All it takes is one music video to make an impact on the industry. Director Carmela Makela knows that first-hand, as her self-funded debut music video for Ain't Nobody by Atmosphere has caught the attention of labels, directors, and video commissioners alike. We talked to Carmela about getting to direct the video, the casting and tonal goals, and how people are reacting to it.
Doug: Where did the project originate?
Carmela: It was definitely a little unconventional. I had never directed a video before, and I felt like it was time. I wrote a treatment, pulled visuals, hired the crew and talent, and set up the entire project prematurely. Then, about four days before the scheduled shoot date, I decided to contact a label. My cousin Camille, who lives in Minnesota, was actually the one who recommended Rhymesayers. I thought that I had maybe a 2% chance of them writing me back but they did. Not only did they write back, but they presented an Atmosphere track, which was a dream come true. It really gave me the extra boost that I needed to follow through, and finish the project.
Doug: So it was a completely self-funded project? You were just going to do it on your own, and then you decided to reach out and see if you can make it official?
Carmela: Exactly. It wasn't originally going to be for Atmosphere. I had another group in mind, but it was always going to be self-funded. I did it completely out of pocket, and pulled every favor I had. A lot of my really talented friends stepped forward. The extraordinary DP, Michael Ragen, for example, was one of those crucial people who decided to take a chance on me. Ill forever be grateful. It was actually because of those generous people that I reached out to Rhymesayers. At a certain point, there was so much of my savings going into it, and so much time from other people, that I just felt like if I could do anything in my power to make it more worthwhile for everybody else, I wanted to try. So I took a risk in writing that e-mail, to see if I could maybe add ten more views onto the video.
Doug: As far as the reaction to the treatment, they were fans of it - is that basically what it was like? They just said that they really liked the idea and gave you the track?
Carmela: I didn't give them the original treatment because it was a little too specific to my previous track. I speak better with imagery, so I gave them a bunch of visual references, a general shot list, and a small piece of writing. They wrote back, and gave me a couple of tracks from a couple of rad artists. I chose the Atmosphere song because it instantly felt right.
Doug: Once the video was done and they saw the final product, what was their reaction?
Carmela: They were really happy. At least I hope they were! They were busy with Soundset, so there was a little bit of a slow response time. Ill be honest - there were definitely moments where I was nervous. I kept it to myself though, I didn't tell my crew. There was a big part of me that was worried that I had made it all up, that we were going to wrap the video, and that I wasn't going to get to use the song. But risks are important to me, so we finished shooting, and started editing it. When I heard back from the label saying they liked the edit a gnarly weight lifted off my chest.
Doug: What were your goals when casting the video?
Carmela: The pre-production went on for a couple of months, so I had a lot of time to think about it. I do some casting for other directors, so I was really excited to cast for my own video. I met Melissa, the redhead, first. She is from Minnesota as well, and became so immediately passionate and helpful, that I just couldnt turn her down! The idea was to have ladies who looked eerily similar, so it became my mission to find Melissas partner in crime. My producer, Sarah Park, found Nix last minute. I couldnt have asked for two better girls, they were amazing and so fun to work with.
Doug: When shooting the video itself, did you have a shot list for everything, or was some of it more spontaneous?
Carmela: I have the worst attention span, so writing the shot list was a grueling process for me. I would literally have to force myself in front of my computer, and shut off my internet connection. It definitely helped me organize my thoughts, but once we got on set the shot list pretty much got thrown out the window. This might be from lack of experience but I think it made the video better. A lot of people are commenting saying that the video is shot very two dimensionally but that wasnt an accident. My locations were my canvases, and my talent were my paintings. It was very spontaneous whatever felt right. I tried to make sure that everyone on set felt comfortable throwing out suggestions.
Doug: You talk about the YouTube comments, and one look at the comments and you see a bunch of people trying to figure out what this video could mean - everyone is trying to get it "right." What do you think about the different interpretations that come out of the YouTube comments?
Carmela: I love it. Some of my friends have come to me saying, "I hope you're not offended by those people." Listen, I would so much rather that every single comment was telling me that the video was weird, than people writing and saying it is just nice and pretty. I love the controversy, and I think people are brilliant. I think that people making comparisons to cocaine, relationships, sex, debauchery I think that they're brilliant. I think that I was a lot more focused on aesthetics, but those YouTube kids really dug deep in a very impressive way - I'm honestly impressed. I think everyone should take the video as they want to take it.
Doug: So in your head, is there even something to get or understand? Or was it completely about aesthetics and setting a tone for you?
Carmela: At the very core the video is a twisted love story. A tale of temptation, and seduction. A role-reversal. A confusion. A contradiction. Predator vs prey. I love to toy with the concept of "weird." But Id be lying if I said it wasnt also very visually driven. I dont want people to get too focused on what it means. It kind of bums me out when people just say, "I don't get it." You don't have to get it. You just watch it. Did you think it was cool looking? Did you think it was stupid? Its really pretty simple.
