PUSH TAGS
Push Tags is a documentary that allows the audience a glimpse into the life of a local, young, and upcoming graffiti artist who explains his art, expectations, and ambitions. I started filming Push Tags back in February as I would hear about local areas that contained Push’s street art. Never knowing exactly how long Push’s art would remain in the street, I had to document his work soon or it may be removed and lost forever. Then in March, I became a part of the action as I spent an evening helping to create the art and then ultimately traveling through the Canton night scene documenting the graffiti process. After a short confrontation with Local Police Officials at our second location, the intensity, and anxieties of the process grew greater. However, the evening withheld from any further surprises, and left me with a night I would never forget. Later, I conducted an interview with Push to use as a voice over and story line, and ended the filming process with hours of editing the material.
As a film maker, I am trying to encourage the audience to become more open to the idea of graffiti. I want to show that graffiti is not an act of vandalism or defacing public property, but instead an expression of an artist. Graffiti is far greater then the street art. It is about the messages that the artists are trying to convey, and also the artists themselves. It’s difficult to “Stay Up” as an artist or in everyday life, and the best is yet to come is the message I want to convey.
ryan barnett, director
