Rob Lee: Welcome to the Truth in His Art, your source for conversations connecting arts, culture, and community. These are stories that matter, and I am your host, Rob Lee. Accept no substitutes. Today I'm excited to welcome back to the program, the duo behind Pixel Neon and the DMV Short Film Festival, Pixel Fest, coming to the DMV, DC specifically, in late September. So please welcome back to the program, Tony Diallo and Keith Dukes the Third. Welcome back to The Truth in His Heart.
Tony Diallo: Doing good, doing good. It's a pleasure to be back. Pleasure to be back on. You know, it's uh it's been some time, so it's good to reconnect, but all's well, all is well. Fantastic.
Rob Lee: And um, bro, I'm here to just work this talk, bro.
Tony Diallo: Give this off to you. Absolutely.
Rob Lee: And um, yeah, it's I think it's I think it's gonna be a good conversation. And to start off the the conversation, it's always a pleasure to have guests come back on. It's like it's like we connected, right? And you know, for folks who maybe missed the first episode and need a refresher, could you both reintroduce yourselves and your work?
Keith Dukes III: Uh I'll start off. Um what's up, y'all? I'm Keith Dukes the third. Um I'm an aspiring filmmaker. I love storytelling, and I'm really here to just use those passions and gifts to meet people, and uh I'm founder of Pixel Fest Short Film Festival. Shout out Pixel Neon, that's the LLC.
Tony Diallo: Uh Tony Diallo here. Um I handle a lot of the marketing operations behind Pixel Neon and Pixel Fest. Um working on event promo and graphics and things like that. Uh just really helping and supporting any way I can to build the best experience um for for show day. Yeah.
Rob Lee: Uh I'll just call it right now. Young Brothers Getting It. Young Brothers ready to have us. What's about so you know, this this is a punny question because I'm I'm an old man now and I get to say dad jokes or dad adjacent jokes. So ideas can start off as small as a pixel. I noticed you know what I did there. You saw that.
Tony Diallo: You saw that. I can like it, I like it.
Rob Lee: So when you think about maybe the earliest points of maybe ideas that turned into sort of Pixel Fest, Pixel Neon, or have you. What do you miss most about some of those earlier moments before got to the stage where we're at now? Like, I I can say with this, man, I remember when it was so simple.
I didn't have any expectations now. It's just like, ooh, I gotta do this edit. I gotta make sure this is a good interview. I gotta, you know, I gotta record several this week. Yeah.
Keith Dukes III: Exactly that. I mean, when it comes down to it, you know, the maintenance now, uh it can't be compared to the hunger and the joy you have just starting something new. Like the maintenance now, it's tedious. It's uh it reflects a lot on how your mindset towards your own projects, depending on how much you get done, but I mean, it's so worth it. And it's only worth it because that day one hunger um paid off. I mean, it's year three now, so I'm looking back at that day one hunger, and I just reminisce about how exciting it was to just do something new. No expectation, just uh the love of the game.
Ten people pop out, a hundred people pop out. I'm glad to just you know, show somebody what's been on my heart. Um and I not even just on my heart, I got to share that with my boy Tony. So it's you know, it's uh one of those things where I'm looking at now, and as I'm getting the busy work done, the maintenance stuff done, I can reflect on. You know, I really doing it to show that dude three years ago, like, yo, the hunger pays off. This is where it leads.
Speaker 4: So absolutely, yeah. I mean, you know, as Keith said it, like, you
Tony Diallo: know, the whole journey's been it's been crazy thinking back on it. Um it's it's really it's like he said, like that um the no expectation, but it's a bit of like added pressure on our ends. You know, I feel like after the first one and after the second one, you know, we looked at each other and we're like, we can do better, we can do more.
Like we've got more left in the tank. So it's still definitely that day one hunger, that that element, but there's certainly, you know, that add-on of like, oh, let's let's keep let's keep doing more. Like we're still coming to each other with ideas with with what can we do better and different. So um, you know, it's it's crazy from when it was just you know, Keith talking about, hey, I want to do this, bro, and me being like, let's do it. You know, it's let's see what we can do. And then now we're we're you know continuing to maintain, but also continuing to excel.
Rob Lee: It's good. It's good. Especially going into it, it's it's an effort to try to maintain that almost having a mind in the past and a mind in the future. It's just like you want that day one hunger, but also you're like, I can't do that the way I used to, or maybe I shouldn't do that the way that I used to, and there's a growth and a development through those those reps and through that experience. And it's just like, oh, I could do that much easier now as well. And but you look back on those times, I would imagine as experience. So when you run into something that may be a challenge, might be a little bit of an annoyance, or might be, I know how this goes. I recognize this pattern. I'm gonna do something different here, or I'm gonna get to keep going as this worked last time. Yeah. Absolutely.
Keith Dukes III: I'm telling you, like looking at um the work we're doing now compared to when we first started, like everything's just so much more efficient. Um, but with efficiency comes more time. We're creating more time, more opportunities. And sometimes, you know, I'll look at those new opportunities and that extra time, that surplus just kind of overwhelms me. I'm like, this is plenty of opportunity to make it better, but then we haven't done better yet.
You know, we're actively trying to create this new scenario to go off for next year. Um, so it's it's uh double-edged sword because it's like creates more labor, uh, like the consistency and you know, just studying yourself, mentoring yourself through these new experiences. But you know, like I said before, it's all worth it.
Um you really just gotta remember the hunger you had at the beginning, and then translate that to the new maintenance, and then you'll you'll figure it out. So that's what I've been learning at least. Um how you feel about that, Tony though. I feel like you've been doing the same thing though.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's I don't know, it's it's a bit of like exactly what you said, man. Like just like... trying to balance that hunger and appreciation for how far we've come, you know, like you do get to a point where you do where we where you're like, you know, at one point this we didn't even have a structure, right? We didn't even have maybe a plan to it. And now we're at a point where we've we feel so into that structure, into that plan. It's like wait, we gotta we have to keep like collecting ourselves and remember, like, look, we've come a long way, we've come far, you know, so let's not when we're getting when we get frustrated, like, ah, this isn't on time, or we should have had this, or that needs to be done, it's like okay, we we gotta have one the trust, but also understanding like there's a there's uh this is a this is still a process. No matter how far we've come, it's still a a process, and we're still developing and learning and adapting to to what we to what we kind of interact and see.
Rob Lee: It's a it's a continued pol a continued polishing and refinement of it as you go along. And you know, to borrow a quote, um it's it's been three years of motion. Let's not diminish, you know, it's been three years of motion here.
Speaker 4: Absolutely. So for each of you, right? Because there's you know, respect uh respective perspectives here. Um for each of you, who are you in this moment as a person and how does that person show up in the work with Pixel Neon and then Pixel Fest. Um, you know, we have our different interests. It's like, oh, I'm doing this right now, and as you were sharing earlier, Tony, it's just like you're prepping up, you know, for like this national team setup and all of that stuff.
You're you're training in a whole different capacity, so that's a different stage of where you're at as a person. So talk a bit about that. We we can start off with you, Tony, and then go back to you, Keith.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I mean, Keith can attest, man, the past six months um has just been a grind to like the focus I've had preparing for for this moment. And it translates well, because like we spent months and months preparing for one day, you know.
In hindsight, right? You think about it like for maybe the the three to four hours, it's months, it's hours time, you know, it's the extra work, it's it's you know, discipline over motivation. So, you know, as a person, like, you know, keep Keith would talk about how you know, you know, playing in playing in certain seasons, like I'm at a point in the season right now where it's all go, it's all go. And leading up to it, it's you know, building up appropriately, not you know, month one, not still staring at month six, right?
Like, let me let me stare up, you know, the next day in month one. So, you know, being methodical and gradual in the progress rather than thinking I need to be there now has been the main thing. Um, as a person, you know, really understanding what it means to be patient, um, what it means to like know myself as an individual when it comes to communicating, like, hey, you know, Keith, I can't do this right now, you know. Like I have this and that on my plate, and we find ways to support each other, lean on each other. Um, that teamwork aspect has has been arguably like a reason why this has been successful in the first place is uh we work together as a team, um, and you know, maintain like that level of just communication and being, you know, um selfless and like the work that we're doing.
So um that that's as a person that's kind of how I'd relate it to just overall just becoming more patient, you know, you're three and understanding how I work, how Keith works, and you know, understanding, yeah, like as we we said earlier, it's it's a gradual, it's a a process that keeps continuing to be refined. So um, yeah. Yeah.
Keith Dukes III: Yeah, bro. I mean, I'm gonna feed off you. I I feel like I um I'm a better friend, a better teammate, um, son, brother, like just within the last three years, I just compare it to when I first started this journey. Um, it's helped me mature a lot, have me accomplish, you know, different characteristics or bring out some cool characteristics out of myself. I didn't really exercise doing other things, but you know, if I didn't have to compare to my first year doing Pixel Fest, who I am now really is just centered around um just being everything that I guess being everything that I had envisioned being being the guy that I know how I put this. So I think I basically I want to be the guy that I know gets it done. So I know I think the guy that takes that knows what it takes, um, analyzes everything.
I miss calm about everything, and then also realizes who his team is. Um, you know, it's it really all comes together um when you're being that person. So I'm really focused on discipline.
Um Like I said, the maintenance of it all kind of just like takes a different edge to it. So I want to make sure I'm level headed and you know, always opportunistic. Um, but right now I really do feel like I am that optimistic or opportunistic um and level headed person. Um I'm more so just focused on making sure that I have the discipline.
I mean, I used to go through the summer and the prep with Tony uh right next to me. So I know he's also relying on me as a as a friend and co-worker to make sure that like I'm holding up my end without even him being next to me. Like I'm gonna have to do my part while he's you know training for his big day, his one day. I'm also training for my one day. Um, and I'm really training for the day after. So I mean, I I think the person I am now is also thinking about the person after September 26th.
Like I'm looking at September 27th. That payout, Keith is who I'm trying to just dap up, you know, um, be like, yo, like you you you cashed out, you know, you put in some suffering, some tears, some frustration, some effort, and then you cash out to all this joy. So I mean, I couldn't beat that feeling last year. I'm trying to make sure that I am that September 27th, Keith right now, you know, just already there. But I gotta work for it again.
Rob Lee: There was a there's a thing that I I put in my calendar, I applied it. Someone posted this of about um it's like six months. They just like put a calendar reminder, like in your app six months from now, everything worked out.
And don't say what worked out specifically, just everything worked out. And it's something about that, it's something that that reminder is like, oh, right, I'm still here. Oh, right, I did that.
And you're you're right, Keith. When it comes to sort of, you know, you you have that almost that Super Bowl vibe. It's like, ooh, can't lose this game.
Can't lose this one. Um but then it's that that also that vibe of, and I do the same thing because I'm already thinking of like milestones that are coming up. Like episode 1000 is gonna be sometime early next year. I gotta figure out what that's gonna look like, and I'm trying to avoid thinking about it. And also I'm planning out what next season looks like, but also I gotta be in the moment of the thing that I'm doing right now. I can't be distracted of, man, I hope we do the craziest thing. We gotta do a documentary film. I need to come out of a birthday cake, some crazy nonsense to really make it feel like it's big, but it's like maybe maybe this is a little bit too much to sci-fi, but maybe it's time travel a little bit of I gotta be in it now. I gotta I gotta look back at the past because we were talking about those early moments, and I gotta think about the future.
Keith Dukes III: Yeah, bro. I mean, I I'm glad you said time travel. I mean, you think I just want to like talking to artists or entrepreneurs because you can really understand those kind of concepts when it talks about time.
You can take yourself out of time. Um, and some uh mental states where you can just understand what it really takes to get something done, what it takes to really reach a certain emotion. Like that in itself is a gift, and some people don't even have that reference of, oh, if I put this amount of effort into something, I I can guarantee this outcome. And you know, hearing you say that is like, yeah, like I if I could talk to my future self, I would. And you're you're just telling me that you believe that you can talk to the person you are now now, knowing that that's the same person that you're gonna talk to in the future. So it's the same, bro. You just gotta you gotta rely on that experience you you've been creating, you know.
Rob Lee: I mean, I just want to see like future me, I'm war torn, I got like a scar over the eye. I just look like, oh snap, yo, what happened? Did the great podcast awards go down? Oh no. It's like terminated. I'm still here.
Absolutely. I got one hand, it looks crazy. It's just like, oh, snap, it was a war. Podcast wars. The great mic conversion of twenty twenty-nine or something. Um So I want to.
I want to go into this to to ri to really spend some time on uh on Pixel Fest. So let's let's go backwards a little bit for those who are undepthed. I want to give that space, that clarity.
For those who are undipped, scribe Pixel Fest for someone who's curious. Like I see the words, I see Tony's marketing, right? I don't know what we're doing. What is it? Am I pulling up? Am I gonna be digitized? Like, what's gonna happen? Am I eight bits? Like, what's the what's the situation?
Keith Dukes III: No, I um I like when people ask me what it is because I spent we spend so much time advertising it. People always ask us, Well, what is it? And I'm like, dang, I thought you all know, like I'm putting the the words up everywhere, just the words that's for words. But when people ask, you kinda look at those flyers back, and I'm like, oh, maybe I didn't say what it is. Maybe and I it's also crazy because Tony Now will cycle so many different flyers.
One will have the dates, one will have a description, one will have this image of form. So, you know, it's so funny. But uh to answer your question, Pixel Fest really is just a short film festival located in the DV, just looking to expand on storytelling, cinematography, community, you know, I and it's not so industry standard as you would believe. Like the the event is industry stranded, trying to push it far beyond industry standard, but the content is coming from just some cool people that I've met, you know, that I've personally got to invite, that I've personally got to work with, um, and then, you know, collaborate on different ideas and then get into the film festival. So I'm really just trying to introduce you to people that I've met via social media, via the workforce, um, that are just as passionate as I am or more.
I've I've had the privilege of working with people way more passionate than me that expanded my perspective on it. So I'm really just trying to tell people, yo, come to Pixel Fest, because you're going to meet the next great uh before they uh go mainstream. You're gonna meet them when they're at, you know, content creating level, uh, not even streaming, IG real level. All right, meet them there, um, support them there. And you might just might find yourself in the same room with them, working with them, or you know, just like watching their films with them in the future. So I mean, uh it's it's just a community event centered around storytelling that's gonna be the the next biggest.
Rob Lee: So get in on the ground floor. Um I I I this this is funny. I reached out for a festival here in Baltimore and uh interviewed like four filmmakers and two of the films were world premieres. So I popped up and they're like, oh, you here, you're a real person.
I was like, I am, hey, how's it going? And one of the dudes, he he flew in because he was it was one of the few features, right? Uh I think each of the three people I interviewed, they did features. So uh he came in from I think Arizona, and this is the first time on the East Coast, and he was like, yo, so I'm thinking about drawing a movie based in Baltimore. Would you be interested in being in it?
That was not that it was just based off the strength. I was like, yeah, I have to play a drug dealer or something. He's like, no, I'm talking about something something like a bouncer. I was like, oh, right, big. Okay, but not black, but big, got it.
Whatever you need. But it was it was sort of that that connection and being in that room in that environment. And you know, as I was touching on earlier, and I definitely want to get your perspective, um, Tony as well, but just sort of being there in the room and around people who are either advocates for it who are doing it, it's something special about being in that environment. There's an energy that that comes with that.
Tony Diallo: Yeah, I mean, that's something we talk about a lot, honestly, is like how can we make this a better space? How can we make this like an environment that people haven't been in, like an
Speaker 4: environment where people can step in not knowing who they who each other are and still leave leave friends, like leave having connections, leave having a better experience, you know. So we're always like in our mind, because I you know, Keith agrees, I agree. You know, we've seen it you're a product of your environment. So if the focus is on creating an aspect where people can go in and feel uncomfortable and leave feeling enlightened, that's like that's our focus.
Tony Diallo: That's that's our goal at every event that we have. Like, we want to, you know, invite and make you know, that's when we that's why, you know, our first year, you know, Keith and I were out handing out flyers to people on the street.
That's why Keith now is still doing the same thing, posting flyers any and everywhere, because we want any and everyone to come because we're our focus is to create a space where all feel welcome, all feel appreciated, all feel, you know, whether you're a filmmaker or just uh an appreciator, you know, a space where you can to can do that to the fullest capacity.
Rob Lee: And that that brings me to some of the more, and thank you. That brings me to some of the more um deeper questions around like you know, the technical components, the the selection process.
But I want to start off with this one. So I see it in podcasting, I see it in short form media, there's a sameness on how things are done and and what's out there, and I'm like, yo, go through your fee, your algorithm will show you that everyone's making the same thing. So with that in mind, in terms of the state of what you guys are seeing, what's being made, what are the stories that are being told? So in the planning for for this year, because we're getting close.
So the planning for this year, what is the importance of seeing something that looks unique, that looks new, that feels fresh, that feels novel. You know, it's like it might be technically, wow, that's some great filmmaking. That's unique. That is crazy.
That's something that's really new. So talk about that, and that you you touched on um a moment ago there, Keith, about these are people that are making like content potentially that could be making content online or what have you, and as I'm saying, that sameness is already there, but seeing something that fresh, like what makes it pop that you're like, this is a good selection for the festival.
Keith Dukes III: Uh, you know, I think there's a and I think a couple people can relate when you look there's certain people that you see on your feed that they have such an original idea.
Uh it hasn't come across your algorithm, it hasn't come across as a trend. It is such an original idea, but you know, if the right click, the right share gets a hold of that, then somebody else, and not even just someone else, a hundred somebody else's are gonna do it, and they're gonna flip it, and you're gonna see a little Uzi doing it, you're gonna see all these famous people doing it. And it's like, dang, I feel like for some reason they stole that from me. I feel like they really found my stuff and just decided to do it also because they have the platform, they have the resources. So part of the selection process, part of these interactions is coming from a genuine connection with these directors, but also just acknowledging that these are people with originality. Uh people that are doing it on the level where it's like these are personal stories that can't be copied. These are personal styles that can't be copied.
You know, there's a lot of stuff that is out here just 4K, 8K polished. Do I want to deal with that? Um all the time. No, I do want to see something raw. I want to see something that you know isn't perfect. And what motivates me to see that non-perfect thing is a good story. So and some originality.
So I'm really trying to promote people to come out and support these directors because they'll see something that they genuinely haven't seen before. And that's you know, owed to originality.
Rob Lee: That's that's that's tight. That's what you like to hear. And um, you know, with with originality and with seeing sort of, you know, just that being acknowledged, I'm gonna, you know, just ask, and I know it's towards the end, it may be a favor to me, a personal favor, but you know, is it too late to submit my film front rooms for for the festival?
Tony Diallo: No, no, and then please do submit and please submit.
Rob Lee: Submit front rooms, okay. I do that.
Tony Diallo: Yeah, be in there too. Come on. Every every yeah, bro, absolutely.
Rob Lee: I want to just rip it off like this billion dollar movie that's these little spaces.
Keith Dukes III: Conversations, because I'd be like, people, oh Mr. Dude, uh, I'll come there next year. I'm like, do you have a project? They're like, yeah, I'm like, submit it. Like it's so it's such a personal project, such a personal festival. I'm like, bro, just have a conversation. Maybe we can make it happen. It's not even fixed a fest day yet. So shout out, bro. It's like I'll put I'll put I'll show you the website, bro. Submit it, man.
Rob Lee: We'll put it in. Um, So in terms of selection process, since since we're talking around that a bit, um what would you say is at the top of that sort of list? Like if you were to say this is the thing that I look for, like because it's curation, right?
And I think that that's the thing that's missed. You know, we we talk about curation as a very rarefied thing, but really you know you're you're curating this, right? And in it, I remember going to a um a um an art show, and I was looking for guests, and I'm coming from a perspective as a podcaster during interviews, and I'm having a conversation with folks who are looking at it as artists, and I was like, oh, well, they did this type of art, and that's whatever. So I'm looking for what is the story, who's the person, and is and how good is the art, but who's the person and is their story. Because you have some people, right, who they're making really good work, but they cannot have a conversation about their work, or you have people who can have a conversation, you're like, the work is a little so so.
And and that's just being honest, right? So it for you when you're thinking of sort of selection, or really what gets your attention. Is it the story? Is it innovative filmmaking?
Is it the aforementioned sort of freshness, or is it a timeliness of like, I want this here right now. I think this fits right now. I think this is something that we're maybe a little ahead of the curve, you know, not being a hipster. We're I knew them before they came out, but it's like we're here early.
Keith Dukes III: Yeah, I mean, um I'm gonna go back to originality just a bit, but you know, um, to your point, there was a young lady named Adya, she had submitted last year, and she had one of our long longer films, and um personally, I thought she hit an all-senders, cinematography and the personal aspect interviewing, like you have a conversation with her. But I didn't know her. I actually didn't know her at all.
The first time we met was at Pixel Fest. So, you know, the personal aspect got taken out of the you know, induction process, or just you know, that acceptance process. But what drew me to her film was really the effort.
You can see how much to put in. You can see knowledge and effort kind of collide in some of these short films because you'll see a stroke of genius, but maybe a lack of resources or a crazy ton of resources, but you know, a lack of genius. And I I I'd rather have a consistency of a crap ton of genius, but maybe a lack of resources. Because the resources will find them.
And I'm hopefully, not hopefully, I'm planning to put more research resources in Pixel Fest. So it's not just a place to hang out, it really is a place to get put on live with that's the m-that is literally the intent of the production to get put on. Um not in a stingy way, not in uh egotistical way, but really it's because I'm going to be in a place with people that love the game. So, you know, shout out to Audience, shout out to everybody that submitted this year.
But I'm really just looking for um originality towards um genius. Uh what they believe, they believe in it so much that they're gonna do it and they will put it on the big screen, and everybody can be like, oh, I see. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's I mean, Keith said it, man.
Tony Diallo: Like for me, I I put a lot of trust in him with that selection process. Um one of the things that I love to see when I'm at you know, Pixel Fest is like the directors and how excited they are, like they are forward in their chairs, analyzing, you know, not just them, like the audience as well. Like, no one, you know, like everyone's engaged because it's it is it is all something new to everyone. Like every film is different, every film is new and has its own special style, and you know, you know how um directors like Wes Anderson, like you see a West, you know it's Wes Anderson, like it's it's cool to see like, especially because we have directors coming back, like seeing how their styles develop and how you know critical they're getting, and you know, a lot of them are are taking notes and being like, I could have done this better, that better. So it's it's I guess that element of like seeing that, and I'm like, okay, we we picked the right people, you know, who are who are showing their films because then they're also getting that hunger, they're also getting that drive um as well. So for me, that's what seeing it, you know, that aspect of it is really, you know, powerful. Nice, nice.
Rob Lee: And in terms of of length, I think this is just a technical question, like what's the average length of the submissions? Like, and you know, when you hear shorts, I always think of all right, this is like seven minutes, this eight, or something less than a feature. So, what is the the general length?
Keith Dukes III: Um this year, we just so we can have a consistent run of show, we limited it to 15 minutes. Uh but last year, I mean, I bring up audio again, I believe hers was an hour, and then everybody else kind of ranged between um 20 and five minutes. My first short film that I premiered the first year was five minutes. You know, that was that was something I made off the camcorder.
Um and it this year it's the same thing. Um 15 minute cap, and then just below that, you can do anything. It could be one minute. I have a short film this year from a young man and he submitted a minute and thirty short film.
And we can I love getting creative with people because you said it's curation. So I've went on this page and I saw that he had multiple one minute 30 short films. I'm like, hey, bro, like there's only uh $55 fee for acceptance. But you can place more short films and we can have a series for you. So you can have the first short film, then somebody else, somebody else, somebody else, somebody else. Your short film, somebody else, somebody else, something else, your short film. Because just it's about exposure. I want I don't want people to forget your project, but you know, before people vote on you, they can be like, oh, I like I want to vote for blah blah blah series or John Doe series.
You know, so it really depends on how you network it, how you push it out. But you know, I'm willing to get creative, so I like what people got a personality enough to like talk to me about it and we can make it happen. But um Yeah, that the selection process really just comes down to uh the originality, if it's 15 minutes and below, and um 1080p at least, you know, gotta give the crowd what they want. You don't want no 720. PLS is a camcorder, you know, but 1080 and above.
Rob Lee: And that's and that's one of the things that I think is kind of beautiful about it, where you you have a sensibility, things are done with a uh in in a in a very credible and a very professional way, but then also having the flexibility of having new ideas and fresh ideas of being perhaps for and around the industry, but not being of the industry if you get that distinction. And I think in it, it opens up what you're capable of doing. It's like, oh no, we're gonna use these smaller one minute 30 short films almost as a break, almost as trailers, but still giving it that same pomp and circumstance that's required, but to get as much of this in there because this is what serves the format and the run of show. Um I think sometimes people don't get it and get a little bit too rigid. It's like, well, we only have you know, 28 minute segments and 15 minute segments. It's just like do you have a bunch of submissions that are under that figure out, be malleable. Yeah.
Keith Dukes III: I mean, I I I like hearing and I want to expand my experiences um and do what I believe I talked to you earlier about. I mean, you you go into different cities and you're you're emailing people and you're traveling to the space to the third space to um you know, kind of take notes on how to curate your own. So, you know, when I'm going to different film festivals, I'm taking note on everything that's done right and wrong. And wrong is right and wrong is really dignified by me.
I I don't try to like look at the rule books for a film festival. Um I'm really just going off of all right, what feels right and wrong to me. Just we're being real picky with that, sharing that with Tony, you know, just kind of being like, you know, this is something I experienced today, bro. This is something that we're not doing. We haven't even thought of.
Let's try it out. Let's get feedback this year on doing this on third. Um and Tony knows we'll go back and forth on our own runner show, man. I mean, like he'll try to do a whole new concert. I'm like, bro, the I rock with you. I just I haven't seen it.
Rob Lee: I'm not having it.
Keith Dukes III: I don't see it. I'll brought baby, bro. Just he's like, nah. But Brody, bro.
Rob Lee: like bro, rock with me. It's midnight. I need to go to sleep.
Keith Dukes III: But I'm out though. Yeah. Absolutely. I I just think it's hilarious, because you you gotta have a reference. So you know, I I'm trying to get a whole new survey this year. I want people to just tell us, what do you think? How did you feel?
Rob Lee: It is important to be able to do that listening from others, but also do your own sort of sort of listening. And again, we we we touched on earlier the time travel, but literally the travel component, and that you know, when people are trying to build out what the arts and culture look like in cities, they travel to other cities to get an idea of like what are you guys doing here? And literally in prepping for this, and this is just inside baseball, in prepping for this, I don't try to overstep, but it's like I'm in this position of I do this. And I was just like, yo, man, I want to I don't want to keep the telling the thing about this, because I was looking at some uh festival in in Atlanta.
I was just like, I should send in this information and I I'll I'll forward it to you after with the name of the festival, what have you, because I wasn't able to attend, but it is coming up, and maybe with that festival, there's something that maybe attending it you can apply that to maybe next year or whatever the case is, apply something to it. Or just you know as I like to say unabashedly rip that thing off like we're just gonna steal this. I'm gonna steal what y'all
Keith Dukes III: don't I mean that's social media for you it's already being done and uh like you said brother I mean I believe that there is something to be found at every new experience every event even if you just go pass out a flyer today. Yeah I'm even going out tonight and I'm hoping that somebody asked me what is Pixel Fest. You know, those are the best conversations because somebody's like oh I I don't like movies like that for real but my cousin he he makes I think little shorts here's his IG and look at his IG and this man's killing it. But people don't know that you know what their little cousin and with their brothers doing is heat.
So when they you find those people those little cousins and brothers at you know film festivals in Atlanta that's who I'm hoping to meet. It's like people that feel like oh I just need people to get it.
Rob Lee: I can in that in that example I can almost see you waiting almost salivating yeah so so what's what's Pixel Fest. Funny you should ask you just go into your
Keith Dukes III: street I mean it just goes into everything marketing with me and Tony like we're always thinking what's gonna pop out. Yeah. Are people gonna ask you know like what what are we marketing? Um I don't want to just push letters on the page like what's what's the purpose of it all now
Rob Lee: so one of the things that comes to mind is since we've talked about sort of the online component of maybe people on IG, maybe people making reels whatever the case is we're and then as I was talking earlier about sort of short form, I'm somewhat resistant and I I do an audio podcast right and if it feels like it's served by video, fantastic, but at a minimum I need to get the audio piece right and then I build on it from video perhaps but everyone's saying video is the only way and the technology is a part of that conversation. So with two things in mind, you know, we have sort of AI doing a lot of different stuff right now and then we have um sort of this conversation around sort of is it just technology is it a tool and the conversation is creatively because AI keeps trying to touch, keeps trying to stick its peanut butter into the chocolate of art how do you keep the soul of art in something that is purely a technological advancement. So talk a bit about sort of the AI component and a technological component and sort of that creative and that artistic soul that that sort of conversation.
Keith Dukes III: I hate AI. I'm gonna pass it to Tony and then I'll talk about it. He loves that it.
Tony Diallo: No, no 'cause um I use it for work. I I mean I do paid media advertising and um there's some aspects of it where like you know it comes in handy and stuff like that for for like what I do but um you know yeah I'll head into him but in a little bit but he's he'll like give me a task he's like no AI bro no AI. I'm like I I like my brain can still do stuff without it you know I mean like I can still so I think on our and right it comes with like just being the being putting our best foot forward and when we put things out when I'm making graphics, you know, and we're writing our emails when we're putting whatever we have out there it's collaborating on it, writing out our talking out our ideas, you know I'm texting him babe man what do you think I'm showing him what do you think um and we're we we go back and forth and we have those conversations. So you know first and foremost it's like holding ourselves accountable on that end and and doing the right work and and taking our time and you know going through that process and then yeah just coming up with multiple draft drafts and I think that's what comes the you know that
Keith Dukes III: patience part as well because like you say in a technological world like there's no there's no more like less people are less and less familiar with delayed gratification. Yeah they all it's it's all instant now they want it now now so from us it's like you know trust in the process and you know doing the hard work and everything like that and then just you know from our earlier uh festivals just like sh letting people like
Tony Diallo: having that be the evidence of like look like we we we want creative minds and everything like that and we hope that that draws the right people and you know that uh a bit of what you know when it comes to selection like you know we we trust each other if there's like in indication of like this is just generated just to get something it's like we want people who are are like this is again like you're either it's uh it's a new passion or it's been a passion or you're trying 'cause I had a friend first year, I mean Keith you know Bennett bro like he he he did animations and he's just like I don't know like I'm doing this stuff I don't know if it's I'm like bro just put it out there like as you put in the hard work you've done it like you have not you have nothing to lose from putting in front of people and everyone's gonna think it's great and it was great you know so it's it's it's those things like that where for the people of like sitting on projects and just I'm sure or if you you know you've put in the hard work and you your fans are just just go for it. So I mean with the AR stuff man it's it's definitely it's always a conversation always a conversation I should
Rob Lee: keep hold on I let me let me chime in with this because I think I sit somewhere between the two and okay because I I use it for work as well so I'm using it regularly and as I kind of took you guys to Skynet earlier before we got started of some of these perhaps in ethical uses of it I think if it's perhaps used as a tool to help shape and craft that's maybe something and I think that should be due with a certain degree of discretion but if you're using it to generate and create I can't really support it in the terms of the creative side of it. Something that's like logistics or something you gotta really vet that you don't want to have something with the word dwell in there too much. It's like I mean sorry delve we don't want to delve into too many things because they like their words I swear they like their words but when you see some bad copy you know bad marketing copy like oof you I should have took that one back through another prompt. Yeah but
when it comes to purely I'll use this an example. Easy and cover your life shocking photographers. I look at it from that perspective of if it's purely something creative and you're taking perhaps images of a person to try to make up for not hiring a photographer I don't bang with that. Or even that weird thing that's happening I don't know if you heard about the Val Kilmer thing about the movie that he signed up to be in he passes and they use his likeness to film after death in perpetuity. Contracts are contracts is crazy. Even in death we got your likeness that's weird AI to me. That's weird business AI.
Keith Dukes III: Absolutely absolutely That's the world we're around right now unfortunately.
Keith Dukes III: I'm just hurt because it's like I don't expect AI to. I'm gonna go back to what you're saying about reverse Centaur. Yeah you can't expect AI to prompt itself doing I you know I I think I I appreciate where we are now where you know we are checking to make sure AI is good. It can function it can be a tool but if it's I don't want it to be anything other than a tool I don't want it to be energy standard. I don't want it to be um an excuse for creativity. I don't want it to be uh a tool of creation it could be a tool uh through creation from creation but you know it can't create uh I only feel like that because it takes the personal originality out of it. Uh I feel like it's the embodiment of social media sometimes you know like social media take an idea that you had um and give it to somebody else to share with somebody else and then execute it with more resources and the third like I don't I'm all for sharing information you know AI is a tool of shared information but that's mobile but like so is a brain. You know what I'm saying? So sometimes I'm like all right when people use AI to make their job easier with a a graphic or you know it is the base it is the foundation of their work. It cannot hold for me.
Rob Lee: It's it's that ethical use and I as you were describing that Keith I I was thinking through this baby doesn't work it may sound stupid. However I I I'll still say it it's sort of this vibe where you you've had lemonade right fresh squeeze lemonade you know it's delicious. You get that first lemon you're like oh man this is very lemony. And then we just keep using the rind we keep repurposing it. It's just a copy of it's like this doesn't taste like a lemon anymore. It's just
kind of tastes like water with sugar in it. That's what I think this sort of replicative sort of on and on when it comes to the creative side and I think that what it what that is a lot of times is what's the intent of the person behind that prompt. What are they trying to make and I think when we go into these directions of 100% no never and there's like no nuance. I think again, it's like who's using it, what is their motivation and how they're using it. If you're
using it to make up for something, I think filmmaking of someone as we were talking about earlier, doing something that knows the rules with this festival, knows the rules, and kind of figuring out like how can I work around the rules? I think that's interesting problem solving. I think that's creativity. I think that's artistry. But if you're like, I can just put a prompt in it to fix this. Nah, I don't know if that's creativity. I just I just think that's what that's like. Yeah.
Keith Dukes III: It is. Like, what are you talking about? You know You know what I'm saying? Cause I I'm not actually movie, but you know, if I'm using AI to do anything but schedule my shoots, that's how I see it. Right. If
you use if I'm doing I'm using AI to prompt my scenes, the words, the pictures, then yeah, it it's a great tool. But it you lose some originality when you have those mental blocks. Like, I think art represents life, but if you don't have life in it, like you don't have time in it, struggle in it, still a real story in it, then you you lose it. Like what you you'll make a story that was already told eventually. And we're not Disney. So it's like, all right, like do something new. Yeah.
Rob Lee: Yeah, I'm gonna, you know, do the Panther King next. It's you know, just ripping off stories from other countries.
Keith Dukes III: They're already doing that.
Rob Lee: So um, let's see. You know, I got I got sort of um like a couple more questions and then we'll go to the rapid fire. Um let's talk about idea capture and and generation. Um so that's another thing that's there, I think, as you were touching on already. You're already looking at September 27th. Keith, you're
already thinking about that, already got that in head. So, you know, you're writing down ideas to ultimately support artists, support filmmakers to support sort of that film community and the folks that love it. So, how do you capture ideas? How do
they get recorded? You know, is it a passing thought? Is it something that I gotta come back to that? Are you
keeping them on napkins? Like, how are you capturing the ideas? And one of the ideas I saw was pixel mag as well. So let's let's get into idea generation. Let's get the ideation. Let's talk about that a bit a bit, and we'll definitely talk about the mag.
Keith Dukes III: Uh I'm this is my number one secret, bro. I mean, it's the my biggest note taker is execution. Um you do it, you you'll life will take a note for you. Like it will remind you for you. People that have seen you do it, be like, oh, how's this going along? You know, like you don't need your phone to send you an alert of oh, do this and third, if you just execute. So, you know, um, that's how the idea of Pixel Fest came along. I think
one of the biggest goosebumps I get nowadays is uh hearing people say Pixel Fest. I remember that was just an idea. That wasn't that was such a quiet idea in my brain. And then just hearing Tony say it, they hear my mom say it, then hearing people, you know, buy a ticket, be like, I got my ticket, say it. So it's it's like one of the things where oh, you'll be reminded, you'll get held accountable for it. Um, but you know, to really get an idea off, as soon as you get it, you know, do it. Um and if you're at work and you can't do it, then you do write that time, write the idea down, but also write when you're gonna do it. And it has to be within a week. I mean, you know, when Tony and I plan stuff out for Pixel Fest, realistically, if we don't plan a due date within the week, it might not get done. And that's not throwing shit at any of us, but that's me and Tony. Yep. You
need weekly buy-in, and you it's hard when you also deal with the adding more people in the team, figuring out finances, who's really gonna be held accountable weekly, you know. Um that that also, you know, that that note taking that execution will also tell you who's for that similar vision, who's for that grind, that understanding what you're doing, um, just that frequency of efficiency, like that's that's my biggest thing. Any idea I have, I'm like, I gotta execute it. I'm looking
for ideas right now. Like almost a month out of how to conduct this, run a show, um, to just be better. Like we have an idea that's already better, but it's like, all right, well, you we got all this time. You know, what else can we execute? What else
can we, you know, not just write down? Because at that point, you're just playing for next year, and that's gonna be forgotten. So it's like, all right, do it. Don't you think?
Tony Diallo: Yeah, that is that accountability aspect of it, because you know, it's it's it's having that's that person you can confide in, and you know, we're always thinking the next best thing. So when
you said magazine, I was like, Yes, yeah, bro. We we we absolutely know that's me holding him accountable of like, all right, I'm gonna start drawing up some ideas and kind of the deadline stuff. Like, there's no offense taken between us when it's hey man, like what happened to it, you know. It's like if he's working on it, it's like, all right, bro, what do you need? What what
can I do? What what is it that maybe you're holding off of and you know, that we can get help on and push each other to do better. Um, first and foremost. So, you know, when it comes to that and seeing it come to fruition and seeing the hard work put in, like that's really what you know that that kind of motivates overall. So ultimately, like, you know, with the magazine, right? That's like that's uh one of the first installments of like progression, you know, like now that we have that, you know, it's progressing to the next one and then building off of and continuing that. So um, and you know, yeah, like he said, man, we're always always having those ideas, always having those, you know, what what else can we do to maybe up the ante and up the score, essentially. Um, so it's it's all you know, a full circle kind of thing. Cause like
he said, like our one of our our our first kind of problem or thing was about the tickets. All right, that's solidified, that's going. All right. What about a magazine? Like, why not? You know, that's ultimately a lot of the time we're saying to each other's, you know, we'll we'll we'll come up with our reasons why, but you know, it's ultimately like, why not? Let's go for it.
Keith Dukes III: So one of those big feeding off what you're saying, Tony. I think the biggest reason for that magazine that we both agreed on was um, you know, what is a film, what is a film festival? You know, it's uh it's a day or days you plan throughout a year. But you know, that's one day of exposure. That's one day of promotion, that's one day of getting people into a space. So it's
like how do you keep people connected to one day when there's a bunch of things happening September 26th, or whatever the date is going to be next year. So, you know, the magazine is really bent on bringing people together, like uh returning to the art that they saw, creating a community, like, hey, let me see where they are now. Uh when you look at Pixel Fest, you should be like, oh, this is a community of artists that has been built over checking in, support, uh, promotion, uh, actual community, like not just like, oh, I went to this film festival, now I gotta make another short film. And I gotta get back in there. Like, nah, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna go to Pixel Fest this year because that's that's the hub.
Rob Lee: It's a consistency of it's kind of the thing when they people talk about um how do you reprogram? Like, you know, we hear all of these negative things, you know, you can never do that, you shouldn't do that. We hear that so much more than you can, or as you both were saying, why not? And that consistency of we don't just hear about you and that that last week of September. We hear about you at different points, whether it be through newsletter, whether it be through um social media, whether it be through this this publication and doing a magazine. I think that that's important um to just keep uh recency and relevancy out there. So yeah, yeah, 100%. And um,
so as we we kind of get to this this last real question, and then uh we got a couple rapid fire ones. I want to talk about the venue a little bit. So we we've established the day, we got September uh 26th. Um talk about the venue a bit. And it's is there any significance around this particular venue? Talk a bit about that, so just folks have sort of the full scope. They know what it is, they know what it is, and they need to know where it is. Right.
Keith Dukes III: Um, bro, I'm telling you, uh, I've learned so much about this venue just within this year. Um, and I think that's just because we're come back to it. Um but you know, going off our first venue, bro. That venue was just non-existent anymore. Um we had didn't we didn't do our background check, we didn't think we need to do a background check, but these spaces that you know we had the privilege of getting into and hosting, you're they're getting shut down. Not all of them, but some of them getting shut down. Our first venue got shut down right after we had our film festival. And I
was just like, dang, well, I don't want to see it as a sign for us. You know, I know we don't have a building, so we gotta kind of make these connections to um with these people getting their annual rotational events because they are planning a year from now. Our first film festival we planned from June, July, oh to September, that was a grind. This and then the following year we started earlier, and then this year we started earlier. So for Miracle Theater, it was just such a blessing. Um Miracle
theater in DC. It was such a blessing to go back and know that, hey, we got a spot solidify. We got a day solidify. Same budget. You know, and not only that, but we we have the technical support as well. Um and the relationship with them. So when they see Pixel Fest pop up, it's a quick email back. Um and
you know, I I can have a direct contact with somebody that's around my age that you know can get can kind of can give me the inside run around of what is permitted and what's not permitted. Um, you know, just so if anybody else has questions or if you want to get creative in the space, they can know that, oh, they cleaned up after themselves. They they brought in enough people to buy some popcorn or you know, it's business for business. So um shout out Miracle Theater in um DC. More specifically,
that's like 535 8th Street, Southeast Washington, DC. You know You know what I'm saying? Um shout out them, bro. They're really solid. And uh I really like their venue just because it's just a theater. Um, it's
actually owned by a church. And they also I have my colors like it's just red. I mean, Pixel Fest colors are like white, red, blue, and yellow, but that red velvet seat, the red curtains when you walk in, smell of popcorn as soon as walk in. You just
can't beat that. It's real classy, it's um really vibe. And I also just want to work on my curation and producing um skills. So I just see so much potential. It's why my brain's just buzzing out, and they got a stage, they got lights, and they got a screen. You can make so much happen in that one space that you won't get an AMC of Regal or these other places. Um they got lighting for the stage, you got live mics, got the chairs, a lot of the stuff that you had to rent, they have. So, you know, you really building these kind of relationships and being an annual event uh at these places is valuable. Um so
that's why I really rock with them. But bro, I'm not gonna lie, I'm really trying to take this on tour. I mean, Tony and I talked about that multiple times. So shout out Miracle Theater. But like we would love to just have one year where we're like, hey, we'll we're gonna have open submissions, but these submissions are gonna be taken to New York, Philly, Atlanta, DC. And that's
and it's funded, and we can go and can put them out along the East Coast. Something like that, where it's like, oh, like Pixel Fest can't tour. That that's kind of the end goal. Like right
now it says D M V Short Film Festival, Pixel Fest, but it's eventually just gonna be Pixel Fest and people on the East Coast, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, they're all gonna know, like, oh night, they're coming to my city. Yeah. Yeah.
Tony Diallo: Um, yeah, I'm glad you said it, Keith, man. Like this is uh the venue, the venues we couldn't ask for more, honestly. Um just just with what the environment that it is that we're trying to create, um, the intimacy as well, and just have it be like us be our space like that night. It's for
four Pixel. Um and just like the location of it, the accommodation from the staff at Miracle has just been a terrific support. I mean, I remember going there early to do like a run of show, and they were asking me like what else can we do? What else
can we do? Like, do you need anything? Like, do you want us to set it up? All right, let's try it with this, let's try it with that. So it really did like we got a clear picture of how things are gonna go, and then just like that took off so much worry from our end of like uncertainty about sound, audio, whatever, but having someone up there running everything is just really helpful. So the
environment as a whole, it's it's if I can a couple of words, I mean, it's just I guess wholesome, inclusive, and comfortable. Um, like, you know, from from people are around there, it just felt like they they you know, hard one of the hardest parts about when we saw when we first signed up with Miracle was then getting people to leave. You know, I keep gonna test like, you know, Pixel Fest is ended and everyone's hanging around, they're coming up to hey guys, you know, it's kind of closing up time, you know. It's like, all right, we you know, we'll get everyone out, everyone's like slowly going. Yeah, yeah,
yeah. You know, they're slow walking. Uh I think I forgot something, walking through the theater. Conversations keep happening. So I I think that's a beautiful aspect of it, really. It's just like, you know, people want to stay. People want to be part of it, continue. The night doesn't, they don't want the night to end, frankly. We don't want the night to end, and you know, we just want to keep that that wholesome environment going.
Speaker 4: So that's that's great. And it's, you know, one of the things to keep in mind, and and we'll close out on this part before going into the rapid fire is just you know, people are very um mindful of where they're investing their time, their their um their energy and just showing up for stuff. So having a venue that fits that's in alignment, which is which I'm hearing, and it's just it's it's set up in a way that this makes sense. That that's
what you want to start off with. I've been in those spots where it's just like, hey, if you want to do a live podcast, I'm like, so I'm also doing the AV for the podcast that I'm hosting. I oh, I can teleport, you know, to go with a sci-fi bit, or it's just they don't have the facilities for it, and they just see it as a means to bring in cash. But when you have a relationship with someone who gets it, and as you you touched on, Keith, having that the shorthand. It's a quick email back, and you can kind of move things along because you don't want to have those like sort of uh bottlenecks in the the flow. You're like, I understand what you guys are doing. It makes
me move my thing up a little bit to get into the programming cycle, and then we backfill. And you are able and equipped to do that by having a strong relationship. Yes, bro, absolutely. Um that's having a strong relationship is everything. Um missions, then you ticket support.
Keith Dukes III: So I'm I'm kind of hoping that I can remember even through the doubt. I mean, once you even through the doubt that it's all gonna work out because you got worry about submissions. Once you get the submissions, you're like, Ben, then once you get the submission, you gotta worry about tech ticketing. Uh once I get the tickets, I'm like, bet. Then you get the day up, and you gotta host the show. So it's like something to worry about every day, but you just gotta trust the relationships you're built.
Rob Lee: Send that email to yourself, you know. September 27th, it all worked out. So that's schedule that email to yourself.
Keith Dukes III: Ooh, I heard about people doing that. I'm actually I forgot people can email themselves.
Rob Lee: So this is the next thing I want to go into. It's uh sort of the rapid fire questions, and uh it's these are you know, sort of answer these as shortly as possible, as quickly as possible, rather, and then we got the stage advice question we'll close out on. So the
first one, and I got two rapid fire questions. So what's something in this installment of the festival that you're particularly proud of? It's um, you know, don't be gauche with it. It's like
I'm proud we hate we're able to make it happen. It's like that's a prereq. Like, but what is something specific in that nitty gritty? You're like, oh, I'm really really proud of sort of having the magazine out with it, or so to talk a bit about that. What's something that particularly you're proud of with this installment?
Keith Dukes III: Um I'm gonna feed off the magazine. Um I'm proud of two things. One, I'm proud of the magazine, just because um I get to introduce I get to introduce the crowd to the Pixel magazine team, you know, because we can't do this with one person. So I get to introduce the crowd to the team. They get to personally meet the skill um A V technicians, audio technicians, um, and just you know, obviously, I'm gonna throw a commercial up there in the screen so everybody can see um just how much work I put into it. But I'm I think one thing I'm really excited for, uh, and that I'm sure Tony and I are gonna talk about it. This is
just something that has been on my mind. I know it just has to happen. Like I want I don't I go to each film festival. Uh I'm gonna do it, y'all. So y'all
can't steal it. Uh I would each I go to each film festival and it goes short film black screen. Short film, black screen, short film, black screen. There's so much opportunity like opportunity to create and to you know uh immerse the crowd in uh the story or the next story. So I think I'm really excited to put some art in there in between myself, not even just commercials, maybe just even a segment, segments in between that tell a story that leads into the next door, or just little uh VHS um clip bits where it announces um so-and-so's film. But it's
not just a black screen, it's really immersive, it's um it's really themed. Um, it's on par with the next magazine. Because you know, we use each magazine. We use
each Pixel Fest to quote-unquote quote unquote reveal the next magazine theme. So last year was game changers. This year, I'm not gonna release it yet. Tony and
I are still in the lab with it. We do have a couple of good ideas, but you know, this year uh for these next set of directors, they will be premiered with their magazine theme, and then we'll connect with them in February and shoot their their cover. So, you know, it's it's certain things where you can really get creative, just run a show wise where people are like, dang, that was really good. And then once they see the films, it's like, dang, these are really cool people. I done met them, I interviewed them, I got some excellent questions. I gotta chop it up with them after. Like, I just want that wow factor the whole time. Building, Yeah.
Rob Lee: Building, Building the connections. Tony.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm just I'm just proud of the continuation, honestly. Like it just, I'm so proud to like have it have it be year three. Um I'm proud that it's with my brother Keith. Like that's just been the craziest thing, you know. Like, I
think a lot of these things end in conversation. And the fact that we're continuing in action is is the main thing that I'm most proud of. It's good. It's good.
Rob Lee: Uh yeah, I mean, just bringing it to fruition. Like, you know, I'll say like uh last season, I kind of had to do a little bit of a pivot. You know, I had this really grandiose idea. I was gonna hit multiple cities and do this, 150 episodes, all of these things, and I had to do, you know, they teach you in marketing and sales, you do three different options, you know, good, better, best, right? And I
was like, the best is that. Now, how do I backfill from there? And I was like, I still want to do something that I care about, or should I just scrap the whole season? So, sort of that notion that you you both have been kind of kind of touching on, like you can write down something, you can have an idea, but you gotta execute on it. And I was able to refine it and polish it down to something that I knew I wanted to do and that I could do, and it may not have been the exact thing, but I at least not have enough confidence that I can visit that later, do it later, and crush it. But I'm happy and proud that I was able to um to just do it, to just make it happen. And then that's a big piece of it, because there's a lot of things that aren't happening that people are talking about. It's like
you shouldn't share ideas before you actually start to do them. And um, so here's the uh here's the last rapid fire one. Um this goes back into you know, we've we've talked about film a bit, we've talked about AI a bit, and this kind of com this question kind of intersects between those. What is
your favorite piece of physical media? Yeah, because you know, all of our movies are disappearing offline. It's like, yo, Terminator 2 is gone off the PSN network? What are we doing?
Keith Dukes III: Yeah, okay, that's a whole other topic, too. For real.
Rob Lee: I think that's ironic though. Like Skynet has gone off of never mind. It's bad. It's bad, bro.
Keith Dukes III: Um I gotta say, uh this one's gonna be a real personal one for me. Um I know I love music. I'll I could go on and on. I'm gonna say my personal piece is my I might be able to. Um, Yeah,
bro. so this is my camcorder takes these. I don't see if I can my camcord takes these. Um it goes in my camcorder, and I take much camcorder everywhere, I go to gigs, I shoot them. This is this is my baby, right? But this
tape actually has like my earliest, the earliest footage of me, like as a human being. So um sometimes I'll just look at it, I'll keep it on there. I I rarely play it because I don't want to mess it up. Um, but
I'll play it sometimes, like if I'm really lacking in Inspo. And I'll just kind of look at the clip, but also think about how it makes me feel. Um just seeing something that I feel like I can't believe was captured, you know. Um I
don't want that feeling to be for everybody going to Pixel Fest. Um, especially like this is limited resources, but it seems so valuable to me. It's like liquid gold. Or like not even look at gold. This is
like gold in general or gold block. So uh this is my favorite piece, bro. Uh I'll sometimes just look at it. Um I have so many crazy ideas, it's just because this is my uh crazy ideas about concepts, because this is just my like reference for um getting out of a roadblock or art blot. But um,
yeah, bro. VHS tape, got my childhood, got a couple laughs for me on that jump. Um I love old footage or if I go to Goodwill, I'll get a new camcorder. And some people will leave their tapes in there. I'm glad
it's not been why nothing wild being left in there, but you know, a couple of good tapes, you'll see some Christmases or you'll see a birthday, and you're like, wow, like everything's captured now. Everything is, but the feeling is not. You need like a good, real with scissor playing to really get the feel nowadays. But some tell me some with the the grain, grandma's voice in the background, shaky hands. You can't replicate it. Um especially in today's world where you know there's some extremes of technology. That's that's my favorite physical piece. Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yeah. I mean, I don't have to go with like the classic like blue Blu-ray, you know, DVDs, man. Like I um when I was with like my sister, we would always like be baby, like we're that age where we had a babysitter and stuff. It was always like a nice moment to get some good food. You know, sit down on the couch after a long day or third grade, you know, just have a uh robe of of Blu-ray films to pick out and you just pick one and throw it in there. And it's just um I thought that was always a nice wholesome moment, like the physical aspect of like pulling out the DVD, having to take care of it, making sure it's clean, no scratches on it, you know. Um, and
then you know, set up the film and everything like that. I thought those were always um a favorite classic for me. Now it's just taken away a bit with with the Netflix and all that stuff. So uh I'll have to go with the classic Blu-ray.
Rob Lee: I think one of the things, and thank you. I think one of the things that comes up from both of you is sort of memory, that cure and attention with something, like it you it means more when something is digital, it's not tangible. It's like, oh okay, cool. I guess I can watch that, but you're you don't have a memory that's connected to it. Um I
I'll share this before I move into the sage advice. Um I had an opportunity to this is such an old movie. Uh it's from 1991, I believe. I um back in the day, my dad used to rent videos from blockbuster video on Fridays. And it would be like uh action movies. It's only
action movies. He's like, yo, so I got this John Claude Van Damme joint, right? And he's playing twins in it. It's called Double Impact. So the trailer goes double the van damage. That's literally
what's said in the trailer. So you know, I used to watch it a lot as a kid, you know, it was one of our movies, right? Him, my brother and I. And a
couple years ago, I think it was uh maybe the 30th anniversary or 31st anniversary, I don't remember exactly. But I asked my dad to sit on this podcast with me and do a movie review podcast. I was like, yo, so let's talk about you know, van Dam and Double Impact or what have you. And really we talked about memories that are from 30 years ago. It's just something about it. It's like I own that DVD, you know what I mean? That's like I don't want the online drawer. I might
stream the legal. I don't want the online drawer. Uh taking money out of their hands. But yeah, it's it's always about memory and those the things that connect. So here's the here's the last piece of business we got. We have the uh sage advice, and you know, as I shared with you guys earlier, we like to get a little deep here as we uh kind of close out. And this advice, um, I'm sure you'll notice the pun in the in the the the the the wording here, but obviously, uh preparing for a festival's hard work. We're all going 500 MPH. And uh
and sometimes that pace can lead to missed turns or even crashes. So what is your relationship with rest? Do you plan to take months off, weeks off or more? And what advice would you impart upon someone, a listener will have you or someone that's doing a lot to keep, you know, rest in mind because if we don't rest, if we're not able to do it, then it doesn't get done. And as we talked about earlier, accountability and make sure things happen. Yeah.
Keith Dukes III: Uh bro, I'm like I said, I'm I'm thinking about I'm thinking about the 27th, uh, Pixel Festival 26. And you know, uh my my encouragement to others would be to know what motivates you and keep it close. And good memories and rest keep me motivated. I like
to make good memories and I can't make good memories unless I'm resting and resting for me is playing, and playing for me is motivation. So it's like a cycle. So I already I already put in leave for my nine to five, just like the all of it, almost all of it for real, just to like really make a memory out of throwing the festival. So any
time out of the year it's an annual thing where it has to pop up. I don't feel like it's a drag. I feel like no, this is another opportunity to cry tears of joy, to put something out that requires a lot of work, but to also celebrate guilt free. Probably the
only time out of the year because you know you put in something. Um, I learned a lot about celebration as a student athlete. Like you only do it when the game is won, you know. You only do it when the playoffs won. Um, you only do it when there's no game left to play. That's that's
the last game. Um so I my encouragement for everybody is to again to just know what motivates you. Um and if you can and if it works for you, make rest and motivation, because you probably won't get it leading up. Like my brain is firing off right now because, you know, I'm not gonna get uh what's the day, August 18th back? I'm not
gonna get this back. So it's like if I don't put out a flyer tonight, then I have to be okay with that tomorrow. But and I gotta go to sleep tonight. But yeah, September 27th, I'm not thinking about what flies I didn't put out. I'm I
don't want to see any fires in my car that didn't get it put out. So um you know, rest is very, very important. I I'm not gonna be too strict of how you should get it while going along your journey. Even though it is a requirement, I think I operate best knowing that it comes after uh I do all the planning and execution. But I
have planned for it. It has its place. I I do see it. I do uh dream about it, drool over it, I'm before it. It's it's in place. Uh yeah, you gotta play around it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean for me, man, it's been um like nonstop. I I will admit the past the past six months, um getting ready for this tournament, you know, uh work work's been picking up, you know, getting getting doing stuff for the film festival. So my
days of uh been, you know, stacked, man. Like waking up, go to work, um in the evening, gotta hit the gym, go to the fields, and then reset, make my food, eat, get ready for the next day. So um I've been in this routine for a long time, and any time I'm just struggling, because there are times where I am struggling, I'm just like, why am I doing this to myself? Like just
relax. I always tell myself like there is an end to the pain that you know, pain is temporary, like and more importantly, like if it were easy, everybody would do it. And it's it's I gotta take and find peace in the fact that you know I'm grinding for my team, right? Like I'm grinding for my team that I'm on with Keith. I'm grinding
uh grinding for my team that I'm on with Jamaica, you know, I'm grinding for the team that I'm on at work. You know, like I can't be selfish in the fact of you know, uh I'm gonna just take this off or take that off. But finding my gaps and um areas of peace, you know, like enjoy the things that make me happy, taking my time on a Sunday to just get in nature and reset, put my phone down, taking time to just you know, call my sister and sit with each other and call my call my parents and everything like that, especially being so far away from home. Um, And, you know, like finding little joys in life, you know, I I'm uh I'm an ice cream guy. So, you
know, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna get me my ice cream on a long day, I'm gonna get me a nice ice cream and I'm gonna chill, I'm gonna enjoy that and take a deep breath and and reset. And you know, more more recently, Keith can attest, like uh faith, faith in God has carried me a long, long way. And um, you know, uh taking time to pray and know that, you know, I have God with me and and he's giving me strength and um he's he's giving he's blessed me with the opportunity to have these struggles. That that helps me find the peace as well. And um, you know, I've got this tournament and right after I've got Pixel Fest and You know, after that, there there might be some time for rest, certainly, but um, you know, where where there's struggle, there's also growth. Um, so I I know that through all of this and all of you know, whatever's left to come in life, um, there's just more room to grow and um you know, we'll take time to rest and then you know it's right back after it.
Rob Lee: That's great. That's um it's with some there, and it's it's such an important thing to have in mind and and consideration. And you know, last thing I'll say um before we close out is sort of I got that piece of advice at the uh end of a uh the the end of a talk. I'm I'm there's a talk a couple years back, uh one of those creative mornings, and one of the uh people that was in the audience, they're like, yo, when are you gonna get some rest? You're going like crazy with it, and that was the year that I was doing like an episode a day, and it was just somebody you're gonna burn yourself out. And it
was almost like live and right in front of me that someone who listens, and that person that also had been on the show was aware of the show and can see the amount. And most people, because I put out so much stuff, they don't think that I have a day job. They don't think that I'm a gym guy. I do 500 steps, 500,000 steps a month, my guy. Like I'm a six million steps guy, you know, in a year. I do a bunch of stuff and I figure it out, but there are those instances where like this is the first interview I've done in like I think two weeks. And I tried to parse that down to intentionally slow down to put more time and attention in it. As you
know, what I was gathering off what you were saying there, Keith, it's like I I don't want to do it with guilt. I want to do it like this is fun. I get I get to do this, and I enjoy doing this without it feeling like it's work. And um
and with that, I think we've we've completed all of the work. So there's one piece of uh business, if you will, I would like to impart upon you two. Um, one, I'm gonna start off by saying thank you both for coming back onto the podcast. It's um truly, truly been a pleasure to catch up with you, and I'm really proud, uh, which feels weird to say in my position, but I feel proud to see you, young brothers doing it in these three years of motion. And um, and two, I'm gonna invite and encourage you both to uh share where folks can stay up to date, website, social, any links you want to say, and that shameless plug for folks to pull up and check out the festivities. So please, the floor is yours.
Keith Dukes III: I'm gonna start off with a Pixel Neon LLC.com. Pixel with the A, that's how you know it's us. Um shout out to IG 500 miles per hour, Dukes, Pixel Neon uh on IG as well. Put the
A in front of the L. That's how you know it's us. Um And YouTube, Pixel Neon. Put the
A in front of the Pixel after the X. It's like no, it's us. Bro, just come on out, bro. I mean, um, I really want you to come to the festival, but just we're all the information is on the flyers. Just go outside, go to DC, you'll see a bunch of flyers. And once you see Pixel Fest, look for the website right there, and we'll we'll help you out. So we're expecting to see y'all there.
Tony Diallo: Yeah, um, for me, you know, all those socials. Check out the website, the YouTube. Um my socials, Tony underscore Diallo underscore. Uh you'll see a lot of the content being reposted. Um, or if you're interested in lacrosse, tap in.
Speaker 4: Uh Jamaica's making waves. So um got got a few more games left this week competing to go to Japan next year and uh the Olympics in 2028. Uh but for Pixel Fest, man, it's it's the place where you want to be. Whether you're uh like I said, a filmmaker, uh appreciator, or you're just curious. Um it is it is a safe space, it is a welcoming place, and um it's it's um it's it's a it's a great environment to find community, you know, and that's what we're creating. It's it's
legacy and community. The the connections last forever, and um there's more to be made. So uh all are all appreciated, all be welcomed, all will be loved. And uh, yeah, one love. Appreciate appreciate this, Rob. Thank you so much. Absolutely.
Rob Lee: Absolutely. And there you have it, folks. I'm gonna again thank Tony Diallo and Keith Dukes III for coming on to tell us a bit about Pixel Neon and three years of motion, as well as Pixel Fest coming to DC in late September. And for
Keith and for Tony, I am Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture, and community in and around your neck of the woods. You just have to look for it.
