Video Chats: Zach Van Hoozer on 'Hard & Young' by Zulu Pearls

Convincing a family member to be in one of your music videos is actually more difficult than it sounds. Of course they’re supportive, but the only people who usually want to be in front of a camera are the type of people who want to be in front of the camera – everyone else stays away (After several unfortunate incidences, family members of the IMVDb staff have implemented policy of non participation). That’s why we thought it was pretty impressive that director Zach Van Hoozer not only convinced his dad to feature in the music video for the song "Hard & Young" by Zach’s band Zulu Pearls, he convinced his dad to let the whole video center around him. We talked to Zach about making the video and what it was like to work with his dad on the project.

Doug: As a member of the band Zulu Pearls, where does directing videos for them fit into your overall direction as an artist? Where does directing videos fit in for you?

Zach: I started directing our videos out of necessity and curiosity. It turns out I really enjoy it as another creative medium that’s also crucial to pushing the band forward. I also really appreciate the fact that it’s creative work that I really enjoy that I can work on completely unrelated to Zulu Pearls. I’m working on a few projects here and there with friends and directors in Berlin and also of course, on more visuals for the band. I’m learning all the time and I had the luck and pleasure of getting some larger scale shoot experience working on a recent Mark Owen (Take That) video for his new single “Stars” through my friend/director James Slater. I also just shot a quick “Making Of” Video for a new Dirty Beaches Video that’ll be out soon, directed by Michael Lawrence.

Doug: The video not only stars your dad, but is basically about him. What was the pitch to the other band members to have that be the concept? Were they on board from the beginning?

Zach: I didn’t really have to convince anyone as I normally make the final call on everything in Zulu Pearls, but all the guys in the band had stayed at my house in the US when we were visiting to play shows and do CMJ last year and became a part of the family for that period of time. Everyone spent a lot of time together and got on really well, so everyone was into it from the start. There wasn’t really a clear concept on what the final product was going to be but I figured I’d just go for it and let the pieces fall into place. So far, that’s how I work on most things. Just get started working on it and things will come to you in the process.

Doug: What about your dad, what was your pitch to him? You mention in the description of the video that he's legendary. How is he legendary, and as a legend, does he know that he has to be documented somehow?

Zach: At first he was a bit skeptical I think, as I couldn’t really explain any sort of narrative aside from “you’re out on the town by yourself” and to be honest, the first night we went out was pretty awkward. I’d never done a video where the band wasn’t involved and I’d never taken my dad out in that context, but the next few nights it became pretty natural. It was basically me following him around and making some suggestions about what he ought to be doing, and it just turned into one long hang out. I was originally inspired by these messages in his old yearbooks from when he was living in Paris and going to high school. I found all these little tributes to “Hoozer Boozer” and to wild nights out of yesteryear, so I thought we’d visit in on what this guy is up to today. One of the things I like the most about the video is that it’s all real. It’s all just him hanging out, and when you see he’s having fun, that’s no act. I had to push him a little here and there, but he really was enjoying himself and so was I. He’s legendary to me personally, just by virtue of being my dad and always being game for something like this and supporting the band.

Doug: I assume all the locations you shot in are your dad's hang outs, did he arrange for you guys to be able to shoot there?

Zach: A lot of the locations are just spots around my hometown that I always enjoyed, or thought looked great. There wasn’t a lot of planning. If we found a nice spot we’d just hang out there and I’d get what I could. The bar at the end of the video was a karaoke bar that we thought was abandoned until I put my ear against the door and heard live music coming from downstairs. We went around back and just walked into this great scene unfolding. We had the good fortune of stumbling upon their annual Halloween party - it seemed like everyone knew each other already but they were very welcoming towards us. No one cared that I was walking around filming stuff, we were buying drinks and having a good time, so it was pretty natural to get up every once in a while and film some stuff in the middle of this party.

Doug: Since starring in this video, has it gotten to your dad's head at all? Or has it expanded on his legend?

Zach: He’s gotten a kick out of it. I don’t think he understands the scope of how many people can see it on the internet, or how quickly, but he also doesn’t really care. I’m hoping to shoot a sequel of sorts here in Europe, next time he’s over to visit.

Doug: People come across music videos in all sorts of ways, so there are some audience members who aren't going to make the connection that this is your dad in the video and that he's related to the band. What do you hope someone like that gets from the video?

Zach: At the most basic level, I hope they’re feeling the vibe and can somehow infer that they’re watching something genuine.

Big thanks to Michael Lawrence for introducing us to Zach.