1 of 2
Photograph by Bowls MacLean
Bill Streeter
2 of 2
Lo-Fi Cherokee 2014 Trailer
Not too long ago, Hydraulic Pictures hung out its shingle on the 2600 block of Cherokee. The surrounding neighborhood has provided a multi-venue location for the small-but-successful video firm’s recent spate of Lo-Fi Cherokee videos. With this now-annual conceit, producer Bill Streeter has involved well over a dozen local bands, captured each in interesting and unusual settings along the block, from actual clubs to muffler shops. The videos were shot on April 12, and the results have been released from Monday through Wednesday over the past couple of weeks. Today, Columbia, MO’s Hooten Hallers will be the featured artist.
While known for his video works, including his long-form documentary Brick By Chance and Fortune, Streeter spent plenty of time working in corporate environments as a graphic designer. He still maintains a presence in that world, working with select clients, while emphasizing his video work, created in the back of a spacious Cherokee storefront.
Every other week, we ask the same seven questions of a variety of local visual artists, along different disciplines and platforms. This week, it’s Streeter, who immediately shot back answers to our TS7Qs.
Art school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
I studied art formally and informally my whole life. Both technique and theory. Most of my formal filmmaking training came from Columbia College in Chicago. But I’m a very curious person, so I’m always open to learning new stuff.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
I’m a night owl by nature, but an early bird by necessity. I feel like I’m most creative when I’m up late by myself, but with having kids and daytime responsibilities that’s not very practical. So I’ve adapted, and I’ve found that early mornings after a good night’s rest are also very good for me.
In basic terms, can you describe the set up and vibe of your studio?
It’s quiet. I work best when I can go long stretches with no interruptions. I find that if I get in the zone and then I get interrupted, it takes me a few minutes to get back into it. On set when I’m shooting, it’s all business. I like to get the shot and move on. I don’t plan excessively for shoots. But I do come to the set knowing what we need to accomplish with a couple of extra ideas in my back pocket, just in case. When you shoot in a documentary style, part of the process is dealing with the realities of a situation, so you learn to be adaptable. Chance is always somewhere in the room as your creative partner, whether you like it or not. If you make documentaries you need to be comfortable with that.
What are your thoughts on crowdfunding for the arts? And is that option any part of your own approach to creating and selling work?
I think crowdfunding is great. It really is one of the great things to come out of the information age. Being able to connect people with similar interests around a project. It’s the kind of thing that a lot of us were hoping would happen (but we couldn’t predict) when the web started happening 20 years ago. I haven’t used it yet; I haven’t really had to, yet. But when the right project comes along I’ll be all over it.
Do you have a dream project that lacks only funding (or time)?
Yes, I do. Do I have to tell you what it is? Because I don’t want to. But let’s just say that in very broad terms, it’s a period drama set in St. Louis more than 100 years ago. I would think the budget on it would be somewhere around $15 to $20 million. I don’t think I could raise that much on Kickstarter; so if it happens it’ll because some other major media entity got involved.
To what degree do you enjoy having public contact, whether that means selling your work at a fair, a gallery opening, etc.?
I’m a social butterfly. I love meeting people, and chatting with them. I know it’s really cool these days to brag about how introverted you are, but I’ve never been very introverted. I guess I’m just not that cool.
What other St. Louis artists inspire or motivate you?
A pair of Bobs: Bob Reuter, because he was so good at a lot of different things, photography, music and writing. Bob Cassilly, because he did stuff people probably couldn’t imagine, or get their heads around, until he did them. And he did them in parts of St. Louis that people had written off as worthless. I also think Phil Jarvis is really cool, because he embodies craftsmanship, hard work, and artistry that I think is very rare. I have a strong affinity for Charles Guggenheim who, like me, came to St. Louis from somewhere else and made movies about it. I interviewed Arthur Osver shortly before his death, which was my introduction to him and I found I had a great affinity for his work and his attitude towards his work and life. There are lots of people around town that are doing great work that I really admire, too. I could make a long list for you, but I’m afraid that I would leave someone out. But if you look at the people I’ve made videos about, I think you’ll get a pretty good idea of who would be on that list.
