Paul Ferrara
Directing
Biography
Paul Ferrara (born November 16, 1939) is an American photographer known for his relationship with singer Jim Morrison of the band the Doors. Born to Italian–American parents, Ferrara met the band after photographing Jim Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson. He began working with the group as a stills photographers and many of his color and black & white photos appeared in a 24-page souvenir book sold at Doors' concerts in 1968. Many iconic images of Morrison were taken by Ferrara. Ferrara also took the cover photograph of the Doors album Waiting for the Sun in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Ferrara co-directed Jim Morrison's 1969 film HWY: An American Pastoral and directed Feast of Friends which included film of the group over a five-month period touring in 1968. Hitherto unreleased, behind the scenes movies of the Doors shot by Ferrara in the late 1960s and early 1970s were included in the 2009 documentary on the band, When You're Strange. Ferrara was in the inner circle of the Doors and self-published his memoirs from this period in Flash of Eden in 2007.
Known For
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Classic Albums
Hrundi V. Bakshi, an accident-prone actor from India, is accidentally put on the guest list for an upcoming party at the home of a Hollywood film producer. Unfortunately, from the moment he arrives, one thing after another goes wrong with compounding effect.
The Party
In Memphis, Tennessee, over the course of a single night, the Arcade Hotel, run by an eccentric night clerk and a clueless bellboy, is visited by a young Japanese couple traveling in search of the roots of rock; an Italian woman in mourning who stumbles upon a fleeing charlatan girl; and a comical trio of accidental thieves looking for a place to hide.
Mystery Train
Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.
Barfly
A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.
Down by Law
A future classic was unleashed in January 1967 as the Doors released their eponymously titled debut album. This documentary in the Classic Albums series takes an in-depth look at the album, with commentary from Bruce Botnick, who worked on the album, and the three remaining Doors--guitarist Robbie Krieger, keyboard player Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore. The three band members also play some of their instrumental parts from the album, offering invaluable insight into how the songs were constructed.
Classic Albums: The Doors
A concert video that captures legendary rock 'n' roll band The Doors at the height of the group's powers. Filmed live at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1968, Jim Morrison and the band perform an extended version of "Light My Fire," plus ten of their other most loved songs, taking a standing room only audience on an aural journey of mystical worlds and psychedelic experiences.
The Doors: Live at the Bowl '68
Black-and-white UCLA Student Film Preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. An impressionistic portrait of a man haunted by his past, which comes careening into his present when he goes for a motorcycle ride with his girlfriend. Starring Dennis Hopper.
Light Years
A cinematic look at The Doors on the road during their summer '68 tour. Concert performances are intercut with fly-on-the-wall footage of the group in their natural habitat.
The Doors: Feast of Friends
HWY: An American Pastoral is a film by Jim Morrison, Frank Lisciandro, Paul Ferrara, and Babe Hill and stars Morrison as a hitchhiker. It is a 50-minute experimental film in Direct Cinema style. It was shot during the spring and summer of 1969 in the Mojave Desert and in Los Angeles.
HWY: An American Pastoral
A newly produced feature using footage shot for Feast Of Friends, Encore is a complimentary piece which provides a deeper look into the life of the band at this period as they tour, record, travel and even vacation together. The program avoids the typical selection of hits and makes use of The Doors' rare recordings to accompany this unreleased footage.
The Doors - Feast Of Friends: Encore
Casting her devious filth hex on pig farmers, house painters, and football-playing children, The Dirt Witch delights in making everyone as unclean as herself, until one day a young girl takes pity on her and instructs the soiled sorceress in the ways of hygiene. Produced by the Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation as part of their “Joy of Growing” series of educational shorts for elementary grade children.