Alexandros Maragos:

• So Jeremy, you're directing some of the highest profile artists in the industry like R.Kelly, Snoop Dogg & Jay-Z to name a few. What's your camera of choice for their music videos and why?

Jeremy Rall:

Until a few years ago, I was shooting most of my work on 35mm. My first job digitally was with the RED. I shot T-Pain’s “Reverse Cowgirl” with the PHANTOM, utilizing it for performance and the visuals. I wanted to create a dreamlike state in super-slow-motion. Much of it was shot at 1600fps. The performance was even shot at 48fps. More recently I’ve been shooting with the RED MX. The latitude and range that the Mysterium X chip delivers is phenomenal.

• You shot R.Kelly's new music video "Radio Message" on 5D & 7D. Why you decided to go with HDSLRs instead of other cameras? How many of your music videos have you shot on HDSLRs?

I have been shooting Canon’s forever. My still photography package now is 5D, I have been a big fan of that camera since it’s inception. Since the 5D mark ii came out I was in awe at its video capabilities. I need to upgrade, it’s just that my 5D is a workhorse and shoots like a champ. Before the R. Kelly video, I shot a friends art installation on the 5D. It was pretty simple, looked great. R. Kelly’s "Radio Message" was the first music video I shot with the 5D and 7D.

I knew I wanted to really take the 5D mark ii through the paces and shoot a job on it. “Radio Message” had its challenges – multiple locations, interiors, exteriors, driving shots, cityscapes, etc. I wanted to be able to move fast from set-up to set-up, have multi-camera coverage on performance / narrative elements, all on a limited budget.

I had a conversation with my DP COLIN WATKINSON about shooting on the 5D and 7D, he had just finished shooting a Mercedes spot with them and we hammered out logistics. What sold me was our conversation at the driving shots and how we could mount 4 cameras on the car, drive our route. Stop and re-mount with ease. We were able to capture the driving sequences with incredible coverage in a short period of time.