Thanks again to Jaco for being so passionate and dynamic, and being happy to be involved.
He's a man of skinny jeans, motorbikes, wild, Einsteinian hair, a passion for experimental film and loud, uncensored laughter.
Jaco grew up in South Africa, having studied at Pro-Arte, and wanted to leave the country as soon as possible. He wanted to study industrial design, which he believed would make him money, but it was a course unavailable in South Africa at the time. He took a bit of a risk, applying only to one college: the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Their style of education was that of the Bauhaus, in that the first year was a general, foundation course, while later years allowed for specialisation. It was during his first year that he made the decision to embrace the arts, and "screw the money".
He specialised in drawing, but did some side jobs to support his studies, including working as the editor and designer to the school magazine, The Prattler. Throughout his career, he has switched between genres of art, jumping between film, video compression, design work and music, and has worked at numerous places, including Cal Arts, IDEALOGUE and with Carl Hancock Rux. The reason he was involved in so many different jobs was essentially out of survival. Once you've released a film, people may be interested in it, but afterwards they don't want to hear about you for a while - you still need to make a living somehow though. Ultimately, however, these experiences have made him more versatile.
However, he felt a restlessness and frustration with where he was, and returned to South Africa on something of a holiday. His trips became more frequent, until he found that he simply didn't want to return to New York any more. Today, he finds that there are numerous problems with the South African attitude toward experimental art, but he's passionate about being a part of the growth of experimental film in the country, as a spearhead to its entry into Africa.
Among the attitude problems he's observed in SA includes the need to put people down. People who're leaders in their fields aren't appreciated; people don't try and learn from them. Instead, they criticise their work, trying to show them up as being ordinary people. They're also fairly conservative and resistant to change, and are quick to dismiss things or form negative opinions without trying to understand the reasons behind the art. There's also a particularly stupid mentality in SA of artists being unwilling to share ideas and knowledge.
Vern asked Jaco what he thinks about SA films. "Well, I'd like to see South African films." The SA film industry thus far largely seems to be a copy of what is done overseas, but with some local storyline. There is so much potential in the medium of film, and so many ways to create something new, something unique, and something that can be recognised as South African, and this is how South African filmmakers should approach their projects.
Experimental film is about examining what film actually is. It pushes boundaries and forces people to re-examine things that they've taken for granted - not only in the medium of film, but also in terms of society. For new viewers of experimental film: you don't need any prior education, and you don't really need to be told what to think either. It's just important to get past the newbie knee-jerk reaction of rejecting the film for being "strange", and onto what the film-maker is saying about film and about society, and what you can learn from that.
Talking about education, Jaco says that whether you're studying at a school or by yourself, the skill of being able to learn things on your own is invaluable, and it's something you'll need in the workplace, regardless of how much you've studied. That said, you still need some kind of mentor or teacher, because you can't teach yourself everything. If you're not studying at a school, then you should find yourself a talented and experienced person who has walked the path you wish to walk.
As long as you can find a mentor, studying at a school isn't vital. The education system itself is still essentially based on making money, and you're not necessarily getting the most knowledgeable or most experienced folks to teach you anyway - a problem that's particularly acute in SA. If, however, you do choose to study, then according to him the most important thing to look for is a good working environment. Among the schools that he has visited, both in the US and in SA, there have always been those students who work hard, and those who couldn't be bothered to put in the effort. You'll probably never appreciate the school and the lecturers while you're there anyway, so pick an environment that's conducive to productivity.
Part of the learning process is the need to be jarred and made uncomfortable. Your learning should kick you out of your comfort zones, so that you're constantly forced to experiment with new things and, consequently, learning something new. Quoting one of his mentors, he says: "We all suffer from the disease of wanting to be liked." Instead, the focus should be on the importance of the work and the learning. There is no time to be nice - particularly in film. There are deadlines, and there's a product to create; you can't afford to have to coddle your crew.
Jaco emphasises the move toward collaborative projects. People have begun to realise that, as much as they may like to change the world and make an impact, it's much easier to do this as a group of people. Collaborating with others who have similar interests also makes it easier to follow your own passions; sometimes you'll make it big, and sometimes not, but during the slumps there'll be friends to help you out.
Jaco has started an experimental film library, lectures, plays in a band with Z-dog, makes films with Michael MacGarry and has a solo show of his drawings scheduled for later in the year.
