Hidden away from the public for decades, this reggae archive holds rare footage, recordings, and history that could have easily disappeared.
We’ve been following this story for over 25 years.
This is just the tip of the reggae iceberg.
The image became known to us as “The Rasta Thinker.” A quiet moment captured by Roger Steffens that somehow reflected the spirit of the entire project: memory, reflection, history, and uncertainty about the future of reggae preservation.
At the time, we were deep into editing what we thought would be the film’s final scenes when Roger suddenly called us and asked us to stop everything. An offer had been made to purchase the archives.
The entire project paused overnight.
Instead of finishing the documentary, we found ourselves following Roger to Jamaica, where he was meeting with potential buyers while trying to ensure the archives would remain protected, respected, and accessible for future generations.
That unexpected turn became part of the story itself.
Ten years later, we’re still here. Still filming. Still preserving. Still trying to bring this story to the screen the right way.
From the Movie “Poetry In Motion II”
G&E Productions
I am the last living direct* descendent of Robert Jehu "Bob" Lee of NE Texas. My Uncle Bob Lee fought and was murdered in cold blood by a union officer of the name Lewis Peacock during the Lee and Peacock Feud. This feud was the largest feud after the end of the civil war and was more of a war itself of Confederate vs. Union loyalist.
The Lee and Peacock feud had more killings than the Hatfields and McCoys, missing confederate gold, kidnapping, thievery, murder of a doctor who helped patch up Bob Lee and so much more. To this day there are people searching for his gold and while many people will be subject to say how a confederate captain of my uncle was nothing more than a racist and a slave owner I can promise you he was not.
During the end of the civl war, Bob Lee decided to head home as he felt there was nothing left to fight for. During the first murder attempt on his life, he stated to the Bonham newspaper how he was trying to hire a (and I quote his words) ">!negro!<" in which was not something someone would call a person of colour if they were racist, hateful and a proud "owner" of coloured folk. Furthermore, his father (my multiple great grandfather) was a preacher man and man of God who spoke deeply on the equal treatment of fellow men.
I feel this would make a great documentary on historical facts and a legacy that left Texas in many ways it still remains in our part of the state today.
*all respectful advice is welcome. All others people excuse yourself from replying. No form of hate of anyone will be tolerated nor supported. I am not political and do not side with anyone other than God. All men, women and children are made equal. Period. This is simply about history.*
Uncle Dre marks the first repeat performer from the first Poetry in Motion!
For this piece about a "warrior" we decided to look for a location within our aesthetic that screamed of "hardness" to match the heart of a warrior. We found these beautiful stones that worked out perfectly. His wardrobe too reflects this spirit as he seemingly blends into his environment, becoming one with his "battlefield."
-Gregory Cioffi - Director
“Poetry In Motion II”
W/ Uncle Dre
A G&E Production
Hey everyone,
Over the past several months we’ve been building FrameRate.tv, a video platform focused on motion designers, filmmakers, editors, animators, and other video professionals.
Ironically, we’ve been shipping so fast that we never actually stopped to make a proper demo video showing what the platform does. 😅
So we finally put one together.
A lot of what inspired FrameRate was the feeling Vimeo used to have for the creative community. A place where presentation mattered, discovery felt human, and the work itself was the focus.
Some of the things we’ve built so far:
We’re still early, but the response from the motion design community so far has honestly been incredible.
Would genuinely love feedback from this community, both on the platform itself and the direction we’re taking it.
Thank you,
Tyler
The great Nina Malkin recited a slightly different version of this poem every time she performed it! Great for artistic exploration. Scary for editing!
Luckily we had the idea to get a shot of her walking away, her back to the camera, so that we could cover any discrepancies in the editing room! As you could see, it became a saving grace!
Movie magic! And it turned out great!
-Gregory Cioffi- Director
“Poetry In Motion II”
W/ Nina Malkin
A G&E Production
Hey everyone!, I have been a musician for about 21 years. Ive been composing for 3, Started a business film scoring and doing sound design 3 years ago and have amazingly somehow managed to get several short film jobs, one feature length and a lot of sound design jobs.
The last 6 months ive been slowly compiling a bunch of small compositions to challenge myself in my spare time. I know im not brilliant at arrangement or structure but I turned my practice into an album. Im self taught, never had a music lesson in my life. Taught myself mixing and mastering i was just wondering what some of you think of this work and if you have any criticism or thoughts? If you do i would love to hear!
Here's the link!
https://open.spotify.com/album/0wRZQpnLn1U1UZB9py09V7?si=gNzeRcl8SGGilY-0Kf\_wEw
A few months ago I was broke, homeless, sleeping in public places, carrying my life in a backpack, and trying to figure out how not to completely spiral.
Instead of hiding it, I started filming it.
”Brian czub on YouTube”
Not fake “homeless for content.” Actual sleeping outside, showering at gyms when I could, charging my phone wherever possible, trying to trade, make content, learn marketing, and survive day by day.
I started documenting the process of going from literally $0 toward $10k using content creation, trading, online marketing, and whatever opportunities I could create with a phone and internet connection.
A lot of people online fake the grind after they already made it. I’m filming it before the outcome is guaranteed.
Some days I make money. Some days I lose. Some videos flop. Some get traction. But the interesting part is seeing what actually happens in real time without pretending everything is motivational 24/7.
My great uncle was a part of history as an American veteran who went back to cities in Vietnam alone to promote peace and friendship many years after the war. He ran over 1000 miles from city to city with support of civilians, government and media, and while it’s a part of history already I believe I can help make his story into something clearer and something that can be watched by others. In this time of so much conflict, it’s really what everyone needs to see. Please and thank you. ❤️
Just wanted to share some appreciation for the FX3 for doc work.
I started filmmaking during the DSLR era - my first documentary was shot on a Canon Kiss X4. Over time I moved more into documentary editing and spent less time behind the camera.
I always missed that “run-and-gun” documentary feeling though - and nothing I used quite replaced it.
I tried the FX6 at one point and absolutely loved the image and flexibility (dual native ISO, built-in ND, etc.), but it was a bit too conspicuous and rig-heavy for the kind of observational work I like to do.
When I eventually picked up the FX3, it felt like the balance I’d been looking for - compact, unobtrusive, and still extremely capable in real documentary conditions. No internal Variable ND, but I get past that by essentially leaving VND's on my lenses the whole time, covering with a rubber hood instead of lens cap when i pack them up
I’ve been using it for a new documentary series in rural Japan, and it’s been incredibly reliable for long-form, natural-light shooting- dare I say the perfect documentary camera?
Trailer from the project here if anyone’s interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9FmQQNcqV0
Curious how others here are finding the FX3 for documentary / verité work and what their setup might be.
From the Movie “Poetry In Motion II”
A G&E Productions flick
Tana Forte- thrashing…
Gregory Cioffi- Director
It's a short documentary about a 56-year-old architect and his relationship with running. It's not really a sports film. It's about an ordinary man (job, family, everyday life) who found something in running that gave him purpose and pushed him to experiences he never expected.
The film follows that journey to its peak: the Boston Marathon, where he had the perfect race. It's understated and real. Just him, his story, and what running actually feels like when it's woven into a normal life.
My fiancé and I are in the planning stages for a documentary series. We’re finding out fast that we need an ambitious filmmaker or crew, and maybe we're just asking too much. We’re building the budget now but i’m thinking we’re underestimating by a lot.
We are building a forest farm and campground in northern Minnesota. The series would follow us closing the land deal, our first season on the land, building, discovering, struggling, and hopefully our first guests. We have our own stories but the land is the star and what it provides. The series captures it all. Good and bad, failure and triumphs, while putting our relationship to the test.
It involves:
What we’re figuring out:
Thanks for your advice
Haunting recollection -Alan Walowitz
From the Movie “Poetry In Motion II”
A G&E Production
Gregory Gioffi- Director
I'm looking for a location for some talking heads footage. Ideally I want to be shooting in a hotel room. Finding it very difficult to get a hotel that's open to that. They tend to have a flat no filming policy. I also have a very specific look I'm after that narrows the field.
I'm chatting it through with Al's and they seem to be of the opinion that if the look is reasonably generic and you're not including visible logos etc that hotels won't care and, as importantly, buyers will probably accept something like “No formal release was obtained for a non-identifiable interior location” as acceptable risk.
Thoughts from anyone more experienced in these things?