INTERVIEW
IM MACON MOVIES
by Taron Cochrane, January 2007


Joe, it's great to get a chance to talk to you. How have you been?

Joe Macon: I've been pretty good. A little busy right now due to some work I have to get done and the fact that I'm missing my main computer (by the time this goes online the work will probably be done and I'll have my computer back), so there's a little stress in there as well, but I really can't complain.

What can you tell me about yourself & IM MACON MOVIES?

Not too much to tell about myself. Just a young kid who loves movies and music. As far as I'm Macon Movies goes, it's really just a name I gave myself in 2001 to put all the different video projects I've done under. As time went on, it became less of a joke name for silly little projects and more of a serious endeavor meant for more serious projects. Right now, those projects mainly consist of music videos and other music related projects.

How did you come to the decision that this is what you wanted to do for a living?

Well, I knew since high school, when I was around 15, that I was really in love with filming things. At that time I wanted to be on camera more then behind the scenes. When I was 17, that's when I really started to get into being behind the scenes more, working the camera, editing, writing and thinking of ideas, etc. I believe it was around then that I realized that this is what I wanted to do with my life. To be honest with you, I don't remember when I decided that I wanted to do music videos but looking back, it just seemed natural that I'd get involved in something music related because I had gotten into punk rock at 15 and have been involved with the scene in one way or another since then really.

Who have been some of your clients so far? How have they been to work with?

I've worked with The Ducky Boys, The Welch Boys, The Unseen, The Hostage Heart, The Hue Of Two, La Mi Vida Violenta, Q And Not U, and Darkbuster, to name some. I've enjoyed working with them a great deal because in most cases, the members have been or become my friends or have been really nice. I really don't have a bad thing to say about anybody I've worked with, except for this band out of I forget where that I filmed some shows for and the guy never paid me, plus some other things they did. I won't name names but they've been the only band that I really have not enjoyed working for.

What are some of the positive & negative aspects of running IM MACON MOVIES?

Some positive aspects of running I'm Macon Movies is that it's allowed me to be my own boss and work from home, so I really control when I work and how long I work and how long my vacations get to be. Also, it's allowed me to work with a number of bands that I greatly respect and am a big fan of. That makes it exciting; to work with a band whose music you're a fan of. The final positive is that it's really introduced me to some great friends in the bands I've worked with.

One of the biggest negative aspects is the fact that I'm working for myself and I have to really promote myself and get my name out there. If I worked for another company, I wouldn't have to do as much promotion as I do. Running my own company also means that I really have to be motivated or I don't make any money. That's really the only negative aspect of it...so far. Who knows what the future will hold. More positives and negatives, I'm sure.

What do you have in store for the future? Any side projects on the go?

Well, currently, I'm working on a local cable access show with T.J. Welch called "Sonic Lobotomy" that features mainly Boston area punk bands. We've only shot one episode so far and are shooting a second very soon. It consists of a live performance and an interview with the band. I'm doing the behind the scenes stuff (directing and editing and playing the co-producer role as well). It promises to be a lot of fun. You can check us out at www.myspace.com.soniclobotomy or http://youtube.com/group/soniclobotomy.

I'm also currently working on a zombie movie. This will take some time as I want to get some money for it and get a proper crew, with make up and special effects, etc. This comes based off of my love of George A. Romero's Living Dead films.

Of course, I always have some music related projects somewhere. Maybe even look out for I'm Macon Music (a record label) releasing a project.

You do some excellent work. Are you self-taught?

Well, first of all, thanks for the compliment. For the most part, yes, I am self-taught. I took some high school and college courses and talked to some people that helped me get a better understanding of what to do but in this field, you really just have to do hands on training. Unless you go out and film or edit for hours, reading all the books in the world really won't prepare you. It's like that with most artistic things. You just have to go out and do it, get your hands dirty, as the old cliché goes. I consider myself self-taught though I have had some help along the way from some people.

What gets your creative juices flowing? Who/what inspires you?

That's a good question. I like to think of myself as creative, so whenever I listen to music, I always imagine it in terms of a music video. I'm always visualizing songs in my head. The world and everything going on around us often gives me some good ideas. Sometimes random ideas will just pop into my head. At that point I just write them down and wait for the right time to use that idea.

I don't know if one thing or person inspires me. I have the people I look up to, like Spike Jonze, whose work I try to get influence from. I don't want to say copy because that would just be cheap but, in Spike's case, I love how he works and so I try and build my style around his. I guess it just goes back to influence. I let the work of people I look up to influence me without trying to copy it too much.

To date, in your opinion, what has been your best work? Why?

My best work? Oh, I dunno. I really love The Welch Boys "Les Paul" video. I think it looks great, has a cool setting, and was really fun to make. We had all the cameos in the video and it really felt just like being at a show, that's how crazy it was down there. I'll say "Les Paul" for now but the Darkbuster video for "Skinhead" is looking to be really cool. Maybe that will overtake it. I'll let the people be the judge of it.

Last question and it's my favorite one. Can I borrow 20 bucks?

Cheapskate! Depends on what you need the $20 for. Oh, do you want $20 American or $20 Canadian.

Thanks for the interview Joe! I will give you the last word...go...

First off, thanks for interviewing me. As for my last word: MAL <---I don't think anyone will get that but that's ok!



Links:

http://www.immaconmovies.com

http://www.myspace.com/immaconmovies