IN DEPTH: Muse "Knights Of Cydonia"

Director Joseph Kahn shares some thoughts on his epic music video "Knights Of Cydonia" for the English band Muse. Kahn takes the classic template of the Spaghetti Western and laces it with humor, kung fu and lots of sci-fi elements to create a video that's every bit as creative and wonderfully absurd as this operatic rock tune.

I am a Korean American who happened to have grown up Houston, TX, during the heyday of the great 1980's sci-fi movies. Aside from the Star Wars and the Blade Runners, there was the endless rotation of those lost HBO gems: Beastmaster, Spacehunter, The Sword And The Sorcerer, the list goes on. "Futuristic Cowboys" was the spec I got when they sent me the track, and frankly, I may have been the only director who actually decided to write a futuristic cowboy music video. Laser pistols and cowboys make sense to me like kim chee and hamburgers.

Honestly, it's hard to mess up a video when the band is this good and on their A game. It all begins with three English guys deciding to write a six minute rock record and release it in America as their first single. I couldn't find a robot with a metallic jock strap big enough to hold those balls. Anyway, that's the real magic here — nothing we do as directors matches the risk-taking a great band does, and Muse is one hell of a band.

Watch "Knights Of Cydonia"
Joseph Kahn, director | HSI, production company
Warner Bros., record label

NEWS: Koch Promotes Executive John Franck

KOCH has announced the promotion of executive John Franck to Senior VP of Marketing. Formerly the label's VP of Marketing, Franck will report directly to Executive VP/GM Alan Grunblatt.

Franck will continue to create and implement all day-to-day marketing activities, in addition to commissioning the label's music videos and overseeing all other aspects of visual marketing and creative services.

SHOT: Nightmare Of You - Ethan Borsuk & Jay Bulger, directors

artist: Nightmare Of You
song: "My Name Is Trouble"
label: Bevonshire/EastWest
director(s): Ethan Borsuk & Jay Bulger
production co: Fashion Bleeds

BOOKED: Heavens - Shawn Kim, director

artist: Heavens
song: "Patent Pending"
label: Epitaph
director(s): Shawn Kim
production co: Streetgang Films

NEW RELEASE: Red Hot Chili Peppers "Tell Me Baby"

Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Tell Me Baby" (Warner Bros.)
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, directors | Bart Lipton, producer | Dayton/Faris, production co | Jim Frohna , DP | John Murray, editor | Description: Although directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are most associated with such visually outlandish videos as The Smashing Pumpkins "Tonight Tonight,"  this clip for "Tell Me Baby" is an example of a totally different style, best exemplified by the duo's Macy Gray video "Sexual Revolution," in which a parade of people exposed their desires and kinks. In this case, we get a succession of aspiring stars and musicians who share their aspirations and disappointments. They do receive a surprise, however. While lip-syncing, dancing or playing along to the song, the Red Hot Chili Peppers explode onto the stage to surprise the wanna-be's and join the fun. -- watch "Tell Me Baby" in Windows Media

BOOKED: Chingy - Erik White, director

artist: Chingy feat. Jermaine Dupri
song: "Dem Jeans"
label: Capitol
director(s): Erik White
production co: F.M. Rocks
rep: Milk & Honey

SHOT: Cassie - Erik White, director

artist: Cassie
song: "Long Way 2 Go"
label: NextSelection/Bad Boy/Atlantic
director(s): Erik White
production co: F.M. Rocks
rep: Milk & Honey

BOOKED: Janet Jackson - Joseph Kahn, director

artist: Janet Jackson
song: "So Excited"
label: Virgin
director(s): Joseph Kahn
production co: Supermega/HSI

BOOKED: Army Of Anyone - Scott Speer, director

Dean and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots join forces with Filter frontman Richard Patrick and session drummer Ray Luzier to form Army Of Anyone. This supergroup is the first band on powerhouse management company The Firm's record label.

artist: Army Of Anyone
song: "Goodbye"
label: The Firm
director(s): Scott Speer
production co: Symbolic

Let the comparisons to Velvet Revolver begin...

BOOKED: Master P - Luke Heyne, director

Rap star/ballroom dancer Master P takes us back to the segregated South for a winner-take-all bastetball game between a group of streetballers and the KKK. Video is shooting today and tomorrow.

artist: Master P
song: "Gutta Time"
label: Gutta/UrbanDigital
director(s): Luke Heyne
production co: Symbolic