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jeffelstone

@jeffelstone

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Photographer/Director
@thepassengerfilm 🎥

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Filmmaking is a spiritual journey in disguise.

At least for me.

@rickrubin talks about how artists are translators for messages that the universe is broadcasting and I tend to agree. When a story’s time has come and when it chooses you as the one to tell it, you’re then presented with the choice to respond - or ignore it.

Do you trust yourself enough to find a way to make it happen in the face of an endless list of reasons why it’s not “practical” or “realistic”? Or do you make the “responsible” decision to shut it down and return to baseline?

Independent filmmaking is generally a terrible business model. You’re very lucky if you ever break even. But it’s also essential, and somehow now more than ever.

The amount of effort, risk, and luck required to create it is usually completely absurd. But underneath the absurdity, anxiety, and impossibility is one of the most surreal and meaningful opportunities that one can experience.

In the end, the film itself becomes a byproduct to a larger process at work.

Because in the course of making a film that you believe to be compelling and necessary, the person you were before evolves into another person that is beyond what you believed was possible. by @jeffelstone

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5 months ago

The Greatest Show on Earth
@nineinchnails @boysnoize taken in Prudential Center by @jeffelstone

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8 months ago

We recorded this the day before the storm hit NYC in January. The city felt strangely suspended that afternoon. Two rehearsals to build an acoustic arrangement, and this team brought so much precision and sensitivity it honestly floored me. What a beautiful day.
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Moments from my @nprmusic Tiny Desk entry, Begin Again, from my upcoming LP Future Flesh. Full video via link in bio.

CREDITS :
Lex Sadler on bass @lexsadler
Avishai Rozen on drums @atellerwho
Yusuke Yamamoto on Wurlitzer @channelyusyama
Elias Meister on guitar @mreliasmeister
John Isley on saxophone @isleymusic
Videographer - Jeff Elstone @jeffelstone
Recording engineer - Jeffrey Swart @jhswartwin
Audio mix by Cian Riordan @cianthreetimes
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Photos by @patrickermlich and @manuelgrecony
#TinyDesk #TinyDeskContest #NPRTinyDesk #NPRMusic #TinyDeskContest #ArtPop #AvantPop #ExperimentalPop #ArtRock #NYCMusic #LiveSession #IndieArtist #VandanaMusic taken in Brooklyn, New York by @jeffelstone

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8 months ago

Some stories reveal themselves only after you’re willing to go deeper.

Returning to Barcelona, then into the Catalonian mountains following instinct and trusting fate.

The more you listen, the more naturally projects find their true form.

Grazie mille @fabrianofabbri taken in Boris Bidjan Saberi by @jeffelstone

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8 months ago

Boris Bidjan Saberi speaks the language of soul.

Each piece is a transmission of rebellion, devotion, and alchemy.

Last week I had the honor of visiting the Archive Gallery store in Barcelona before the doors close next month and a meeting that was many years in the making unfolded.

Some encounters feel less like introductions and more like recognition. Grateful for the time shared in that space with the one who shaped it 🙏🏻 taken in Boris Bidjan Saberi by @jeffelstone

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a year ago

You’ll never know if you never ask.

Directing isn’t always about blocking a scene or calling action. Sometimes it’s just trusting your gut and inviting a stranger to step into a moment you imagined on the fly.

No casting. No lines. Just intuition and a token of gratitude.

More street magic with @ona.tzar taken in Times Square, New York City by @jeffelstone

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a year ago

Some things are seen. Some things are felt.

Street magic with @ona.tzar taken in New York, New York by @jeffelstone

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a year ago

Bucket list: @deftones live ☑️

Appreciate you @xandermilia ! taken in Prudential Center by @jeffelstone

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2 years ago

Who you are when you enter is not who you are when you leave 🏜️ taken in Joshua Tree, California by @jeffelstone

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2 years ago

Adrift and at peace by @jeffelstone

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2 years ago

Just drifting 🪽 taken in New Jersey by @jeffelstone

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2 years ago

The sunset on the day before my daughter’s birth was truly out of this world ☄️

I’ll never forget it. The light had an ethereal quality and texture that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

Somehow I can’t help but think of it as the opening of a portal with a bridge from her world into ours, which soon changed forever 💙 taken in New Jersey by @jeffelstone

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2 years ago