So yeah. Covid. It was a time. And I happened to have spent mine in the epicenter - NYC (6 months after I moved there). Anyway, about a month after lockdown, I finally got tired of washing my groceries and decided to walk from Crown Hts to Times Square and see what the vibe of the city was like.
And it was definitely a vibe. A quiet one. One that I doubt we’ll ever experience again (fingers crossed). Anyway, as I walked through the barren streets, I stumbled upon this gentleman playing his piccolo in Union Square. I asked if I could record him, he agreed and now is the soundtrack of this one minute vignette.
Oh and I also have a number of photos on my shop from this same day if you’re curious to see more.
Roles: Director, DP, Editor, Colorist
Conceived, shot and edited in a week, this video for NYC based Analog Players Society was an attempt to capture the essence of 2020. We were living in unprecedented times – each of us trying to cope with and outrun our own stresses – mentally and physically.
A music video for modular synth artist - I I I T A I I I - this is a collection of footage shot during the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC. Footage was shot between 4/11/20 - 6/30/20 using a Sony A7RIII, Mavic Pro 2 and Mavic Air 2.
Roles: Concept Development, Branding / Identity, Shooting, Directing, Editing, Motion Graphics, Music Supervision, Copy
glassbackwards.net
You'll see this in my "work" section as well, but it was a "passion project" so applicable here too...
Glass Backwards is an independent (unfunded) one-man (me) passion project that takes a “bottoms-up” approach to the cocktail video. In a nutshell - a reverse presentation accompanied by an thoughtfully-paired soundtrack and engaging typography. Although the project’s main focus is on cocktails (and the geniuses behind them) - the simple yet unique presentation has since expanded to other subject matter (food / furniture / promotional videos) and the concept has recently been “adopted” by a few national brands.
The site also offers a “recipe” section for easy-to-follow instructions and the videos have been used throughout the spirits / hospitality industry as unique, shareable promotional tools.
At the end of the day, this has been a fun project that I conceived out of ... restlessness. And surprisingly enough, a few people really liked it. So much so that it has been nominated twice for the Saveur Best Food Blog Awards (Best use of Video) has been written about in a few publications (Maxim, Chicagoist & PureWow) and was the recipient of a Webby Honoree in 2015.
So the one thing I hate about my social media feed is that its pretty much ALL the same content. Meaning, it's become homogenized - especially within the cocktail / hospitality scene. I mean if there's ANY industry that has some flexibility to experiment it's this.
So one of Chicago's most notable cocktail bars - James Beard Award winners - The Violet Hour, approached me to do some content for their Instagram - of course I agreed. But it was conditional. We were NOT to take any photos in the bar. I've just seen it all before.
So we decided to take the cocktails on the road - @roadpops was born. I've only done three groups so far, but plan on doing several more this summer.
Be a pal and follow it on instagram
Let's be honest. The state of the world today is fucking scary. Even more so at home. Sometimes I wake up in disbelief and ask myself "is this REAL?"...
When Trump won the election, I was pretty much in shock for days. I just couldn't believe it. But the more I thought about it - it really made sense. We're surrounded by idiots. Real world "Idiocracy".
So, knowing there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it, I decided to experiment with a satyrical endeavor to at least TRY to share my discontent / disbelief.
So using the film "Idiocracy" as inspiration, I decided that beginning January 20th, 2017, I was going to water a plant with Gatorade and document it's "progress" every day on Instagram.
I'm in awe. That's all I can say. This stupid thing is flourishing, and we're all doomed.
As an attempt to get back into music - i.e. refine my production chops - I told myself I would make a new piece of original music every week. Now clearly that's a pretty big undertaking - especially for a something I'm doing just for fun. So I thought it might be cool to just make short little scores on Instagram using all of the old footage I have sitting around. So I did - until about mid-February of 2015 (I got super busy).
*Update: This project started when Instagram still had that 15 second limitation. I have since done a few 60 second versions as well that I have included.
OK so this is one of those projects I've been TRYING to do since 2003. I had done a similar project called "Days in Dub" that remixed a ton of music and footage from Days of Our Lives. It was basically a massive practical joke but ultimately what got me in to video. "Days" was the type of project I had been wanting to do - but needed an excuse to get off my ass and move. Fortunately for me MOCA Cleveland asked me to put together some sort of AV piece for a seasonal event they had been doing and the rest is history. You can watch a horribly compressed version of some of them on Youtube.
Anyway - I digress.
So obviously the return of Twin Peaks was my inspiration here. Although I haven't come CLOSE to finishing, I did plan on wrapping it before the new season aired. #fail.
I guess I should explain what "IT" is...Basically I'm taking footage from the show and creating mini vignettes which tribute any numbers of characters or motifs. Of course a huge focus is the music - which I will be remixing. I only have one track for you to preview so far so feel free to check it out! I'll be actively pushing it once its ready.
What can I say? I love the summer. Living in the Midwest, it's a sacred time.
That being said, I've been DJing for over 20 years (not so much these days) and my favorite gigs are always outside. Providing the soundtrack / mood for a room is extremely powerful ( I didn't really realize it until I wrote that sentance) and if I can help contribute to someones good time - I'm ALL about it. So providing the ultimate "feelgood" vibe for pretty much anyone and everyone has been my mission with this project. The response has been ridiculous. Deep cuts for the heads / haters, sprinkled with some familiar joints for your average Joe or Becky.
Anyway, you can stream the entire series on Mixcloud and 7/8ths of the series on Soundcloud (they booted me for something stupid).
Every once in a while I return to my music roots. I'll tickle the ivories and twiddle some knobs. Often I prefer to just add my own flair to tracks. This playlist features some of my favorite remixes.
EMAIL: judegoergen@gmail.com
I shot some video on the 4th of July last year and made a little recap video. I actually love it. Slow-mo style. Shot with my Sony a6300.
I guess this could fall into the "15 second soundtrack" category - but I didn't make the track.
When I was in Cambodia, I noticed the men playing this game, which was basically hacky sack - but with a bottle? I have no idea what it is, but it's mezmorizing.
So a group of us decided it might be fun to blow some shit up while in Cambodia. Honestly, it was pretty damn fun - but it was also expensive. And weird. If you want to know the details we can talk in person, but here's a silly recap.
Yes that's a bazooka. And yours truly did get behind that 50mm.
I did feel a little gross.
So another piece that could fall into the "15 Second Soundtrack" realm - but still a little different. Over the course of one night, I celebrated with super rich Cambodians, went to an underground dance party, kicked it on the roof of our bar before it was open, and just got weird.
I REALLY miss this place.
We had these tuk tuk drivers who pretty much ran the block by the bar. They ended up being invaluable and super amazing dudes. One night after the bar closed, we taught them how to "shotgun" beers.
It was incredible.
Occasionally I get to make record and CD covers for cool bands. I actually have quite a few that I need to find - but here are some for now...
As you may have read elsewhere, I've really taken a liking to the photo world. It's hard to call myself a "photographer" per se, but I occasionally get some decent shots. Here are a few galleries if you've got the time.