Onedotzero

Onedotzero Interview

“Onedotzero is a hybrid organization: a cross-media production company and an acclaimed international network of events. Pioneering in its vision, onedotzero champions and explores new forms of moving image, celebrating the next generation of creators.” A brilliant quote from the manifesto of one of the most progressive firms in the Moving-Image industry.

-Tell us about yourself and your role within the company. What is the history of your company?

S: I’m the director of Onedotzero (1.0) and my role here is many and varied. I was one of the co-founders and essentially, I have done everything, at some point, in the company; from curation and programming, to production and directing, to managing and directing the company. 1.0 is a many-headed beast, as it were;

we started off as a digital film festival, one of the first in the world actually. We work from interactive work, to animation and live performance events. One of the key differentiating points I should make about 1.0 is that we commission and produce new work. So when we have a new event, people will make work specifically for that event. We also publish books and work/produce stuff for television as well as having a sister company called 1.0 Industries, which deals with more commercial production. This includes visuals for live performance gigs, working with bands like U2 and The Rolling Stones and creating installations for brands etc.

-Tell us about your work/concepts. Both as Creative Director of 1.0 as well as 1.0 Industries. How closely are they linked?

S: 1.0 has always been more about the artistic realm; concentrating on festivals, commissioning, producing and distributing work.

t is more about audience-facing work, where we are presenting a range of creative moving-images for people to enjoy. Whereas, 1.0 Industries is more about business to business & commercial enterprise. Our clients pay us to create an installation for their brand, or a band will pay us to do their tour visuals etc.

-Is there such a thing as a normal day for you? If so, what is your routine?

S: Everyday is completely different, which makes it exciting.

youtube : Onedotzero London Details

As I have such a range of roles in the company, it does help to break up any routine and leave me with a huge scope of tasks to fulfill.

For example, this week I have just finished a presentation for the Jerwood Moving Image Awards, we had a meeting with the British Council and did a presentation for creative entrepreneurs from the East Asian region. Had meetings with the BFI Southbank, the Victorian Albert Museum and MTV; so everyday, I meet with so many different people and organizations to try and come up with feasible ways to work together. As we work internationally, we also end up touring quite a lot. For example, I was away from the UK for four months of the year in 2007. In those four months, I probably ended up visiting about 25 cities around the world.

-When you go about creating a new compilation DVD of moving image, do you ever have in-house directors working for you, or is it always commissioned from elsewhere?

S: We have an open-submissions policy, so anyone can send their work in and it’s free of charge and we also go and actively seek out new work and directors. We will then curate packages based on that work and commission some new work from that. We don’t direct anything in-house; we may help to support it and produce it but all direction is done by other people. For 1.0 industries, we do direct some stuff in-house as it’s for commercial interest and we have complete creative control in this case.

youtube : Onedotzero select dvd5 highlights

- Short films, Installations and Interactive Works. What takes precedence and how do you choose your artists?

S: I think it’s a part of a fluid and cultural mix and what we consume, in terms of entertainment and art so I don’t differentiate between them. It’s more important how that idea is best manifested and what would be the best way to get the best experience for it. However, from an outsiders point of view, you could say that we are ‘known’ for our screening programs.

-You must get so many submissions for these screenings as well as for your DVD compilations. How do you choose your artists?

S: We receive thousands of commissions, so we have to look at a lot of material. Over the years, the technical quality has gone up so now we are looking for people who have something to say using these new forms of expression. We are always looking for something that is distinctive and original, it may sound cliched, but we want to inspire people who see the visuals and take that idea further.

Onedotzero: www.onedotzero.com

Written By Selph

youtube : Onedotzero_10