashion industry, has taken on all the largest fashion houses in a strongly worded letter sent to scores of designers in Europe and America. In a letter not intended for publication but seen by The Times, Shulman accuses designers of making magazines hire models with “jutting bones and no breasts or hips” by supplying them with “minuscule” garments for their photoshoots. Vogue is now frequently “retouching” photographs to make models look larger, she said....continue reading

Absolutely Fashionable

2009-06-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Donald Schwartz from Imagelink Productions in Brooklyn just sent the
link to his wife's work. Looks like a pretty incredible installation:

http://www.absolutely-fashionable.com/MPB/my_perfect_body.htm

Be part of the film project!

2009-06-06T17:37:00.003-04:00

I'm thrilled that New Day Films just accepted 34x25x36 into the collection! So all three films will be distributed on one DVD. Each film is one piece of a larger story -- and designed to raise a specific discussions -- and I am excited for them to

During a very lively discussion around how teachers can best use these films in classrooms (here at the New Day Films annual meeting), I am planning to create a new website that includes videos showing teachers using the films -- and leading post-screening discussions.

If you are planning to use any one of the films in your classroom and want to be part of the videos let me know.

--Jesse

New Day Films new website!

2009-06-05T12:39:00.004-04:00

Greetings from the New Day Films annual meeting in Northern California. We are excited about the launch of our new website. New Day is a coop -- a filmmaker owned & operated distribution business and this website had to be decided on collectively. Took a while but happy it is up.

check it out if you have a sec.
http://newday.com/

Founding members Julia Reichert, Jim Klein, Liane Brandon

-----

Formed in 1971, New Day sustains many of the ideas of those times: collaboration, hope, social change:

The feminist movement had just arrived. And a group of independent filmmakers could not find distribution for their feminist films.

“We met at the 1971 Flaherty Seminar, where some of our films were programmed,” recalled founding member Amalie Rothschild. “I was in production with It Happens to Us. I'd been trying to get distribution for Woo Who? May Wilson. I'd take it to non-theatrical distribution companies and they'd say 'It's wonderful, dear, we really like it. But there's no audience...’ ”

Founding members Julia Reichert and Jim Klein had already started self-distributing their film, Growing Up Female.

more at:
http://www.newday.com/history.html

NY Times Article -- Smile and Say ‘No Photoshop

2009-05-28T13:24:00.001-04:00

POV Broadcast this summer

2009-05-17T22:28:00.004-04:00

Get info about the broadcast:

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

The True Body Project comes to Brooklyn!

2009-05-09T13:26:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day 2009

	Sunday, May 10, 2009
	1:00pm - 4:00pm
	Brooklyn Museum
	200 Eastern Parkway
	Brooklyn, NY

Come on out!

"Story Leads to Action" Summit at 92YTribeca

2009-05-08T00:33:00.007-04:00

Working Films Summit -- Linking Non-Fiction Films to Cutting Edge Activism.

Screening (Wet Dreams and False Images, The Guarantee and 34x25x36) with workshop and panel discussion.

What an experience! Providing a huge amount of feedback and specific outreach strategies, the event was incredibly helpful. I came away with a large stack of note cards that I am still sorting through - with input from audience members and the panelists about strategic ways the films can be used and who to reach out to. Especially useful was insight from Karina Lynch (panelist from Educational Alliance) and Amy Levine (Sex Ed. Educator) about the process of getting films "approved" for schools. They suggest organizing pilot screenings at High Schools and After-School programs which can be models for more educators. I have screened the films at high schools and after-schools but didn't quite know how to best build on these screenings to reach out to more institutions. Going to have a follow up meeting with Karina Lynch from Ed. Alliance and make a game plan.

Planning also to follow up on the panel and meet with Connect about partnering on a screening series in barbershops in NYC. Connect has been doing some community outreach and organizing in barbershops and seems like a great partner to help develop a screening kit. My plan is to co-host a pilot screening with barbers from the film Wet Dreams and False Images and have them lead the Q&A.

After hearing feedback from the awesome girls on the panel from the Lower East Side Girl's Club it seems like a co-ed screening might be the most effective.

Overall I have to say it was incredibly exciting and energizing to think about new ways the films can be used outside of traditional distribution models. I'm grateful that the films were part of this think-tank with such a high-level panel!

The panel included wonderful people from the Lower East Side Girl's Club,Educational Alliance, Connect, two Media literacy experts, a Sex Educator who works with teens and parents, and a High School teacher from Brooklyn (who happens to be Dee Dee the barber's sister).

Now that I have really begun to connect with potential project advisors and partner organizations, the work that needs to be done to get the films into the hands of educators and activists seems more specific and is starting to feel manageable. I'm excited build on the connections made at the "story leads to action mini-summit" this really does feel like team building rather than something I need to do on my own.

Big thanks to Working Films, Chicken & Egg Pictures, and The Fledgling Fund!

UCSC

2009-05-07T23:46:00.002-04:00

I was extremely excited to receive an email from my alma mater, UCSC, requesting a copy of 34x25x36 for a Wellness Week program that focuses on health and body image. They are going to screen the film to a group of students at Porter College. The film was ordered by the Coordinator for Residential Education -- interesting to think about student residential life as a place to show the films and start discussions. Going to be traveling with the films to Universities in the fall, so hoping to hear feedback from the students about the post-screening discussion.

Go banana slugs (UCSC's Mascot)!

On Point Interview with Susie Orbach

2009-04-17T12:53:00.004-04:00

Op-Ed piece was mentioned on NPR and my pal just sent me the link. Actually haven't had time to listen to the piece yet, but here it is:

Reclaiming Our Bodies

Join the discussion in person

2009-04-16T01:48:00.002-04:00

Would be great to get input on this large topic. If you are in NY on the 23rd please come on out to a screening/ summit being organized by Working Films.

Info From Their Site
92Y Tribeca: Body Typed (aka Wet Dreams & False Images)
New York, NY

April 23, 2009 07:00PM to 10:00PM
Hosted by Working Films
Event Description:

Chicken & Egg Pictures and Working Films
AND Special Guest Co-Hosts The Fledgling Fund and Rooftop Films, present the next installment of STORY LEADS TO ACTION, a monthly series at the 92YTribeca Screening Room

Thursday, April 23rd at 7:00 PM

Please Join us for a Special Evening

CELEBRATING
the Power of the SHORT
to Engage, Enrage, Entertain and Initiate
LONG term transformation.

FEATURING
Jesse Epstein’s
"Body Typed"
a series of award-winning shorts exploring every angle (and then some) about the pursuit of physical perfection.

WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES ('04)
THE GUARENTEE ('06)
34x25x36 ('08)
SKIN a work-in-progress/rough-cut (to be released in 09/10)

This evening is dedicated to that gorgeous moment when the movie stops and the lights come up, the YouTube ends, and the audience wants to know: What they can do? Where to go? What to wear!

After each screening of each short there will be an interactive highly engaged discussion/brainstorming session
WITH and BETWEEN
New York’s best and brightest activists, educators, class room teachers, community organizers and health care professionals working women and girls/men and boys health, identity and body image
Award-winning filmmaker Jesse Epstein, named by FILMMAKER MAGAZINE to be one of the "25 new faces of independent film" in 2008

Moderator
Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand,
Co-Founder, Chicken & Egg Pictures/Working Films

THE GOAL
Jesse Epstein walks out with a more advanced understanding of how her serious and and seriously funny & engaging shorts can be used effectively
to promote a more healthy, evolved, aware and engaged NEW YORK and support the ongoing work of the best/brightest activists and educators etc... (no pressure).

The audience walks out knowing a little more about what linking filmmaking to organizing, “community engagement” and how story leads to action.

WHEN
7:00 pm

WHERE
92YTribeca
200 Hudson Street
New York , NY 10013
Tickets are $12
Click here to purchase tickets

ABOUT CHICKEN & EGG and WORKING FILMS

Chicken & Egg Pictures is a hybrid film fund and non-profit production
company dedicated to supporting women filmmakers who are as passionate about
the craft of storytelling as they are about the environmental, human rights
and social issues they're embracing, translating and exploring on film.
www.chickeneggpics.org

Working Films advances social, economic, environmental and racial justice by
linking non-fiction filmmaking to cutting-edge activism.
www.workingfilms.org

OUR SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOSTS
The Fledgling Fund seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable individuals, families,
and communities by supporting innovative media projects and community-based
organizations that target entrenched social problems.
www.thefledglingfund.org

Rooftop Films is known internationally as one of the most dynamic film festivals in the world.
The 2009 Summer Series will run from May through September and will feature more than 200 daring new films,
all screened outdoors, in front of big, loyal audiences in parks, along the water, and on rooftops overlooking the greatest city on earth.
More than 15,000 people attended Rooftop screenings in 2008, making it one of the most popular festivals in New York City .
The 2009 Summer Series will surely feature even bigger crowds, even more beautiful venues, and more incredible films.
www.rooftopfilms.

We Live in a Virtual World by David Byrne

2009-04-08T00:54:00.003-04:00

A friend sent me this entry written by David Byrne. I posted the link but just re-read it and decided to post the whole thing....

"French public health officials are considering laws that would ban the promotion of eating disorders — including a requirement that magazines reveal the extent to which their images have been artificially retouched. It’s viewed as a public health issue because girls and boys (and men and women) are feeling increasingly ashamed of their bodies as they compare themselves to what they see all around them — images of bodies that are not real, that have been photoshopped, digitally airbrushed and heavily modified.

Of course, ever since the birth of the movie star early last century, their images have been cleaned up, improved and controlled. Celebrities and pin-ups have been with us for a long time, and the fairytale world of far-off Hollywood was always infinitely better than whatever small town reality you were living in. But it was just that — a fairytale kingdom that existed far away, with relatively few inhabitants.

The difference, I suppose, is that of quantity, not quality. These days, altered images are ubiquitous; the fairytale world threatens to engulf our own. The illusion is more complete, too — with digital technology it’s harder to see the smoothing. Stalin would have drooled at the possibilities. Almost nothing one sees in print or advertisements hasn’t been “improved” in some way, except maybe some journalistic news photos — and even those are suspect. There’s the visual field that consists of us and our friends, and then there’s the print world — certainly more dramatic, and often more physically perfect. We live in a parallel universe, slightly more drab and definitely more pudgy.

One can’t legislate the heavenly world out of existence — people need fairytales, after all — but maybe a more constant reminder to not believe everything we see would help us to retain some tenuous connection with our pathetic reality. The thing is, we can’t help believing what we see. When I look at an impossibly sexy woman on a billboard, I can tell myself that she’s been sculpted and smoothed to death, but I’m riveted and transfixed nonetheless. Instinct triumphs over intellect.

Pascal Dangin, a well-known retoucher who works on a lot of the images in fashion magazines (and for some fine artists as well), naturally doesn’t see it exactly that way. He makes photos that “improve on life,” in his words. But if I can paraphrase, he might say that he makes an image more like what it wants to be — and therefore it ends up being closer to what we desire to see. That doesn’t necessarily mean perfect — he is careful to avoid airbrushing the personality out of a person — but it does mean he’s certainly not against making quite a few (what he has determined are aesthetic) improvements.

The health departments are alarmed at the effect all this is having on young people. Boys hanker for steroids, and girls, a session with the knife, in order to look more like what they see in the magazines. Unfortunately, the magazines don’t just feature physically enhanced people — they’ve been heavily retouched as well. We would have to hand out some kind of high-tech, rose colored, photoshopping glasses in order to achieve a visual simulation of the media population."

Sundance Short Film Showcase

2009-04-05T23:20:00.004-04:00

Just got back from SLC Utah. Wet Dreams and False Images was part of a line-up of shorts. Hadn't actually seen any of the other films beforehand. They were great -- really diverse subjects and styles. Fun to get to know the other filmmakers.

We even went practice skydiving which was pretty hysterical. Basically you suit up and enter this wind tunnel/ turbine and get to pretend to be a superhero.

But the real highlight was getting to do a workshop at Spyhop. I used to teach a documentary program called Reel Stories through Sundance and was great to be back there.

--Jesse

Join the discussion on Jezebel

2009-03-10T16:37:00.000-04:00

NY Times Op-Ed: Sex, Lies and Photoshop

2009-03-10T15:59:00.004-04:00

Been working on a video op-ed piece for the New York Times and looks like it's up! Check it out.
"SEX, LIES AND PHOTOSHOP"

PROJECT CLIPS:

2009-03-09T17:00:00.003-04:00

Retouching Demo

2009-02-25T07:45:00.002-05:00

Check out this interactive look at photo retouching.

From Mannequin Madness

2009-02-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

Got this email from a woman who sells used mannequins. Thought her comments about what mannequins sell the most was pretty interesting....

I sell used mannequins and a customer of mine came in raving about your movie which she had just seen at the Lunafest. I saw a clip of it on Youtube and I must say I was fascinated. Many of the used mannequins I sell are by Patina V, so it was real cool to see how they are made. I am going to add your clip to my upcoming blog.

Even though we offer plus size mannequins, we find they sell very slowly – everyone wants skinny mannequins. BTW, 99% of the mannequins are the market are not only skinny but also tall and youthful.

Judi Henderson-Townsend

www.MannequinMadness.com

We have the perfect body for you to buy or rent, for your window, trade-show or special event.

"reasons to be pretty" on broadway

2009-02-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Forum

2008-12-08T14:58:00.002-05:00

Hello. Just got an email about this new forum on body image, check it out:

" Sometimes models with killer bods on TV and in magazines can make people feel really inadequate about their own bodies. But you should love the skin you're in! Tell us one thing that you love about your body and why"

Sex, Etc. forum

Margaret Mead Film/ Video Festival

2008-11-17T16:04:00.002-05:00

The Guarantee screened this past Saturday with Nursery University at the Natural History Museum. Was glad the films were paired up – they are on very different subjects, but with similar themes about acceptance and about people’s relationships with their schools.

Was great being up at the museum. If you go there by subway make sure to check out the incredible mosaic work at 81st St. on the B/C line.

WSJ article on online distribution

2008-10-22T21:13:00.003-04:00

Participated slightly in an article for the Wall Street Journal, and just saw it. It's primarily about feature films that are released on the web. Author John Jurgensen brings up some interesting things....

"With competition growing to get into theaters, more features are going straight to the Internet"

Indie Films Hit the Web

Current Project Clips

2008-10-02T14:38:00.002-04:00

Just saw this blog

2008-09-06T19:18:00.001-04:00

Article in Newsweek Today

2008-09-06T16:50:00.002-04:00

Newsweek article

interesting article.

blogs

2008-09-05T19:05:00.006-04:00

Was excited to come across this link to blogs that have posted/ discussed the issues in 34x25x36.

http://www.wikio.com/video/347848

an article about the body image film project

2008-08-25T17:29:00.002-04:00

From Filmmaker Magazine
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/summer2008/25faces.php

Thought the writer summed up the mission of the film project, so instead of writing a "mission statement" I thought I'd post it.....

----
Jesse Epstein remembers exactly when her life changed. “It was before my grandmother died,” Epstein recalls. “She said, ‘Look, you could either inherit $500, or I can spend it now and get you a camera.‘ It totally changed everything.”

For most of her life Epstein has been fascinated by the perception of beauty. Growing up in Boston, she moved to Mozambique for two years, where full-figured looks are celebrated. Moving back to the U.S., where the media promotes a punishing standard of beauty on women, Epstein enrolled in NYU Film School and decided to explore different issues surrounding body image.

For Wet Dreams and False Images, Epstein‘s thesis, which went on to win the Sundance Online Jury Award in ‘04, she filmed men in a Brooklyn barbershop who adore the glossy magazine pinups of J. Lo and Beyoncé hanging on their walls. But in a clever twist Epstein takes the same images to a touch-up artist who reveals their heavy amount of airbrushing and tweaking. Next came The Guarantee, a funny look at a male ballet dancer‘s decision to have plastic surgery told through the drawings of a sketch artist, and, this past year, 34x25x36, a visit to a company that makes unrealistically perfect mannequins. “What I love about short films is you can get in there, raise some questions, tell a little story and get out, leaving it all open for discussion,” Epstein says.

With financing from the Chicken and Egg Fund, she‘s currently compiling the shorts into a feature film about body image. There will be one more short comparing a California girl who tans with a girl in India who bleaches her skin. “Body image is such a huge topic,” Epstein says, “and I‘m trying to raise the discussion through different styles and different cultural definitions of what‘s attractive.”

Before getting financing, Epstein found money to make her shorts through being an instructor at Sundance‘s Reel Stories youth program for three years, as well as working in the art department, acting and being a cinematographer (she shot Astra Taylor‘s Zizek!) on other independent features. She‘s also involved in the filmmakers network Shooting People. Though Epstein is working on a narrative feature, she still loves to just pick up her camera and shoot everyday people. “A lot of times people come up with something that I could never think of,” she says. “I love the exchange between the person being filmed and the filmmaker — the camera makes them feel special.” — Jason Guerrasio

Erotic Truth: A Gap in our Selves? Erotic manipulation of our purchasing decisions.

2008-08-04T17:14:00.000-04:00

Erotic Truth: A Gap in our Selves? Erotic manipulation of our purchasing decisions.

MUSIC AND FILM

2008-08-04T16:06:00.007-04:00

Been checking out the comments on 34x25x36 since it’s been in the Youtube Screening Room for a few days, and was thinking about the music – about how much music can influence the feel of a film.

The composer T. Griffin who produced an original score for 34x25x36 was trying to evoke the repetition of the assembly line. And as an experiment,

I've posted another version – with music by Loscil. With lower tones, the music feels different and haunting.

Would love to hear what people think – does the different music change the story? Please chime in.

Here's the link to both versions:
http://www.youtube.com/jessedocs

Regards,
Jesse

Hello.

2008-08-03T20:56:00.000-04:00

Decided to create this blog to start discussions around body image and media.

I'm in the process of producing a series of short documentary films -- that will work together as a feature. The over-all goal is to take a look at various cultural definitions of beauty, and to raise questions about striving for physical perfection.

The first short is called WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES and uses humor to raise serious questions about the marketplace of commercial illusion. The second, THE GUARANTEE, asks what it means for a person to change their physical appearance through plastic surgery -- does changing our bodies change our cultural identity? And, the third segment, currently in the YouTube Screening Room, is called 34x25x36 and is about mannequins, perfection, and religion.

Instead of just bashing the beauty industry or something, I'm much more interested in why we do the things we do. What purpose does striving for perfection serve -- if any?

Thanks for chiming in on YouTube -- maybe we can start more of a discussion here.

Regards,
Jesse