Living with Legends

We met the cameraman Robin Adams when he was filming us for an episode of the Japanese T.V. show "Streets of New York."  It turns out he stayed here back in 1990.  Too bad he didn’t see any ghosts, because he would have been just the man to capture them on film.  This time he got to know some of the people a little better, and he says we belong on the Bravo Channel.  Since we don’t have cable, we don’t know if this is a compliment or not.

How did you get started in the production side of the business? When I was a 13 year-old kid growing up in Brooklyn, and playing in the family band called "Scorpio", we made our very first [8mm film] movie: "The Scorpion’s Sting". From that point forward I knew what I would do for the rest of my life. My career would either be filmmaking or TV production – TV is where I ended up after studying broadcast engineering in High School. (http://rkveq.tripod.com/photopage/) You may also visit: (www.amagica.com)  …..enjoy!

What are some of the other interesting projects you’ve filmed? In my 26.5 year career the most memorable project to date was an adventure documentary that I shot in Alaska and the Queen Charlotte Islands (British Columbia) for Japanese TV. (2001)      http://rkveq.tripod.com/productionphotogallery/id3.html

How was the Chelsea the first time you stayed here?
The first and only time I’ve ever stayed at The Chelsea Hotel was in 1990. I had to overnight in the city for a very early flight to the west coast with a Japanese tv production crew, and I must say I’d heard the stories about the hotel but never experienced its aura. The Chelsea was dark and gray and gloomy – dimly lit by fluorescent lighting that cast an eerie pale green throughout the halls; the old wooden floors creaked and my room was tiny and very seedy in appearance. I was extremely tired so I slept throughout the late night, however I saw no ghosts – which I thought I would see. Oh well…

How has the hotel changed in the last 17 years?
The hotel has brightened up tremendously; lots of color, vibrance, and weird energy emanating from the odd creative types who reside there; it was my first time meeting so many of the residents, and although many are "seemingly" odd and others are just plain strangely dispositioned, I enjoyed our shooting days at Chelsea. I tend to gravitate toward the crazier side of life anyway – it’s much more of an interesting experience.

Did you learn anything new and/or interesting while filming? Yes. I was surprised how no one has made a true-to-form reality show about The Chelsea Hotel and its resident characters. It would be PERFECT for The Bravo Channel! (anybody know anyone at BRAVO?? LOL!!)

As a cameraman, which features were you most struck by?

I particularly was taken in by the light and color and detail in the amazing spiral staircase, as well as the lighting color transitions from the residents’ hallways to the staircase area.

Were any of your shots edited out that you wish could have remained part of the show?
I wish the program had the opportunity to detail character and personality of the residents in their raw/uncut form – lotsa’ drama and comedy happening simultaneously – often times within the same person! LOL!