“NO CAMERAS ALLOWED” DOCUMENTARY LOOKS INSIDE CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY
MTV’s newest production is a festival-infused documentary of a 20-something photographer who managed to sneak into over 50 well-known music festivals throughout the last 4 years without paying. In return he’s had his festival photos used for promotional material, shot albums covers, and befriended headlining bands.
The question that many are starting to mull over now: is this real or fake? Will this be MTV’s music fest version of “The Blair Witch Project” or “Paranormal Activity”? Or will we be reassured that this movie is indeed an honest look at one kid’s amazing luck in concert photography, inspiring others to go out and achieve their dreams no matter the risks?
The leaked trailer (embedded at the end of this post) puts a mystic lens over Marcus Haney’s experience, showing him as a nobody who, with some skillful planning and a confident stride, made concert photography his new line of work. But according to an interview with Haney, he says the documentary is more a “coming of age” story. He says, “it’s a love letter written to these festivals, in a way.” Haney wants to encourage people to go out and enjoy live music on their own, because the experiences at these festivals and venues are indescribable regardless of medium. It is only through personal experience that one can truly appreciate those events.
However this raises another question. Is “coming of age” just another way to word “well-off white boy does what he pleases and it works”? Haney, who was attending college for cinema production, was no stranger to working with big names. He had a job with HBO at the time he snuck into Glastonbury. Some wonder if his connections went further.
And whether the movie is real or fake is only half the equation. A more pressing concern is: should he be receiving praise for his dishonest and sometimes illegal techniques? There are many concert photographers who have built themselves up from the bottom, making connections by being honest with management and security. Haney’s path to success seems to undermine much of that work by saying “anyone can do it! Just fake a pass!”
Matthias Hombauer, a music photographer based in Vienna, Austria, gives his opinions on Haney’s viral story here: http://petapixel.com/2014/07/25/no-cameras-allowed-real-fake/
(Video may not work; F the Fence, LLC has been requesting for all copies of the trailer to be taken down)
