About this project

What I Want To Do
I'm already in production, shooting, writing and editing "NO RULES: The Life and Times of Joe Strain".

You get an exclusive viewing of the first segment above.

I've shot enough material for 4 to 6 more segments, which I plan to launch on internet as soon as I can get them written and edited. This series will inspire viewers to persist in their efforts to survive this economic downturn using everything they’ve learned in their life experience, not just intellectual knowledge, but communication and hands-on skills, to widen their ideas about what 'work' is and what constitutes a viable 'trade'.

Segment #1 introduces Joe and his philosophy: "If you've got the right tools, you can build anything". It shows how he creates utilitarian ,as well as ornate iron work while he mentors young assistants and pools his skills with other craftspersons. The unique culture of the Gulf Coast Region sustains Joe and the community that surrounds him, through hurricanes and hard times and will allow them to survive in the future.

Labeling himself as 'ADD', Joe never finished college. He has always been able to support himself, learning, as many do, from older, experienced artists and tradesmen and bartering his skills for the resources of others, trading equipment and time, making connections through friends and family and building a social and economic network that helps everyone keep going.

Many of the products we depend on in our every day lives now come from China; our jobs often produce nothing more tangible than a paycheck. If you've got a college degree, you are more likely to create concepts or deal in services or information. But despite the assumption that we are now an information-driven society, there are still Americans who make a living working with their hands. Joe Strain, modern-day New Orleans blacksmith is one of them.

How I Plan To Do It
I have my own digital video camera; I shoot everything myself and produce the short segments with technical help from independent editors and production assistants. I have permission to use additional images and footage recorded by Gulf Coast residents and artists. The music is all from Gulf Coast groups that want to support the project and Joe. I drive from Atlanta to New Orleans every 6 weeks to meet up with Joe and document , in cinema verite style, whatever he is doing and whoever he is working with. Nothing is staged, whatever happens is recorded and will be used.

What The Money Is For
I plan to produce 4 or 5 more segments. For each shoot, I stay with friends and family in New Orleans, but have the usual expenses of video tape, gas, and food. I pay a production assistant to help me on location. I log all the tapes myself and write the editing scripts. The bulk of the money goes to a highly skilled editor who brings the stories to life and uploads them to Internet. I worked on a shoestring budget at CNN for the first two decades of its existence; and I continue to 'do more with less' as an independent filmmaker.

Future segment working titles will be:
"We found out what people are really like after Katrina"
"I'll hire anyone who is willing to work"
"There's no shame in working with your hands"
"Made in America doesn't mean quality any more"
"My family means more to me than anything"

If you want to know more about my work, check out my website at www.bbarash.com

Bailey Barash