PROFILE: Marc Klasfeld, director

Music video director Marc Klasfeld has done it all. So, we will let the work speak for itself.

Humor and buzzworthy clips? Here ya go:

• Alien Ant Farm "Smooth Criminal"
• Sum-41 "Hell Song"
• Chamillionaire "Hip-Hop Police"

Rock? You bet.

• Taking Back Sunday "MakeDamnSure"
• Avenged Sevenfold "Bat Country"

Hip-Hop? Please.

• Nelly "Country Grammar"
• Jay-Z "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Pop? Of course.

• Vanessa Carlton "A Thousand Miles"
• 'NSync "Grilfriend"

And that's just scratching the surface of his videography — which can be viewed in higher res versions at his Rockhard Films site — and not mentioning such big hits as Foo Fighters "Times Like These," Shop Boyz "Rock Star" and many others.

So, now that the work has spoken, it is Marc's turn to speak for himself.

name: Marc Klasfeld
company: Rockhard Films
job/title: director/owner

first video: Jimmy Santis "In Jesus Name" - I was still in film school and saw an ad on the NYU board that a guy had $1500 to shoot a Christian rock music video.  I showed Jimmy this short S&M film I made in class and although he frowned upon the content, he loved the execution and hired me.  The video sucked, but it opened up the world of music videos to me: Romanek, Jonze, Hype, Gondry, Bayer and others who were all making the career of "music video director" something noble. I was so turned on by vids, I actually wrote a book at the time called "The Art of Video," which was a vain attempt at a Cahiers Du Cinema-like Auteur Theory for video directors.  I never did anything with the book, but it stored an encyclopedia of video knowledge in my head and gave me a deep creative pool from which I'm still inspired.  I also started Rockhard Films around this video and Rockhard is easily the thing I'm most proud of because its a company run from a director's perspective, where now other directors can fully realize their visions.

strangest video: I'm kind of known for strange videos, so you can just throw a rock at my reel and hit one, but I'll just pick my Enrique Iglesias "Don't Turn Off The Lights" video because it was so outrageous and deemed in "bad taste" by the label that they declared it never be seen again.  You can see it on YouTube now, and some people think its one of my best.  The video was also the inspiration behind my Bears documentary. We had Enrique making love to an amputee, being chased in a gay bear bar and getting a rectal exam in a doctor's office.  Even by today's standards of pop stars gone wild, its still really strange for people to consider Enrique like this, but it makes me smile every time I watch it.

what's next:  Becoming a black belt in jiu-jitsu.  I've been working on it for 5 years.  Jiu-Jitsu is a huge source of inspiration for me and it gives me perspective on the music video industry.  Everyone is down on the industry these days but I'm now involved in commercials, TV, movies and docs and I'll say this: Separate from indie film and docs, there is no place with the freedom and creativity level of music videos for directors.  The video industry will rebound and be much stronger for it.  The history is too rich. The form too special.  A technological invention will come along and change everything.  The record industry is by nature excessive — it's rock 'n roll after all — and things can happen quite quickly.  When I try to describe what I do in vids to people outside the industry, its difficult to keep a straight face because it doesn't really sound like a job. In fact it sounds quite ridiculous when you say it out loud.  My Dad sold hats for a living, my Mom was a secretary — every time they see a video of mine, their reaction is always the same: I can't believe that you get paid to do this.

NEW RELEASE: Kanye West "The Good Life"

He's silly, he's imperious, he's horny, he's stylish, he's megalomaniacal... He's Kanye! One of Kanye's earliest award show tirades (now a burgeoning cottage industry) was at the European MTV Awards where his Evel Kanyevel video for "Touch the Sky" lost out to the Justice Vs. Simian video "We Are Your Friends." " Perhaps sensing that Justice had impeccable taste in the visual arts, Kanye has gone out and grabbed up the directors who created the latest Justice masterpiece,"D.A.N.C.E.," to handle the latest video in his defeat Fiddy campaign, "The Good Life." The finished product is a fun and colorful journey through the speak and spell world of Electric Company – but fueled by Kanye's mix of brazen/self-depreciating raps. The song isn't really "about" anything other than the good life and these light-hearted, free-flowing visuals are a good match. Also included in the fun is T-Pain, a guest vocalist so ubiquitous he is starting to rival some of Hollywood's most over-worked "he's in everything" actors. (review by Doug Stern) --> watch "The Good Life"

Kanye West f/ T-Pain
"The Good Life" (Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam)
Jonas & Francois / So Me, director | Soixante Quin5e, production co | Thomas Marvel, DP

BOOKED: Sean Paul - Rich Newey, director

artist: Sean Paul
song: "Watch Dem Roll"
label: VP/Atlantic
director(s): Rich Newey   
production co: Terrero Films
rep: Laure Scott Management

BOOKED: Wisin & Yandel - Jessy Terrero, director

Video for the Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel shooting in the Dominican Republic...

artist: Wisin & Yandel
song: "Sexy Movemiento"
label: WY Records
director(s): Jessy Terrero
production co: Terrero Films
rep: Robin Frank Management
DP: Thomas Kloss

NEWS: Terrero Films Signs Steven Oritt

Terrero Films has announced the signing of director Steven Oritt. He is being repped by Laure Scott.

Oritt directed the recently released DVD A Year and A Night G Love and Special Sauce, which chronicles exactly that. He has also directed music videos for Sugarcult, Pete Yorn, Lostprophets and The Starting Line.

NEW RELEASE: Animal Collective "Peacebone"

Photographer/director Timothy Saccenti follows up his acclaimed Battles video "Atlas"with another ultra-modern gem. Instead of the straight-up performance that was "Atlas," this video is straight-up narrative. And a strange narrative at that. Set inside a drug and/or technology induced hyperreality, a girl and an alien meet in a barn and go cavorting through the countryside like two young lovers. The climax will have you flashing back to Alien, clutching your chair and looking for a place that sells "Peacebone" Halloween costumes. (review by Kevin Holy) --> watch "Peacebone"

Animal Collective "Peacebone" (Domino)
Timothy Saccenti, director | Zooma Zooma, production co | Jeff Shepherd, DP | Ryan McKenna, editor | Dopepope, creature design | Mark Szumski and Tom Hurlburt @ Click3, effects

SHOT: Jimmy Eat World - Christopher Sims, director

Director Christopher Sims (center) and Jimmy Eat World on the set of the band's new video, "Big Casino." The shoot took place in the valley of the big casinos aka Las Vegas. (click pic to enlarge)

artist: Jimmy Eat World
song: "Big Casino"
label: Interscope 
director(s): Christopher Sims
production co: DNA

BOOKED: J. Holiday - Jonathan Mannion, director

Shooting in Paris...

artist: J. Holiday
song: "Suffocate"
label: Capitol
director(s): Jonathan Mannion
production co: DNA
rep: Inga Veronique @ Sugar Management

BOOKED: Chris Brown - Erik White, director

artist: Chris Brown
song: "With You" 
label: Jive/ZLG
director(s): Erik White
production co: Uncle

NEWS: Lanette Phillips Mgmt. Repping Bryan Barber

Lanette Phillips is now representing director Bryan Barber. In addition to directing the Outkast feature film Idlewild, Barber's credits include the following videos:

• OutKast "Hey Ya"
• OutKast "The Way You Move"
• Christina Aguilera "Ain't No Other Man"
• UGK "International Player's Anthem"
• The Game f/ Kanye West "Wouldn't Get Far"

Bryan Barber remains signed with Believe Media...