A poem with Paul McCartney
MAGIC
Coming soon
14
When Paul McCartney calls you it feels like you’re dreaming- like an angel sent directly from God is somehow calling you. It’s an out-of-body magical experience.
Paul was set to start his latest world tour when he called to ask if I would direct the kick-off concert. It was supposed to be a normal gig. But somehow over the course of a few months we created a surreal movie experience that feels less like a concert film and more like a magic show.
You see, after the concert, we started calling each other back and forth. Our conversations would often turn existential. We would talk about who we are as human beings, what we are doing on this rock in space, and I asked him many questions about life itself. He very graciously allowed me to start recording these phone calls. And so I started collecting his beautiful perspective on life and some of the many lessons that he’s learned along the way. His vulnerability surprised me and his words have since given me hope whenever I get down.
We’re putting the finishing touches on it now and I can’t wait to share this piece of magic with you. It’s sure to be a ray of light.
A poem with Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels
MEAN GIRLS
Jan 2024
12
Samantha and I both believe that the goal of any storyteller is to have audiences lean into your story. Whether you’re a caveman living 10,000 years ago leaning into a camp fire or whether you’re leaning towards screens today; we believe that the only stories that people get excited about/lean in for, are the ones that do it in a new and surprising way.
And so we did a lot of new and surprising things on this modern version of Mean Girls. Things that people weren’t expecting. And each one of these things were approached with a simple “What if”. That’s how we approached everything with Tina.
What if we split one second in time and have the whole song take place in that singular moment and then have the outcome of that number completely change the progression of the story. That was the pitch we gave Tina for Someone Gets Hurt.
What if this whole film is told as if Janis and Damian are the directors of this movie. Seriously. What if they're just retelling what happened in their own “art freak” way and they're getting their friends to help them make this movie. And since they’re theater geeks, what if they made it a musical and got their friends to help them make the music.
What if we started the whole movie in iPhone vertical ratio and in one continuous take bring you to cinematic anamorphic ratio without the audience even noticing.
What if we invented a new dolly camera move, something that’s never been done before, to show Regina’s magnetic force over Cady. What if, what if, what if.
If you’re lucky enough to have partners like Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels on your team, they might just let you do it.
Poems with
FINNEAS
Jan 2021
12
There are no words that can fully or accurately express how difficult the pandemic felt. From extreme isolation, to social and political reckoning, to economic hardships, to losing so many of our dear family members, to all the different complex mental health challenges that this pandemic caused. We all lived through collective trauma.
So when FINNEAS - who I consider one of the best artists of our generation - reached out about doing some poems together during this difficult time, I immediately felt like this project would not only be special but also important.
Whether you watch these poems today, 100 years from now, or from another planet, I hope you’ll be able to feel the hope and strength of this world’s humanity.
Poems with Samantha Jayne
Quarter Life Poetry
Sept 2019
11
We’re living in a crazy time. One where we spend more time with our machines than with real human beings. We’re also living in a time when the female perspective needs desperately to break through. And so enter Samantha Jayne: a rocket ship of emotion and talent. She’s a truth seeker and she’s fearless and real.
We started working together on this project many years ago. It started when she wrote a book of poems about being a young woman living in this time. We made four quick and fun videos to promote that book (you can see those here). A couple years later Samantha wrote 9 new poems that premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and can now watch on FX on HULU.
A poem with Justin Timberlake
Say SOMETHING
Jan 2018
10
I'm sure you've experienced this: you share an idea with someone, and as you explain it, you can see their face wash over with "no's". Their mind is consumed by every possible logistical, technical, and empirical fear they can think of... and those negative thoughts kill the idea. Well, I am happy to say that Justin is one of the few people whose mind doesn't operate that way. He craves the unexpected. The challenging. The unreasonable. Because he knows that's the only way to make interesting and exciting work.
Justin is a true artist. He is fearless. And he works tirelessly. He is what happens when artistry and courage meet.
And so we set sail on this crazy adventure with Chris Stapleton on board (whose soul is truly as sweet as his voice). And after meticulous planning, it all came down to this one take.
A poem about
FAME
March 2017
9
Why is it that the more people interested in a person, the more interesting they become? Seriously, why? Why does our self-worth often rely on how others see us?
Meet Dan Miller.
A poem with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
BARN PARTY
May 2014
8
I don’t know if there was a more emotional band to watch during the height of the indie scene than Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. They were so good, so soul-stirring, so hippie, so rock and roll, there were so many of them!! On our first meeting we rolled a piano onto a street after one of their shows. It was one of those rare instances where I was actually aware that I was having one of the best nights of my life as I was living it (you can watch flashes of that night here).
Months later, Edward Sharpe’s manager called me to say that the band wanted to give one lucky fan an unusual gift: a personal concert in their home for just them and their friends.
What happened next felt like a dream. They were so giving. They were so fucking alive. It was another cosmic night with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
A poem about finding your soulmate
Less Than One
Nov 2014
7
It was the middle of the recession and the company I worked for was struggling to put together a holiday party. They mentioned in a corporate weekly meeting that if you aren't “in a pretty serious relationship with a person, could you please not bring them?”
So I get to this party and as soon as I walk in the door— I see her.
Who is she?
Wait. WTF.
I finally find her and she’s in a “pretty serious relationship” with someone I work with?!
Straight to the bar. Nothing makes sense in this world anymore. Then- at that moment- a coworker turns to me and says, "have you met the new Art Director that starts on Monday?"
Samantha turned around... and I fell in love. We made this film together three years before we got married.
A poem with The Lumineers about
KISSING IN BARS
Oct 2013
6
This was our second dance together.
Our first was spent stomping around the streets of San Francisco (you can watch that here). But this time we were in London. They had just finished playing a traditional concert and we were itching to get into trouble. Wes wanted to see if we could find a couple who would kiss for the beginning of Classy Girls. I didn't want to "cast" a couple, so we decided to just walk into the bar and see what would happen. After all, it was late on a Saturday night— surely someone would want to smooch.
Loretta and Luke. What a couple.
What a classy second dance with The Lumineers.
A poem with Tobias Jesso Jr.
Without You
Sep 2014
5
Sometimes things are simple. When you have a talent like Tobias, all you really need to do is order a drink.
Tobias wears his heart on his sleeve, and that's why on that day I just let my heart take control of my camera. If John Lennon were still around making love songs today, I feel like they would sound a lot like this.
A poem with Willis Earl Beal about
SOLITUDE
Oct 2012
4
20 minutes. That's how long I asked us to stay silent.
We made a pact: let's go inside this abandoned house- just Willis, a sound guy, and myself- and let's explore what would happen if the three of us spent 20 minute in complete silence together. Now, if you've ever stared at someone for longer than 30 seconds in complete silence you know just how intense that can be.
The first 5 minutes went remarkably well. But once we hit around the 10 minute mark, Willis broke. He started talking. And for a split second I almost stopped recording, but then I realized that this master poet was breaking down walls and welcoming us in.
A poem with Plastics Revolution about
The Light of Day
Oct 2010
3
I hadn't been home in quite some time. I missed the city, my family, and my friends. I came back to film what we considered to be the most exciting indie bands in Mexico. We filmed over 20 Take Away Shows in a matter of 6 days (including the incredibly talented Natalia Lafourcade and Carla Morrison). By the time I arrived to meet with Plastics Revolution, I was truly exhausted. I'm sure the mezcal the night before had nothing to do with it, but I remember turning to François Clos (Blogotheque's first audio engineer and the single most important person in developing sound recording and mixing for the Take Away Shows) and saying to him, "I don't know if I can do another session."
But at that moment, Plastics Revolution arrived with so much great energy that I wish I could have bottled it and served it for coffee every morning of my life. Boom! We're in a trajinera in the canals of Xoximilco with a goddamn mariachi band. ¡Viva Mexico!
It felt good to be home with new friends, all thirsty to chase the light of day.
A poem with Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s
AS TALL AS CLIFFS
Dec 2008
2
The first time I came across the Take Away Shows on La Blogotheque, I spent an entire day watching every music video they had made. You see, YouTube had just launched and I was instantly convinced that these two Parisians artists (Vincent Moon and Christophe Abric) had just invented the most original, sincere, and explosive expression of what a music video could be.
I was hooked and I needed to be a part of it.
I sent them email after email hoping, pleading, begging to join their team. I wanted desperately to share in this new musical cinematic experience. But no response. So out of sheer youthful energy or naiveté (I’m not sure which) I emailed my favorite band at the time Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s and asked if they wanted to shoot a Take Away Show with me. To my surprise they wrote back and said yes.
This was my first Take Away Show. Over the years I made about a hundred more, became friends with some of the most amazing musicians around the world and collaborated with my dear Blogotheque family many times over. But if it wasn’t for this moment and for Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s, maybe none of it would have ever happened.
My very first poem
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?
Aug 2006
1
Well, shit. You made it all the way down here. I guess if you’re here, I should show you my very first poem. I made this with my very best friends Billy and Joel right out of college. It’s not perfect. Nowhere near. But that was never the point.
We were young and inexperienced. It was 2006 and we wanted change. What we lacked in experience we were going to make up in passion. 40 years after the summer of love, we were dead set in bringing back the spirit of the 60s.
