My guest on this inaugural episode of My Little Podcast is director and cinematographer, Jamar Jones. We explore the roots of his creative journey and reveal what it is that shaped his curiosity on the road to realizing his cinematic visions. Enjoy! Check out the episode notes to learn more about his production company and their projects.
My guest on this inaugural episode of My Little Podcast is director and cinematographer, Jamar Jones. We explore the roots of his creative journey and reveal what it is that shaped his curiosity on the road to realizing his cinematic visions. Enjoy!
Jamar Jones, Cinematographer and Director (Baltimore Based) – jamar@sixpointpictures.com
A Moment of Black Love:
Episode - CURIOUS
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Stevan Smith: [00:00:00] What's a single word that you feel best describes you?
Jamar Jones: That's very difficult. Oh man. How much time do I have to think about it? Right, right. I think, what would be a good word is curious. Hmm. And I say that because, um, My curiosity allowed me to ask questions about how things work and why things work and, um, how someone was able to do a certain thing, or, you know, since I was little, I used to take things apart, you know, uh, just to understand how mechanics of it, uh, worked.
And then, uh, um, once I understood the mechanics of it, I, I, I would ask questions on, um, how people use certain things. Their art or make a [00:01:00] craft or something like that. So, um, I would say it, it would start with curiosity. Tell me about
Stevan Smith: your upbringing
Jamar Jones: in West Baltimore. Grew up around the Park Heights area, uh, eighties, baby, you know, so seen a lot, you know what I mean?
Seen and all public schools and. You know, early on I was into the arts. I was, I was always drawing like different comic books. I would have the Marvel comics, I would have DC comics, and I would have, um, a pen and a pad wherever I went. So it was, it was that from the beginning. So I always used to draw. And, um, after that it was, um, Leaning into the music as I was getting older, you know, getting into girls and things like that, wanting to go to parties and, you know, it, it always stems, you know, back to, to, to women.
You know what I mean, as a kid, right? So, [00:02:00] um, in, um, in 99, I, um, I decided to be a dj and that's when I was going into high school. So I ended up getting these, uh, turntables that. Basically kind of made his way through my family. My brother found them at the flea market, the Tapco flea market. That was like, those are the best
Stevan Smith: turntable though though.
Jamar Jones: They're literally, and they started everything. You know, but my brother had them and apparently he didn't wanna give them to me, so he sold 'em to my cousin and my, and I had to like mow lawns and, and, and uh, um, help people take their groceries in the house and, and shovel snow and stuff like that to save up some money to buy 'em from him for $150.
Wow. And I bought those, um, technique two oh twos, I think they was Belt Drive and I bought those. And um, I ended up doing, uh, these parties at this, this place called I Can't Weekend. It was a, uh, recovery center and they celebrated, um, everybody. I didn't understand it [00:03:00] when I was younger. I didn't know what it was, but I Can't.
Weekend was a recovery center and they would have parties every Friday because they would celebrate someone being one week sober. So I was the entertainment for that. I was, I would DJ and um, that's back when you had to bring all your records. So we would have crates and crates of records and I would have to bring my, all, all my speakers and everything and my amps and, and my, and my cables and, and, and extension cords and power strips and all that stuff.
And this is me in high school, you know, so you making dollars every weekend. Or every Friday rather turned into like $1,200 a weekend in high school. You know, so arts and entertainment can be a very lucrative business.
Stevan Smith: So yeah, man, you, uh, you're definitely better than me. Um, I didn't have a dime in high school.
I was lucky. I don't even know how I got all that music, you [00:04:00] know? Uh, I think that's the only thing I spent my money on was. So it's, I mean, it's pretty clear based off of what, what you've said so far about, uh, being curious. Um, and it's, it's also clear that you are a creative person from the get go and, and you follow your, your interests and your, and, and what I get as a, a passion, even if you don't know where it's gonna lead you, just the fact that you were so determined to get turntables.
You know, had to, not to get a, not to get a new pair, but to get turntables in general so you could do a thing.
Jamar Jones: I remember it so vividly. I couldn't sleep. I was having like these extreme moments of like, I, I don't know what to do because I needed to have this, 'cause I had something in my head that I wanted to get out and.
It ended up being, needing those turntables. And when I was putting those beats together, you know, it just, right, it just felt right. [00:05:00] It felt free,
Stevan Smith: you know. Now, in, in your household as a kid, would, would you say it was a creatively nurturing environment and maybe that's what sparked it? Or, or, uh, tell me about your parents.
Maybe. Is there something there or is this uniquely
Jamar Jones: you? Not at all. Not at all. Not one bit. My father was a Vietnam vet, you know what I mean? Oh, he worked at Murray's, you know, so Right,
Stevan Smith: right, right. He worked at the grocery store, yo.
Jamar Jones: So, nah, it was not a creative environment. Um, um, but I feel like genetically it was supposed to be that way because it wasn't, it wasn't in the house.
However, my father had things around. And, um, he used to, uh, take pictures. Um, and then one day he just stopped. Um, it, it was even a room in the house called the Dark Room, and I was afraid of it because it was called the Dark Room. Nobody explained to me what it was. [00:06:00] Nobody. That's what I'm talking about.
Nobody said. Nobody said nothing. He was like, go get your fuz. He's down in the dark room.
He was down in there, he was working on computers and things like that. And, um, he, uh, he was, he had all these old cameras and, and, and, um, when I was maybe seven years old, um, it's so funny when I have to think about it, when I was about seven years old, um, he had this beta cam up in the, in my closet, in my room, and, um, And it was one of those old cameras that had like the tether, the umbilical cord from the camera itself to the tape deck where you have to put the deck, the tape in the, um, the thing from the top.
And it would, it would, you know, you have to push it down, not, not like a front loader. Right. I would take that whole thing down. I would turn it on and I would make stop motion before I knew what stop motion was with my action figures. And I would record and I would let them say [00:07:00] something and then I would move them and I would stop it and I record and I would let them say something and I would move it again.
And then when you play it all back, you would see they move all choppy and stuff like that, and you would hear them sign certain things and it was just, It was fun. It was fun to, um, take time and, and build those things and made it time pass quickly and, you know, just seeing, seeing how you can create something, you know, so I won't say that it was a creative household.
Right. Being that my, my father worked at a, um, a grocery store and wherever else, and my mother worked for the city for 30 something years. So there was definitely no creativity. But I say that genetically, it's there. 'cause on my mother's side, my, uh, grandmother was a seamstress and she used to make all kinds of things, even down to the ornaments that we would put on a tree every year.
You know. Wow. Um, there was, there was, uh, ceramic things that was around the house that she made, you know, and they're still here to this day, uh, like elephants and things like that, you know, and my mother always wanted to do [00:08:00] those things. But considering that my grandmother had my mother 21 years after her first child, she, you know, my aunt basically was her mom, you know, so she really didn't have hands on to teach her all these.
Um, crafts and things like that. So it's like, it's not that, um, my parents didn't want it 'cause they definitely wanted it, you know? Right. They just didn't have the, either the time or the, the patience or whatever. They, they had two kids, you know what I mean? So they had to, they had to do it. They had to do.
So it wasn't really a, um, a, um, artistically nurturing environment per se.
Stevan Smith: Yeah. Put it the best way to be honest. When you think about anybody who's a really creative person, the d n a, is there d n a in your parents, you know what I'm saying? It is just that, um, like you said, maybe sometimes life gets in the way and Yeah.
They're unable to do the things that you're able to [00:09:00] do today. Exactly. Would you say, 'cause you named a, a number of things that you did creatively. But what is your earliest memory of doing something creative, like creating something, whether it was for school or for someone's birthday or whatever it may be?
Jamar Jones: I, I think it is that stop motion memory because I, I got in so much trouble for using that camera, man. I got the, the whooping of the century for using that camera. Right, right. Because when I did take it down the first time I dropped it. So I think a piece broke off of it or something. I dunno. But it still worked because I was still using it.
But, um, but either way, um, I continued to use it, uh, secretly and I was making these videos and, um, and that was my earliest memory. Then I, then I showed it to my friends and I showed, showed them how to do it and it just kind of went from there. Um, and it's so funny when I have to think about it because.
I did that, and [00:10:00] then drawing took over and it just like went away. It just stopped. It didn't come back until I, um, until seventh grade. So I don't know how many years that is, from seven years old to seventh grade, whatever that is. I started cutting school and I was cutting school with my, um, my cousin Jason and Mark.
And, um, we, uh, we went to the pawn shop. So you just
Stevan Smith: gonna snitch on them like that? Like you just gonna say their names. Yeah, it was like 40 years ago, so yeah,
Jamar Jones: that's, but anyway, but, but yeah man, he traded in his Sega Saturn 'cause he had mad game systems. He traded his Sega Saturn for a V H s. Um, Camcorder and that's when film came back and stopped light.
And this is seventh grade. We used to break in abandoned houses and we used to make these films. We just used to like make up a scene and somebody would hop out of a, you know, a closet or something like that or whatever, and it was, that's what we did. Then we would go back to the house orders from pizza and then play it back.
You know, and we would do that pretty [00:11:00] much every day. I cut school every day. So that's, that was like the, the, um, the middle section of that. But that, that continued until, um, my cousin Mark passed away. So then it stopped again. So all of the, the film stuff and, and going around the way and, and, and all that stuff, like just cutting school, all that just stopped.
And then when I got to college, I took, um, DJing serious, and I got into the radio station and I started doing, I started doing so many more things with music and I was still making music and whatnot and, um, right. And while I was in the radio station, um, this guy from Red Bull approached me and asked me if I wanted to make a documentary, and I didn't even know what that was at the time.
So that's the beginning of how film came back into my life. You know, so it's like, it's, it's really weird how film was like, Hey, what you doing? You know, and then I left it alone, right? And [00:12:00] hey man, uh, just check on me, uh, seeing if you wanna do this thing or not, right? This music. And then it was like, yo, this is your last chance, bro.
You know, I'm about to, I'm about to piece out. Do you wanna do this film thing or not? And then I took you,
Stevan Smith: I think that's, that's really dope because honestly, that's, that's exactly what these conversations are about. Right? Um, not necessarily asking the question directly about how you got there, but um, just by how you've answered, it's shown us.
That this thing has, uh, which is filmmaking has been a part of your life since the beginning, right? Yeah. Earliest, uh, memory does with stop motion, right? Like it's, it's a thread through your life. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And, and obviously a, a passion. So this was what, 2007? When, when did, when did this road to becoming a [00:13:00] cinematographer
Jamar Jones: begin?
Yeah, it was, it was definitely, um, 2007 is when, uh, this guy from Red Bull came into the, he was just wandering in, um, at, at Morgan State University. I was in the student radio lab and he came in and was saying like, well, the students's at, I'm like, I don't know what to tell you, you know, but, um, right. You know, and then, uh, he started talking to me about what he was looking for, and he just told me, you know, he's looking for some students to make a documentary, um, or actually a, a, um, a creative project.
And then it became, you know, they were offering tools to make a documentary and, um, went up to this meeting at Towson University, didn't know what it was about and you know, just decided to go.
That, that, that chance, that risk I took just going up there and not knowing what it was about. Just being curious again. Right. Uh, this guy said they're gonna offer us the opportunity to make a documentary and, [00:14:00] um, after that meeting I said I was interested. I called on the phone, told him I was interested in doing it, and um, I met him at the friendlies in Towson.
He pulled up in this bright VW Jetta, whatever it was, popped his trunk and then gave me this big box. It was heavy too, and it was final cut seven. It was like the old school final cut with all the wow in there. It was like $1,300 at the time. Right. He just gave it to me. Mm-hmm. You can have it. And I'm like, wow.
Okay. I didn't know how much it was worth at the time. Right, right.
But this is before I even had a computer. A computer fell into my lap because a friend of mine was moving away to another country and he said, Hey, you can have this computer 'cause I know you trying to, um, start doing video. Boom. That fell into my lap. So I ended up finding this camera, um, on Craigslist.
This guy was, was getting divorced and he was like, she not gonna get this, his words. [00:15:00] Oh, wow. Right. And um, and I asked my mother, She's never purchased anything for me. We, this was always the, uh, Hey ma, can I get this cereal wing? Got it. You know what I mean? That this is the right, that's the narrative that I grew up on, and she saw how much I really wanted.
She could see it in my eyes, and she wrote me a check for $700, and it felt like everything just kind of converged at one moment without me having to even ask for it. So it felt really divine. And I, I felt that it would be disrespectful to God if I would not pursue this with all of my, all of my being.
Mm-hmm. You know, and all of my intent. Wow. So I literally put everything into that, into that documentary and it was called Product of My Environment to Be or Not To Be. Am I or aren't I a production of my neighborhood? Household or personal beliefs, a person can naturally become the [00:16:00] sum of their immediate surroundings easily.
A lifestyle change can alter a person's attitude, which will ultimately transform how you fail, creating something new. Am I still a product of my environment? Maybe. If people look it up, you can still see it on YouTube. It's, it's horrible. It's my first, first thing ever. Right. And it was back in 2007, but, you know, it's there.
And, um, since then I saw that it was a, um, a viable source. Uh, it screened at the Charles Theater, got a standing ovation. And, um, that just let me know, you know, I didn't feel like it was the greatest thing, but I felt like this is something that I should continue to look into. And that was the beginning of like me becoming a cinematographer.
Stevan Smith: I, I love the fact that nothing is really coming easy. Right? You had to work for the turntables. This guy just happened to give you final cut pro your, your friend just happened to be [00:17:00] leaving and said, here, take my computer. I know you're doing this, and your mother could see you rising, right? And she supported you in that moment, right?
You may have asked for like, Hey, can I get some cookies? Nah, I ain't got it. Right. Yep. How much cookies cost? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like we got cookies at home. Right? Right. We don't have nothing and I can't, I ain't wasting money on that. Well, your mother could see it. She knew right. She could see it happening and, and that means, you know, she was paying attention to her child.
Right. To know that this is something. That he's passionate about. This is not a, a waste of an investment. Right? Yep. Just the simple fact that you pointed out how there were other moments where, uh, you know, you, you may have asked for something and didn't get it, but this. Time in particular, she saw a fit to do it, and I think that's just dope.
That's just dope to hear. Speaking of early projects, Jamar was me and [00:18:00] him. We innovated. Okay, let me, it, it didn't take off, or maybe it did, but we don't know if, if, if it did, we need our receipts, but I had an idea of doing like a video resume, so to speak. Instead of a, just a casual resume, let's just do a video resume.
And I knew at the time Jamar was working on some of these things, and I, and I could see your passion about it. And I felt like, okay, well I could, I don't mind being a Guinea pig for an idea because I too was trying to find my foot in, in, in broadcasted. Every time I look at, look at that video, and I look at you now, I'm like, wow.
Look, look at where, look at where we are. But more importantly, look at where you're, uh, what do you think about that? Have you seen that
Jamar Jones: in, in a while? Yo, I, I, I have not seen that in a while, but I remember that being like the first time I, I ever went to New York. You know what I mean? Wow. We were in New York, right?
We were in [00:19:00] New York, yeah. We were in Brooklyn. But yeah, that was my first time like experiencing New York, and it was just such a, it was a magical, that's the word I I'm choosing to use for this. It was a magical time. Mm. Because I was there and I had purpose to be there. And that's, that's something that I always, uh, look for, is that when I get.
When I, when I go places or you know, whatever, I'm just like, well, why am I here? You know? I just don't like to be somewhere, just to be somewhere, you know? It just has to, right. You have more of a reason. If I'm, if I'm somewhere to relax, I'm, that's why I'm there, you know? So I just wanna have a reason for it, and I was there to create something and that, that kind of created a time capsule for us, you know, and say like this, this is the beginning.
Right. This is, this is, uh, um, this is another, uh, um, 10, uh, in the 10,000 hours that you have to do to master something, you know, so that's, that's, um, that was a beautiful thing. Uh, it was the
Stevan Smith: first time I had done anything like that also, right? Like, you know, here [00:20:00] you, you're coming on, uh, basically a location shoot, right?
We're just kind of rummaging around. Uh, Dumbo, not the nice one that exists today. The other one where you just under a bridge in, there's alleys and one store, stuff like that. Um, but it was just a dope experience, a dope day. And I could tell from, from your passion, this was the kind of thing that you like to do.
And I think, you know, for the time and what we wanted, it came out pretty dope. Tell me about, Good news, Baltimore.
Jamar Jones: Oh my Lord.
Oh man. Wow. You feel it? Feel like nard right now, man. You.
So good news, Baltimore. I, I feel like in our early in this conversation, we were talking about, um, like positive things and, and it having a footing and, um, for a very small [00:21:00] crowd. Um, my attempt to not go into news because it seems like everybody that graduated with me from Morgan State University went into news.
That's not where I wanted to be. Mm-hmm. I didn't know how to get to being in film because I didn't go to a film school. Um, and, uh, Morgan had more of a broadcast forward, um, curriculum. So, um, after I did, I took all the radio classes. I ended up taking TV classes because I was more interested in, into, and.
Um, my attempt to not go into that was creating a show that kind of combated the wire. Um, because everywhere I went, whoever I talked to, it was, oh, you from Baltimore? Oh, okay. You, you, you part of the wire. It's like, come, no, come on buddy. Like this. That's a TV show. But yeah, it is real. It is. And can be very real.
[00:22:00] So just like any city. It's just that those cities don't have a show about it. And it just so happens that Baltimore has a very specific, um, narrative. So I decided to create a show that would highlight the things that are positive, that are happening in our own backyard, you know, so we would do, um, uh, we would have a, it's a segmented show that would focus on, um, Nonprofits that are doing certain things and um, and it not, it's, it wouldn't be, um, live, it would be something that is ongoing so that way people could participate and we would always have a call to action for people to say, Hey, if you wanna be a part of this, this is going on.
This is where they located. These are the people. You see what's happening. And it's free because these nonprofits couldn't afford to or have the time to. Take, take time outta their schedule, take ti uh, take money out of their budget to create these [00:23:00] videos that would promote the the good work that they're doing.
You know? So that was early on in my career where I, I spent years doing that and it's a beautiful thing and I'm glad that I did because that, um, during these Baltimore ended up being a place for filmmakers to cut their teeth. That's a place where, um, we honed our skills and we became like a family. Um, and it was also a place, because it was a segmented show, I was able to highlight some local talent as well as far as music.
And I had a, um, a segment called The Artist Spotlight, where I would, um, interview these artists and I would, uh, um, do a whole, um, multicam. Performance. Like they would do a performance and it would have lights and everything. And it was inspired by this, this, um, this show that I think used to come on a Sundance channel called Live From Abbey Road.
It had Nars, Barkley, and Jamira. Um, and those two performances just blew [00:24:00] me away. And the way that they did it was like, I wanna do that. So we got a bunch of DSLRs and. And let I told everybody roll at the same time and you know what I mean? Right. Just cut it together after everything was done. And it was gorgeous man.
And um, and speaking of the video resume, that's what I wanted the artists to use. I wanted them to utilize that. 'cause a lot of these artists couldn't afford to have like a, um, A E P k, a electronic press kit so that way they could say mm-hmm who I am and here's what I do and this is my music. You. Get some, you know, get some recognition for the good things that they're doing and the great artists that we have.
Stevan Smith: Yeah, I remember the first time.
I, I was, I was proud al almost shed a tear almost, almost like slightly, you know this well up a little bit, but I just thought it was so dope to see, you know, what you were doing kind of manifest itself into greater things. And obviously you've done [00:25:00] even greater than that. But, um, I just thought it was a idea and it was well done.
You know what I mean? Creative ideas, but the execution isn't there. And sometimes, you know, the idea dies as a result of the execution. Yeah. Um, but I think y'all did an excellent job of pulling that off, even with it being, you know, Short lived. It's, it's still something that someone can go back and look at and
Jamar Jones: be inspired by.
They gotta look at it on, on your link. 'cause I, I'll give it to you so that way you could put it out because it ain't nowhere else. Because I Oh, really? Okay. And just to put it on the record, I, I shut it down because becoming more, um, in line with being a, a business person. So, uh, we talked about my, my upbringing and stuff like that.
I had to learn how to do. I had to learn how to be a dj. I had to learn how to do film. I had to learn how to do business, and I've never had a [00:26:00] mentor in any of this. I've learned from other people as they go, and I, and I watch and learn, right? Um, from other people's mistakes. However, I've never had someone say, Hey, this is how you do this.
So I had to segment myself. Like, um, I had to become what I call, um, aj. I had to become artist Jamar and I have to become ej, which is entrepreneur Jamar. You know, I have to right designate times to be that person, you know, so that way I can think in a certain way. I have to switch my brain chemistry to do that.
And when I decided to activate entrepreneur Jamar, I realized that I'm fighting a continuous uphill battle. Something that will not bring me mm-hmm. The financial prosperity that I desire as a father and as a creative, you know, so I had to, I had to lay that the rest. Um, and um, and we, we did a documentary about it and like, why good news Baltimore should [00:27:00] exist and all this other stuff.
Um, I even spoke to, um, Courtney Austin. Uh, um, who has a doctorate in, in happiness, you know what I mean? And also mm-hmm. Um, experimented with other things like this with c n N, you know, like, it's just, it's just not people. People want to see more carnage and, and, um, and negative things. There was another show in Baltimore called Bad News Baltimore.
I got good news, Baltimore, my head, bad news. Baltimore. What? And it was so successful. My man bird, my man bird did it. He's, he's amazing. He's an amazing person, but he knows what the people want and the people do not care about free food services and, and, and all these other things. You know what I mean?
Co-ops and, and, and, you know, neighborhood cleanups and stuff like that, they don't care. They want it, but they don't wanna hear about it and they don't wanna, don't wanna part in it. So it's just something that had to, um, Something I had to, um, close the doors on it. And it's, and it's extremely sad to me, you know, after the set that I [00:28:00] built and all the other time that I put into it.
But, um, I'm glad that I had that experience because it brought me the people that I work with to this day, you know, and it sharpened our skills. It made us who we are. You
Stevan Smith: have some new projects that you're working on. Um, and forgive me if this is already out or anything like that, but you have two short films.
Jamar Jones: Yes, I do have two that are in progress right now. Yeah. I'm just trying to figure out if I wanna talk about 'em. Yeah. Right, right, right. Yeah, I have two that are, um, that are in progress right now. Um, and, um, yeah, 1111 is, is the, um, Is the, is is one of the, the ones that I've been working on for such a long time.
1111 mm-hmm. Is an experimental film that explores the na, the nature and human souls, um, that intersect of technology and spirituality and an immersive gallery experience. So this is not just a film, [00:29:00] it's a, um, It's supposed to be designed to be in a, um, in a, in a gallery setting. So it, it is a film medium, but it's supposed to be experienced right.
In a way that is, um, designed in, in a gallery setting. So that film Okay. Is, um, it's a short film and is, um, more of experimental. Um, But it's, it's, uh, it's, it's a little hard to describe, man, because it's, it's gonna be really far out there. I, I don't know if you could see me at all, right? But I got this trip with these denka symbols on, and it's gonna have, you know, um, it's gonna have a lot of, um, callbacks to our culture, African culture and life beyond the Stars, basically, basically thinking about life after death and, and, and what it looks like and, and our purpose and.
Afterlife, you know, so yeah, this, this film was definitely an inspired by all the time that we take to, uh, um, to give, to work, [00:30:00] um, that we, and we don't designate time to be creative and just to explore and be curious because I literally, literally called up the team, the same team to help me do good news, Baltimore.
Um, and I said, Hey man, uh, we gotta do something. And I had that, had that battery in my back because I was literally leaving a friend of mine who was, um, he, um, decided to take himself off of, uh, um, life support, you know, and the last thing he said to me was, you know, I wish we had, I wish we actually did the creative things that I said we wanted to do.
They hit real hard, so I wanted to make sure. I just like, there's no excuses. Just do it. Make time to do it. Just do it.
Stevan Smith: One thing I wanna say about, uh, everything that's been revealed about you and your creative process and your history is that, um, that little guy that like to take things apart and put 'em back together and.[00:31:00]
Like you said, not having a mentor and, and sort of learning how to, uh, do all the things you do on your own, um, including becoming a businessman. Uh, it's a, it's a trait for you, right? It's, you, you are excellent at reverse engineering, right? That's how you learn. And once you do it, you got it. And I think it shows in, in what you do because again, When I saw, uh, good news, Baltimore, when I've seen some of your other projects, I don't think I've ever seen anybody personally.
Obviously there are people out there, right, cinematographers or whatever, but personally, I've never seen anybody start at the bottom with how they were going to do this and not really know where the road is going to lead, but to take it to this level, you know what I'm saying? And it to the point where, Um, you're on a scale that's far beyond anything I could think of as far as personally and the people I know.
[00:32:00] So
Jamar Jones: I appreciate that man. I, um, I do wanna mention having to do those things. Um, I realized at a certain point in my career that I'm also a director. I'm not just behind the camera. I'm, I'm directing, I'm giving direction to the people. As a dp you're the director of photography, so you control the image and how it looks, the lighting and the movement and things like that and how it interacts with the characters.
But at a certain point, I'm directing the characters as well. So, um, right. I ended up having to get some of these ideas outta my head and I wrote some scripts and, um, one piece that I just had to do very quickly. Which, as I'm looking at it, as I'm looking at the title, it ties back into who I am and the narrative of just promoting black positivity.
This piece is called A Moment of Black Love, and it's literally just this singular moment. And I mean, it's a very short piece, so, [00:33:00] um, I can give you the link and you can put it up so that way other people can check it out, but it's just some, literally a moment between a husband and a wife where. Wife just needs a little bit of encouragement after a hard day, and the husband is right there.
Hey, I'm glad you're home.
How did it go? Take a guess.
That good, huh? I mean, I don't know. They all end kind of the same when they hit you with the, I'll let you know if anything comes up. Nothing feels right.
I don't even know if I wanna work with any of these people, and I think that's what makes it feel worse. These people aren't even my top pick and they're not jumping at the site of my resume.
Did we make the right move? [00:34:00] What? Moving here. Yeah, babe. No matter where we go, we have everything we need. Look at me, look at me. If we're gonna live the life we talked about, it's not gonna be easy. It's not. But if we keep working at it, We can accomplish anything together. My business is gonna grow, and you're gonna get the position in the company you want.
We just have to figure out the best way for the company you want to find you. So for now, don't be so hard on yourself. All right? Yeah. And that's it. You, it's, no, it's no drama. She didn't [00:35:00] find it in his phone. You know what I mean?
Stevan Smith: Right, right. Things
Jamar Jones: going on, you know, it's no zombies outside, it's nothing.
Right. It's literally just a moment of black love. So, and I feel like we all need to see stuff like that. Um, every now and then, so.
Stevan Smith: Sometimes we just have conversations about work and there's nothing else about it. You know, it's just that, that's
Jamar Jones: it. It's like you don't ever see that you know what you wanna do.
Right. You don't ever see that. You know, and it's, and it can be such a beautiful moment to, to, to see that, to explore that, you know. And, um, um, my dp, Samson Samson. From Maryland, you know, he, he, um, he lends this for me and, um, yeah man, it was, I think that it came out, uh, beautifully and I just want other people to get their eyes on it, you know?
So, uh, whenever you can just check it out.
Stevan Smith: What would you say is your dream [00:36:00] project? Like you, you got the, you got the budget, unlimited budget, whatever it may be. Um, you have access. To not only resources, but actors or whatever you would, what would be your, your dream project at the end of the day?
Jamar Jones: That's, that's like saying describe yourself in one word.
I don't know. Right, right. I dunno if I, if I even, because the beautiful thing about my career is that I didn't, I didn't, I couldn't even fathom in the beginning. I would have a company I couldn't fathom in the beginning that I would be a homeowner, you know? Right. There's so many things that I, there's, it's outside of my realm of imagination and possibility.
'cause I can think of so many things, but it's like, oh, this, this is the way that you're taking me, God, I get it. You know? So, um, I would, to answer your question, I would probably have [00:37:00] to lean on the conversation that I had with my son yesterday. I. He was telling me that the, the show she hawk cost $25 million in episode.
Don't know if it's true, don't know if it's true. We was just having a conversation. Right. You know what I mean? You know, liable or whatever. But, um, right. Just thinking about that, I said, man, you know what I could do for $25 million? I'm like, I could start a whole company. So when you about, um, my dream project, my dream project is bigger than me.
Um, It would involve creating, um, a bigger version of the company that I have now where we would be able to fund our own films, um, be able to do multiple projects, you know, and um, and that's one episode of a show for $25 million. I could start my own, you know, distribution or whatever. You know, we could, we could get so many feature films done, you know, [00:38:00] and, and have the budget for marketing and things like that.
That's the kind of project that I would do is a series of feature films that I would be able to fund from filmmakers that wouldn't normally have the opportunity to do. So, you know, it wouldn't even be me, you know, I wouldn't even be worried about that. Right. As long as I would be able to provide that, that would be success.
Well,
Stevan Smith: Jamar Jones, thanks for joining me.
Jamar Jones: Thank you, man. I appreciate it.
Stevan Smith: Jamar Jones is a cinematographer and film director. You can find out more about his company. And in six point pictures are following the link and the description of this episode. My little podcast is produced by yours, truly, your host, Steve Smith.
This podcast is available on all podcasting platforms, so subscribe with you and share it with people you know would enjoy this kind of content. [00:39:00] Remember, stay productive
and follow your passion. Peace.