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Master Photographers Tell You How

George Motz Documentary Filmmaker / Photographer How To Document The Backyard BBQ by Jon Sienkiewicz Article rating: 6.15

George Motz loves hamburgers, make no mistake about that. But when he and his vegetarian wife Casey decided to create a documentary that examined eight of the best hamburger restaurants in America, their motivation went well beyond a quest for a great sandwich. Hamburger America, the wildly popular account of some of America’s premier burger joints, is more about America than hamburgers. Each of the restaurants featured in this 54 minute movie is unique, to be sure, but all share a common thread. They’ve all been around for at least forty years, all use only fresh meat (never frozen) and most have been in continuous operation by the same family for the duration. In fact, family is really the notion that prevails throughout this movie. Each establishment is family operated, and each provides an arena where families can come to grow, share life, and enjoy a damned good burger.

At each stop – from Ted’s Steamed Cheeseburgers in Connecticut to The Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, New Mexico (and including Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern – made famous by the Saturday Night Live “cheese borger” skit featuring John Belushi) – we see how the three basic tenets of tradition, family and pride connect the cast members into one tightly knit American fabric. Yes, they’re flipping ground beef, but more than that they are 21st century Norman Rockwell archetypes of family values.

George Motz is a freelance Director of Photography for commercials and promos. His client list reads like something from a film student’s wish list: the New York Yankees, PBS, VH1, Subway, Airtel, New Jersey Lottery, the Biography Channel, AMC, MTV, Oxygen, ESPN, ABC Family, the History Channel, Spike TV and the Florida Marlins. He’s an Emmy Award winner and in 2003 won an International Broadcast Design Award, a Mobius and a Telly Award.

In June of 2004, Ruby Isabella Benjamin Motz was born, and now the Motz family has three members. We asked George what impact the family expansion had on his work habits. “I have to work harder,” he said without hesitation.

A New York native, George grew up on Long Island, in Garden City. He has been working on his own as a cinematographer for thirteen years, but in truth he attributes much of his success to the five years he spent as an assistant to another pro.

“I worked like a dog, seven days a week,” George said. “But I paid attention. He taught me everything from setting f/stops to hanging dry wall. I learned discipline.”

George has been shooting still images even longer – since around the time he turned twelve. His mother was a portrait photographer, and she gave George a simple camera to use on a school outing. When he retuned with mostly pictures of rocks and plants, George’s mom gave this life-lesson advice: “Get more people in your pictures.”

Watch for Hamburger America at your local theatre and in the cable listings - the film will air on the Sundance Channel on July 4th weekend. Visit the official Hamburger America website http://www.hamburgeramerica.com for show times and other details, or to order the DVD. One word of caution: you’ll be both hungry and satisfied after you’ve watched this movie. Hungry for a great burger, yes, but satisfied that America is a place where tradition, family and pride still rule supreme.

George's Equipment:

Camera-
Hasselblad 501CM

Tripod-
Bogen

Filter-
I've been using the old (discontinued) Hassy screw-on proxars for portraits (on an 80mm) and there's nothing like it.

Camera Bag-
Tenba
Porta Brace

Printer-
Coloredge
Lexington
Manhattan Color

Point & Shoot-
Nikon D50 - excellent snapshot camera. Also started shooting snaps with the new compact Panasonic Lumix

Computer-
Mac

Film-
Kodak Portra VC

Meters-
Seconic Dualmeter L-558 because I shoot a lot of motion picture stuff too. All I need now is a phone in my meter and I've got it all

>>Click here to visit www.hamburgeramerica.com...

>>Click here to read our interview with George Motz...

>>Click here to read George Motz's Tips & Techniques for Documenting the Backyard BBQ...

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I remember you when you had the greatest gyros brought in from Zorba's Cafe, or in Francois' neighborhood, the many beers from Dupont Circle as well, with Veronique! Do you still critique those items? Michele Posted by: Michele Wentling Apr 3, 2008 @ 10:43 PM EST

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