SHOT: Linkin Park - Mr. Hahn, director

Director Mr. Hahn — best known as the DJ in multi-Platinum group Linkin Park — oversees the action with DP Max Goldman (center) and other crew members on the set of his band's new video "What I've Done." This will be the first video off the forthcoming Linkin Park album, Minutes To Midnight.

artist: Linkin Park
song: "What I've Done"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Mr. Hahn
production co: @radical.media

IN DEPTH: Modest Mouse "Dashboard"

Almost everything I have to say about the great new Modest Mouse video "Dashboard" can be found in my VFXworld.com story Dashboard: Charting the High Seas With Motion Theory and Modest Mouse. Video co-director Mathew Cullen of Motion Theory, however, shared so many great stories that they couldn't all fit in my pseudo-journalistic effort. So, three tidbits for your enjoyment: 1) The inspiration for the video; 2) Modest Mouse singer Isaac Brock getting creative with the charades; and 3) Johnny Marr learns a new instrument.

Mathew Cullen of Motion Theory, co-director: "We loosely based the video on the Sargasso Sea, which is a part of the Atlantic Ocean near the Bermuda Triangle. There's no wind there. And there's a ton of seaweed — for some reason it just gathers in this place. So, boats would get stuck there. When you think of the ship graveyards with boats stuck in seaweed and all the fog? That comes from the legend of The Sargasso. Ships would come in, the wind would stop and sailors would starve to death.

Isaac did a great job. He's not an actor, but he really embraced being a fisherman… A lot of his charades had the names of famous bands. That one [where he holds the radio in front of his head] was Radiohead. Sugarcubes. Fishbone. I forget what the mop shot was, but he came up with a famous band for every single charade we had him do.

Our production designer Teri Whittaker built this guitar turntable for Johnny Marr to play. At first he didn't quite know to play it, so we asked if he wanted to use this other guitar we had and he said, 'No no, I'm gonna learn how to play this one.' He came back and said, 'I got a couple moves for this thing. Let's do it'."

-->watch "Dashboard"

 Modest Mouse "Dashboard" (Epic)
Mathew Cullen & Grady Hall, directors | Anna Joseph, producer | Motion Theory, production co | Roman Jakobi , DP | Mark Hoffman, editor

NEWS: iTunes To Exclusively Debut New Jim Jones Video

KOCH recording artist Jim Jones will have the honor of being the first rapper to receive a music video world premiere on the iTunes Store. The new video "Emotionless" will be exclusively available this Tuesday, March 13 at a limited-time price of $0.99 and bundled with a short form "making of" special.

This is the second clip off Jones' hit album Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product Of My Environment). Like "We Fly High," the video for "Emotionless" was directed by the team of Dale "Rage" Resteghini and Jim Jones, and produced by Resteghini's Raging Nation Films.

BOOKED: Fountains Of Wayne - Adam Neustadter, director

artist: Fountains Of Wayne
song: "Someone To Love"
label: Virgin
director(s): Adam Neustadter
production co: Ghost Robot

SHOT: Static-X - The Butcher Brothers, directors

Bassist Tony Campos (far left) and frontman Wayne Static (second from right) of Static-X with directors The Butcher Brothers on set of the band's new video, "Destroyer."

artist: Static-X
song: "Destroyer"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): The Butcher Brothers
production co: Quality Time Productions

The Butcher Brothers will also be making their feature debut with The Hamiltons, a horror flick set that is being released by Lions Gate Films.

PROFILE: John Franck, Koch Records

New feature on Video Static.... Every week we'll annoy somebody in the music video world with a few quick questions and print the results. Commissioners, directors, editors, dancers, caterers. OK, maybe not dancers. Here goes...

name: John Franck
company:  KOCH Records
job/title:  Sr. Vice President of Marketing

First Video:  First real video I ever commissioned at KOCH was for Stabbing Westward "So Far Away," directed by Shawn M. Foster.

Strangest Video: Man, where do I start...there's been so many. One that comes to mind is "You Ain't Mad Iz Ya" which we shot down in Memphis shortly after 9/11 with Gil Green directing. The video was for a female artist on Hypnotize Minds called La Chat. This was a Three 6 Mafia project and every moment of all three days was just like an out of body experience. I can't get into the details of it here (because a lot of it is not fit for print), but it was very, very surreal.

What's Next:  We're getting ready to shoot "We Takin' Over" with DJ Khaled down in Miami. It'll feature T.I., Akon, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne and Baby. That should be great. We just signed Styles P, we have a new Dipset project coming in April, followed by Hell Rell and a new video from Tha Dogg Pound which Snoop Dogg just co-directed for us. We are also aggressively getting back into hard rock this year, so we hope to have a bunch of coals in the fire on that end as well. In terms of where our business is going, as a label, we'll keep doing what we're doing. As the physical goods business continues to shrink, it's opening up a world of opportunity for Indies like us. Digital sales (both singles and ringtones) are becoming a huge piece of our business, especially on the Urban side. Strategically, we're putting a lot of time and effort into making sure we're competitive in that world. Video production-wise, I'm always looking for fresh talent and to bring people together. New DP's, editors, directors, colorists, etc, etc. I'm all about giving people the shot if the project makes sense.

BOOKED: Maroon 5 - John Hillcoat, director

artist: Maroon 5
song: "Makes Me Wonder"
label: Octone/A&M/Interscope
director(s): John Hillcoat
production co: Oil Factory

BOOKED: Gwen Stefani - Sophie Muller, director

artist: Gwen Stefani
song: "4 In The Morning"
label: Interscope
director(s): Sophie Muller
production co: Oil Factory

NEW RELEASE: Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend"

When it comes to teenybopper punk rock, the bad girl should always triumphs over the good girl  — even when the they are one and the same. That's indeed the case in "Girlfriend," as Avril Lavigne plays both roles in the narrative parts of the video: The good girl who's with the cool guy and the jealous punk rock chick who's intent on sabotaging their amusement park date. Lots of bratty high jinks ensue and the good girl gets left behind— despite the fact that she knows her way around a churro, if you know what I mean. Avril also plays herself — assuming that there is a true, authentic Avril Lavigne persona — in multiple song and dance set-ups, all of which accentuate the neon vibes of this song, which has much more to do with Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey" than Ashlee Simpson's semantically similar tune, "Boyfriend." --> watch "Girlfriend"

Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend" (RCA)
The Malloys, director | John Winter, producer | Black Dog, production co | Crash, DP | Tim Wheeler, editor

NEW RELEASE: Christina Aguilera "Candyman"

Christina Aguilera does her best to boost troop morale in this video tribute to WWII USO shows, sockhops and soda shops. The singer plays a variety roles — with each one sexier than the last — as director Matthew Rolston pulls off some beauty shots that split the difference between sexy/tough Rosie The Riveter posters and a more chaste tribute to the pin-up work of artist Alberto Vargas. All in all, a perfect match to a song that recreates the vibe and style of the swing era hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."--> watch "Candyman"

Christina Aguilera "Candyman" (RCA)
Matthew Rolston & Christina Aguilera, directors | Barbara Benson, producer | @radical.media, production co | Crash, DP | David Checel/Cut+Run, editor