This week I took a break from graphic designers and reached out to film maker/director Max Moore. I had first got in touch with Max a few years back to shoot and direct a video for my band Old Wounds. Since then we’ve stayed in contact, so I figured I would get Max on board for an interview sooner then later. Max has done videos for the likes of CONVERGE, COLISEUM, TOUCHE AMORE, HARMS WAY, and a bunch more. Here’s what the Louisville based film maker had to say about film making and the music surrounding it.
Q: When did you decide that you were interested in film?
I’ve been making videos since I was an eight-year-old kid, but I wouldn’t really say that my undisputable interest in professional filmmaking kicked in until I decided to go to Western Kentucky University for a degree in Film Studies. Though I know going to school for art in general obviously isn’t needed to be successful, for me, it helped me stay focused and devoted to learning as much as I could about the craft. I’ve learned a lot in school and after recently graduating in May I feel confident I can continue climbing upward toward my goal of being a successful filmmaker.
Q: Recently you’ve been working with Deathwish creating a lot of visuals in the form of film. How did this come about? How does it feel to work with such a well respected label within the hardcore and punk realm?
I love Deathwish. They are cool dudes, sign bands I like, and put out really awesome records. I’m so thankful to get to work with them on a consistent basis. As far as getting to that point, it just came about pretty naturally. Some of my good friends started a band called WHIPS / CHAINS that put out a record out on Deathwish and I directed a music video for them. From there I got introduced, shot a video for Converge, and just started keeping in touch and talking about new releases they wanted videos for. I hope to keep making cool videos for them.
Q: The video you did for Harms Way is definitely my favorite you’ve done to date. Care to give us any insight on how you put that video together?
The Harm’s Way video was a really fun video for me to make. Darker imagery and more obscure visuals have always been more visually interesting and inspiring to me in general. So coming up with the B roll and narrative portion of the Harm’s Way video was awesome and a lot of fun. The hardest part of shooting that video though was definitely the band performance shots. Not only were we in the middle of the hot woods with the cops apparently looking for us while we raced to get the shots, but we were also playing the song for playback on a PA running off a finicky generator that kept kicking on and off. On top of all that, the band had to play along to the song that was slowed down more than half as slow as the original track, so that during edited I could proportionally speed back up the footage to sync with the original song. That gave the footage a weird but interesting sped up look. It was all pretty hectic at first but we made it work and ended up having a lot of fun at the same time.
HARM’S WAY “Mind Control” from Max Moore on Vimeo.
Q: How was it shooting a video for Converge? There’s no live shots in the video, so I’m assuming they gave you an idea and told you to run with it?
Directing a video for Converge was a great experience. Compared to most videos I direct today, there was actually very little direction with almost no contact with their label Epitaph about the concept and production of the video. So basically, after talking with Jacob Bannon about general themes and a few reference images, I kind of just went for it. Working with the band exclusively, not being required to write an official treatment, or get anything approved through a label was a serious luxury. In that way, the video kind of directed and morphed naturally into what it ended up being.
Q: When you were beginning to get into film, did you have your eyes set on filming music videos, or was it just the love of music that brought the 2 art forms together?
I never really exclusively planned on becoming a music video director. A few years ago I toured a good amount with my best friends and twin brother in Xerxes on No Sleep Records. I started off doing some videos for them, their friends, and label mates at the time, Code Orange Kids. From there, various other bands started contacting me about shooting videos and it ended up being something that I actually really enjoyed.
Q: One thing that I really respect about your work is that most of the videos have more then just a “live” aspect and follow a story line. How do you usually begin to brainstorm a concept for a video? Do you work with the bands, or do they usually give you free reign?
Working with every band is different but there is no doubt that coming up with concepts consistently for videos is the hardest and most draining part of being a music video director. If I had a dollar for every treatment I’ve written for videos that ended up not getting approved, I would be a rich man. That’s the nature of the business though. The key for me is the never give up, keep writing, keep shooting, and never stop networking and working with bands that inspire me.
Q: What is your favorite film that you’ve done to date?
I’ve said it before but my latest video will always be my favorite video, in theory at least. No matter who the artist or band is, I have something inside me that pushes me to make a better video each new project I take on. It’s almost an obsession I guess. How can I make this the best or coolest video I can?
Q: With most of the bands you work with there is a strong Louisville connection. I know you’re from Louisville, but how did you begin shooting bands like Coliseum and Xerxes?
For the longest time my identical twin brother played guitar in Xerxes and my best and good friends also in Xerxes and Coliseum. They are both great bands that I naturally started working with due to them being just good people that I surrounded myself with.
Q: You’ve worked on short films such as “Gorgeous” and “The Red Box”. Do you aspire to keep working on films of that nature, to eventually move onto feature length films?
Beyond directing and shooting music videos, one of my true loves is narrative filmmaking. I love telling stories. I hope within the next few years to have the opportunity to director or shoot a feature film, definitely one of main goals.
GORGEOUS from Max Moore on Vimeo.
The Red Box from Max Moore on Vimeo.
Q: When it comes to things like location scouting, building props, getting actors, etc etc is that something you do as well or do you have a crew that helps you with that aspect?
Filmmaking is NOT a one-man show. It’s about effectively communicating and working with others creatively to make a final product come together. Unfortunately, most of what I do is a one-man show. Running a young production company myself, I don’t always have the funds to hire on extra crewmembers as normally expected when shooting the types of videos I do. Nine times out of ten I write, produce, director, shoot, and edit every video myself, which is a huge amount of work. Just producing a video alone (contracting the project, working with the label and band, doing paperwork, working with budgets, finding actors, scheduling shoots, finding props, locations, etc., etc,) is something that would ideally be split up among a few crewmembers. Making these videos myself is a true expression of my DIY spirit and hard work ethic.
Q: Who would you say your biggest influences are?
I love films from directors like Harmony Korine, PT Anderson, the Coen brothers, Lars Von Trier. As far as music videos go, I’m all over the map. I’m constantly watching all types of music videos from different bands, artists, and genres.
Q: Do you have anything coming out soon that we should look out for?
I recently directed a new video for Into It. Over It. that should be out very soon. I’m really stoked on it so keep an eye out.
You can keep up with Max and his work here: http://maxmoorefilms.com/maxmoorefilms.html
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