By Brian Han

Joe Hahn, DJ for Grammy Award-winning band Linkin Park, is making his feature-length directorial debut with his latest film adaptation of the Eric Bogosian novel “Mall” — a melancholy commentary on American suburbia that follows five very different characters on a fateful day.

“I tend to be drawn to the darkness,” Hahn said with a slight laugh. “The story makes a statement on society, but I’m definitely not preaching through it. I hope that it will spark discussion and at that point I’ll have done my job.”

Despite his music pedigree, Hahn is no stranger to creative expression through visual mediums. He has directed dozens of music videos over the past 15 years — many of them for singles off of Linkin Park’s several multi-platinum selling albums — but admits that working in the feature format is a unique challenge in and of itself.

“For a full-length, you have to plan all your moves and coordinate them to achieve your vision,” Hahn said. ”Film is one of the ultimate entertainment experiences. I can express emotions through drama, use visual effects to enhance the narrative and use music to further reinforce the soulfulness of what’s going on.”

In a feature, the film score traditionally plays the role of subconsciously urging audiences towards a particular feeling or atmosphere. Hahn took this opportunity to adapt his skills to unfamiliar territory.

He wrote new material while also elaborating on existing musical ideas with bandmates Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda and Dave Farrell in addition to Alec Puro, the drummer for industrial rock band Deadsy.

“The experience was very different, it was like a puzzle to be figured out,” Hahn said. “Different songs spoke to different characters. There are moments when the music really stands out, but it’s always to move the story forward.”

Mike Shinoda, co-lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for Linkin Park, expanded upon the method upon which they composed the score.

“The process on this was unique in the sense that Joe showed us demos and asked us to help him finish some of it up,” Shinoda said. “Alec [Puro] was an asset to us. He did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to adapting the music to fit the format.”

The aesthetic approach was quite different from what some of the musicians involved were used to as well.

“These were raw, almost stream of consciousness products. We didn’t overthink them… It was nothing like I’ve ever done,” Shinoda said.

As for the visual components of the film, the special effects add a unique modern touch by artfully employing digital noise and artifacts, a quality that is typically avoided at all costs by traditionalist standards.

“My work definitely has a style, but I don’t strive to necessarily be unique. I’m more concerned with using styles that support the story,” Hahn said. “Whether it’s music or film, I don’t want to feel like I’m stuck in a container so it’s important to explore different possibilities.”

Although Hahn is still busy promoting “Mall” and touring around the world with Linkin Park, he has his sights set on pursuing this avenue further.

“I’d love to do more feature films. I just want to create whether it’s more films, music videos or commercials. Each experience helps me grow as an artist and a technician. I just take it day by day,” he said.

“Mall” makes its North American debut on Oct. 17 at select theaters. Along with co-writing the screenplay adaptation and co-producing the film, Vincent D’Onofrio also co-stars in the film with Hollywood up-and-comers Cameron Monaghan and James Frecheville.