The New Music - Episode NM13-779

[ Caption: Video Director, Paul Hunter ]

[ montage of song clips throughout ]

Byron: HOW HAS VIDEO CHANGED OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS?

[ Caption: Paul Hunter, Video Director ]

Paul: REMEMBER BEING IN COLLEGE AND IN HIGH SCHOOL ACTUALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME SEEING, YOU KNOW, MUSIC VIDEOS LIKE UM, YOU KNOW, STRAY CAT MUSIC VIDEOS, OR YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, GEORGE MICHAEL, HIS EARLY VIDEOS OR MICHAEL JACKSON'S EARLY VIDEOS UM, AND I THINK NOW THE VIDEOS -- IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE GEARED MORE TOWARDS YOU KNOW, A WIDER RANGE OF UH, PEOPLE. UM, AT LEAST THAT'S THE WAY I THINK. IN THE TYPE OF VIDEOS THAT I MAKE, I TRY TO LIKE... MAKE THINGS THAT APPEAL TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE MY MOM AS WELL AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, MY FIVE YEAR OLD COUSIN.

[ Caption: "Back 2 Good", Mactchbox 20 ]

[ Caption: "You Were There", Babyface ]

Paul: I TRIED TO GET INTO VIDEOS BECAUSE I FELT LIKE AT THE TIME THAT'S WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE WERE GETTING THEIR BREAKS IN FILM. UM, DURING THAT TIME, THE MAJORITY OF RAP VIDEOS WERE LIKE BORING, I MEAN, THERE WAS NO CREATIVITY INVOLVED...THIS IS BASICALLY PEOPLE YOU KNOW, DANCIN' AROUND A CAR BOUNCIN' DOWN THE STREET.

Byron: SO WHAT WAS THE BREAK THROUGH VIDEO FOR YOU?

Paul: THE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO WAS UH, ERYKAH BADU.

[ Caption: "On And On" Erykah Badu ]

Byron: IS IT FAIR TO SAY YOU'RE A POP CULTURALIST? THE IMAGERY IN YOUR VIDEOS TAKES SO MUCH FROM THE HERE AND NOW BUT ALSO PAVES WHAT IS TO BE THE HERE AND NOW SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR LATER.

Paul: CAN YOU BE SPECIFIC ON WHICH VIDEO?

Byron: MALIBU.

[ Caption: "Malibu" Hole ]

Byron: PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA HAVE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO LIFEGUARDS IN RED OUTFITS, BUT WE THINK BAYWATCH.

Paul: I GUESS IF YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT, I'D SAY YEAH, MAYBE. I DON'T REALLY LIKE TO UH, BE CONSIDERED, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE PUT IN A BOX. YOU KNOW, JUST BEING AFRICAN-AMERICAN, IS JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE AUTOMATICALLY THINK THAT OKAY, YOU WANT TO DIRECT RAP VIDEOS -- FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS FIRST YOU KNOW, DIRECTING, I WENT TO WARNER BROTHERS MUSIC AND I SAID, "LISTEN, I WANT TO DO AN R.E.M. VIDEO BECAUSE I LIKE WHAT THEY'RE TRYIN' TO DO? THEY'RE DOIN' SOME REALLY COOL IMAGES." THEY'RE LOOKIN' AT ME LIKE I'M CRAZY. MY FIRST BREAK CAME FROM EVERCLEAR WHO SAID, "I WANT PAUL HUNTER TO DO MY VIDEO BECAUSE HE MAKES HIS VIDEOS LOOK LIKE FEATURE FILMS." MARILYN MANSON CALLED ME AND SAID, "HEY I REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU DID WITH BUSTA."

[ Caption: "Fire It Up", Busta Rhymes ]

Byron: WHO CAME UP WITH THE NEW MARILYN MANSON VIDEO CONCEPT?

Paul: HE FAXED THAT TO ME FROM EUROPE. HE WROTE IT ON THE PLANE ONE NIGHT. WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THAT THE CONCEPT AS I SAW IT AND READ IT, WHEN I HAD IT ALL LAID OUT I REALIZED IT WAS ACTUALLY A DREAM THAT I HAD WHEN I WAS ABOUT 15 YEARS OLD. NOW IT WASN'T LIKE A DIRECT UM, YOU KNOW, DREAM SCENE FOR SCENE BUT IT WAS A WEIRD WAY HOW IT SORT OF THE DREAM -- WHAT I DREAMT AND THE TREATMENT THAT HE WROTE. SO IT'S JUST A FUNNY KIND OF THING AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOT A CHANCE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT BUT IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.

Byron: SEE THIS WILL TEACH YOU TO BE TALKIN' ABOUT YOUR DREAMS AND MARILYN MANSON IN ALL ONE SENTENCE RAIN COMES CRASHIN' DOWN WHEN YOU START TALKIN' ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE TO MOVE UNDER AN UMBRELLA.

Paul: SOMEBODY'S LISTENING

Byron: DEFINITELY.

Paul: MOST OF THE TIMES, I WOULD SAY 50% OF THE TIME, THE ARTISTS USUALLY HAVE A STRONG IDEA OF WHAT THEY WANT. AND YOU KNOW, I'M JUST THERE TO SORT OF BRING IT OUT AND MAKE IT REALIZED ON FILM.

[ Caption: "Phenomenon", LL Cool J ]

[ Caption: Paul's work includes commercials for Footlocker, Coca Cola, and he is currently involved in a feature film for Warner Bros. ]

Byron: WHAT IS YOUR THING TO PUT IN A VIDEO IS THERE A PAUL HUNTER THING?

Paul: I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A PAUL HUNTER THING OR NOT. I TEND TO LIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. I TRY TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT CHARACTER DRIVENOR STORY DRIVEN. I TRY TO PUT THE ARTIST IN A VERY INTERESTING SETTING. AND SO FOR ME, WHEN I'M DIRECTING A VIDEO, OR COMING UP WITH IMAGES, IT'S ABOUT TAKING ME SOMEPLACE. BUT I'LL SAY THIS FOR LIKE NEWER FILMMAKERS. YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO DO SOMETHING GOOD. YOU KNOW, REALLY IT'S JUST ABOUT THE IDEA.