Kel Troughton: You were in the San Francisco graffiti scene way before the film was made right? Who did you see up back then?
_________________________________________
Benjamin Morgan: I was a B-Boy in the 80s. My crew, Fantastic Fource, pretty much held down SF from '85-86. I was into graffiti as well, but it wasn't my full-time addiction like breaking was. I was down for graff, but, honestly, I wasn't very good at it. Nonetheless, it's a part of my history that I will always cherish.
J-ROC, co-founder of Fantastic Fource, was probably the biggest influence on me. He was always pushing me to do pieces (instead of just marker tags). He had more energy and passion than anyone I have ever met. He lived in the Portrero Hill projects, was dirt poor, and actually couldn't even read. And yet he was pushing himself to learn letter form. He was truly inspirational. J-ROC was heavily influenced by Crayone, TWS. Despite all the beef, which is well documented, Crayone was incredibly passionate about the art form. He pushed the envelope and was a very generous individual.
The 80s were an amazing time for graffiti in SF. It was all so new to us. Cats like Dug One, TMF and Dream, TDK in the East Bay were legendary, of course. They were in a league of their own and they influenced a generation of writers. It was a great time to be a kid in SF.
_________________________________________
You covered a lot of ground, from the thunderdome and ghost yard, to the tunnels, the mission alleys, and even 6th and howard and downtown. What was it like shooting for the film in SF, any interesting run ins, or setbacks? How did you get your camera equipment in the thunderdome?
_________________________________________
We definitely had some interesting challenges shooting this film. Nothing I want to go on record with. At least not until we can afford a good lawyer
For the most part, it was pretty chill. We kept a very low profile and rarely got hassled. As you know, SF was really hot when we were in production (summer 2003). Helluv warrants had been issued right at that time, so a lot of writers were weary about getting involved with a graff movie. (One of the actors in Quality of Life, our good friend Dave Lieberman, was facing almost 2 yrs in state prison from one of those notorious warrants.) So we made a very conscious effort to stay off the radar.
The standard (and smart!) thing for a low-budget indie film to do is whore yourself out to the press before and during production. That's how you get investors, film festivals, and distributors hyped on the film. But we realized that this approach would not work for us. We shot Quality of Life with a documentary, run-and-gun, get in/get out style. That approach really kept us out of the spotlight and, ultimately, out of trouble. No comment on the Thunderdome.