@PopLovah:
What was Britney's vision for the video? Were any of the ideas her's?
Working
with Britney on a video is a very collaborative process, she let me know right
from the start that she was interested in creating great backdrops that will
feature the dancing and she also wanted elements of the video to take place in
a desert setting and give a slight nod to her upcoming Vegas residency. I used
this as a foundation for my initial treatment/concept and presented Britney
with a variety of ideas some of which she really liked and some she wanted to
modify, after a few creative back and forth rounds we were both happy with the
direction and overall vibe of the video and we got straight to work preparing
for the shoot.
@RoarAshley:
During the shooting of the video, were there any bloopers? If so, what
happened?
For me most
video shoots are highly stressful simply because there is never enough time to
film all of my ideas so the last thing I am looking forward to are 'bloopers'
unlike on a movie or a television show 'bloopers' on video shoots are never
that funny.....that being said every shoot has unexpected moments that you just
can't control or predict. One that comes to mind was how hard it was for us to
get Britney's flowing white fabric when she was on top of the inverted pyramid
in the desert to open up and catch the wind like it did, we got it to work in
the end but in hindsight it shouldn't have been that hard. Even though the
scene only lasts a few seconds in the video it had to look dramatic.
@sunny961:
What was Britney's favorite outfit?
Well that's
obviously a question for Britney but if I had to guess I think she really loved
the gold metallic two piece that she wore against the white wall with the
dancers as well as when she was lit up by the Lamborghini lights in same outfit
with the added 'capelet', I think that's what (Stylist) B Akerlund called it? .
Pretty sure she also loved the Yellow bustier and pants outfit during the Vegas
Penthouse dance sequence.
@BritsHotBitches:
What does the song mean to you?
Very
simply: If you want to achieve anything great in life you better be prepared to
work very hard...... 'bitches'
@Britmille64:
What do the exploding mannequins represent?
I always
hate to give an exact literal meaning to some things as I do believe that
images can have multiple meanings and they would all be correct. That being
said I'm horrible at keeping my opinion to myself so for me the mannequins can
represent Fake Plastic People that are just 'blindly' following the herd and
whichever trend is hot at the moment. The opposite of free thinking
individuals. Which is why they were all identical and also why the were all
'blinfolded'
@britneyftkesha:
What was Britney's favorite scene?
Again a great question to ask Britney but my guess is her favorite set-ups were the interior dancing sequence in the Vegas Penthouse (with the yellow top) because of the energy of the whole scene and the scene where she was just up against the white wall and lit by the
headlights
of the Lamborghini. As simple as this set up was she thought it had a hard edge
to it and she loved the look of it. (and I couldn't agree more)
@danew26:
What do the sharks represent? (Some say it's a connection to the
media/paparazzi.) Who came up with the idea? I like dolphins better.
Same as
with the 'What do the Mannequins mean' question The sharks can have multiple
meanings and they would all be correct. But before I answer that question it's
worth mentioning that my goal with the entire video was to match the fierceness
and attitude of the song itself and that meant that Britney had to look as
Iconic and badass as she's ever been. And what's more badass than standing in
the middle of a pool with Sharks circling around you? It was an image that I
got excited to try and create because it was just so over the top badassness.
While the
Sharks can indeed symbolize all the negative people trying to get a piece of
Britney they can also have a more positive meaning that Britney is
'untouchable' like a precious diamond and they are protecting her. If you want
to touch Britney you have to cross a pool full of sharks! And yes the sharks
were definitely my idea.
@Doctor_Ignatius:
Is there anything you wish you could have done for the video that you couldn't?
There is
always more that I wish to do. I always have more ideas than time to film them.
That being said I can't complain as Britney was a super trooper and busted her
ass for 3 long days and I couldn't be happier with the finished result.
@AndresBrit:
Why do you include explosions in every video you make?
I DON'T
always have explosions in every video I make thank you very much....... just
the ones with Britney ;).... Scream & Shout and now 'Work Bitch' ?...And
now in defense of explosions, I am a fan of Photosonics filming (Extremely slow
motion camera work 1000 frames per second and above) and shit just looks cool
when it explodes and especially when its in slow motion. Also explosions can
work as a visual exclamation mark for climactic parts of a song and really amps
up the energy of the track when shown at the right moment.
@PieceofBritney:
What was the thought behind having Britney randomly whip a woman?
Britney
does not 'randomly' whip anyone. We wanted a fierce way of communicating the
idea of Britney telling someone to get to 'Work Bitch' and wagging her finger
at them was not as cool.
@Rnatoarce:
What does the woman with the blue glowing eye mean?
Nothing it
just looked cool, When watching back the footage of the actress flying
backwards at extremely slow motion this composition randomly happened and I
really liked how it looked...and by accentuating the color of her eye you more
easily notice that it closes.
@carlosuleon:
Are there any hidden messages in the video besides the Vegas residency?
I don't
think the Vegas Residency was any 'hidden message' as it was an intentional
running theme throughout the video. Something maybe more hidden is the License
Plate of the Lamborghini which reads BB72. The BB is of course Britney Bitch
and the 72 is my birth year (i'm old...ish), couldn't resist.
@GodneySpearit_:
Will you do any more Britney videos? You're amazing!
It would be
an honor and a pleasure to work with Britney again...I hope she feels the same
way?
@leogmz:
What does the upside-down triangle in the desert represent?
I wanted a
scene that was larger than life, and that really made Britney look super heroic
and Iconic. and myself and my Production Designer Charles and I came up with
the idea of building this surreal pedestal for Britney to stand on. I loved how
it looked physically impossible for a pyramid to balance upside down on it's
tip and it also made a great and dramatic platform for Brit to stand on. Her
stance and action resembled the action of riding a mighty chariot while holding
the reins. One of the funnest things about Directing such videos is you get to
dream up fantastic imagery such as this that at the end of the day just has to
compliment and enhance the energy of the song and hopefully stick in the
viewers mind long after they finished watching..
The Entire
Britney Army: Will a director's cut (or dance version) of the video be
released? If so, when?
To be
honest I was never aware that Britney Videos sometimes have different versions?
Britney and I worked very hard to make this version as perfect as we could get
it and we are very proud with the results. It was never filmed with the
intention that an all dance version might be possible, The dance sequences were
choreographed to the specific parts of the song in which you see them happen in
the video and not for the complete 4min so cutting it different might not make
sense.
Maybe when
the video gets 200 million views Britney will ask me to re cut it who knows? in
the meantime I really hope that the fans enjoy the video as it is and realize
the tremendous hard work that Britney and I put into making it just the way it
is.
Worst case
I will go to Britney's concert at Planet Hollywood, film her dancing for 2 full
hours!! and post it online for all the fans! (i'm sure I wont be the only one)
Source: britneyspears.com
