OSNS, Brian Cox, McCoy Tyner, and more on CineMaryland!

CineMaryland spotlights Old School New School in their Feb 2012 program. Click here to watch the segment!

Old School New School makes MovieMaker Magazine!

MovieMaker Magazine, the nation’s leading magazine on the art and business of making movies, releases a story about the making of Old School New School with Brian Cox. Click here to read!

OSNS on OSNS

Steven Fischer, producer of Old School New School the movie, will be appearing on Old School New School the podcast on Thursday, July 7 2011 at 6.30pm PST. More details to come.

Old School New School Released!

Old School New School with Brian Cox released today! Please watch the movie, post a comment, and share the link with anyone interested in creative self development. Thank you for all your continued interest and support of our journey into the mystery of creativity.

Watch the movie here.

Brian Cox Conversation in Old School New School

Click Here to watch a clip from the Brian Cox conversation that appears in Old School New School, Steven Fischer’s study on creativity.

In this clip, Steven and Brian talk about provoking serendipity and creating your own luck.

Brian Cox and McCoy Tyner Shoots

In the past few days here in NYC, we’ve recorded Brian Cox, McCoy Tyner and Francisco Mela for Old School New School, our inspirational study on creativity and how young people can reach their full creative potential.

Brian proved a true delight, a gracious host, and was so animated and electric when he spoke I’ve no doubt his appearance in the movie will be a highlight.

With McCoy I’ve never laughed so much during a recorded conversation. He displays such a lively spirit, even though in his 70s, the child within him is still alive and vibrant. He’s such a playful, fun-loving soul.

Francisco was generous with his thoughts and equally as lively as McCoy. It’s going to be fun to edit these conversations.

A journalist joined us on the shoots as he is filing a feature story for City Paper and Urbanite. He observed the shoots, made a lot of notes, and at the end of the day we spent an hour in a nearby cafe interviewing about the movie over coffee. More details to come.

Many thanks to DP Chris Cassidy and videographer Fred Weil for capturing these three remarkable storytellers, and for giving as much as they did to make the shoot a terrific experience.

L-R: Fred Weil, Steven Fischer, Brian Cox, Chris Cassidy shooting Old School New School, New York City, June 2010.

Loring Cornish and Brian Cox to Appear in Old School New School

Two exciting up-coming shoots for Old School New School, our educational study on creativity.

Visionary artist Loring Cornish is an energetic and exciting communicator whose art is highly stylized and personalized. He works primarily with glass and has covered a variety of surfaces, including two houses top to bottom!

Brian Cox is an actor’s actor, through and through. He is known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his portrayal of King Lear, but you may have also seen him on the silver screen in Troy, The Bourne Supremacy, Braveheart, Rob Roy, Deadwood, the list goes on and on…

More details to come, and more news to share…

A 44 inch x 36 inch mosaic by Loring Cornish.

Brian Cox in Running with Scissors (2006).

Steven Fischer on Real Talk Radio

So I’m driving along the highway yesterday afternoon preparing for Los Angeles, making my calls to “the coast” (or as Michael Dorsey would argue to his agent, “This is a coast too, George. New York is a coast.”), when I place a call to media mogulette Gigi Iam. Gigi is the producer and host of The Gigi Iam Show for Time Warner cable. I’ve appeared on her show about two or three times promoting various projects. She has always been a wonderful supporter.

She has a radio version of the show, and as we talked on the phone Gigi mentioned that I should come on sometime and chat about Old School, New School. Great! Then she said, “How about tonight?”

Well, what started out as, “just call in and we’ll just chat for a couple minutes” ended up going half an hour! Take a Listen.

Thanks, Gigi!

P.S.: The beautiful music that opens is a piece from Michael Zampi from his album The Appalachian Trail Reflections of Beauty.

Hollywood Screening

Did I mention that Kimberley Browning is one of planet Earth’s most beautiful people? She is the heart and soul behind Hollywood Shorts, and many months ago made the generous offer to coordinate and present a work-in-progress screening of Old School, New School, a study on the nature of creativity.

That day is nearly here. Mark your calendars!

Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Hotel Cafe
1623 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
4.30pm – 6.30pm
FREE

This work-in-progress screening is intended for a target audience focus group (art students and those interested in developing their creativity). Confirmed guests for the post screening discussion include 6-time Oscar nominee (and OSNS subject) William Fraker and Michael Polcino, director of The Simpsons and Family Guy animated series. The discussion continues the dialogue from the movie about taking risks, finding your own voice, defining success in the arts, and, in general, how to “make it” in the arts.

More panel guests to be announced. The best way to keep in formed is to join the OSNS Facebook page.

Many thanks to The Hotel Cafe and Kimberley Browning for making this screening a reality.

A Study on Genius and Success in the Arts

The experimental filmmaker Fred Worden sent me a really great video today. Malcolm Gladwell discusses success in the arts and how musicians he’s studied have come to make their masterpiece. He’s concluded that every “genius” reaches genius status my completing 10,000 hours of preparation. He notes that The Beatles performed about 12,000 times together before their big Ed Sullivan success, and that Fleetwood Mac released about 12 albums before Rumors was released.

It’s a fascinating study that, to me, touches on lot of truth. Check it out here.