Joseph Kahn director of such popular classics as Britney Spears' Toxic, Eminem's Without Me, Wu Tang Clan's Gravel Pit, and many more - could give a fascinating and instructive seminar on how to make a successful pop video. And it is clear that he thinks that some of his contemporaries would do well to attend it.
To do great work in mainstream pop, he explains, it is simply not enough to have an excellent concept. And he's puzzled when other directors apparently fail to appreciate they have to take many factors into account for their work to achieve its objective - which is not to win awards, but to be watched by millions of people worldwide. "I have to gauge what is going to work for the audience." he says. "I'm never going to do a Britney video with a concept that isn't right for her or her fanbase. I could persuade the record company to go along with an idea if I bullshit enough. But I never view the work I do as strictly for me." |
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Instead, Kahn's considerable drive and single-minded dedication is all pointing at one tarqet. "My attitude is to give the audience what they want - but not what they expect. That's the struggle." Kahn has been engaged in that struggle, prodigiously, for a surprisingly long time - including already over a decade as one of America's top music video directors working with nearly every major star in the US, and a lot more besides. Britney, Mariah, Christina, Janet Jackson, Gwen, Destiny's Child, Kelly Clarkson, Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, Backstreet Boys. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry... the list goes on, and that is just the pop stuff. There have also been videos for U2, KoRn, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Moby, Nelly, George Michael, Jamiroquai...
Certainly Kahn is a commercial video maker par excellence, but he's not quite the completely mainstream pop director. |
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