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LOBH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT SPEER |
Have you ever been curious as to what goes on behind the scenes during the making of a Switchfoot music video?
Now is your chance to find out!
Land of Broken Hearts recently talked with Scott Speer, the director of the 'Happy Is A Yuppie Word' video in an exclusive interview about the 'Happy Is A Yuppie Word' video, a career as a director and what it was like working with the Switchfoot guys.
We asked our site visitors to come up with questions to ask, then weeded down the huge list to the top 10, so special thanks to all of you for contributing!
Land of Broken Hearts (LOBH): First of all, we'd like to thank you for doing this interview with us! We love getting an "insiders" perspective. Okay now on to the first question: Where do you get inspiration for your videos?
Scott Speer: Everywhere really, but mostly from what inspires me. Images, art, music especially. To me, great music communicates through images and feelings that pop into your mind when you listen to it.
LOBH: What was it like working with Switchfoot?
Scott: Awesome. I really can't do the guys justice in a brief answer so I won't try. Without exaggeration, they are the nicest, most genuine guys I have had the pleasure to work with.
LOBH: How did you first hear about Switchfoot? How did you become director for the video?
Scott: I grew up in San Diego and was a Switchfoot fan. I went to film school at USC and wanted to do music videos, so I started contacting bands. Switchfoot was by far the biggest band I reached out to, and they were nice enough to hear me out (most bands won't). To my great surprise, they all loved the idea of shooting underwater and kind of said, "Yeah, lets do it." Their manager, Jon Leshay, was also instrumental in giving me the opportunity. It was a big break for me. For any aspiring video directors out there, its all about the idea. Get people excited about your idea, and you've got something.
LOBH: What was your first impression of the guys in Switchfoot?
Scott: Focused and very smart, yet laid back through it all. It's really tough to be both.
LOBH: I've always been curious as to where the was the video filmed?
Scott: In LA. The guys were shot underwater at a high school swimming pool in the valley. Everything else was shot in a warehouse in downtown.
LOBH: Speaking of being underwater, how did you come up with the concept for the video?
Scott: I approached the guys with the idea of shooting underwater. I had grown up in San Diego listening to them so I knew they were surfers. It had been a dream of mine to shoot film underwater ever since I was 12 and got certified to scuba dive. Basically, I was getting into videos and thought how cool it would be to see Switchfoot perform underwater in a video.
LOBH: What was the biggest thing you/Switchfoot wanted to convey with the video?
Scott: I think different worlds was a big thing. Dry and wet. Opposites. Switchfoot music has many, many layers.
LOBH: How involved were the Switchfoot guys with the actually shooting and editing of the video?
Scott: Well, when your a band with a platinum album, time is something you don't have a lot of... and yet the guys managed to stay really involved and did everything I asked, including an all-day underwater test a couple weekends before the shoot. No one really knew if this idea would work--a band underwater--so we didn't take any chances and instead tested and re-tested every little detail. And then everything still went wrong (the nature of shooting underwater).
LOBH: What was your favorite part of the music video?
Scott: This will sound technical and boring, but I would say the opening underwater shots of Jon only because we didn't know they would work until the 11th hour. We couldn't key the green screen because it was too dark and I thought we were going to have to cut out those beautiful shots of Jon's performance. Then at the last minute my (really talented) compositor came up with an amazing trick and the thing worked. From there on out we knew the video would work.
LOBH: I've seen the video (it's brilliant by the way) but I know many fans haven't and would like to. So will the video ever be shown to the public? *
Scott: I think its in the San Diego film festival this month. Check it out if you can.
LOBH: Scott thanks so much for taking the time to do this. We really appreciate it.
Good luck on all your future endeavors!
* This interview was conducted before the video was released on Switchfootage 2.
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