An Interview With Jake Davis - The Director of Taylor Hicks' New Music Video

Taylor's Angels had the pleasure interviewing Jake Davis,the director of Taylor Hicks' new music video for his single, "What's Right Is Right". This young director is incredibly talented and extremely accomplished.

TA: You are an incredibly talented person. Do your talents extend to art and/or playing musical instruments?

Jake: Thank you so much. I don't play any instruments but I have a great appreciation for all musicians. I also have a great respect for the arts and consider filmmaking in a lot of ways a craft, as well as an artform. So in that regard I consider myself an artist. I guess it depends what day you ask me.

TA: A lot of people view "film" as a hobby since they are not able to make a career out of it. What are your hobbies?

Jake: I really enjoy tennis, photography, and fashion.

TA: How important is it for you to "know" and understand your subjects? What kind of research do you do before beginning a new project?

Jake: Research is an essential part of my creative process. I think the better you understand an artist the better the music video is going to be. Before starting a video the most important part of creating is absorbing yourself in the music. And for me I always get a feeling from the music and start from there.

TA: How did your association with Taylor come about?

Jake: An amazing music video commissioner, Melinda Kelly, who actually got me my first music video sent my awesome rep and executive producer, Kerri Kleiner, "What's Right Is Right" and really wanted me to direct the video. They scheduled a phone date for me and Taylor to talk about the song and the creative vision of the music.

TA: Tell us about the creative process that goes into making a video. Who came up with the idea for this video?

Jake: After listening to the record a ton of times I got a few key iconic visual images in my head. I ran those by Taylor and he told me emotionally where he was coming from with the song. Also lyrically what the song meant to him. We brainstormed some important narrative elements that made sense for both of us. With this video it was a really great collaboration artist to artist.





TA: Compare Taylor with other artists with whom you have worked.

Jake: Working with Taylor was awesome. He put a lot of trust in me and was committed to the video 110%. We talked constantly through out the process and I think it really shows in the video. We were going to make a great video no matter what... Nothing was going to stop us.



TA: Since this is Taylor’s first video, was there any particular advice you offered him?

Jake: Taylor is a natural in front of the camera and has performed forever so on that level there isn't much direction he needed. I made it a point of always keeping him informed of what the scene was about emotionally and he was really amazing at evoking the emotion of the song.

TA: Can you share some stories about the making of the video that the fans would enjoy?

Jake: Something that really impressed me with Taylor was we were coming to the end of the shoot. About hour eighteen of the day and Taylor wasn't satisfied with a take. And I was pretty sure we got the shot but Taylor wanted to do another. Now we were shooting through a blizzard in Chicago with temperatures in the single digits and this was the middle of the night. Now a lot of artists and actors would have stopped shooting and gone back to their trailer to drink some hot cocoa. But Taylor wanted another take and that kind of dedication I really respect from my talent and it ultimately shows in the video.

TA: What are your goals for the field?

Jake: I'd love to make films till the day I can't make films anymore and enjoy the experience with as many amazing people as I can.

TA: What future work will we be seeing from you?

Jake: I just wrapped on a commercial shoot for skate/streetwear brand Supreme. Those spots will be coming out in March. We're lining up more music videos for the coming months and growing the Kleiner Inc. production company. I'm finishing up my short film, Coolhunter, which will lead me into feature films. I also run a style blog where I throw in some of my film work as well. You can keep up with the kid at: http://jakedavis.typepad.com

Jake: Thanks so much for the love and support! I hope you enjoy the video!!! I really have to say the fans have been behind us 110% and that means a lot. So thanks again!!!

Important links:

http://www.kleinerinc.com
http://www.jakedavisfilms.com

Taylor's Angels would like to thank Jake for taking time from his busy schedule to answer these questions. We wish Jake much continued success!

For more questions and answers with Jake Davis visit:
The Taylor Hicks Community !

Watch for the world premiere of Taylor Hicks' music video "What's Right Is Right", on Yahoo Video February 17!


Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, Taylor's Angels