Bomb IT Graffiti Documentary – Interview with Jon Reiss – Watch Full Doc Now!

Bomb IT Graffiti Documentary – Interview with Jon Reiss – Watch Full Doc Now!

 

‘Bomb IT’ is a new graffiti and urban art documentary from director Jon Reiss, it looks at a broad range of urban art from the likes of Brazil’s Os Gemeos, COPE2 from NY, stencil legend Blek le Rat and a load more legends from all over the world.

World Graffiti Urban Art has an interview with Jon Reiss, the trailers to the movie and the links to watch the ‘BOMB IT’ Graffiti Documentary totally free on Babelgum.com, see below. Really, it’s free and it’s AWESOME!

It’s one of the best graffiti and urban art documentary films we’ve seen, covering exciting graff scenes from as far as South Africa and Brazil. The Brazil coverage is particularly facinating, as they follow pixador artists around Sao Paulo and meet a sewer artist who reveals some pretty heart-breaking scenes.

The doc is also full of some of the sickest new and old urban art around and even the most hardcore writer will learn something new about the different graffiti scenes around the world.

The full-length documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and has screened at over 20 other festivals including Full Frame Doc Fest, is available to watch on Babelgum’s Metropolis Channel, which is dedicated to showcasing videos about art, urban culture and trends.

Named one of Daily Variety’s “Ten Digital Directors To Watch” John Reiss’s BOMB IT tells the story of graffiti through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action following the movement as it paints the globe from Paris to Sao Paolo and Los Angeles to Cape Town. Featuring old school legends and current favorites such as Taki 183, Cornbread, Stay High 149, T-Kid, Cope 2, Zephyr, Revs, Os Gemeos, KET, Chino, Shepard Fairey, Revok, and Mear One. This cutting edge documentary tracks down today’s most innovative and pervasive street artists as they battle for control over the urban visual landscape.

Check out the trailers below, and an interview with the director Jon Reiss as he talks to World Graffiti about the making of the documentary.

Bomb It: Trailer – No. 1

Q : so how did you hook up with Cornbread? You agree that he’s the first graff writer?

A: We already had at the time a very good relationship with Pose 2 who in turn introduced us to Cornbread. He is one of the first modern graff writers – Cornbread even refers to a freeway writer who was working in the 50s. But for me graff goes back to the birth of human consciousness.

People have been wanting to write on walls since that had something to write with and on! It will continue until we kill ourselves off. Go to Italy – even though there are a lot of writers there – much of the graff in the streets is either political or amourous. People need to express themselves in public.

Q: How long did it take to make the documentary?

A: Started 5 years ago – Bomb IT took three years but its been 2 years in the distribution. The project is expanding not only with the episodes on Babelgum, but we will eventually cut 4-6 more films from our 400 hours of footage. Bomb IT: Sao Paulo is 1/2 way done. NY and LA are in progress.

Bomb It: Urban Trailer – No. 2

Q: Most interesting/weirdest featured artist?

A: Never going to pick favorites – you should know that – all the others will be hating on me.

Q: The gang world and graff world are intertwined in many people’s minds, can the 2 be separated? Do you think the gang connection made by the general public hurts the urban art scene?

A: The link between gangs and graff is mostly established by the media. Even the NYC Vandal Squad laughs at the concept that writers are in gangs. However there are stronger links between gangs and graff in a couple of cities – like LA where some writers have done some things that help the media in their cause to link the two – unfortunately. Education is the best bet – part of the reason I made Bomb It, so that people could understand and appreciate the many many faces of graff.

Q: What’s your favourite graffiti decade? 70s 80s etc?

A: NOW!

Q: Tell me a bit about you, you always been into graff?

A: Nope. Fell into it – a DJ from my film Better Living Through Circuitry introduced me to Sharp and 2ESAE on a trip to NY. Two things hooked me in those meeting – the intelligence and depth of the culture, and the nocturnal run that 2EASE took me out on.

Q: Whats your opinion of the ‘broken window’ theory, that graff leads ultimately to more crime & urban decay?

A: I think my opinion is reflected in the film. As Tkid says “whose quality of life?”.

Q: What was your favourite part of making a documentary like this?

A: Getting people to appreciate a culture that they used to hate.

Bomb It: Worldwide Trailer – No. 3

Q: it was cool you went to Cape Town, great to see some African writers, not usually featured in docs. Totally different style of writing too, you liked it there?

A: Cape Town is amazing! Love it – really generous people.

Q: Do you find yourself looking around for art when you walk around?

A: All the time. Once you start – you can’t stop.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL GRAFFITI DOCUMENTARY ‘BOMB IT!’ FREE ON BABELGUM.COM!

You can also watch clips from the film, find your favourite artists…

Thanks very much to Jon for answering my questions, go check out the film, I can’t recommend it enough.

In addition to premiering the full-length documentary film online, Babelgum is debuting exclusive shorts produced for Babelgum by director John Reiss. The pieces spotlight renowned graffiti artists both new and as seen in the film available to view now.

Here are more graffiti videos on World-Graffiti.com.

Check out these awesome Nonoloa graffiti and urban art tshirts…

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 12:27 am. It is filed under Amsterdam graffiti, Artist Interviews, Asia graffiti, BEST OF WORLD GRAFFITI, Brazil graffiti, Britain graffiti, England graffiti, Europe graffiti, French graffiti, Holland graffiti, Japan graffiti, Jon Reiss, Latest Features, Netherlands graffiti, New Urban Art Videos, New York graffiti, Paris graffiti, San Francisco graffiti, Sao Paulo graffiti, UK graffiti, Urban Art, world graffiti and tagged with Bomb IT documentary, Bomb IT graffiti film, COPE2, graffiti documentary, Jon Reiss director, MICKEY, New Urban Art Videos, Os Gemeos, Pixacao, urban art film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.