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www.behindthevelvetrope.com

One minute you’re inside a trendy nightclub. Suddenly a hand falls on your shoulder. In a rush the door comes flying towards your head. Next thing you know, you are on the pavement dusting yourself off, wondering what just happened.

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The nightlife. People are ready to dance, drink and party; they are ready for anything. But they are not alone. They are always being watched.

Nightclubs are replete with interesting characters, but none more so than that looming presence straddling the velvet rope. Who is this apparent muscle-head with the dual responsibility of keeping the peace and separating the "in-crowd" from the "out-crowd"?

The Bouncer.

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bounce: behind the velvet rope goes inside the mindset of these frequently ridiculed, but always feared enforcers of the night. Who are these men? Are they programmed gorillas only there to flex and look tough, or are they highly skilled and efficient security experts with the ability to sniff out trouble and chic with equal aplomb? Are they in it for the money, the love, or for the excuse to knock heads? Is being a bouncer just a job, or is it a way of life, an entry into an elite fraternity?

As part of their work routine, bouncers break up fights, reject rowdy patrons, assist drunk clientele, and, perhaps when the boss is not looking, scam some extra cash or hit on particularly attractive customers.

It’s all part of life behind the velvet rope.

bounce: behind the velvet rope spends time with these and other colorful characters, both during the day when they are "out-of-character" and during their jobs at night. The film takes a whirlwind international tour of the nightlife guided by those who see it all.

The film at once glorifies and pokes fun at these supremely macho men whom we have all encountered, but to whom we have seldom devoted much attention. It takes you to the heart of the action at nightclubs and in the process weaves a comical overview of the bouncer, an oft overlooked, but ever-important cog of society.

The film has taken a long and bizarre road to end up where it is today. The movie was filmed over the course of almost a year in New York and London.

The idea to make a documentary about nightclub bouncers originated with one phrase.

While Steven Cantor, the Director of the film, was working out at a gym with Nils Allen Stewart, former bouncer and star of the Jesse Ventura TV movie, Nils was retelling stories of his days as a bouncer and mentioned once receiving "a jackboot kick to the head." That phrase struck a chord and the seeds of a film were born.

Everyone has encountered a bouncer at one point in their life but how often have they ever really paid attention to that person. The only time we ever think of them is when they are denying you entry or throwing you out.

After raising funding through private investors, the Producers came across information about a training school in Northampton, England that teaches people how to be bouncers. Excuse me, they prefer to be called "Doormen". It was decided that this was the place to start.

While a trip to England was being arranged an exhaustive search of New York City and London bouncers was underway. Over 200 bouncers were met and interviewed over the course of a few months and narrowed down to just who would make the most compelling documentary subjects.

Filming this movie was an arduous, but enjoyable task. As any documentary filmmaker knows when the cameras are rolling in public places, one of two things happens, either people mug for the camera, ruining the shot, or people freeze up and do nothing. Filming in clubs in New York City and London exacerbated these problems. But as the nights wore on and our cameras became more familiar people started to relax and let their guard down, allowing us to capture some amazing and surprising moments of humor and violence.

The movie was filmed at some of the hottest and cheesiest clubs in London, Manhattan and Queens such as: Chaos, Dreams International, Scores, Carbon, Cheetah, Life, Shine, Decade, System, Equinox, Casablanca, NV, G, Jet Lounge, Jet 19, Spybar, and The End of the Line.

But the result of the months of filming, editing, re-shooting and re-editing came together in a film that was able to attract Samantha Maloney, the drummer for the band Hole to compose an original score for the film, which already includes songs by The Flaming Lips, Ween, and G Love and Special Sauce.

Writer/Producer/Director, Steven Cantor is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television and a partner in Stick Figure Productions. He received a 1994 Academy Award Nomination for his first documentary, Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann, about the controversial photographer, and a 1997 National Emmy Award for a NBA Stay-In-School commercial.

Prior to film school, Steven was a commercial and music video director and a segment producer for MTV’s top-rated show, House of Style, with Cindy Crawford. At USC, Steven wrote and produced a 12-minute sci-fi special effects short, Recon, starring Peter Gabriel (in his acting debut), Charles Durning, and Elizabeth Pena. He also wrote a feature-length version, which was purchased, along with the short, by Miramax in 1998.

He has since directed numerous commercials and music videos including the award winning Look Better Naked campaign for David Barton Gym and the video for Lisa Loeb’s song All Day released on Interscope Records’ soundtrack for The Rugrats Movie which reached number 7 on VH-1’s top ten list. In addition, he has produced and directed education promotional films for Teach For America, LEARN and Camp Ronald McDonald For Good Times.

Steven recently produced and co-directed (with his sister) a special for Bravo called The Green Room, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of theatrical productions. He is currently producing and directing Crossover, a special for the Independent Film Channel about musicians who make the transition to film acting, and is also producing the feature length documentary, Devil’s Playground, an HBO/Channel Four/Winstar co-production about the rebellious tendencies of Amish youth, which was recently awarded the $50,000 Grand Prize of the Sony/AFI DVCAM Fest. This summer he will begin producing and directing Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving a PBS American Masters piece about the legendary singer.

What do you do if the most pleasure that you derive in the world comes from the suffering and pain of other people? What do you do if beating another man senseless makes you tingle with excitement? If you act on these urges they throw you in jail and call you a sociopath. One other choice exists…become a bouncer.

"I love the violence, the violence is the best part…I sit there and hope, I hope and pray that you cross that line, I’d love to put my foot up your ass."

"My motto when I was growing up and going to clubs was either I’m gonna get a piece of ass or I’m gonna kick some ass, both was equally satisfying for me."

Jordan is a violent man. He is the first person to admit this. He loves to fight, to hit and be hit. A former Golden Gloves boxer, Jordan served two and a half years in prison for selling drugs. Upon his release he realized that he had to go in a different direction. But he could not remove the violent streak from his nature. So he became a bouncer.

Happily married to his beautiful wife Angie, with 2 adorable boys constantly at their sides, Jordan seems like the perfect family man. He spends his days doing personal training at some of Manhattan’s most exclusive gyms. According to him, he has a very distinct personality at work, "When you see me at the gym, I’m like, ‘How are you, how is your day, you’re doing great’ and I smile, showing teeth, but I can’t show you my teeth at my night job. I’m afraid you want to knock ‘em out."

When darkness descends and Jordan prepares for the club scene, a different personality emerges. He stands around itching for excitement. He wants you to start trouble. You look at him wrong, you say anything controversial and Jordan is in your face. And you don’t want to get him started. Once Jordan starts fighting, he will beat you down.

"It’s impossible to kick my ass, because in order to kick my ass you have to be willing to die and I don’t think anyone goes out at night willing to die. Once you get me started I don’t stop, exhaustion doesn’t set in, pain doesn’t, I’m a machine."

When he fights, Jordan has two modes. Off and Kill. When playing around with Daniel Laikind, one of the producers of bounce: behind the velvet rope, Daniel put his hands up to suggest that Jordan take a swing at him. Playfully, Jordan took a swipe. Two broken ribs later, Daniel realized that with Jordan, fighting is never a joke.

It is impossible to look at Jordan and see him with his wife and kids and not wonder how he treats them. He is so casual about violence that you have to wonder if he brings that anger home. But then he explains that his wife and kids are the one comfort in his life and that he would never hurt them. And when you see the look on his face change when he holds his baby in his arms, you really believe him. At least you want to.

At once a scholarly Irishman and a streetfighting rogue, Al Crosley is a study in contradictions and internal conflicts. His appearance and attitude belie his extremely spiritual nature. He is a man whose eyes speak volumes about who he is and what he does. At times they glimmer with a playful nature that makes you feel as though you are talking to your uncle. Other times Al’s eyes flash and burn with the fervent religious zeal of an evangelist and you honestly wonder if he has all his senses intact.

With one look, you can easily see with one look why Al is a good bouncer. When he fixes an angry gaze on you, storm clouds seem to swirl in his eyes and a torrent of rage wells up.

Al on Bouncing: "I don’t think it’s a job for Christians to do. People who believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior, but I’ve done it…and in the long run I pay for it."

Al on Steroids, "I’ve only done them, because I was in competition and I needed them to compete against the likes of the competitors that I was competing against."

Al on his life, "Am I content with the life I’ve led. No. I’ve rebelled against The Father, rebelled against Christ, backslidden, henceforth I don’t get the blessings. It’s not in the Father’s will to be dealing with dangerous people and smashing them up."

Al on the Customers, "The best way to take violent people out of the club is quite simple…unconscious. That’s the way to do it and that’s the way I do it."

Rippling with muscles, Al is one of England’s strongest men. He was a former bodybuilding champion who has won countless titles. But the things he has seen working the door of some of England’s toughest clubs have made him question even his most deeply rooted beliefs.

He quotes from the Bible regularly and recites poetry from Robert Service and Shakespeare. Laughing, Al relates a story about when he and his best friend Oliver used to work the door together, "Anger and sorrow they used to call us, you can judge for yourself why they meant that." "Which one were you?" director, Steven Cantor asks. In a second the grin on Al’s face is replaced by a nasty glare. "Anger," he replies, then quietly turns his gaze to the floor.

No matter which view of Al you are shown, it is impossible to look at him for one second and not see the turmoil that lies behind those eyes.

Mike and Frank might not be the only identical twin brothers in the world who live together, work together, tan together and both have girlfriends named Angela. Maybe somewhere out there another set of twins share the same experiences as these guys do.

But they couldn’t possibly be as amusing as Mike and Frank.

In the 12 years they have been bouncing, Mike and Frank have seen it all and in the process have developed views of the world that may be considered a bit warped. They relate their experiences and thoughts with honesty, openness and hilarious reckless abandon. With no need to suck up to anyone or anything, they answer all questions straight from the heart.

On women at clubs, "You ain’t giving me no ass, I'm not letting you in."

On working gay night, "One bad thing about it is the smell. You go in the bathroom where you see some of them fooling around and it smells like semen. It makes you want to puke."

On being twins, "Sometimes we say things at the same time, you know when people say ‘Jinx’ and people always ask us, ‘You guys ever make a record?"

Despite their similarities, Mike and Frank are not identical. Mike weighs about 75 pounds less than Frank, although, courtesy of steroids it used to be the opposite. And Frank, the shy one, is a little more sensitive. Mike is the one you really don’t want to mess with.

These guys were built to bounce. Everything about them, from their looks, to their attitude, to their lifestyle says "bouncer." So one has to wonder what on Earth these guys do during the day? Mainly, they tan. It’s like Frank says, "A tan makes you look 100% better, I do it for my personal self-enjoyment I call it. It’s like women when they do their hair, their nails…" Mike and Frank go to the tanning salon 3 or 4 days a week.

But they are not only about looking good. Since they were twelve, they have devoted countless hours to collecting every article, souvenir and photo printed about their idol, Sylvester Stallone. Ask nicely and they will even let you peek inside their scrapbook. Actually they have about 70 scrapbooks from all the years they’ve been doing this. And in case you’re curious. They think Sly would make a great bouncer, even if he seems a little short.

But whether they are tanning, talking about Sly, bouncing or tossing around a football, they are brothers, partners and best friends. And they’ll be happy to answer any question that you ask.

"Sometimes when I'm working the door, I look at the women and I sometimes just like, admire their makeup."

"I am not an aggressive bouncer, I am a peaceful man. My motto is do not fight at all costs. And it works, cause I’ve only had five fights and I’ve been in the business since ’88."

Omar went to clubs for years before ever working at one and knows that people "are there to have fun, and the bouncer is there to service them." In perceiving the clientele as friend rather than potential foe, Omar Cook is a different sort of bouncer. He is a nice guy, a gentle, sensitive make-up artist who happens to be built like a truck.

Maybe this stems from the fact that Omar is not just a bouncer. Bouncing isn’t the only thing that defines his life. At various times he has been a youth counselor and a chef, and does continue to practice the art of make-up design on a regular basis. In each of his trades the one thing Omar has learned is that if you just talk to people and maybe even listen, you can usually get them to do what you want and what is best for them.

But don’t think that Omar is soft just because he has a sensitive side. If he has to fight, he can. He has been into martial arts since the 70’s and is a master at what is called Black Cypher, "a style that was taught to people who don’t speak Japanese or Chinese but know that a kick or punch hurts in any language." Even though he can kill a man with one punch, he assures us that, "I’ve fought, but I’ve never had to use any death moves or attacks or nothing like that."

While he loves his other pursuits, the two that divide his time are makeup and bouncing. The makeup side allows his creative ability to shine. And there is something about making a woman feel beautiful about herself that gives Omar a real sense of accomplishment. Seeing a woman look into that mirror and smile at the face looking out at her gives Omar a real understanding that he is making a difference.

But there is also something about bouncing. Some "macho, edge-type-thing" that makes Omar keep doing it. As he says, "It’s a great feeling working as a bouncer, it’s almost as good as having sex." And Omar is well aware that from bouncing he can achieve both. He is fascinated by the interplay at the door between the bouncer and women. And over the years he has learned that, "When women are talking to you at the door they are usually just suckering you to get in the club."

Regardless of his current career pursuit, Omar is truly a different breed — a sort of modern Renaissance man. As a bouncer he faces a considerable amount of teasing from his fellow workers, but as he confidently puts it, "I’m very sensitive in a lot of ways. At one time I was apologizing for it, but I don’t apologize anymore, because that’s who I am now."

Many consider Lenny McLean the "Hardest Man in Britain." With a claim to 20,000 barroom brawls to his credit, Lenny has retired. But the legend of "The Guv’nor" lives on in every bar and every club in England. As a bouncer Lenny’s stare was known far and wide. Once he gave you "the look" you were in trouble.

At 48, Lenny is weathered, but still seems as tough as he ever was. He now pursues work as an actor, but that doesn’t mean he has forgotten the moves that made him the bare knuckles boxing champion of England for years.

As the retired legend, and at 48 Lenny is considered ancient, Lenny offers a different perspective on bouncing nowadays, "The new breed of doormen are what you call poseurs, they look good, but when it goes off where are they? In the corner, looking good."

Lenny recalls days when it was the attitude of a bouncer that counted and not a badge or a haircut. "I want to lose weight, cause I know the less weight you carry, the faster you are, but these guys you got on the door now, their pumping steroids in them and their getting larger…when a fight happens it takes ‘em three weeks to get their hands up!"

Lenny has led the kind of life on which movies are based. In fact, a biopic about Lenny is currently in production in London. Abused by a stepfather as a kid, Lenny spent most of his childhood "on the street" afraid to go home. He was a boxing and bare knuckles champion before turning to bouncing, a job that led to his arrest for murder when a patron in a club died from injuries suffered in a fight. When Lenny was exonerated, he decided to take his life on a different path and began acting. With a recurring role on the British series "The Knock" and a small part in the "The Fifth Element," Lenny is close to achieving his dreams.

After filming with us, he would get his big break by being tapped to star in Guy Ritchie’s film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." His performance earned rave reviews.

Additionally, Lenny’s biography, "The Guv’nor" was released and within days was the number one selling book on the British Best Seller list. The book finished 1998 as England’s top selling non-fiction book, despite only being out for half the year.

But unlike most of the difficult events in Lenny’s life that he miraculously survived with his sense of humor intact, this story does not have a happy ending. Shortly after filming "Lock, Stock…," Lenny was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. Within weeks his condition rapidly deteriorated. He died at the age of 49 just six weeks after his book hit number one.

Lenny’s comments on life, bouncing and the old school versus the new breed of bouncers provide some of the liveliest moments in the film. But it is impossible to listen to his words without a tinge of sadness, knowing now that his end was so near.

When you first see "Prince" you see a stereotypical bouncer. He is so large that sometimes he doesn’t even seem real. But Prince is anything but typical. He lives and works in Queens, close in proximity, but a far cry from the hottest nightlife in the world, across the river in Manhattan. Prince works at Dreams International, a seedy strip club. As Prince points out, "I don’t know why they call it International, there’s only one of them and it’s right here in Queens."

He has been working at Dreams for years and it is starting to get to him. The nights are long and yelling at patrons to keep their hands off the dancers just doesn’t hold his interest anymore. Prince has heard the stories about all the glamour, celebrities, excitement and money that there is to be had in one of the big clubs in Manhattan, but getting your foot in the door is nearly impossible.

He makes decent money for a single man living in Queens, but he has personal "dreams" of his own that have nothing to do with the club. He dreams about taking care of his mother, who has always taken such good care of him (and her numerous foster children). Mrs. James struggled to make ends meet, but as Prince explains, "My mother was always there for us, she is my advisor and my best friend. We never went hungry, all the other kids were jealous of us…She was a miracle, from God." There is nothing that Prince wants to do more than buy his mother the red BMW that she always dreamed about.

It is not just his mother that needs Prince’s help. He has dreams for his 16-year old son, who desperately wants to go to college and eventually become a lawyer. Prince is determined to do everything humanly possible to help him achieve that goal.

And that possibility has just opened up.

One day, Prince reads in the newspaper about a job opening at the most exclusive nightclub in Manhattan, and he is determined to finally achieve his goal of working in the big city. But it is not going to be easy as Prince is competing with over 40 bouncers for one job. As Prince’s interview approaches, Mrs. James and Prince make it known that getting this new job is truly the opportunity of a lifetime.

As we follow Prince’s story, we realize that bouncing isn’t just a job, it’s a life and bouncers aren’t just the big lugs that stand at doors. It is through the story of Prince and through meeting his family and seeing just how important this new job is to him that we learn what it truly means to be a bouncer.