Jem: What's up Vid :) Thanks for taking the time out to jam with Jem and give us some insight into what you do in the industry.
Vid: (sitting down turning off his blackberry ) What’s up Ma. Thank you for having me and showing a brother some love with this interview. It’s greatly
appreciated.
Jem: :) How old were you when you decided you wanted to get into the film industry?
Vid: I would say at 7 years old. Unconsciously, though. B/c it wasn’t really until like 15 where I started to grasp the love for the art some more and then at 20 is when I was like yeah I want to do this.
Jem: So there were stages in your life that gradually intrigued you into the film industry?
Vid: Exactly! See my uncle Rob who’s a big movie buff was into creative arts and he introduced me to drawing and would show me these little flip books of stick figures that when you flipped through the pages it showed a story b/c the drawings were now animated. I was fascinated by it and being influenced with hip hop music growing up I would end up drawing my own scenarios with graffiti captions and got so good at it that I wanted to create my own comic book so I would draw a lot of kung fu type material & break dancing themes (Who didn’t watch karate flicks as a kid and flip a back spin once or twice?)
Being influenced by hip hop music so heavily by the age of 9 I was watching music videos religiously on Music Video Box with the infamous Ralph McDaniels. ( that’s some Brooklyn shit ) Sometimes I’d have to miss it b/c I’d have a baseball game but I’d record it on the VCR and watch videos over and over. Being a kid Hip Hop Artists were our leaders so we wanted to dress, dance, and rap like them. I grew up on A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of The New School, Keith Murray, Gangstarr, Empd, Fushnickens, Nas, The Bush Babees, Original Flavor, Heltah Skeltah, Black Moon, Smiff N Wesson, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Das FX, The Lords of The Underground, The Fugees, Black Star, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious BIG , Jay-Z & CNN/NORE. As I got older watching these videos were like seeing my ideas from the picture book on screen.
At 15, I was video taping myself rapping and dancing for entertainment. At 17 I met an editor who had a crazy editing system. A bunch of monitors and computer towers and the room was full of neon lights. I was like wow and started hanging out with the guy, he’d take me on set with him and then to parties. I got introduced to the Latin scene and from there things took its course. He taught me how to edit, showed me the ropes etc and by the time I was 20 and had good credit I changed my Major in College from Aviation Administration(concentrating in Travel & Tourism Management) to Communications concentrating on Broadcast & TV and Public Relations & Advertising.
At 22, a Latin producer thought we can make some money if he funneled me and two other of my boys music video projects with the people who went and recorded at his studio. And we did. He gave us a studio to work out of. Set us up and we got busy for two years until I decided to do my own thing. It was then I took it serious and wanted to do this b/c I had the know how and what it took to do things. So I networked some more, met some people, paid some more dues and came out with it again.
Jem: What was the first job you did whether paid or unpaid, that had you thinking yes, this is my first step on the road to becoming "CineStyleVid"
Vid: It was a process and I’ll break it down step by step but I actually got my name working on a hip hop show in Radio City Music Hall as an audio video lighting technician. While setting up cameras, and wiring cables a senior engineer who was a coworker of mine gave me the name. All I would ever talk about were Music Videos & these darn Cine-Style Lenses I was fascinated with back at the office. I’d always pull out the cases & test cameras b/c I loved the image. SO when I’d walk in amongst all the older guys he would say "HEY ! If it isn’t Cine-Style Vid ! You going to tell us about another music video?"
Jem: hahah NIIICE
Vid: The initial steps that got me thinking I’m on my way to being Cine-Style Vid was:
1st step- noticing my worth and hearing all good compliments from coworkers, teachers and friends and having clients coming into the office I had in the city and meeting Rage & his wife Kim a year after college when he started getting into the hip hop scene... I showed him & Kim the Latin music videos I shot,when I saw their faces I knew I was on the right track.
2nd was feeling I learned enough of the technical aspect of the equipment, got out of a relationship and moved down south to gain the independency I needed and grind some more because I didn’t want to settle for what I had.
3rd was through networking and proving to everybody else I was on the same page as the elite directors and producers when I started submitting treatments and getting the recognition through the way I wrote, spoke, proven work ethic and the amount of resources I had.
Jem: How long was it from the time you took that first step until you directed your own real music video project?
Vid: Well it’s kind of difficult to say b/c I took some time off from producing and directing music videos to become more technical, network more and understand how to coordinate them better. Sometimes as a producer you over see and have control over what the director does or say and how the video comes out. So once I learned the technical part of things, networked, coordinated videos & wrote treatments from that time I’d say it was four years although I’ve been involved in this since a teenager.
Jem:When you embark upon a new project, say a music video what do you look for/ what’s the first thing you do?
Vid: I look for and listen to the song of choice. That’s first. If I dig it, I’ll write a treatment to it.
Jem: whats the average pre-production time-span between the "i'm doing this video moment" and Shoot day and whats the most important thing you just gotta take care of before shoot day?
Vid: There is no average. From the moment of inception when you have an idea, depending what your resources are anything goes. Perfect Example : Lil Wayne A Milli Video. Gil Green was filming the Got Money Video with Tpain & Lil Wayne and during a time nobody was doing anything Gil Green protégé was like I have this idea, lets film Wayne's a milli video. Lets have him walk from the bus to the bank to introduce this video. Everybody was like we got film ? hey want to do this ? you down ? yeah ok lets go . we down and 'wepa' we got a video. Cheesy but if you knew how the video came out about, a strong applause would erupt, I guarantee. Therefore you got to respect it.
The most important thing for me is having a plan B, C & D coming into the production day so things don’t go into panic mode when something has to change.
Jem: What about Shoot Day? Do you do anything special to prepare yourself?
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Vid: The day of I just try to keep everything light and full of humor b/c lord knows how hectic things get
Jem: What has been your most challenging project to date?
Vid: Every project is a challenge b/c I want everybodies respect. I have this thing about maintaining to the treatment exactly as pitched but in this day & age not everybody is on the same level as I am and things gets compromised and budgets remain on that slim diet so it’s about having to adapt to things and making the best out of the project. Which is why I always say create by any means necessary.
Everybody who sees a video is quick to judge on it but don’t know what went behind that project. So as a director, I don’t feel I’ll be able to appeal to everybody but if what was known that went down behind closed doors I’d gain everybodies respect. Hands down. My work ethic is tremendous and relentless and yet people don’t see the hoops I (speaking for all independent filmmakers & directors) jump through wearing many hats serving as every credit you see at the end of a movie.
Jem: What has been your most fun project to date?
Vid: To date? I’d have to say the Busta Rhymes "I Got Bass" video shoot. The atmosphere was good and at the end of the shoot, I found out that each one of my crew members were musicians and all played a different instrument...So we jammed out at the end b/c there was a recording studio right next door to us. I had a bass player, a guitarist, a drummer, a piano player. Only my assistant / wardrobe stylist was there to witness how dope it was but it was fun.
Jem: Who in the industry would you love to work with that you haven’t yet?
Vid: I don’t know I could only go by the people who’ve I met & have had a conversation with. Off the top of my head here’s a select few. Fabolous, Saigon, Maino, Joell Ortiz, Heltah Skeltah (Ruck & Rock), Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Madd Skillz, Gypsy Stokes, Out of Sight & Mike Ant.
Jem: Any advice for individuals that want to get into directing?
Vid: As I was told, If you’re already creative…learn the technical things to add and you’ll get far with persistence & dedication.
Jem: bigups?
Vid: Yeah, Mom & Pops. My Sisters Vee & Val. My Uncle Rob. Professor Lynne Jackson. My Best Friends Reggie & King. D-Dub, Jas, Rage, Gaba, Will I Film, Enisha, Jenn G, Hector & Jaime. All for playing their part when they did. And JEM MAGAZINE !
