Dr. Metropolis is Man vs City
Doctor Metropolis travels around Auckland city to find the most dangerous locations and environments, in order to show us how to survive in them. With his simple survival techniques and his knowledge of citylife and vagrancy, he is able to give handy tips that could effectively save lives. Whether it's masturbating in public or prostituting, Metropolis is always one step ahead when it comes to survival of the fittest. The format of the show is based on Bear Grylls' Man vs City series. The protagonist, Dr. Metropolis, must find any way out of the city using only his wits and cajonas. Click here to watch
Jafa McJafy Jaf
In this hard-hitting but humorous documentary, director David Farrier takes the exploration of Jafa McJafy Jaf one step further. Jafa McJafy Jaf, refers to the tiny percentage of Aucklander who controls nearly half the wealth of New Zealand. Farrier captures his story through personal interviews with Jafa's assistant Warren Hardyman and follows Jafa around for a week as he goes about his business. Along the way we meet some interesting characters including Toni Bartelli, and an angry American. Farrier's film is at its most powerful when it reveals how super-rich McJafy Jaf works to preserve his own monetary dominance. Click here to watch
Kids on Drugs on TV
A New Zealand television show inadvertantly films a couple of drugged up teenagers at a party in Auckland. Hilarity ensues as it becomes blatantly obvious these kids have been more than just drinking. They attempt to answer the interviewers questions as soberly as humanly possible but naturally their not so subtle facial expressions and incesent grinding give them away. Click here to watch
Current Project
Wiggers
Status: Some filming complete, will resume filming on 11th of September, stay tuned for more info.
Current plot (subject to change): Krazetastic and Killer69 get high, have dreams of making it big as big time gangstaz. They go back to their hood and see that some other gangstas have taken it over. They try to "dance" out the new gangstas but they end up getting beaten up. Krazetastic questions his gangsta lifestyle and has a sit down chat with his dad (who thinks hes coming out of the closet). Meanwhile Killer69 has run off to tell the police (who end up gang raping him with police batons). Krazetastic raps about the loss of his gangsta lifestyle to the tune of i'll be missing you and in the end he gets a job working at mcdonalds. McDonalds turns out to be a secret "graveyard" for wiggers, where they go to work after abandoning there wigger ways. Killer69 ends up as a street hooker.
JAF JAF JAFA!
JOHBSY.COM - Aucklanders. Comedy. Ultilitarianism.
Comedy these days is shit, if you believe everything these guys say. Bored with the same-old politically correct jokes being churned out by movie executives, they started Johbsy Productions - and took action. With a $100 Trademe cam-corder and a handy iMac, they were able to plaster Man vs City on YouTube.
People loved it. But alas, YouTube executives are no different to those of the mainstream movie world - they were disgusted by the group's vulgar language, inappropriate references and wild sexual innuendos. It was removed within weeks.
But with the launch of JOHBSY.COM, they can play by their own rules. Rather than submit to the void of the modern comedy genre, johbsy.com continue making films they would actually want to watch.
Their latest instalment is Jafa McJafy Jaf, which explores the ostentatious lifestyle of "Auckland's biggest wanker" and urges the viewer to ask – is this me?
Your previous film, Man vs. City got kicked off YouTube for being too rude. Have you changed your approach so that this doesn't happen with Jafa McJafy Jaf?
Hobbs: hell no.
Rupert: fuck no.
Ben: why would we!
Man vs. City gave us a glimpse of Auckland's under-life - homeless people, prostitutes - Jafy is set in Parnell. What should your fans be expecting this time?
Ben: stuck up wankers
Hobbs: basically, just JAFA-ness…
Rupert: Just wankers basically
Mat: Imagine the biggest wanker you've ever met, times a hundred…
Hobbs: then square that….
So, your films feature nudity, harassment of the public, screwing-your-sister jokes…. What exactly inspires you guys?
Ben: Sex
Rupert: Drugs, rock and roll
Ben: It's all about the moments when people don't know what's happening to them, and they have this camera in their face but its not that flash, so they don't know they're being filmed for a movie. It's a new style of comedy, it takes from Jackass and Borat – but we make it better.
Hobbs: I was thinking about this today, politically correct comedy is like having sex with a condom or having a shower wearing a waterproof poncho – you feel the sensation but you don't get it properly…. That's basically why we need to break down the barriers in most comedy these days
So what actually sets you apart from the likes of Jackass, Pulp Sport, Borat….
Mat: It's more psychologically fucking with the people we interact with
Ben: We are projecting a particular character to the public, but they don't have any idea what we're up to… They don't sign a contract or anything
Hobbs: It's Jackass of the mind.
But that's exactly what Sacha Baron Cohen does?
Rupert: Na, a lot of that is scripted
Ben: Sacha Baron Cohen is a one man band, we're a team! Teams work
Mat: His stuff is shit
Hobbs: Sacha Baron Cohen is good, but we do our own thing, we aren't following in his footsteps or anything
Rupert: You know when you're watching a comedy and you're thinking, this is funny but it could be so much better, like next scene something totally unexpected happens…
Give us an example of your 'psychological' humour…
Hobbs: In Jafy, I told this woman in her dairy that I'd just purchased the commercial property and her lease was terminated, I said she had 48 hours to vacate. She was nearly in tears. I apologised to her afterwards….
Rupert: I apologised to her afterwards!
Ben: Hobbs also walked into the Newmarket BNZ, stepped in front of the customers and told the teller he was here to buy the bank… She didn't know what to do, she was like 'sorry the owner is in Melbourne so you can't talk to him'…. Hobbs told her to hook up a video conference! The whole time we were filming.
Tell us about the time in Man vs. Wild, where you stood on a K Rd curb holding a "Will suck cock for cash" sign… Hobbs: That was actually quite weird… Because people were actually stopping?
Hobbs: Yea it was quite surreal… I ran with it for probably 30 minutes. It was all method acting. Most people who pulled up were just curious, I'd say "$15?" and they just gave me weird looks. For the record I never went further, it was purely a gaff for the camera!
Rupert: Where'd that fifteen bucks come from then!
Where do you draw the line? Do you have any personal boundaries you wouldn't cross?
Mat: Na
Ben: I'd do anything for the camera….
Hobbs and Rupert: (long hesitation) ummmm eeeer umm
Hobbs: I had this really good idea to do a documentary about fetishes, and I was gonna go and try all the bondage stuff and all, for the sake of the research…. And that's not crossing the line, if it answers your question.
Ben: We prank called this fetish place and asked them to send us defecation in the post, and they said yes - but it'd be $200!
Hobbs: We do have a line, and that's raw racism, we're not really down with that
Have your parents seen your work?
All: Ofcourse
Ben: My mum knows about it, but she's on dial up so it would take her three hours to load Man vs City.
So who exactly is your audience?
Hobbs: Anyone who is not Christian
Ben: Yea, it's pretty shocking at times…
My TV teachers at AUT who might say your camera shots are over exposed and that your continuity isn't sequenced properly… What would you say back to them?
Rupert: Say we don't give a fuck!
Ben: It's like actual reality, its shot with a four-hundred dollar camera! It's what it's supposed to look like.
Hobbs: It's like Blair Witch Project, do you see people coming out and saying 'that cut was shit'? That's what it's supposed to look like
Would you rather be seen as film geeks or movie making jerks?
Mat: The second one…
Hobbs: Maybe movie making… well, I don't think we're jerks…
Rupert: I definitely don't think we'd be considered 'film geeks'. Film geeks make shit movies. All long takes where nothing happens. I hate those films. You fucking suck! And you're films suck! Take them off YouTube and go do something spontaneous.
The current trend in Hollywood is 'filmmaking with a conscience'… Do you take any ethical precautions or compensate the people you exploit in your films?
Ben: Hell no! That's part of the fun!
Hobbs: What trend??!
Rupert: We're gonna get sued eventually
Hobbs: We're not even influenced by Hollywood any way…
What's the deal, are you open to being sued? Is Johnbsy.com registered to your address?
Hobbs: We've got heaps and heaps of money and the best lawyers in Auckland – so if someone tries to sue us we will take them down!!
Rupert: We will end your life if you try suing us; we'll put a hit out on you
Ben: All publicity is good publicity
Would you say your films better society?
Hobbs: definitely
Rupert: Absolutely
Do you want to elaborate on that?
Ben: People need to stop taking themselves so fucking seriously; there are too many people in Auckland who aspire to be Jafa wannabe A-list pricks…
Hobbs: It's like, 1000 viewers get hilarious laughs at the expense of a few people, so it's balanced
Like utilitarianism?
Rupert: Yea, we're utilitarianists
Hobbs: Yep…. it's all about the greater good!
Have either of you ever told a girl that you're a movie director, with a view of sleeping with her?
Ben: Of course….
Hobbs: Why do you think we do this?
Ben: Twice this week already… And it's only Monday!
Give me three reasons why I should watch Jaffy McJaffa…
Ben: One, you're an Aucklander, so you need to watch it
Hobbs: Two, Nicki Watson's in it… And Caroline Taylor from What Now
Rupert: You're penis will grow three inches
Hobbs: Every inch is a reason!
Interviewed by Celeste Gorrell
This interview appeared in Debate Magazine