Q. What do Erykah Badu, Marilyn Manson, Notorious B.I.G., Everclear, Busta Rhymes, and Jennifer Lopez have in common?

A. Paul Hunter

The versatile video director was behind the lens for clips by all of the afore-mentioned top-shelf musicians-and many more. And with a resume that includes such controversial artists, you'd imagine Hunter to be a wild man, mirthfully filming the subversive "kissing cops" in Manson's "Dope Show" clip or hanging with the late Biggie Smalls.

   You'd be Wrong.

   On a recent three-day weekend, the L.A.-dwelling, softspoken Hunter was planning to visit his grandmother. And his strong Christian upbringing made him think twice before working with Manson: "I was a little concerned about what I'd heard about him. But he's really intelligent; he has a lot of social commentary," Hunter observes. "After meeting him and understanding who he was overall, and as an artist, it made sense to me, what he was saying, and what his image was all about."

   Like Manson and most of the artists he directs, it took Hunter years of hard work before MTV exposure brought his name to the masses, as well as earning him impressive directoral awards. In his early 20s, the director recalls, "I got a lot of doors slammed in my face. It was a struggle finding mentors and people who would give me five minutes."

   But it had been a lifelong dream, and he was persistent. In fact, the graduate of Cal State Northridge recalls one of his earliest filmic inspirations. Growing up in California, he reminisces, "my earliest experience was driving with my mother and you'd see a film set every now and then driving around the city. And I was just fascinated. I used to love the Six Million Dollar Man." And some 20 years later found Hunter working on another TV icon, the movie version of Wild Wild West, where he shot Will Smith in the video for the film.

   Originally, Hunter, who looks and speaks not unlike pal Lenny Kravitz (whos "American Woman" video he helmed), was aiming for business school. But his brother was acting in a Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson ("not the one where he got burnt," Hunter clarifies), and he went to the set and watched how they set up the shots. "I felt inside that I understood how and why, and I began pursuing it," explains Hunter.

   The director exudes an aura of calm, which makes him able to work with diverse artists in the hip-hop and rock worlds. And his time spent as an imaginative youth has served him well in his career choice. "I was big-time daydreamer as a kid, and I was good in photography. My first photography class, in ninth grade... I would get stuck in the dark room and miss two or three classes. It's kind of the same way I work now. I get into something and I wake up in an editing bay and it's the next day."

   His time frame may be changing soon, however, and by his choice. When Hunter began directing music videos, in his first year, around '91, he shot two clips and made a living selling cutting tools for an aerospace company, going to school by night. Now he gets 10 to 15 inquiries a month for video work and can do, at most, two projects. What he's gearing up for now, however, is about one project a year. That's right, film: the big screen.

   Hunter's phone rings constantly, and the film business has been breathing down his neck for a few years, thanks in part to the "film-style" videos he's shot. Presently, he's working with Warner Brothers on developing Constantine, based on the comic book Hellblazer. "It's very cool," Hunter begins. "A guy who is an ex-exorcist who has given up that life when he's called on by a detective for help. There's no star attached yet, but we're gonna get one of the big guys," he says with a hint of smile in his voice.

   "I'm looking forward to putting in the time. In a movie, you have like 100 scenes, and each part of it has to link to the next, and several elements are working to make one point. I find that really fascinating and gratifying to work on something and shape it for so long. There's so many layers to it. Commercials and videos are so fast that you don't get the same sense of satisfaction," he notes.

   Then, of course, TV beckons. "Since 'Wild Wild West', Will Smith's company has been talking to me about shooting a TV pilot for them. I'd met Will on and off, just running into him, and I expressed wanting to work with him. I guess people like to work with me because of the storyline videos I like to shoot, which is what Will wanted for 'Wild Wild West,'" Hunter says modestly. "I think people are attracted to the strong visuals, and I like to feel the work captures the intensity of the music. I become like the 'star' in a way; I'm secretly fantasizing I'm the singer," he explains of his main objective. "I put myself in their shoes, and imagine how I would like to be seen, and that's where I start."

   The award-winning director, who is proud of his career, tends to get crushes on his female stars (Jennifer Lopez and Erykah Badu, but who wouldn't?). However, Hunter admits, "At this point, I'm frustrated. [In videos] the music dictates a lot, of course, and the artist has their own persona. It's not enough for me now. I enjoy the medium. Music keeps you at the pulse of the youth, which I love, and I would like to experiment with it as long as I can."

   In short, he wants to insinuate more of his own vision and creativity into film, although he doesn't foresee giving up music videos entirely. "I'm experimenting and training for the future world, so I can know all the tools that are available to me," explains the director, who uses and has high praise for Steffan Sonnenfeld (son of director Barry) as a colorist on about 90 percent of his music videos.