Reel Dealer
Marcos Siega
Words: Sandy Hunter
Having recently consolidated his affairs at international commercial and music video production house Hungry Man, director Marcos Siega has made a name for himself as one of today's premier rock video directors. 33-year-old Siega's reel boasts scores of clips for the likes of Weezer. Cypress Hill, Jurassic 5, System Of A Down, Will I Am, The Crystal Method, Blink 182 and yes, Anthrax. He's also directed lots of TV commercials and programs, including episodes of Fastlane, Oliver Beene and his own creation, VH1's Rock The House. While driving to a meeting for his latest video (for Liz Phair), Siega got caught in traffic and therefore had a few minutes to chat with Res.com.
Res: So what's your focus these days?
Siega: I have been trying to focus more on commercials and TV shows. Music videos have not taken a back seat, but I have been doing less of them. I want to be able to tell stories and work with actors. I love working with bands and videos give me liberties I don't get in other mediums, but to work on my craft I have to tell stories and there is only so much story I can tell Videos flex other muscles, visuals, sight comedy but they don't require expositional dialog.
Res: But lots of your videos are narrative-based.
Siega: I am always leaning towards the narrative and then you get into the edit and they say we like this, BUT we need more singer or drummer or bass player, and then you find the narrative doesn't work how you intended it to work. I can't tell you how many times we have gold that doesn't make the video.
Res: But some of the magic usually makes it in, right?
Siega: I have a very simple formula I live by. When I was growing up and I would watch a music video it was always the Monday morning at school that you said 'hey did you see the video with the blank?' Puppets, sumos wrestlers or whatever, you have to give a video an anchor or hook, something that repeats and is remembered remembers, visuals hooks that people will walk away from remembering When I write at treatment I have what is memorable in mind, but sometimes that thing ends up on the cutting room floor because priorities change.
Res: Has issues like the recession and low profits at labels affected the video scene?
Siega: I think videos are safer now. I am lucky because although people consider me a big music video director I don't do huge music videos. I don't think I've ever done a $500 K video, it's always, how can we be clever with the very little resources we are given. In these lean times I am still working the way I've always worked. Come up with an interesting way of showing and keeping the focus on the band without having to blow something up or use too many effects. I do feel the pinch of the timeline now; people aren't willing to take chances. If something in the treatment strikes them as odd or risky they will lean towards the safer choice. Some commissioners understand when you have to take chances, they have a vision. Other's don't. But I don't judge people, they want to keep their jobs and you can't go around just blowing money.
Res: How did you get into directing?
Siega: Since I was 8 years old I wanted to direct, I've always been that guy. I was in a band for a while, I did other things, but always came back to it. In 1996, I did a spec video for CIV's "Can't Wait One Minute More" that launched me. It got them signed to Atlantic and got on MTV. I got signed to a company called Woo Art where I was in good company; they also represented Charles Stone III (famous for the Budweiser "Whassup" campaign) and Mark Pellington.
Res: What's your favorite music video?
Siega: I love Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet' and Lucas' "Lucas With the Lid Off." I've always been drawn to concept driven videos. When I started directing I tried to emulate them because inherently, I wanted to tell stories.
Res: Of your own work, what's your favorite piece?
Siega: The Papa Roach "Broken Home" video. It was very personal to me. I sat down with the singer of the band who said the song is about my dad and me. Now, my dad never abused me, but I had a strained relationship with him after he and my mom got divorced. I wrote the concept about a kid who grows up and was abused, which is not based on the singer?s life, or me but it captured what it was like to grow up in a broken home. I decided to tell the story through still pictures as opposed to moving image a device I think worked. The visuals were able to cut through the nonsense of it being a music video. When you tell a story in a music video, there's always the potential for it to be corny since you don't have the luxury of exposition and sometimes you have to visually over explain things with pantomiming or acting that can be too broad.
Res: Who is your favorite band?
Siega: My favorite band is Weezer and I've been fortunate that I've worked with them a lot (on videos for "Keep Fishin'," "Dope Nose," Hash Pipe"). Another band I like is called Roony, they are on Geffen. Let's just say I am a fan of guitar driven rock. I grew up with AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, and then as more indie rock started infiltrating, the Lemonheads, Bob Mould and Sugar, Husker Du, The Ramones. I am a guitar, bass, drums and singer guy. As I get older I am leaning more towards melodic music, like Phantom Planet, Ben Lee and Ben Kweller.
Res: It's nice you've gotten to work with Weezer so much.
Siega: I really admire Rivers Cuomo. At the fear of sounding like I am blowing smoke up his ass, I think he's a genius. I find him interesting and a fascinating guy to talk to. We are both huge soccer fans so I am trying to get him to come down and play on my team.
Res: Do you ever get star struck?
Siega: I don't but I did when I worked with the Muppets [on the Weezer "Keep Fishin'] video. I came up with the idea years ago and had pitched it to Blink 182, Ozzy and even Weezer for "Hash Pipe." It was never the right song or attitude. Then "Keep Fishin'" came down and Rivers said I think that could work. Everyone knew it would work despite the fear it might be too kitschy.
Res: What can you tell us about the new Liz Phair track?
Siega: It's a good poppy rock song, I listened to the whole album and I love it. I think she needs to be recognized. I have nothing against the Avril Lavignes of the world, there is a place for that. But sometimes I feel like the singer/songwriters I grew up with don't seem as prefabricated."
Res: You're from NYC; how do you find life in LA?
Siega: I moved out here from Queens four years ago. I'm here with my wife and the lifestyle is good. I enjoy what I do and because I do what I do, LA is a perfect place to be. But I have no social life. The lifestyle of the director appears glamorous but I spend a lot of time writing, researching and thinking about how to make something different because everything has been done.
Res: So has everything really already been done?
Siega: I think there are new ideas inspired by something that has already been done. I have yet to see something where I go wow, I have never seen that before. You can always go back and trace it somewhere. While technology is moving forward and there is always something new happening there, it is usually inspired by something else. Truly conceptually, how many places can you think of to show a band playing that you could shoot for a reasonable amount of money. I don't know that you could fine a place that would never be shot. A band I am going to be working with wanted to be shot performing in a room where the walls are all covered with graffiti. I asked them, how many times have we seen this? But their drummer is a graffiti artist so I was left racking my brain. Eventually, I thought of getting these enormous pieces of Plexiglas with graffiti painted on them, shooting them in a black abyss, and lighting from behind through the Plexi and the graf glows. It's all about figuring out how to shoot something differently, which requires extensive experimenting, and testing. I want to say with conviction that I am going to be able to do what I say I can do.
