Heading to Bill's For Cigarettes: Jason Tippet

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren’t familiar with you, would you introduce yourself and describe your work, photography or otherwise?

Jason Tippet (JT): Sure, my name is Jason Tippet, I studied Film & Video at Calarts and concentrated on documentary… I wasn’t one of those kids that grew up wanting to make movies, sort of fell into it. Took a few random classes at a junior college and ended up taking an intro to film class. The teacher was really inspiring and showed me American Movie. That film changed me, I had never seen anything like that… I didn’t know documentaries could follow such characters and watch them while they go after their dreams. My idea of documentary was more educational and this teacher started showing us things like, Billy the Kid and Burden of Dreams… I was obsessed with this type of filmmaking so I began to make my own portraits on friends I had around town in Newhall. I don’t think I have it anymore… I wish I did, but the short film that got me into Calarts was about this guy I worked with at Michael’s Arts & Crafts. He worked in the shipping department and would take these six beer lunches across the street at this mexican spot and was off and on dating this girl who worked in porn. He’d send us links to her work which confused me, but now I’m thinking he was just proud of her… I appreciate that, it’s important to be supportive in a relationship.

Fast forward a few years later and it was my final semester of Calarts. I finished this ten minute short documentary, called Thompson that played Sundance and won the Jury Award at SXSW. I met Derek Waters (Drunk History) at Sundance and when we got back we started on our first feature together called Only the Young. Oscilloscope distributed that and PBS and Amazon bought it… if you have Amazon Prime you can watch it, I think it’s still on there.

Photography came after making Only the Young... at the time, I wasn’t as excited about making movies and discovered photo books through Liza Mandelup (Jawline) and Carl McLaughlin. My still photos are pretty different from how I’d photograph a movie. With my photography I’m not into cinematic shots, I appreciate more gritty snap shots that might be a bit soft or maybe the framing is slightly off, not on purpose but because something is happening right that second and you just have to get that shot off before that moment disappears. I just want to document people and things that entertain me… if I didn’t have a camera I’d still enjoy these moments, but I like being able to share them with other people since they usually put me in such a good mood. 

ADM: Do you find your photography informs your filmmaking and vice-versa? If so, how?

JT: The thing that connects my photography and filmmaking is the type of people I’m wanting to document. The people I take photos of I’d love to make movies about, I just don’t have time. I appreciate people who aren’t self-aware and just do their own thing. I met this guy the other day who I’d love to make a short about… this fifty year old Italian guy... he got in a car accident and feels like his lawyer owes him money, so he’s saving up money to buy a gun to go after his lawyer. Then starts telling me he’s gonna take a bus to vegas and put money down on this soccer game and if he wins he’ll have enough to buy a gun. He mentioned I should come along if I wanted to make a few extra bucks, cause this bet was a sure thing… I really wanted to join him but unfortunately had to decline, I had work, and as I’m writing this I hate myself for not going. But, he let me take his portrait before I left… haven’t seen him since. Luck might not have been on his side in Vegas.

ADM: What was the inspiration to go forward and make a full photobook; and what was your shooting process like -- Did the concept for the book materialize naturally, or did you conceptualize first, then gather the images?

JT: Really, it started with an idea I had for a second feature film that I wasn’t able to make. I wanted to make this documentary about these two old men that would go to the Santa Anita Horse Tracks every Friday. I couldn’t find funding (which is wild, who doesn’t want to watch two old men hanging out at the horse tracks), so while looking through a photo book at my buddy Carl’s house I thought that might be a nice way to cover it, by making a book. Liza Mandelup let me borrow her Mamiya 7 and I started going every weekend with my buddy Nick Thorburn… we’re recording audio to make a soundscape record to play while you flip through the book. That’s turned into a longer project that I’m still working on but began to notice the same things I loved about the track were going on in my neighborhood of Atwater Village. I thought I’d maybe try making something small, but the years went by and I accumulated a good chunk of photos, so just went into making an 80 page book. 

ADM: Before working on the book, had you done any zinemaking, or is this the first time you’ve assembled a body of photos like this?

JT: Haha, this question is making me realize how out of order I’ve done this whole thing. I haven’t made a zine and I haven’t done a gallery show of my work, no one has ever hired me to take a photo, I really went into this knowing nothing about the photography industry, which I think is fine, we figured it out. Oscilloscope is one of my favorite companies to work with and it’s been nice slowly figuring this out with them. And through the book, Noh/Wave, a gallery in Little Tokyo is gonna include me in a street photography show they’re doing… so pretty excited to be apart of that.

 But, yeah… this is my first attempt at putting out my photography. I’m a bit impatient so just went for it, with making movies I’m the same way… I don’t want to rely on other people for money or equipment or labor, I figured out how to make movies by myself and I really enjoy that I don’t need to rely on anyone to take photos. This might not be the right approach for every project, but I enjoy just getting out there and doing it myself. Sure you can wait and save up and buy the camera you’ve dreamed of shooting with, or the lenses you want to make a movie with but at the end of the day if you’re just waiting on these things it starts to feel like excuses. The photos I shot for the book are all on a point and shoot 35mm camera. I just went out and did the work.... I didn’t approach Oscilloscope until I had 90% of the photos taken and then we narrowed it down and I went out and took more shots of things we thought were missing. But, if Oscilloscope didn’t want to do it I was still gonna put it out somehow… but so thankful I got to work with them again. I feel like their stepchild that they introduce as their natural born son.

ADM: How did you finalize the selection for Heading To Bill’s, and what was the editing process like?

JT: I printed out 4x6 shots of all the photos I was considering and began to make pairs on my wall. Then I’d take photos on my phone of the pairs and send them to the Designer, Matt Ferrin to get his opinion. That part took a few months before we were happy. I was still going out shooting during this time so was cycling some newer shots in to see if they worked better. Then, once we were happy I sent it to a select few people I really trust and asked them what wasn’t working pairing wise and what photos just aren’t as strong. After getting back the notes, we re edited the order and sent it back out. This took another month before I was happy and by this point Oscilloscope needed the final version… if they didn’t give me a deadline I probably would still be working on it.

I’m proud of what we put together, it’s so rewarding to finish a project. I really enjoyed this whole process, looking forward to put out my next photo book, My Cousin’s Second Wedding… I was asked to take photos for my cousins wedding last minute so decided to take really unflattering shots… she forgave me, would probably be a different story if it was her first wedding.

ADM: What advice would you give to someone on the fence about, or just starting, a longer term photo or documentary project?

JT: Well… if you’re on the fence, don’t do it. Starting a longer project is an endurance test, the hardest thing is to stay excited about the project and continue to be focused. Turning it into a habit helps. For example, I just knew that if the horse tracks were open on Sunday, I was going. Friends would join me here and there, but it’s something I looked forward to. I’d take the top off my old 85 Mercedes, get a coffee and head towards Santa Anita. If you’re not documenting something you absolutely love or are passionate about, I wouldn’t do it. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with that subject matter to make memorable work. 

Also, there’s no money in this, it’s an expensive hobby... so really this just has to be for you and people who appreciate your work. That said, I don’t mean that in a negative way, I need projects like this, not everything needs to make money. For me it was a nice way to get rid of anxiety… put in my headphones, listen to an audio book, get some steps in for an hour or two, and take a few shots. And by the end of my walk, the sun would be going behind Griffith Park, and the Dodgers were about to run out onto the field, and I’d be ordering my first beer, so not a terrible way to end a day off... it all worked out. Actually, I take that back, almost everything worked out, I hope we get another shot at the Houston Astericks in a World Series one day.

ADM: Where can we find your work? ie purchase copies of Bill's, and do you have a date for your gallery show?

JT: Only the Young (feature documentary) is on Amazon Prime, feels like I made that another lifetime ago. If you don’t feel like sitting through a feature but still want to check out my work, there’s a few shorts online, My Gal, Rosemarie… Thompson… Describe What You Heard. I’m Directing an episode of Drunk History at the moment, that’ll be out in July.

Oscilloscope’s website is the best spot to buy my book, those have been selling quickly… it’s been a good feeling, glad people are getting a chance to see what I’ve been working so hard on. Been flattered with the response from it.

The gallery show at Noh/Wave doesn’t have a set date yet. I’ll post about it on instagram once I know. But, come say hello if you live in Los Angeles, always enjoy meeting people in the photography community out here… Like meeting you Andrew, was so nice hanging with you at Tee Gee, I gotta make that happen more often. I appreciate what you do out here and can’t thank you enough for your support. 

ADM: Thanks for agreeing to do this! Happy to have had you/support where I can!