Scratch (2001)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Doug Pray

Release Date:

7 November 2001 (France)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

A feature-length documentary film about hip-hop DJing, otherwise known as turntablism. From the South Bronx in the 1970s to San Francisco now...

Plot Keywords:

Hip Hop | D.J. | Rap | Turntable

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Marc 7	...	Himself - Jurassic 5
Afra	...	Himself
Carlos Aguilar	...	Himself (as DJ Quest)
Akil	...	Himself - Jurassic 5
The Allies	...	Themselves
Almighty K.G.	...	Himself
D.J. Babu	...	Himself - Dilated Peoples / Beat Junkies (as DJ Babu)
Afrika Bambaataa	...	Himself
The Beat Junkies	...	Themselves (as Beat Junkies)
Jon Bernson	...	Himself
John Carluccio	...	Himself - Director
DJ Craze	...	Himself
Frank Cuevas	...	Himself (as DJ Cue)
DJ Curse	...	Himself
Steve Dee	...	Himself
Eddie Def	...	Himself
Dilated Peoples	...	Themselves
D.O.A.	...	Himself
Dot-a-Rock	...	Himself - MC (as Dot a Rock)
Grand Mixer DXT	...	Himself
Emanon	...	Himself
Snayk Eyez	...	Himself
DJ Faust	...	Himself
DJ Flare	...	Himself
Grandmaster Flash	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Grand Master Flash)
Yoga Frog	...	Himself
Doze Green	...	Himself
Herbie Hancock	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mark Herlihy	...	Himself
Naut Humon	...	Himself - Asphodel Records
Billy Jam	...	Himself - Record Label Owner
DJ Jazzy Jay	...	Himself
Jurassic 5	...	Themselves
Kevie Kev	...	Himself - MC
Klever	...	Himself
DJ Krush	...	Himself
Lucas MacFadden	...	Himself - Jurassic 5 (as Cut Chemist)
DJ Marz	...	Himself
Melo-D	...	Himself - Beat Junkies
Mix Master Mike	...	Himself
Mysterio	...	Himself
DJ NuMark	...	Himself - Jurassic 5 (as Numark)
Christie Z. Pabon	...	Herself
Dave Paul	...	Himself - Record Label Owner
DJ Premier	...	Himself - Gang Starr
DJ Q-Bert	...	Himself
Roc Raida	...	Himself - X-ecutioners
Kool DJ Red Alert	...	Himself (as DJ Red Alert)
DJ Relm	...	Himself
Swift Rock	...	Himself
DJ Shadow	...	Himself
Shortcut	...	Himself (as Shortkut)
DJ Shortee	...	Herself
Mista Sinista	...	Himself - X-ecutioners
Jay Slim	...	Himself
Soup	...	Himself - Jurassic 5 (as Zaakir)
Gang Starr	...	Themselves
Steinski	...	Himself - Double Dee / Steinski
Charles Stewart	...	Himself - Jurassic 5 (as Chali 2NA)
DJ Streak	...	Himself
DJ Swamp	...	Himself
Rob Swift	...	Himself - X-ecutioners
The Guru	...	Himself - Gang Starr (as Guru)
Grand Wizard Theodore	...	Himself
Total Eclipse	...	Himself - X-ecutioners
X-ecutioners	...	Themselves
DJ Z-Trip	...	Himself (as Z-Trip)

Directed by
Doug Pray

Produced by
Heidi Addison	....	co-producer (as Heidi Rataj Addison)
Brad Blondheim	....	producer
John Carluccio	....	associate producer
Albert Hughes	....	executive producer
Allen Hughes	....	executive producer
Ernest Meza	....	producer

Original Music by
Mix Master Mike
DJ Q-Bert		(as Qbert)

Cinematography by
Robert Bennett

Film Editing by
Doug Pray

Production Management
Carrie Fix	....	production manager: New York
Michele Van Valey	....	production manager: New York

Art Department
Henry Chalfant	....	artist
Philip DeWolff	....	web graphic designer
Timi D.	....	artist
Shepard Fairey	....	web graphic designer
Damon Holzborn	....	web graphic designer
Daniel Racusin	....	graphics
Tony Tone	....	artist

Sound Department
David Bartlett	....	sound designer
David Bartlett	....	sound editor
David Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jason Blackburn	....	sound recordist
Dan Flaherty	....	sound recordist
Eric Christopher Meza	....	sound recordist
Doug Pray	....	sound recordist
Thomas Appel	....	first sound assistant (uncredited)
Kelly Vandever	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Rafi Ekmekian	....	motion controller
Christopher Dusendschon	....	digital imaging: THDX (uncredited)
Erick Schiele	....	title effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Keith Barefoot	....	electrician
Keith Barefoot	....	gaffer
Andrew Bennett	....	grip
Jason Blackburn	....	camera equipment supplier: Hollywood Camera
Matthew C. Blea	....	loader (as Matt Blea)
Theresa Dillon	....	still photographer
Timi D.	....	still photographer
Kate E. Emmert	....	loader (as Kate Emmert)
Richard Gunderman	....	assistant camera
Albert Hughes	....	additional photographer
Brian Knappenberger	....	director of photography: second unit
Steven Lubensky	....	first assistant camera
Diego Martien	....	camera production assistant
Doug Pray	....	additional photographer
Sacha Riviere	....	first assistant camera (as Sache Riviere)
Rebekah Sitty	....	first assistant camera
Perry Unjang	....	additional electrician
Perry Unjang	....	gaffer
Mark Wasserman	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Christie Z. Pabon	....	casting consultant: east coast

Editorial Department
Geof Addison	....	post-production advisor
Robert C. Auten	....	post-production advisor
Knar Kitabjian	....	assistant editor
Kelly Reese	....	telecine colorist: high definition
Dana Ross	....	color timer
Chris Webb	....	negative cutter
Joan Zapata	....	contributing editor

Music Department
Carol Sue Baker	....	music supervisor
David Bartlett	....	music editor
Jon L. Fine	....	associate music supervisor
Jonathan Hafter	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Jonathan M. Abrams	....	production assistant (as Jon Abrams)
Lashonda Adams	....	production assistant
Robert C. Auten	....	assistant: Brad Blondheim
Matthew Bales	....	production assistant (as Matt Bales)
Brad Blondheim	....	story structure
Hilly Blondheim	....	craft service
Secku Brown	....	production assistant
Usa Chaitlal	....	production assistant
Melissa Demicco	....	assistant
Annmarie Deringer	....	assistant: Allen and Albert Hughes
Jeff Dowd	....	production representative (as Jeff 'The Dude' Dowd)
Grand Mixer DXT	....	creative advisor
Mauro Fiore Jr.	....	legal advisor
Mauro Fiore Jr.	....	production attorney (as Mauro Fiore Jr., Esq.)
Eric Esiquiel Franco	....	production assistant
David Hayes	....	equipment supplier: Efilm
James Lewis	....	publicist
Joey Marcinko	....	production accountant
Eric Christopher Meza	....	key production assistant
Ernest Meza	....	legal advisor (as Ernest Meza, Esq.)
Derek Palmer	....	production assistant
Ken Pray	....	production assistant
Irwin M. Rappaport	....	production attorney
James Rizzutti	....	production assistant (as James Rizzuti)
Troy Van Valey	....	production assistant
Elizabeth Wayne	....	production assistant
Vanessa Young	....	production assistant
Dan Riley	....	legal assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Michael Babcock	....	special thanks
Lorrie Boula	....	major thanks
DJ Cam	....	special thanks (as DJ Cam)
John Carluccio	....	major thanks
Annmarie Deringer	....	major thanks (as AnnMarie Deringer)
DJ Design	....	special thanks (as DJ Design)
Sarah Diamond	....	special thanks
DJ Disk	....	special thanks
Robert Downey Sr.	....	special thanks
Grand Mixer DXT	....	major thanks (as DXT)
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	special thanks (as Thom 'Coach' Ehly)
Grandmaster Flash	....	special thanks (as Grand Master Flash)
Esther Friedman	....	special thanks
Spoonie Gee	....	special thanks
Spoonie Gee	....	special thanks
Brian Gibbon	....	special thanks
Tommy Gunn	....	major thanks
Lisa M. Haugen	....	special thanks
Mark Herlihy	....	special thanks
Billy Jam	....	major thanks
John Paul Jones	....	special thanks
Josh Kouzomis	....	special thanks
Pamela Lillis	....	special thanks (as Pamela Lillig James)
Jimmy Page	....	special thanks
Christie Z. Pahon	....	major thanks
Robert Plant	....	special thanks
'Lee' George Quinones	....	special thanks (as Raymond Lee George Quinones)
Kool DJ Red Alert	....	special thanks (as Red Alert)
D. Shabazz	....	special thanks (as DJ Shabazz)
Jeffrey A. Townes	....	special thanks (as Jazzy Jeff)
T-Ray	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Firewalks Film
• Magic Lamp
• Ridgeway Entertainment

Distributors

• Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
• Momentum Pictures
• Palm Pictures
• Warner Bros. Pictures

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

92 min | UK:91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

National Orange Show Event Center, San Bernardino, California, USA

Company:

Firewalks Film

Trivia:

To create the "scratched" sequences in the film (where a person during an interview suddenly speaks as if the film itself is being scratched), director Doug Pray sent audio clips which had been recorded onto vinyl to DJ Q-bert, who scratched them, and sent the recordings back to Pray. Pray then edited the interviews to match the scratched sound.

Movie Connections:

Features Wild Style (1983)

Soundtrack:

Melting Pot

Very interesting

DVD review.

The story behind Hip Hop DJing.

Feature documentary tracing the roots of scratch DJing, the development of turntablism (what a word!), the competitions, and the faces behind those crazy DJ names. Like scratching records this movie went off in many directions and cut from one story to another. Many famous faces appear with the televised performance of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" seeming to be the inspiration for today's scratch masters. The best scene had DJ Shadow walking through a music store cellar amid 100,000s of records. Another good scene was at the music fair where several stuffy formally-trained (and narrowed minded)musicians scoffed at producing music from turntables. What I liked about this movie was how the different generations of DJs improved on the science of cutting up records. But what are those dots on the turntable's platter for? Scratch is a very interesting music documentary.