Interview with FOKUS - Insight Magazine
I did an interview with Jordan Kifer for FOKUS’s Color and Light issue! This is the first phone interview I’ve ever done, usually people let me type everything in an email so I have complete control over my answers, so if I’m rambling in this one (which I totally am), sorry ‘bout it!
Check out the link to the interview here:
http://issuu.com/insightmagazine/docs/insight34/61
Just screened Theo’s video at the LA Comedy Festival!
Animal Love II Music Video Pick Ups Part 1: The Water!!
We spent last night up at our friend Elisabeth’s house up in Westchester finally using our POOL!! Believe or not, it was warmer in there than it was outside.
And that’s a wrap on shooting this music video! Looking forward to putting out the finished product sooner than you know!
Animal Love II Music Video Pick Ups Part 1: The Fire!!
We had a lovely time burning love letters, photographs and projected footage in David’s backyard tonight.
Like four cave kids just discovering the flame, we lit a ton of things on fire, squealed, freaked out, threw water on everything…and then did it all over again.
Last two shooting days of this video— too much fun. Let’s make ‘em count!
Listening to “Animal Love II” by Charlene Kaye:
http://charlenekaye.bandcamp.com/track/animal-love-ii
OFFICIAL SELECTION: LOS ANGELES COMEDY FESTIVAL
Excited to announce that my music video for Theo Katzman’s “Hard For You” was accepted into the Los Angeles Comedy Festival. It will be screening on May 16th, 6:30PM at the Let Live Theater.
See you in LA!
http://www.lacomedyfest.com/schedule/film/hard-for-you/
We got a pool!
Thank you so much to everyone who responded to our call for pools last week. We are happy to announce that we found a beautiful 9ft deep, heated, outdoor pool in Westchester.
Thank you so much to Elisabeth for contacting us and welcoming us to her home! We visited her house last night to take some measurements and set up a potential night shoot in a couple weeks. It’s beautiful, dark, and perfect for the shots we need.
We also brought her some Charlene Kaye t-shirts, cds, and a signed tote bag with a lovely drawing Char did of a pool on it. I think it’s hilarious. We’ll be seeing her backstage soon too!
In the age of the Internet, it’s so nice to be able to reach out to a community of fans and friends for help when we need it. Thanks for such a warm response. We can’t wait to do our first underwater shoot, and finish up this video!!!
I NEED A POOL!
Hey guys. I’ve been tweeting and facebooking pretty incessantly about this one obstacle in my life a lot lately. Living in NYC is the best. THE BEST! And generally, making music videos all by ourselves has definitely been challenging but fun…except when you write tricky concepts and then have to figure out how to execute them on a pauper’s budget.
So here’s the deal:
We’re in the middle of shooting Charlene Kaye’s “Animal Love II” music video and we’ve come a long way, and I’ve been asking for a lot of difficult stuff lately and my producing team has pulled every single one of those things off, so I’m very proud of them. But the last thing we need to shoot is this underwater water scene. It’s super important for me to have, and I think it’s going to really seal the deal emotionally. The picture attached is a sample of what we’d like to shoot in said pool.
I’ve emailed most of the people I know who know people in New Jersey, New York City, Brooklyn, Long Island, Staten Island looking for friends or fans who have pools.
Granted, our timing wasn’t the best, as we were shooting the rest of our video in the middle of winter…indoor pools at fancy NYC hotels were pretty out of our budget. But now that it’s approaching summer…fans? friends? family? Does anyone know someone who has a pool? Anyone live in an apartment complex with an indoor pool who would want to work with us? Anyone have a heated outdoor pool? Anyone have a regular outdoor pool? And when do people on the east coast start filling up their regular outdoor pools? Can we work with you?
We’d still like to rent it from you (we do have a budget). We have inland marine insurance, and general liability insurance. And I’ll get you anything else you want!
Anyway, any help you can throw in the way of independent artists is always much appreciated. This video is going to be really special and I’m excited to finish it. If you can help, email me directly (email is on my website) or email animallovetwo@gmail.com
If you don’t have a pool, spread the word! Let’s get this video finished!
:D
Thank you!
xoxo Liann
Amanda Palmer: The art of asking
A fantastic TED talk that really rings true to my own experiences with music and social media. Hooray for the future!
“I think people have been obsessed with the wrong question, which is “how do we make people pay for music?” What if we started asking, “How do we let people pay for music?”
I was interviewed for French Magazine, ugene.fr!
Thanks to Melanie Bonvard for the article and Marine Delahay for sending me the English translation :)
Check out in French here: http://ugene.fr/interview-de-liann-kaye-realisatrice-de-clips/
And the translation below.
“Interview: Liann Kaye, music videos director on the Internet
Little known in France, some of you probably know Liann Kaye thanks to singer Charlene Kaye, whose music videos are the fruit of sisterly work. Indeed, Liann and Charlene Kaye are sisters and Liann directs Charlene’s music videos. If some of you don’t remember who the lovely Charlene Kaye is, the Gleeks will surely remember her duet with Darren Criss (who plays Blaine in Glee) in Dress and Tie. Liann Kaye took part in their work and has managed to become known in the United States thanks to the artists whom music videos she directed, to her creativity and also thanks to the magic of the Internet. She is running an independent audiovisual business: Paper Frame Productions. Her latest music video, Woman Up’s remix, by her sister and rapper Kalae Nouveau, available on YouTube only since February 13th. The indie director dedicated some of her time to tell us about her experience, her opinion on the scope of music videos today, her influences and about the movies. Discussion open.
I’m an independent filmmaker in New York City! I currently work at the Girl Scouts of the USA as my day job, and I moonlight as a music video director.
2- Tell us about Paper Frame Production. What is this business about?
Well, no one is more surprised that I’m a business owner than myself! Paper Frame Productions started in college when I was shooting videos for musicians I met through my sister (who is a singer/songwriter). When I moved to New York, PFP become an official LLC! Because I’ve been producing all of my videos independently for a couple years now, it seemed like the natural next step to start my own company, rather than wait for someone else to hire me to make these projects. I love being my own boss, and I love that all the opinions on the videos we make come from people with the best intentions (the artist, me, and my business partner Taylor). I still have to work a day job, but I’m excited to see where this goes!
3- You seem to take a real interest in music videos. Is it your main passion or would you be interested in pursuing a career in the cinema?
I think, just from knowing so many musicians, including my sister, I kind of fell into the world of music video making. In the beginning, it was just that I knew my sister needed them, and I had a camera, but I really fell in love with bringing a song to life visually. Having the responsibility of figuring out what the song looks like is really intimidating but also exhilarating! A lot of the people I’ve been working with are indie artists who are just starting out, so it’s also really exciting to think about being the one who creates their brand.
4- As a director, what do you think music videos have that the cinema doesn’t?
I think music videos, much like songs, give you the opportunity to express and focus on a single emotion, rather than a larger narrative arc. I also think you can really push the envelope visually in a music video. I have a lot of weird ideas that don’t need to take up 2-3 hours of your time. Many concepts that work in music videos probably wouldn’t work in narratives. For example, OK Go running on treadmills? A fantastic idea that’s perfect for the length of time it runs. Music videos are getting a lot more cinematic, though. Lana Del Rey, and Florence, Justin Timberlake, even Taylor Swift are all doing crazy ambitious things right now and I love that it’s becoming a more respected medium.
5- What are your influences (music or movies)?
I look up to a lot of the great music video directors of the 90’s my favorite French director Michel Gondry of course, and Spike Jonze, Mark Webb, Patrick Daughters. Later, they all went on to create really amazing movies too. But you can tell they are very selective with what feature films they take on, and always have a very strong sense of visual style. I’m sure they learned this from being able to show stories, rather than tell you through dialogue. I’m certain their music video backgrounds helped them make stunning movies.
6- What inspired you in the song “Animal Love” by Charlene Kaye, that made you create this kind of Tim Burton-like world?
Animal Love I originated from wanting to do a one-shot video. These videos are always tricky because with the camera was rolling the entire time, you have to hide all the lights, props, and dancers until they appear on screen! Eventually we realized that our dancers could help out with moving around our equipment, and then it just sort of morphed into a large choreographed dance, with our dancers as the props and light sources. I do adore Tim Burton movies and love really theatrical lighting so I can definitely see those references unintentionally coming out of me.
7- Lately, we have had the opportunity to enjoy your last music video for Theo Katzman and his song “Hard For You.” The special effects and the editing were a real success. Paper Frame Production’s means seem to improve while keeping this idea of creativity, am I right?
Technically & professionally Paper Frames’ videography has definitely improved since my college days! I have a lot more experience under my belt. Clearly there has been a huge jump in quality since our days of using paper props. I certainly know a lot more about how to execute effects, and we have access to better equipment. However, I think it really depends on the story you’re writing. I adore our music video for “Skin and Bones.” It was my first video, and the memory of squealing in my kitchen as Char and I watched the final version on my laptop is something I will never forget. In that instance, I don’t think that anything fancy was needed. I think the handmade aesthetic has a lot of charm for that song and story. For Theo’s video, I wrote the story of him running around in all of these billboards first, and then had to work backwards as far as figuring out how to execute it. I’ve jumped headfirst into a lot of projects that way. Sometimes you can do it yourself (with the help of a lot of video tutorials), and other times its about networking, and finding the person who can do it for you. I’m just glad this one worked out! While carving out your career in the age of the Internet can be tricky because all of your work (since college) is on display and will always be there even if you try to take it down, I think it’s amazing that the fans can watch us improve with each project. And cheer us on when we succeed.
8- What are your upcoming projects? New collaborations with your sister Charlene Kaye?
I’m currently working on “Animal Love II” the darker twin song to “Animal Love I” (a song from Charlene Kaye’s album Animal Love – ed). It’s my favorite song on the album and feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders do this video right! After that, I’ll be doing a music video for Talkfine, Clark Baxtresser’s band (who you might recognize as the musical director of the Starkid Tours). Their music is amazing, and I’m really excited to start brainstorming!
Words: Melanie Bonvard
@melaniebonvard
Translation: Marine Delahay
Liann Kaye also directed music videos such as Human or Magnolia Wine by Charlene Kaye, the latter reminding us of Michael Gondry’s famous style. Take note of her collaboration with the band The Macpodz on their song The Truth.”
