The Inspiration behind the "Run It" Video

When it comes to the visuals for my videos, I’m very particular with what I want. Sometimes the budget doesn’t meet my idea fully but that never stops the creative show. With this blog, I will go through the ideas I had for the “Run It” video, directed by Zack David, and how it was turned into what you see.

The Multi-Sicks

Since a kid, I always been a fan of silhouette art aka paper cut art. I had one done of me when I was a kid that my mom still has framed in her room.

I wondered if there was a way of just filming my shadow and go from there. This would be big lights put on me with shadow on a white wall but I came across this following video:

I thought the idea of inverting the video inside of a camera using a projector was really cool. Thanks to Alamo Ashburn Film Club, I was able to get a projector (Thanks, Alan!!!).

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, this is not what is seen in the video. Well, what if I told you, that everything you seen in this video was done in 4 hours. Majority of that time was done setting up the green screen which is a helluva process if you never done it before. With only 40 minutes, I was able to get the projector set up. Zack saw how it looked through his camera and loved what he saw. We ran with it from there. Now, the inverted multi-shadows will most likely pop up in the future but the multi-Sicks came out amazing.

If you pay close attention, the background for the goddess shot is made up of these shots.

Giz and Me

A free-flowing video in the style of all the Missy Elliot and Ludacris classic videos all had one thing: levity.

If you listen to the lyrics, they are the totally opposite of what you’re seeing and that’s the point. The lyrics imply heavy violence and the image is classic nerd. Film nerd to be exact which is who I am.

Gremlins is one of my favorite films and each year I see this film at the Alamo Drafthouse around Christmas time so that sweater is definitely mine. Using the 80s glamour shot meme, I wanted to catch your eye, make you laugh, and remember what you saw.

“X” Marks the Spot

In the music video for “Run It” while I want to entertain, I also want to shed light on things in it.

The red X on the bandage is the symbol for the #enditmovement. This movement is to give awareness for modern-day slavery going in the world especially through sex trafficking. In the DMV area, it’s hard not to hear countless stories about kidnappings and not be affected. In doing my part, let’s start a dialogue and not stop until those that do this is persecuted and everybody is safe.

Although there isn’t much footage of it in the video, I’m glad it’s there and when noticed, somebody may ask why the decision and I can give them this answer.

Fury Road

This took the biggest hit as far as time went in the video. Originally, the video was supposed to open on a red shipping container. It opens and smoke billows out of the container. The camera zooms in as my hand (showing the red x) comes out. This would lead to me crawling to The Goddess in the video.

We able to shoot the performance shots and it still came out dope but there will always be a “what if” in my head if I was able to shoot it the way I wanted to.

The Goddess

When I decided to shoot the “Run It” video, The Goddess was the first image I had in mind especially for the last part of the video.

The meaning behind The Goddess was taking the one of the most disrespected people on Earth and putting them on the pedestal they deserve. With the help of PatriceLIVE (plays The Goddess) and her team, I gave full creative control on the look. I felt that it wasn’t in my right and that it would artistically compromise the look and feel of a black goddess coming from a man.

What she decided to choose was amazing and easily allowed to incorporate the other aspects of the video.

I fell in love with the Renaissance era back in high school during AP European History. I mostly fell in love with the art of that time so it’s never too far from my mind and Run It seemed like a good time to use it as inspiration.

In the last few seconds of the video, you’ll my character laying across The Goddess in a similar fashion of the Renaissance sculptures Michelangelo’s Pieta. I wanted to use this image to evoke that at the end of the day it's always the woman that looks over us men and the ones that have to heal our wounds even when we can't reciprocate the same thing to them.
Some may see this as beautiful but there is an unfortunate darkness to it. Due to them helping us, it leads them to having to dim their light for us. Take away their power to empower us. It’s unfortunate and shouldn’t be this way. This one of the main reasons why she is seen as otherworldly huge while I’m just a little man compare to her. She doesn’t need me, and she is slightly amused when she encounters me, but she takes me in to make me big again.

The kicker is, I should have already been big before I met her.

Conclusion

I would like to thank everyone that gave time to read this and gave time to watch this video. Your time, likes, and comments go along way for getting the video and I appreciate you.

Art only goes as far as the viewer wants it to go so, I’m in debt to you.

Love

&

Have a good day and a greater tomorrow!