MV Director Choz Belen Interviews w/ AR

You may not be familiar with the name Choz Belen, but you should… because after seeing his work we believe this dude is gonna blow up.

The director of great music video’s such as Deep Foundation’s “Sleep” ft Jay Legaspi & the upcoming video for FM’s “I Party” ft IZ, Choz is definitely putting his unique stamp on the game. AznRaps has just released an indepth interview with him and it’s a definite recommended read.

You can find it over at AR, or as always, after the break!

AZNRaps: Choz, how did start getting into motion design and directing? What road have you taken to get to where you are now producing for channels like the History channel? And who are your biggest influences in the industry?

Choz Belen: I’ve always had a knack for directing and producing shows and pieces (having been a choreographer of a dance troupe Moshn).  And I went to the School of Visual Arts in NYC for Computer Art, so that’s where I got my training for all the tools and programs I currently use. While attending school and working for various production studios around the tri-state area (MTV Networks, RhinoFX, The Molecule, Visual Goodness, etc.), I learned a lot about my real interests and the direction I wanted to take my art. I will always have love and respect for hands on design and the aesthetic, but producing and directing is my true passion. After school, I applied for, and got accepted into, a filmmakers program called the LA Intensive set up by the American Pavilion. It was a one week program that took 15 students from all walks of film and art (producers, directors, designers, hair and makeup, grips, cameramen, etc.) from all across the US and basically gave us an inside look into Hollywood and the world of filmmaking. We were given private tours of the various studios, participated in some interactive demonstrations and workshops, and got to meet a lot of people in the industry through shows, private screenings and functions. It was a revelation for me, one of the most fulfilling weeks of my life, and truly had a major influence on my career path. I fell in love with the work, the town, and just the overall culture of filmmaking. I knew that that was where I wanted to be. I realized what I wanted to do with my life. [fade to black] SEE! I can’t shut it off!

I spent a bit of time doing more freelance stuff around NYC before moving to LA and interning at Silver Pictures at Warner Bros. studios. I eventually landed a job with Silver Pictures doing motion graphics and compositing on a couple films last year (WHITEOUT, ORPHAN and THE FACTORY). I gained a lot of experience and inspiration working on the lot. I moved back to Jersey after the movies wrapped up and started working on my own projects.

My biggest influences in the industry have to be directors like Spike Jonze, James Cameron, Michelle Gondry, Darren Aronovsky, Quentin Tarantino and Hype Williams. They all have brilliant minds and changed the game in one way or another. They for sure had major influences on me and my work.

AZNRaps: What has been your most memorable works to date?

Choz Belen: My most memorable work “commercially” would have to be the motion graphics work I did last year for Silver Pictures at Warner Bros. on a movie called “WHITEOUT” (featuring Kate Beckinsale). I also worked on a couple projects for The History Channel with a production studio in NYC called The Molecule. But personally, I would have to say my three music videos (Moshn, Sleep, and I Party) would have to be my most memorable works to date.  Simply because I had full control over the production of the pieces. Gun to my head, if I had to choose one, I would say “Sleep,” because I spent alot of time on the story which is what really interests me.  The video was very successful in evoking emotion and establishing connections with the characters, just as drawings, which I am very proud of.
AZNRaps: How did you link up with FM and start working on their “I Party” music video? And why was that particular song chosen?

Choz Belen: I gotta thank Jay Legaspi and the guys from DF for this one. They produced an amazing song in “Sleep” and helped a lot with spreading the word and promoting the video. The video made its way around the web to various websites and blogs. Eventually, it made its way across the eyes of the FM guys via a blog called Angry Asian Man (Shouts to Phil as well!). Kev from FM enjoyed it so much that he contacted me directly via E-Mail and asked if I was interested in collaborating with them on a music video. When I read the email I was kind of surprised! I was familiar with their work, having heard them on the radio when I lived in LA last year, and was a big fan of their music.
Choosing the song “I Party” was just fate. After Kev emailed me I started listening to their Animal album and was looking for stuff that sparked my interest and creativity. I wanted “Girls On The Dance Floor.” BAAAD! I had a really dope concept and I thought it would’ve just been a fun shoot. But, they said they were already locked in with a director on that one, so I had to go with Plan B. I was really interested in two other songs on the album (“I Party” and “Get That Money”). I struggled between the two for awhile, but ultimately brought up the idea of “I Party” with them. It was funny cause Kev said that he was gonna suggest “I Party” too! We just thought that the animated style would work perfectly with the mood of the song. It’s got a lot of different layers and levels to play with lyrically and the beat is just sick. IZ really adds a nice change of pace to their flow and that sample is just immaculate! We started to shoot some ideas back and forth and it didn’t take long before we came up with a dope concept.

AZNRaps: After watching the “Sleep” music and judging the “I Party” music video trailer, the art styles are very similar. Would you say this is your signature style? And will you keep to it with future music videos?

Choz Belen: I wouldn’t say that it would be my signature style. I actually have to give credit to Evan Parsons and Christopher Koelle (two artists who worked on an illustrated PBS documentary called ( Men In Black [Operation Homecoming] )  I came upon their video one day and was blown away by the style and the execution. I was amazed at the amount of emotion that came across and how they were able to maintain the viewers attention simply through images and audio. It was even nominated for an Oscar! I would’ve never thought that that style would work today. Especially without any live action video or full animation. But it does, and that inspired me to create a video using the same style.

Financial practicality is also a big reason I have maintained the style. I don’t really have the budget to facilitate all my ideas for my work. Expenses for sets, cameras, lighting, locations, hair & makeup, talent, etc. all add up. By using this illustrated animatic style, I cut out most of the costs. It’s a lot more work, but it’s worth it for sure. The only thing i’ve been paying for is craft services for my actors (Who are actually just friends of mine). I can still tell stories the way I want to, but instead of paying for props and sets I’m drawing them. I’m not that great an illustrator, but I have gotten used to it over the past two videos and i’ve actually come a long way in enjoying the process. It’s a lot of fun and the style is also unique.

I would definitely like to keep the style going as long as it’s in demand and as long as I could get some help with the illustration in the future. I enjoy the production process, but it’s just time consuming, especially when you’re working alone. Working with live action is something I seriously want to get into more with future projects. I LOVE working with actors. If you ask me, the interaction between talent and director is the single most enjoyable and fulfilling experiences of filmmaking. When two minds can connect on an artistic level it really makes for great cinema. When the time, budget, and opportunity comes along you can definitely expect to see more live stuff from me.

AZNRaps: With both music videos, you worked with Asian-American artists (as well as Hip-hop artists). Is there a reason for this?

Choz Belen: The “Sleep” music video was a project I worked on with my friends from Deep Foundation. I’ve been good friends with the members of the group for awhile and even grew up with a few of them. I even collaborated with them for their first music video “A Place Called Home,” and we had always talked about doing a second video.

I forwarded the “Men In Black” documentary to Mark (One of the DF guys) as soon as I saw it and told him that I thought it would make a great music video. He loved it as well, and forwarded me the “Sleep” track. He thought the style would work perfectly with the song, and although I wasn’t completely sold on the song at first (I wanted to do something faster and with more energy), I warmed up to the lyrics and embraced the challenges that came along with doing more of a deep and emotional song.

As corny as it sounds, I’d like to think the art chose me opposed to me choosing the artists. I’m open to working with anyone who  comes to me with a creative idea. Passion and originality are very important to me and I can sense when someone is driven for the right reasons. The artists i’ve worked with on my projects both evince these qualities and that was why I was able to work with them successfully. I would say coincidence had more to do with it than cultural background. That being said I would for sure enjoy broadening my clientele and audience. Diversity is another characteristic of great significance to me. The more doors you open up the more opportunities you will have to grow and evolve in whatever you do. And that applies to every facet of life. I try to stay conscious of that fact whenever I work. It keeps you fresh and dynamic and your work will benefit from it.

AZNRaps: How long did it take you to finish the “Sleep” music video? And how much work time do you say you dedicate to the “I Party” video on a regular basis?

Choz Belen: The “Sleep” music video took me about 3 months on/off to complete. At the time I was still just freelancing, so I was able to dedicate more time to it on a daily basis. The “I Party” video is taking me A LOT longer! Mainly because I started a full-time 9-5 job around the same time I started production on it. I started off production with “I Party” the same way you would handle a Faberge egg, very delicately and with great precision and care. I knew it would be a project that could potentially lead to more opportunities. So, I’m a lot more detail-oriented with “I Party” compared to “Sleep.” You can clearly see it in the illustrations. I would say I spend somewhere around 2-3 hrs a day working on “I Party”. Production has slowed down over the past couple months because of the sheer scale of the work. It’s a lot more intense graphically than “Sleep”, which is why I brought along a brilliant artist and friend of mine (Chad Yapyapan) who has been handling the 3D shots for me. So, if anyone out there reading this enjoys my work and is interested in helping out with production, please holla! Production help would be welcomed graciously!

AZNRaps: What was the concept for the “I Party” music video? What was your inspiration?

Choz Belen: “I Party” was EXACTLY the type of video I had been wanting to do for a long time–an upbeat party song with a lot of different layers to play around with. Coming up with the concept for the music video was a collaborative process between FM and myself. While listening to the song, I had envisioned a guy going through a “groundhog day” type of scenario, where he was going out to clubs every night and living this party animal lifestyle, waking up the next day not realizing where he was, remembering how he had gotten there or recalling what had happened the night before. Honestly, the 2009 Twilight/True Blood tidal wave of vampiredom really had nothing to do with the decision to use vampires. FM suggested an idea about kids meeting up at this one house and turning into party animal zombies only to turn back into kids at sunrise, which eventually evolved into vampires at a club (Vampires are just more fun and dynamic). During pre-production I had finally gotten a chance to watch a Manga film that I had been wanting to see for a long time called “Ghost In The Shell 2”. I loved the mood and feel set by the dark colors accented by bright glowing lights and the combination of 2-D with 3-D animation. GITS2 definitely gave me some inspiration for “I Party.”

AZNRaps: What kind of methods and programs do you use for your music videos?

Choz Belen: I use an array of programs when creating videos. For “Sleep” I held a rough photo shoot and created a storyboard using the shots to plan out the flow of the entire video. Preproduction and talent (actors/models) coordination is a whole other process. For the final selects, most of the images started out as pictures taken from my digital SLR. I would then bring them into Photoshop where I would color, apply effects and matte paint with my Wacom Tablet. Illustrator is another program I use to create images. I would then bring the assets into After Effects to be composed and animated. Pro Tools is a program I use for sound design (editing sound effects and ambient noises). The final shots would then be taken into Final Cut Pro to be edited and eventually exported as one movie file. It’s a process for sure.

AZNRaps: What kind of music do you listen to? Who in the music industry would you love to make a video for right now?

Choz Belen: I know it almost seems trite to say that I listen to EVERYTHING. But I really try to. It goes along with my diversity thing. I think being eclectic says a lot about your psychology and ability to appreciate and relate to all sorts of people. I guess you could say it depends on what mood I’m in.  I like to listen to house; I love DJ’s like Crookers, Diplo, Afrojack, JumpSmokers, etc. when I just want to shut my mind off and enjoy some fun beats. I’ve always been a huge hip hop advocate, especially all the early 90’s stuff–Gang Starr, Nas, Naughty By Nature, Outkast, etc.–right before it started making that transition to mainstream. I actually grew up listening to more west coast gangsta rap–Tupac, Dr. Dre, Dogg Pound, Warren G, etc.– over the east coast rap. I just loved the gangsta mentality those guys had back then. I do enjoy some of the stuff thats out right now: Young Money, Kid Cudi, Wale, etc.. My favorite rapper right now would still have to be Ludacris. I don’t think it’s a stretch to label him a genius. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of indie music: Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Jazzanova, MGMT, etc.. I just like how original and abstract the sounds are. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to all the stuff on the radio. I finally bought turntables and just started DJ’ing a couple of months ago so I’ve really had to work on my game.

I know it’s probably bad timing, but if I could work with anyone right now I would love to work with Kanye. I feel like I can relate to his music and even a lot of the personal decisions he makes in his life. He really is a polarizing figure and probably the most interesting Hip-hop personality we’ve experienced in a while. My favorite director is Spike Jonze and I thought the short he made with him was brilliant. I think he and I could come up with some ill, ill, ill, ill shit! I would also have to at least mention Kid Cudi. I don’t think the guy gets enough credit for what he’s doing for Hip-hop in terms of his progressive thinking and originality. He SHOULD be the future of Hip-hop. I put a lot of my stock in Kid Cudi! Would definitely love to work with him.

AZNRaps: Any other music video projects in the works besides FM’s video?

Choz Belen: There’s some artists I’m talking to right now. Nothing green lit yet, but I’m working on it. I’m on a creative high right now and I really want to keep the momentum going after “I Party.”