Paparazzi Legend Ron Galella Makes HBO Documentary

Ron Galella, the famous paparazzo known for his photographs of Jackie Onassis and Marlon Brando, debuted the documentary Smash His Camera, a winner at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

For more information on Ron visit his website to find out about upcoming events.

Vanity Fair's Best Paparazzi Moments

This past June Vanity Fair published "Nine Notorious Paparazzi Moments" by Darrell Hartman.  Check out the most famous paparazzi moments of all time!

Camp Britney

Sneaky paparazzo Jenny Jones snapped a photo of the "camp Britney" paparazzi at a gas station in Calabasas on the corner of Pkwy Calabasas and Calabasas Road waiting to jump into their cars at any second to follow Britney Spears.  Camp Britney is known for its dedication to getting as many photos of her as possible.  Jones said she has seen these photographers waiting for Britney Spears on Christmas day, New Year's Eve, and Easter Sunday.  Even though most of the time Britney drives away in an unknown car of a friend or a manager, the paparazzi don't want to risk missing out on a photo of the most famous pop star.

                                                                  Photo by Jenny Jones

Lindsay Lohan Probation Hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse

Where there is Lindsay Lohan, there is paparazzi.  Paparazzi marked their territory outside of the Beverly Hills Courthouse entrance this morning, arriving before 7am, for Lohan's probation hearing.  A paparazzo working for Splash News made room for me under the yellow tape to get a good view for Lohan's arrival.  It was interesting to be among the paparazzi, and to observe them as more than just photographers.  All though they were all competing for the same photos, they seemed like life long friends. They all seemed to know each other by each other's first names, and would catch up with each other on what has been going on in celebrity news.  They would even help each other with camera angels, and getting good views behind the press tape for when Lohan steps out of her car and walks into the courthouse.  The best part was watching them joke around with each other while waiting for Lohan to arrive.  One paparazzo yelled "Lindsay!" (when she hadn't even arrived yet) and caused the rest of the paparazzi to immediately turn on their cameras and turn their heads. The paparazzo from Splash said that unfortunately a Lohan photo with video will only go for about $200.  But that didn't stop them.  

Note to future paparazzi: Don't forget a ladder!

Check out the photos from today's hearing!

LeAnn Rimes Sighting: The Perks of Hiding in Your Car

Another successful week for paparazzo Jenny Jones.  She shared her exclusive photos of LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian with Behind the Flash that were published on Mail Online today!

Check out the full article here

The Reasons Behind AB 2479

Marco Meneghin, a Field Representative/Casework Mgr. for California Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass gives Behind the Flash some insight on what led Speaker Bass to pass AB 2479 earlier this month into law.

Description of AB 2479 according to http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2451-2500/ab_2479_cfa_20100628_125856_sen_comm.html

This bill would provide that a person who commits "false  imprisonment" with the intent to capture any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of a  plaintiff is subject to liability under the civil invasion of  privacy statute and, as such, liable for damages and remedies available pursuant to that statute, as specified.

What sparked Speaker Bass’s initiative to introduce this bill?

“There were a couple of high profile cases dealing with traffic accidents, and an issue of family.  Their kids are getting pictures taken unwillingly and it has been a safety issue for their family. As far as traffic stuff, anybody has seen the paparazzi videos and has seen some of the accidents.  For example, Brad Pitt being knocked off his motorcycle in traffic while trying to drive away from the paparazzi. They [celebrities] have come to Bass directly. 

Photo credit: www.dailymail.co.uk

Brad Pitt Video

Since the passing of last year’s AB 524 anti-paparazzi bill, what are the added restrictions to AB 2479?

This bill strengthens the old bill by providing that anybody that creates false imprisonment to capture an image, impinging on someone’s freedom to move by cornering them, the penalties increase .It is up to a $50,000 fine and a year in county jail.  Last year’s bill did not have the added jail time.

Have there been any complaints from the media regarding freedom of the press?

That was an issue that came up, we haven’t received any call directly.  But the general argument is that in journalism you aren’t practicing those tactics…basically stalking.

For more information on this law, click here for further bill analysis.

To check out news from Speaker Bass, check out her website

Paparazzi On Paparazzi

Jenny Jones, a local paparazzo, shows Behind The Flash just how comfortable some paparazzi get with their jobs.  She took these photos through her tainted car mirrors, leaving the scene completely unnoticed by her fellow paparazzi.  She said that these photographers were outside of a celebrity's home all day waiting for the star to drive down her driveway.  Jones even caught a paparazzo brushing his teeth outside his car!

Photos by Jenny Jones  

A Good Day for the Paparazzi

Jenny Jones shares with Behind The Flash what a successful week in the business looks like:

A photo of Bones star David Boreanaz with his family
A shot of America's Next Top Model Winner Adrianne Curry without makeup
An Oprah photo in the newest issue of Us Weekly
A full page photo of Kourtney Kardashian and son Mason in the latest issue of In Touch Weekly

13 Tips on How to Be Successful Paparazzi

Jenny Jones, a freelance celebrity photographer in Los Angeles, gives Behind The Flash inside tips on how to break through the paparazzi pack

1. Stay unnoticed: “Ninety eight percent of what I do is exclusive, I’m usually hiding trying to catch the celebrity doing whatever they do naturally.”

2. Your car is your best friend: “I stay in my car to get the best shots…even if it’s 108 degrees outside.”

3. Stay away from the paparazzi pack: “I don’t hang around courthouses.”

4. Have a good memory: “I can spot a license plate on the freeway. I can also spot dogs and nannies.”

5. Don’t be afraid to expose people: “If you’re doing something messed up, I’ll take your picture.”

6. It’s good to be a woman: “I can go to hotels, no one would ever assume (I’m a paparazzi). I just say taking pictures is a hobby if asked.  It’s kind of brilliant, very women power.”

7. It’s okay to be human: “If I’m not comfortable with a photo, I’ve left. Especially if there is no story there.”

8. There needs to be meaning behind the photo: “ It has to be story driven, those make the most money. For example, maybe someone is not wearing their wedding ring.”

9. Have passion for what you do: “Everyday I love it. If I didn’t get any money I would still do it. I always keep a camera with me because I see celebs everywhere.”

10. Don’t underestimate the business: “Sometimes it’s so hard, a lot of people can’t do it.”

11. Stay tough: “Have balls of steel, work hard, and go for it. If you can’t spot you will be in the pack.”

12. Keep informed: “ I read everything and watch all the entertainment shows.”

13. Freelance is freedom: “I’m self employed, I’m no one’s doormat.”

One-on-One With Brandy Navarre

In an interview with Brandy Navarre, the vice president of X17 Inc., one of Los Angeles's top celebrity photo agencies, explains why the paparazzi is key to entertainment journalism.  She reveals that not only do journalists benefit from the paparazzi, but the the celebrities themselves.

Lindsay Lohan August 2010 photo by x17
Why is the paparazzi so vital to entertainment journalism?
 I think celebrity photography is important because we are defending the stretching the limits of the First Amendment each day.  We are exposing truths about public figures in a medium in which there was previous no balance in the reporting — we show the stars how they really are rather than how their publicists want them to be portrayed.
 How has your company contributed to the success of journalism?
 X17 was at the forefront of the coverage of Britney Spears during her troubles in 2007/2008.  CNN even called us to ask if their reporter and videographer could ride along with us to get the full story because they were uncertain about how to cover it. And then I was the first person to ever speak with and interview her close companion Sam Lutfi.   X17 had the exclusive pictures that were published in almost every news and entertainment publication around the world and every similar website and on every broadcast network in the world.  To be able to report a story so effectively, with such reach and such worldwide interest was amazing.  It established X17 as a leader in celebrity photojournalism and reporting.
 Why do people view the paparazzi in a negative way? What are you doing to change that point of view?
  Some people think of the paparazzi as pests and sometimes we are — but so are all journalists.  When people have something to hide, they don’t like us around.  Granted, some people simply don’t want their photo taken and that’s part of it too but more often than not, we are working with the celebrities we photographer either directly or through their agents, publicists, or managers.  Store owners tip us off when celebrity clients are shopping — the same with restaurateurs with famous diners.  It’s free publicity for them and many times, the stars are getting something out of it too.  What we do has become a big machine and there is more profiting from it than not.
x17

Paparazzi and Public Relations

Not only does the paparazzi affect the lives of celebrities, but they affect the business of entertainment PR companies.  Emily See-Winder, the director of women’s fashion at Redlight PR in Los Angeles, believes the paparazzi to be a crucial part of the success of the company.  Red Light PR represents a wide variety of fashion designers and fashion collections, with the goal of bringing awareness to its clients and their products.  Check out what Emily has to say about the paparazzi!

           
 Rachel Bilson                   Halle Berry

 Does the paparazzi business have a positive affect on Red Light PR?

Absolutely.  The paparazzi has been instrumental in what we do because they follow around celebrities, and sometimes the celebrities are wearing our clothes. One of our initiatives is to do celebrity feeding, so we are constantly sending them (celebrities) products hoping they will wear our brands.  We are constantly looking at paparazzi agency sites, so we hope to see celebrities wearing our brands.

So after you find photos you want from the paparazzi photo sites, where do you go from there?

When a celebrity is photographed in our brand, we send the picture to online blogs such as Perez Hilton and Fashionista.  The name (of the designer) is now out there associated with that celebrity. It gives our brands more exposure.  We have databases of all the different fashion and pop culture blogs.  We have a handful that is our target blogs, and then we blast it to the entire database. We also reach out to editors at magazines including People and Us Weekly.

Have you had any negatives experiences with the paparazzi affecting your business?

We used to represent the Lauren Conrad collection, and when you attach a celebrity to things, the paparazzi is always shaking that person identity, and that sometimes negatively affects the brand. But most of all its positive and gives our brands exposure.

Redlight PR

Gov. Schwarzenegger Cracks Down on the Paparazzi

Check out last week's Los Angeles Times article about the new bill recently signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger that puts more restrictions on celebrity photographers.  Will this bill increase pubic safety? Or is this law crossing the line when it comes to 1st Amendment rights?


Click here to view the full article!

New HBO Documentary Examines Paparazzi Culture

This week HBO premiered Adrian Grenier’s documentary Teenage Paparazzo.  Grenier, most well know for his star role as Vince on HBO’s ‘Entourage’, does an extremely well job exploring the meaning being the paparazzi scene in Hollywood.  Grenier is as curious about them as they are about him, and with this film he objectively tries to understand their purpose in entertainment.  The focus of the film is on 14-year-old Austin Visschedyk, the teenage paparazzo.  Grenier goes along with Austin on photo runs in order to understand the complex relationship between the paparazzi and celebrities.   As if the paparazzi culture wasn’t already complicated enough, Grenier wonders why a young teenager would want to be apart of the business. Grenier admits that his fictional character he plays on television has become blurred with his reality.  He wonders if he can ever escape the role of Vince in his real life. He explains that it is sometimes hard for him to view paparazzi as normal people, and he wants to know why.  Throughout the film Grenier interviews different celebrities including Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria Parker, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, and Lindsay Lohan.  He also interviews well-known paparazzi veterans to see both sides of the entertainment spectrum. Grenier speaks with different professionals in the media field including college professors and authors on the topic.  He even makes a visit to OK! Magazine to get the editors thoughts’ on the paparazzi culture.

Important themes examined throughout the film include: Are the paparazzi responsible for making people famous? Would celebrities have no careers without paparazzi photos?  Do paparazzi just want to be apart of fame? Without paparazzi, would we have pop culture?   Are celebrities, something everyone has in common, just an outlet for people to gossip about, which is the core of human nature? Grenier decides to be paparazzi for the day to see what it is like on their end.  When he finds out that some paparazzi are afraid he is trying to exploit them, he raises the concern of a double standard.  If photographers can take his photograph and spin it into a story, then why shouldn’t he be able to interview them?  Teenage Paparazzo is an excellent film that examines both sides of the entertainment industry, and raises thought provoking questions about how the media has evolved.   Before you check out the film, ask yourself this: does pop culture exist because of paparazzi, or does paparazzi exist because of pop culture? 

Check out the trailer!