Scratch (2001)

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
Shannon Bruno	...	Herself (as DJ Shortee)
John Carluccio	...	Himself - Director
DJ Craze	...	Himself
Frank Cuevas	...	Himself (as DJ Cue)
DJ Curse	...	Himself
D.O.A.	...	Himself
Steve Dee	...	Himself
Eddie Def	...	Himself
Dilated Peoples	...	Themselves
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
The Guru	...	Himself - Gang Starr (as Guru)
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)
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
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
Timi D.	....	artist
Philip DeWolff	....	web graphic designer
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)
Timi D.	....	still photographer
Theresa Dillon	....	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.	....	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
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)
T-Ray	....	special thanks
Jeffrey A. Townes	....	special thanks (as Jazzy Jeff)

Production Companies

• Firewalks Film
• Magic Lamp
• Ridgeway Entertainment

Distributors

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

Also Known As:

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:

In the DVD commentary, director Doug Pray says that he was having a lot of difficult arranging interviews with many DJs, until DJ Qbert signed on. After Qbert's interview, DJs started calling Pray volunteering themselves.

Movie Connections:

References "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Three MC's and One DJ

It made me itch for a turntable of my own.

Scratch is a documentary about DJs and their art of scratching. From that one line description of the film you would have no idea how entertaining and educational this little film is. It is a joyous and vibrant celebration of a cool subculture which is little known. It's filled with great underground hip hop music and you get to see some top DJs (e.g. DJ Q-Bert, DJ Shadow, and Mix Master Mike from the Beastie Boys) showing off their stuff. Going into the film I wasn't sure that "scratching" can really be called an art form, or that the turntable can be viewed as an instrument in its own right. Scratch completely changed my mind on these points. What these guys do with their turntables is truly amazing--it is definitely some kind of art--and the turntable, if you know how to use it, can be transformed into an instrument that you can "play," as much as a drum or a guitar. And you even get a lesson on the basics of scratching from DJ Q-Bert (e.g. how to use the fader to get different sound effects). All these DJs in their own way were inspired to take up the art of scratching after watching Herbie Hancock perform his song "Rock It" (you remember that song, don't you?) live at the Grammys. What got their attention was not Hancock himself but his DJ and his scratching. Not only is Scratch about scratching, but it does some "scratching" of its own thanks to the creative way in which this documentary is shot and edited. There are moments where clips are quickly "rewound" and then "forwarded" several times, which mirrors (in the film medium) what happens when a DJ quickly moves the record on his turntable back and forth while using his fader (that "wicka-wicka-wicka" sound). Whether you're a fan of hip hop or not, you can count on Scratch to give you a very enjoyable night at the movies. After seeing it, I had an itch to go buy a turntable of my own. And I mean this as a compliment.