It has been all but impossible to avoid the music videos and commercials of Dave Meyers since the late 90s, so it's a good thing that they're skillfully and artfully directed. Meyers has worked on over 200 videos, including Kid Rocks Cowboy, Missy Elliotts Get Ur Freak On, and Lil' Jon & the East Side Boyzs Roll Call. He recently directed Pinks Stupid Girls, which was nominated for a MTV Best Pop Video Music Award. Meyers is also taking his first steps into the world of studio movies with his update of the 80s horror classic The Hitcher. I had a chance to speak with him while he was on set.
Check out the official website for Dave Meyers
Daniel Robert Epstein: Are you on the set of The Hitcher today?
Dave Meyers: Yeah, tomorrow is our last day.
DRE: Hows it going?
Dave: Its going really good. I think were really doing a strong update.
DRE: What are you shooting today?
Dave: Im shooting the kids in a trailer park. Our update includes a boyfriend and girlfriend instead of just one person. So were just shooting a scene in a trailer park where theyre looking for help as the Hitcher chases them down.
DRE: Just to switch gears, your new video for Pinks Stupid Girls just got nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video. How many videos have you done with Pink?
Dave: Right now I think were at video number nine or something like that.
DRE: Did you two come up with the concept for Stupid Girls together?
Dave: Yeah. Obviously the song is very visual and inspires a lot of parody. So she sent me the song as soon as she finished it and gave me a month to come up with all kinds of scenarios. Weve been very collaborative over the years so we put together the craziest treatment we could come up with. Then we ran into a little roadblock with the record label but once they saw the video combined with the song, they got all enthusiastic and ran with it. It was a long haul but it ended up being something that was really true to Pink and true to her perspectives on things. So it was a proud moment.
DRE: Its funny because youve directed some of the people that you are making fun of in the video.
Dave: I dont think that the video is attacking specific people. Its making fun of trends that are popular and there are certainly people Ive worked with who adhere to those trends. But its kind of the thing where everybody just plays along because at the end of the day, its a business.
Pink is an artist who dares to say the unsayable but it was never meant to attack anybody specifically. It was just meant to show how in the context of all these images, how stupid it all is. Not how stupid the people are but how stupid the desire to be like this is.
DRE: Are you at the point with videos now where you can do nearly anything you want as long as the artist likes it?
Dave: Yes and its a great place to be.
DRE: Do you ever blank on an idea?
Dave: I dont blank if Im shooting. Ill blank if they offer me something and I just dont feel the music or dont understand it or Im too distracted with other things like commercials or a movie. Sometimes I hit that wall. But usually if they really want me what will happen is a manager or somebody will start brainstorming ideas and I might get attached to one and be like Okay, I can run with that. Thats happened before. There are a couple of record label execs that really understand how my mind works so I enjoy working with them. A recent example of that is Jeff Kwatinetz over at The Firm who is the manager of Korn, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop and everybody else. We did a Korn video and he was a great collaborator on that. He helped me break it down and do a whole Spinal Tap rip off.
DRE: How has your musical taste changed since youve been directing all these videos?
Dave: Its really broadened. I like all sorts of music now and I appreciate all sorts of artists. I appreciate the subtleties of instrumentation. I have a much broader appreciation for music. I really think that its going to play into my usage of it in film.
DRE: How important are MTV Video Music Awards at this point?
Dave: Ive won like nine of them so theres not much higher I can go with videos. I used to do 40 videos a year. Now I just do Missy Elliot, Pink and a couple of other artists that really like to push the envelope. Also the budgets have gone down because of the recession and all that stuff with downloading. So Ive been focusing a lot on movies and commercials but when the right artists call with the right songs Ill do it because a good song speaks to your emotions and its where I get a lot of my inspiration. So if I hear a track that I love, I just naturally want to make images to it even if theres not much of a budget. Dave Matthews called me last year with this song American Baby and we did the video even though it was the cheapest video I had been offered in years. But since it was an amazing song I said Fuck it, Im going to shoot it myself. The crew was just me and my producer. We traveled the country for three weeks and made this whole video. It was a great spiritual journey for me. So I keep an open mind and never really shut out any opportunity unless I cant find my way through it.
DRE: Whats it like to be going from the top of the music video industry to shooting a movie where you have to deal with the studios, producers and actors who all have their own ideas?
Dave: Its similar to commercials which has agencies and clients. Also artists have opinions just like actors do. But I like the whole landscape of movies much more. Theres more thought put into a movie by all those people you mentioned whereas videos are sometimes just fly by the seat of your pants and sometimes theres a lot of people that are unfocused and dont know what they want. Even the artist sometimes doesnt. But with the movies you have a beginning place with a script and after that usually everybodys on the same page or at least on this movie that Im doing. That collaboration is something Ive grown to appreciate. Its like having friends that share the creative burden with you. I do the directing and do the producing and the studio does the studio stuff but its been a very collaborative and exciting process so far.
DRE: Have you seen the original Hitcher?
Dave: I have. That was actually how I got involved. I had never seen it and the producers wanted to work with me and I wanted to work with them so they asked me to watch that because they wanted to remake it. So I watched it and told them some of the plot holes that I didnt like. Im not saying it wasnt a good movie but there were a few plot holes I dont think would hold up in todays society. They said, Well we feel the same way so lets fix them together. A year later we got a script together that was ready to be shot and the studio to greenlight it and here I am.
DRE: Will there be a finger in the French fries?
Dave: No but we will have an improved truck scene where we go beyond the original. The finger in the French fries was minor to me. I felt with the whole Wendys lawsuit and all that stuff, it would play comical and unbelievable. It worked in the original but were trying to go a lot more real with this movie and make it something with real fear like how Jaws is with water.
DRE: Are we going to see a cameo by Rutger Hauer?
Dave: We asked Rutger to do a cameo. But he said, and I agreed with him, that unless he was playing the Hitch, it wouldnt be a good move for him. I would have loved to have him in here, but he respectfully declined and wished us good luck.
DRE: What made you cast Sean Bean?
Dave: Sean Bean fell into the category of what we were looking for and what Rutger was back then. We were looking for that great character actor that has star potential but isnt a star yet. We didnt want somebody that was too overblown or too eccentric or too movie star but we didnt want somebody that was fresh off the boat either. Sean has been a part of so many amazing movies and is one of those faces that everybody recognizes but dont really know. So it was a chance to make him a star as well as capitalize on his amazingly subtle acting.
DRE: What are the challenges that this movie has that videos and commercials dont?
Dave: Movies tell a story whereas commercials and videos tend not to. Videos tend to sell lifestyle and although Ive done a narrative, its still the lifestyle that people tend to take away from it. A movie is a much more exciting place to be. Im trying to bring an emotional center to The Hitcher that I feel didnt exist in the original. So you can love these kids and really root for them as theyre dealing with the Hitcher.
DRE: Do you know what youre doing next?
Dave: Im developing a movie called Witch Hunter with Arnold Kopelson and New Regency. Thats my version of Lord of the Rings. Its set around the time of the witch hunts in Medieval Times. I came up with a pitch that was pretty big as far as the type of magic and phenomenal worlds and set pieces and action things. It got everybody excited so were writing that script right now. If it comes out good then well do that but if not there are a lot of ideas floating in my head and a lot of scripts being sent my way.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Check out the official website for Dave Meyers
Daniel Robert Epstein: Are you on the set of The Hitcher today?
Dave Meyers: Yeah, tomorrow is our last day.
DRE: Hows it going?
Dave: Its going really good. I think were really doing a strong update.
DRE: What are you shooting today?
Dave: Im shooting the kids in a trailer park. Our update includes a boyfriend and girlfriend instead of just one person. So were just shooting a scene in a trailer park where theyre looking for help as the Hitcher chases them down.
DRE: Just to switch gears, your new video for Pinks Stupid Girls just got nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video. How many videos have you done with Pink?
Dave: Right now I think were at video number nine or something like that.
DRE: Did you two come up with the concept for Stupid Girls together?
Dave: Yeah. Obviously the song is very visual and inspires a lot of parody. So she sent me the song as soon as she finished it and gave me a month to come up with all kinds of scenarios. Weve been very collaborative over the years so we put together the craziest treatment we could come up with. Then we ran into a little roadblock with the record label but once they saw the video combined with the song, they got all enthusiastic and ran with it. It was a long haul but it ended up being something that was really true to Pink and true to her perspectives on things. So it was a proud moment.
DRE: Its funny because youve directed some of the people that you are making fun of in the video.
Dave: I dont think that the video is attacking specific people. Its making fun of trends that are popular and there are certainly people Ive worked with who adhere to those trends. But its kind of the thing where everybody just plays along because at the end of the day, its a business.
Pink is an artist who dares to say the unsayable but it was never meant to attack anybody specifically. It was just meant to show how in the context of all these images, how stupid it all is. Not how stupid the people are but how stupid the desire to be like this is.
DRE: Are you at the point with videos now where you can do nearly anything you want as long as the artist likes it?
Dave: Yes and its a great place to be.
DRE: Do you ever blank on an idea?
Dave: I dont blank if Im shooting. Ill blank if they offer me something and I just dont feel the music or dont understand it or Im too distracted with other things like commercials or a movie. Sometimes I hit that wall. But usually if they really want me what will happen is a manager or somebody will start brainstorming ideas and I might get attached to one and be like Okay, I can run with that. Thats happened before. There are a couple of record label execs that really understand how my mind works so I enjoy working with them. A recent example of that is Jeff Kwatinetz over at The Firm who is the manager of Korn, Kelly Clarkson, Snoop and everybody else. We did a Korn video and he was a great collaborator on that. He helped me break it down and do a whole Spinal Tap rip off.
DRE: How has your musical taste changed since youve been directing all these videos?
Dave: Its really broadened. I like all sorts of music now and I appreciate all sorts of artists. I appreciate the subtleties of instrumentation. I have a much broader appreciation for music. I really think that its going to play into my usage of it in film.
DRE: How important are MTV Video Music Awards at this point?
Dave: Ive won like nine of them so theres not much higher I can go with videos. I used to do 40 videos a year. Now I just do Missy Elliot, Pink and a couple of other artists that really like to push the envelope. Also the budgets have gone down because of the recession and all that stuff with downloading. So Ive been focusing a lot on movies and commercials but when the right artists call with the right songs Ill do it because a good song speaks to your emotions and its where I get a lot of my inspiration. So if I hear a track that I love, I just naturally want to make images to it even if theres not much of a budget. Dave Matthews called me last year with this song American Baby and we did the video even though it was the cheapest video I had been offered in years. But since it was an amazing song I said Fuck it, Im going to shoot it myself. The crew was just me and my producer. We traveled the country for three weeks and made this whole video. It was a great spiritual journey for me. So I keep an open mind and never really shut out any opportunity unless I cant find my way through it.
DRE: Whats it like to be going from the top of the music video industry to shooting a movie where you have to deal with the studios, producers and actors who all have their own ideas?
Dave: Its similar to commercials which has agencies and clients. Also artists have opinions just like actors do. But I like the whole landscape of movies much more. Theres more thought put into a movie by all those people you mentioned whereas videos are sometimes just fly by the seat of your pants and sometimes theres a lot of people that are unfocused and dont know what they want. Even the artist sometimes doesnt. But with the movies you have a beginning place with a script and after that usually everybodys on the same page or at least on this movie that Im doing. That collaboration is something Ive grown to appreciate. Its like having friends that share the creative burden with you. I do the directing and do the producing and the studio does the studio stuff but its been a very collaborative and exciting process so far.
DRE: Have you seen the original Hitcher?
Dave: I have. That was actually how I got involved. I had never seen it and the producers wanted to work with me and I wanted to work with them so they asked me to watch that because they wanted to remake it. So I watched it and told them some of the plot holes that I didnt like. Im not saying it wasnt a good movie but there were a few plot holes I dont think would hold up in todays society. They said, Well we feel the same way so lets fix them together. A year later we got a script together that was ready to be shot and the studio to greenlight it and here I am.
DRE: Will there be a finger in the French fries?
Dave: No but we will have an improved truck scene where we go beyond the original. The finger in the French fries was minor to me. I felt with the whole Wendys lawsuit and all that stuff, it would play comical and unbelievable. It worked in the original but were trying to go a lot more real with this movie and make it something with real fear like how Jaws is with water.
DRE: Are we going to see a cameo by Rutger Hauer?
Dave: We asked Rutger to do a cameo. But he said, and I agreed with him, that unless he was playing the Hitch, it wouldnt be a good move for him. I would have loved to have him in here, but he respectfully declined and wished us good luck.
DRE: What made you cast Sean Bean?
Dave: Sean Bean fell into the category of what we were looking for and what Rutger was back then. We were looking for that great character actor that has star potential but isnt a star yet. We didnt want somebody that was too overblown or too eccentric or too movie star but we didnt want somebody that was fresh off the boat either. Sean has been a part of so many amazing movies and is one of those faces that everybody recognizes but dont really know. So it was a chance to make him a star as well as capitalize on his amazingly subtle acting.
DRE: What are the challenges that this movie has that videos and commercials dont?
Dave: Movies tell a story whereas commercials and videos tend not to. Videos tend to sell lifestyle and although Ive done a narrative, its still the lifestyle that people tend to take away from it. A movie is a much more exciting place to be. Im trying to bring an emotional center to The Hitcher that I feel didnt exist in the original. So you can love these kids and really root for them as theyre dealing with the Hitcher.
DRE: Do you know what youre doing next?
Dave: Im developing a movie called Witch Hunter with Arnold Kopelson and New Regency. Thats my version of Lord of the Rings. Its set around the time of the witch hunts in Medieval Times. I came up with a pitch that was pretty big as far as the type of magic and phenomenal worlds and set pieces and action things. It got everybody excited so were writing that script right now. If it comes out good then well do that but if not there are a lot of ideas floating in my head and a lot of scripts being sent my way.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
courtneyriot:
It has been all but impossible to avoid the music videos and commercials of Dave Meyers since the late 90s, so it's a good thing that they're skillfully and artfully directed. Meyers has worked on over 200 videos, including Kid Rocks Cowboy, Missy Elliotts Get Ur Freak On, and Lil' Jon & the East...