Students convened at Rice University Feb. 20 for what organizers called a rare chance to hear and learn directly from one of the most influential music video directors of the last quarter century.
Hosted by the Rice Cinema Club, the evening featured a workshop and Q&A with director Joseph Kahn, who has worked with various artists such as Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Eminem, Backstreet Boys, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga and more.
Club president Steven Burgess opened the event by encouraging students to take full advantage of Kahn’s visit.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really get to know somebody who’s behind some of the most iconic, most memorable music videos of the last 25 years,” Burgess said. “Not only are you going to be able to ask our guest questions, but then you’ll be able to make your own stuff.”
For Kahn, the trip was also a homecoming.
“I started here in Houston. I grew up here,” Kahn told students, recalling how watching MTV opened his eyes to a wider creative world. “It showed me a world bigger than my backyard.”
Though he attended film school, Kahn joked that he “basically stole” his education by sitting in every class he could, learning by doing and figuring out how to make his work stand out.
“I realized filmmaking is a product. You have to figure out how to make your product valuable,” he said. “If you make something for $2,000, don’t act small. Represent yourself like you’re already successful.”
He encouraged students to embrace smaller, experimental projects early in their careers — referencing an iconic quote from “Karate Kid.”
“Those small, experimental projects — that’s the ‘wax-on, wax-off’ work. That’s what gives you the power to do the big crane move or the thing that everybody sees.”
The visit marked a milestone for the Rice Cinema Club, a relatively young organization.
“We created this club three years ago, and it’s super cool to see how it’s grown and how we’ve been able to get opportunities such as this,” Burgess said. “This is a perfect way to build your network and meet people who love film just like you do.”