At twenty-six, Spanish music director, J.A. Moreno, has already worked with Sting, will.i.am, Paris Hilton, Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Afrojack, SHAED and Andrés Calamaro. His latest project is interesting, not only because of the calibre of its stars, twice Grammy-nominated DJ and producer, Steve Aoki, multi-award winning musician, Sting; and platinum-selling trio, SHAED, but because his director’s cut was shot in just under thirty minutes at the end of the main shoot, making the most of the classically-trained dancers and equipment available on set. The two videos are very different.
As opposed to the official version, Moreno decided to focus on the performers on his director’s cut, using the original choreography as a base.
Video curator, Niccolo Montanari, interviewed Moreno about the work for The Stable:
Niccolo Montanari: What was the brief like? And how much freedom did you have?
J.A. Moreno: I had a lot of freedom. They just said that they were looking for an elegant and extremely visual music video and that they thought I was the right match. I pitched the idea of having Sting singing alone on the stage of an old, empty theatre with a large white screen behind him. This meant that it felt classic, but still fit with Steve Aoki’s style – which is more underground and sci-fi. We then added additional elements, such as the dancers in the background, more locations around the theatre for SHAED, and the collective ending on a New York rooftop with the iconic George Washington bridge behind them.
NM: Your director’s cut is quite different. The dancers, just silhouettes in the official video, become the protagonists of your cut. What led you to take this approach and opt for this angle?
J.A.M: The official video had to largely focus on the artists, which meant not much room for anything else. With the director’s cut I went the opposite way: focus on the two dancers and let their chemistry do the rest. Also, we only had about thirty minutes to spare at the end of the official shoot so I had to think quickly. I was immediately drawn to the energy of the two dancers. I simply told them to focus on their emotions, using the original choreography as a base. I wasn’t looking for perfection in their performance, more feelings and synergy.
NM: You shot the director’s cut with just 30 minutes to spare at the end of the official shoot. What were the biggest challenges?
J.A.M: We didn’t have much time to shoot the piece, so that meant no preparation other than what had been done in the official shoot. In terms of camerawork, I thought one long take would be the best approach. Just circular movements around the dancers, to avoid any potential issues such as the positioning of the camera in relation to the performers. I gave Calvin (our great steadicam operator) the freedom to get as close as he needed to the dancers, which added additional depth to the whole piece.
NM: The two versions are very different. What do you think you have learnt from this experience? Which one would you say reflects more your style as a director and why?
J.A.M: What I have learned? If I have all the right elements, then thirty minutes are enough to shoot a great brand new cut. Having said that, both versions are a reflection of my style. I don’t think one is better than the other; it’s just that with the director’s cut I could focus on elements that I wasn’t able to include in the official version.
NM: Where are you heading with your work?
J.A.M: I’m working on my next project for Steve Aoki, our fifth music video together. It’s a collaboration with AGNEZ MO and Desiigner and it will be released in the coming weeks. It’s something they did in isolation, different from the quarantine videos we have been seeing recently online. I’m also working on the final edits for another project I directed for the L.A based DJ trio, Cheat Codes.
NM: Has your work been affected by Covid-19 at all? How do you think the future of video content making will change?
J.A.M: Well, my work stopped for a few weeks after all of this started. I think it was the same for everyone in the entertainment industry. But I was lucky to be involved in the post-production of another couple of projects that I delivered remotely. I usually do my VFX in London and the colour grading in Barcelona, so that didn’t really change. Apart from that, I’ve developed different ways of working following the necessary safety measures. This has meant two new music videos ready to be released. The future of video content always changes; this is just another way in which we are evolving. We just need to find creative ways to adapt, as clients will continue to need new content.