ROMAN DOES WHAT?

I’ve been attending a lot of fake funerals in the last couple of months, but I’m happy to report they come complete with actors and no actual bodies . . . which is a good thing! It’s a bit strange at times, but completely worth it when you get to work with artists like Billy Ray Cyrus!

We recently completed the video for his first single (Somebody Said A Prayer) off his brand new album! The video follows the story of a close family dealing with the pain of losing their father/husband. Instead of leaning on one another, they seemingly drift into despair one by one, the youngest son watching as they all fall apart. It’s very heart-breaking as we witness them teetering on the edge of very dark places. I really wanted this piece to have an almost foreboding quality to it, using stark lighting with a lot of long, deep shadows so the piece was literally shrouded in sadness. It worked out perfectly, and I’m so excited with the final piece!

The entire video was shot in L.A. at one location, owned by the fantastic (and very welcoming) Ms. Ruth, and her home could not have been more perfect. Although there was a lot of stellar art direction, Ms. Ruth’s home was already perfect for our video, and I loved hearing stories and seeing photos from her own life. It sounds crazy, but the house and everything about it just FELT completely right, and I think Billy Ray got the same vibe.

Produced by the incredible PJ Sodaski and shot by the amazingly talented Norman Bonney, this video turned out GREAT and the entire crew worked CRAZY hard to bring it all together. I also want to throw a BIG shout out to the actors in this piece . . . AWESOME!!! I really appreciate all the hard work! Thanks again!

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After A LOT of work, the new video for Carrie’s latest single is complete, and I think this is definitely one of my favorites. I was TRULY amazed by everything we pulled off in this piece and even more impressed with Carrie’s acting skills. The only draw back to making such an intense video is not being able to crack jokes with her all day and that’s much harder than it sounds. I had to bring out sad, droopy Roman and he’s not as much fun, but he got the job done and was able to keep Carrie in her sad place. She really did do an INCREDIBLE job, and I am happy to report that there were no fake tears or onions used in the making of this video. It’s all Carrie!

We shot the piece just south of Columbia, Tennessee during an incredibly hot day filled with bugs and tons of cornfields. We did have to shut down for about three hours when a storm rolled through, complete with lightning and thunder. It put us a little behind, but we got everything we needed! The crew, as always, was incredible and Ruby Guidara once again worked art directing magic, but there were other magicians on hand, including good friends Norman Bonney, Randy Brewer and the entire Revolution Crew. It was a long shoot day, but I think it was well worth it and I appreciate everybody that worked so hard to make it happen.

Look for it here soon and even sooner on CMT and GAC!

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There are certain moments in life when you open your eyes and can’t believe you’re working with a particular artist, and I’ve been fortunate enough to find myself in that situation more than once. Having the opportunity to work with Reba a second time was definitely one of these moments and it helps, of course, that she’s so incredibly cool!

We shot this piece at Griffith Park in LA over two BEAUTIFUL days at a playground named “Shane’s Inspiration.” It was the perfect location and we got some gorgeous footage. Also on board were two of the stars from Reba’s television show . . . Joanna Garcia and Steve Howey. They were both incredible actors and great to work with even though they were playing very different characters than the ones they played on REBA. As you can see from the photo below, Joanna and I had a little disagreement on my directing style, but after the crew pulled us apart everything went smoothly after that. What can I say? Sometimes you just have to slap the actors around a little. Hehe.

The crew in LA was awesome as always and I love all of PJ and Deebo’s gang and appreciate all their hard work. I honestly can’t wait to do it again and hope people love the video because I think it turned out great. It’s different and very powerful.

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The picture above was enough to earn me god status with both my nieces, but it also shows what a sweaty director looks like after a long shoot. Both were well worth the new commercial I shot for WalMart and the Disney Channel for Miley’s new Hannah Montana film to be released on DVD next month. The shoot was great and we had a lot of fun, including some dry ice bombs at the end of the day. I also learned tons of new teen slang and found my inner coolness from hanging with Miley all day. It was a lot of fun and Miley was extremely professional! I was really impressed by how much she had it together, but I guess she’s used to it by now! Hehe.

So, if you see me walking around town in my dope new threads getting my jiggy on, feel free to mack it up with me on the downlow. Did that sound right??? WORD!

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I’d never met Craig until we shot this video, but I’ve wanted to work with him for a while now. After seeing he and Blake Shelton going at it online, I figured I’d enjoy working with him. If you haven’t seen any of their online war you should definitely check it out. There’s some funny stuff there, especially all the hair jabs. Hehe. I was pretty sure I’d have a blast with Craig since I’m a big Blake fan and I wasn’t wrong at all. He’s a riot and we had MORE than a good time shooting this video in downtown Nashville.

Much like my first video with Blake, there was rain and lots of water involved, but I didn’t soak Craig down. He had tons of water spraying up from the fountains around him so he came away pretty dry. The actors in the piece weren’t so lucky. They got the old rain treatment in a big way, but the final piece turned out great and I definitely hope we can get Craig and Blake together someday for like a collaboration, and I’ll dump water on both of them at the same time. Have fun and save some money. Hehe. Sounds like the perfect plan!

Check out Craig’s new video now playing on CMT and GAC and go out and buy this man’s new CD. He’s supremely talented and just cool as hell to work with . . . plus he has a family to support.

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What can I say about the master of music, Jeremy McComb? Spending the day with him in the middle of a cow-pattie-laden field wasn’t on my list of “things to do before I die,” but oddly it was awesome. I don’t even want to know how many I stepped in. Once the sun goes down you tend to stop looking for them because everything is, well, really dark, and a flashlight only goes so far. Hehe.

When I first heard this song, I wanted to work on the video BADLY because it’s just one of those songs that feels right. I mean it is called “This Town Needs A Bar.” What more needs to be said?

I had a great time working with Jeremy and love the organic flavor of the final piece, and I even bought the CD afterwards. I figured I’d help a brother out and all . . . plus, it’s damn good. He’s an amazing artist and a tad fun too. Maybe next time we can do like a whole Playboy mansion thing. It could happen . . . right??

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I’ve never been to Leroy, Alabama and can’t say I even knew it existed. That said, I now know a lot about this small, very inviting place that just happens to be the hometown of one Ashton Shepherd! The song, “Feels So Good,” is the second release off her incredible debut album and if you don’t have it already . . . GO GET IT! It’s really a killer CD, and I love it even more now that I’ve met the whole Ashton gang, including her husband Roland (who is like the King of Leroy) and the rest of her family. Roland cooked some of the BEST grilled shite I’ve ever had in my life . . . he will always be my hero!

It was really cool going to the place where it all began and seeing Ashton with all the people who have been there from the beginning. There was swimming, fishing, four-wheeling, swinging and tons of singing. Once again, I was amazed that I could have so much fun shooting a music video. In the end, I went to Leroy, Alabama and had a big time blast!!!

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Alex Woodard is not only a cool guy who lives on the beach with his dogs . . . playing music and surfing all day (not the dogs, Alex) . . . he’s also a great friend who is going to teach me how to live on the beach, own dogs, surf and play music . . . maybe. Alex honestly is a great guy who was even kind enough to make a small cameo appearance as a street performer in the ENCHANTED video I did with Carrie. Alex’s niece and nephew were also in the video (the two kids dancing with her on the street). But, we’re not here to talk about that video . . . we’re hear to talk about the fantabulous piece for Alex’s “Beautiful Now” song, which I directed on the sunny beaches of Malibu. Another hard directing gig for yours truly . . . hehe.

So hard, in fact, that I had to spend the day with former Ms. Universe Dayanara Torres, who I just fell in love with. I’m sure we’ll be married by the end of the year. She may not know it yet, but it’s so going to happen. Hehe. But, shes was just the tip of the iceberg. Among the cast were Cindy Margolis, Alison Sweeny, and many others. Like I said, a hard day for Mr. Director Man.

Alex’s new CD hits stores soon, so check it out! He’s a great guy and a close friend, and I want him to be able to keep making those expensive beach house payments. You want my surfing dreams to come true, right???

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I recently headed to VEGAS to shoot Carrie’s latest video for “Last Name,” which just so happens to be a prequel to “Before He Cheats.” We had a great time shooting this one, and I have to say it was one of the most challenging shoots ever. We were ripping Vegas up, heading from location to location while also dealing with a very unexpected WIND STORM. We began at the MGM Grand inside their casino and nightclub TABU. We then shot over to the strip for a few shots and then to Freemont Street and then finally made it to the Neon Sign Graveyard, which you should really check out if you’re ever in Vegas. I think it’s one of the cooler things I’ve seen there.

We shot until 5AM (AND WERE WAY TIRED) . . . just in time for Carrie to hop a plane to a concert, and I can’t even imagine how tired she was! I’ll say one thing about Carrie Underwood, she’s definitely a hard worker! We had our AMAZING crew back together for this one, including Randy Brewer and my favorite Spaniard Pedro Castro at the helm with me. Good times were had by all and even more money was lost in Sin City . . . with the exception of Randy because he always wins!

Hope you enjoy the piece. It comes complete with showgirls, Elvis, a wedding chapel and gambling! YAY!!!

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Ahhhhh, Chicago in the WINTER. There is nothing better, and I got to experience it all with one David Nail for his first music video (and one of my favorite songs of late) “I’m About To Come Alive.” Of course, I did fall and bust my arse on a sheet of ice the morning of the shoot, but other than that everything went well!

It was cold. We froze. We ate great Italian. There was snow. I could see my breath. Other than not having a sled on hand, it couldn’t have gone better and the final piece turned out great. Pedro Castro, whom I lovingly refer to as MY SPANIARD, was on hand as DP and the crew was simply awesome . . . which isn’t easy when it’s freakin’ freezing!

I also had a brief interlude in out hotel elevator with more than a few lovely ladies . . . I still think David and his manager Brian are still a little jealous, but you can ask them about that one. Hehe. All in all, it was a truly fantastic time, and I had a freakin’ blast with David and everybody involved!

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It looks like I now know enough American Idol peeps to start a really great game of “Red Rover Red Rover!” And who doesn’t love “Red Rover?” Come on!

I recently finished the music video for Phil Stacey’s “If You Didn’t Love Me” and even though I was crazy sick during the shoot, we had a great time and the video captures everything we were going for. Phil and his wife Chandra could not have been nicer and Chandra even made an appearance at the very end of the piece and I even learned a few very important things along the way. Number one . . . Nyquil is for nighttime and doesn’t make for a good daytime medicine unless you’re keen on walking around like a zombie all day. Hehe. I’d love to thank Sherri for this little tidbit of information (which really should have been obvious, but come on . . . I had a fever!) I also learned that The Drake is not “where the stars stay” anymore . . . just tourists that you want to desperately save as the sun goes down, but it IS an awesome place to shoot and they were incredibly helpful!

It was a great experience from beginning to end, shooting both at the Drake and at the infamous Ruby Guidara’s place in Watertown. As always, the entire crew worked, and I can’t wait to work with Phil again . . . but hope I’m not hopped up on Nyquil.

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I can’t believe we just finished up the seventh video with Carrie! It’s pretty freakin’ amazing and this one tops the cake. We had SOOOOO much fun shooting this piece and when people see the video they’ll understand why. We captured a whole new side of Carrie . . . well, several sides actually. The piece is dynamic, a LOT of fun and we just had a blast making it. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time, and I’m incredibly proud of the final piece.

Thanks to the crew who worked so hard (as always) and a special thanks to Ruby for her fantastic art direction! AND a very special BIG thanks to Melissa and Trish for the AMAZING wardrobe, hair and makeup. It was a crazy day for these lovely ladies, but they REALLY came through and I SO appreciate all the work they put into this. It wouldn’t have been possible without them!

I’ll pop the video up here in a few days, but until then check it out on CMT and GAC!

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I recently directed Alan Jackson’s new music video for his latest single “Small Town Southern Man.” It’s a true country song and the video has a great country edge with a little twist that takes us through three different generations, following the love story of a man and woman who meet and almost live their lives out at the same small dance where they first met.

It was a blast to work on and took a huge amount of actors and crew to pull it off, but the final piece fits the song perfectly. We took the picture above at the end of the shoot, showing all the talented peeps who brought this thing to life. Thanks to everybody that worked so hard on this music video. It was a fantastic shoot!

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When I was a kid, one of my biggest dreams was to someday work with Disney and now that dream has come true . . . and it wouldn’t have happened without Carrie! We just finished a new video for Disney’s new movie Enchanted, and it was tons of fun getting to play around with something so light and fun. It was also fantastic to see Carrie dancing around in the streets with a huge smile on her face and getting to play the princess. I’m not sure which one of us had more fun, but she totally slammed CUTE in this video . . . and that’s a good thing.

The piece also has some phenomenal animation in it from both the film and new footage of “animated Carrie” which bookends the live-action portion of the video. It was an honor working with some legendary animators such as James Baxter and Chris Sonnenburg. These guys were INCREDIBLE and, as always, everybody that worked with us on this piece went above and beyond. Check out the piece on the Disney Channel and look out for Enchanted soon in a theater near you. It’s a great movie and Carrie’s song is truly magical in it!

When I was sitting at home, many many years ago . . . watching the first season of American Idol . . . I never imagined I’d one day get to direct one of Kelly’s videos. Not only did I get to direct one, but I had a freakin’ blast at the same time . . . and as an added bonus the video turned out really cool! We shot the entire piece here in Nashville and used a combination of killer art direction (thanks Ruby Guidara) with a lot of green screen and special effects to achieve our rock and roll fantasy vibe.

The video for Kelly’s “Don’t Waste Your Time” has just been released overseas, but you can check it out here before it hits the states. Like I said, I had a GREAT time making this video and loved working with Kelly!

I love it when I get the opportunity to do something a bit different and get even more excited when I get a chance to do something WAAAAY different. That’s where this video comes in, the entire piece consisting of only four pieces of video. It isn’t cut up like a normal piece, but instead tells a story with very long takes of slow motion video. Now, that said, this is never easy for the artist because they have to sing the song twice as fast, but Mat NAILED the sucker every time and we both fell in love with Q’orianka Kilcher. You may recognize her from the movie “The New World.” She is an amazing actress and we were so lucky to have her in the piece, and I can’t wait to work with her again!

This video is both surreal and powerful and will be airing during the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. It doesn’t get much cooler than that and to top even that, the song is freakin’ amazing and Mat’s pretty rad as well! So, look for it on TV in the coming weeks or click on the image above to watch it here.

It’s no secret that I love music and when I got the opportunity to write on Brandi Carlile’s new single I fell in love as soon as I heard it. Brandi’s music is simply incredible and if you don’t already have her CD, rush out and get it as fast as possible. She’s a true songwriter and when you hear her voice you will see what I’m talking about.

“Turpentine” is a song off her album that I absolutely love and working with Brandi on the video totally ROCKED! We had a great time and the entire team pulled off a piece that is visually stunning as well as emotional. Ruby Guidara KILLED the art direction and Norman captured some incredible footage (AS ALWAYS). Of course there was also the lovely Tameron Hedge who wrangled everything in record time and the entire crew worked crazy hard.

I love this video and hope you guys will run out and grab Brandi’s CD . . . trust me, you will not be sorry!

The video for Carrie’s new single (off her new album!!) is finished! She’s never looked more beautiful and the song is simply amazing. I can’t wait until the video hits the tube next week. It’s pretty dramatic and captures the message of the song with an interesting storyline and some super cool visuals. As always, we had a great shoot in the middle of a closed interstate here in Tennessee. We used some huge balloon lights and shot all evening. I was even told by some of the officers and firemen onset that people were calling in UFO sightings as we were shooting! I thought that was especially funny, but I guess people driving down a desolate piece of highway with white glowing blobs hovering in the sky would freak some people out a bit. Hehe.

So for all of you who called in and thought we were being invaded, FEAR NOT, we were merely shooting a killer video for the incredible Ms. Underwood! Look for it on CMT and GAC soon!

I think the title of this post says it all and it's amazing to be honored again with a CMA nomination for Video of the Year! Carrie, of course, has several nominations in addition to this one and I could not be happier for her. It's been another incredible year and I am extremely thankful. Cross your fingers for November!!!

Every now and then a song comes along that allows you to create a music video that is just SHEER fun for fun’s sake and that’s what this video was for me. It was the opportunity to do something completely crazy and different that was definitely an homage to one of my favorite films, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The best part, Johnny and Donnie were completely on board and we had a lot of fun playing around in a world during prohibition with some special “Van Zant Elixir.” The cast for this piece was amazing and they really got into their roles, enduring one of the hottest days ever. It was a blazing one hundred and five degrees and I was sweating like mad in my t-shirt and shorts. I can only imagine how hot the cast was in their period clothes. Needless to say, I REALLY appreciate them (including Van Zant) braving the heat and the bugs to create one of my favorite videos to date.

It’s a hell of a good time . . . so check it out on CMT and GAC or view the quicktime here!