An Interview with Rik Cordero
written by Prometheus Brown 

In a changing music industry going increasingly digital and marketing budgets tightening in a waning economy, an independently-produced music video renaissance has reinvigorated hip-hop. At the forefront of this wave, director Rik Cordero’s low-budget/high-quality approach has racked up an impressive music video resume that includes major-label artists Nas, The Roots and Snoop Dogg as well as independent artists like Joell Ortiz, Consequence and Heltah Skeltah. All the while, he’s been promoting and marketing his media collective, Three/21 and preparing the release of his second feature-length film Inside a Change. 

No wonder all the hype about some Filipino dude from Queens, New York becoming the next Hype Williams. But he pays all the attention little mind. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he’s always just about to finish a project and ready to start a new one. Somehow, between releasing Skillz “For Real” video and, a day later, Busta Rhymes’s “Arab Money” video, he took a breather to give some insight into his filmmaking philosophy, his influences and being a Filipino American in the US entertainment industry.

You have a guerilla-style approach that’s highly stylized, but still retaining a rawness, an edge. What particular films or filmmakers whose style or approach has impacted you?

Oh man, there are way too many to list but I’ll try. I think my work is heavily influenced by Spike Jonze, Spike Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh, etc. I’m always inspired by the directors who are very hands on like Rodriguez or Soderbergh who often do their own camera operating, lighting and editing. As a kid, films like James Cameron’s Aliens or Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 really inspired me. I was big on science fiction, in fact I have a giant tattoo of an Alien on my arm because I’m such a fan. I think having an eclectic taste in motion pictures gives me the ability to have a fresh point of view within Hip Hop.

Growing up Filipino American in the 1970s-1980s, it seemed like there were few people in media and entertainment who came from our backgrounds, on or off-screen. How has this changed, and how do you feel about our current representation (seems like we’re getting looks everywhere!)? Did your upbringing affect your becoming a filmmaker?

There are plenty of Filipino Americans who have created successful careers in the American entertainment industry. Guys like Chad Hugo and DJ Babu were huge role models for me growing up as a teen in the 90′s so when I finally had the opportunity to meet them it was amazing. I was raised in Long Island, NY a suburban area that really didn’t have many Filipinos so I was a bit introverted and never really identified with any particular group. I was the quiet kid who just observed different personalities and would adapt when necessary. As I grew older, I started to meet more and more Filipinos out in Queens and more of the urban areas around NY. There was a time where my entire social circle was Filipino American. As I started to drift into filmmaking, the arts and Hip Hop I became a bit disconnected from the Filipino network mainly because of work. The industry is a tough business and my initial thoughts of living a similar life as my parents went straight out of the window. Also a lot of my friends seemed to be settling into their careers and families while I felt like I just began mine. And that’s why now I really feel confident with my identity after all these years. Filipinos are some of the most determined, motivated and compassionate individuals on the planet and my upbringing plays a very big role with how I’m able to work with so many artists with various personalities. I remember people would tell me I was too quiet, too nice and not enough of an asshole to be a Director. But it’s just about being Human, being yourself and remembering where you came from.

Name three of the illest music videos of all time.

1. 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins (dir: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris)
2. Sabotage – Beastie Boys (dir: Spike Jonze)
3. 99 Problems – Jay-Z (dir: Mark Romanek)

What are you listening to (besides your clients’ music)?

I’m listening to some of the new Smashing Pumpkins stuff minus James Iha and Darcy. Pitchfork had a live video of some track called 99 Floors. It’s the classic, heartbroken Billy Corgan sound that makes me feel the teenage angst I had at 16. The Babel soundtrack is also on heavy rotation especially that song “Bibo No Aozora”. I did a remix of it with some crazy tribal drums on my new mixtape “Lucid Dreams Vol. 1″.

What is your opinion on the shift from film to digital filmmaking, with some rejecting the new technology and others embracing it?

I like to relate that question to something I learned in school about Precision Vs. Accuracy. It’s like in science class your end result is correct if you and your peers share the same results according to the preciseness of your measurements. Artists and filmmakers often yield different results with each carrying various degrees of preciseness that led to their final output. There is no standard of “inexactness” in art unless someone sets them. You hear about that “standards of the craft” bullshit all the time to defend someones greed not their aesthetics. And what’s funny is that it isn’t really said aloud in the filmmaking industry because it’s been dictated by big business for such a long time. It’s an artform that’s less than 200 years old. Music, painting, etc. have been around for centuries and if you hear a great song made in someone’s bedroom you don’t say “Damn that’s low budget, they’re ruining the standards of the craft!”. Nope, you make an emotional connection and move on.

I’m not here to dazzle you with my Imax cameras and 10Gigawatt lighting rig so I’ll have bragging rights the next time I walk into a rental house. No. I’m here to make an emotional connection by any means necessary and move on. Isn’t it strange how legendary veterans like Sydney Lumet and David Lynch are running around with HD cameras saying how digital is the greatest thing since sliced bread while you have 22 year old NYU film grads complaining that they can’t execute a scene because they can’t afford lights to expose their super 35mm film? And in terms of music videos, that “standard” would probably be MTV and BET. That’s why you have kids nowadays judging art based on budgets or sound scans. The relevance of this question is to understand more about why we are doing the things we’re doing as artists. As artists we shouldn’t allow the “exactness” of machines and computers to do our creative thinking for us. There is no standard to strictly adhere to. Our accuracy is what we make it. If it is always changing to a higher level, ie: technology, then our precision and skills will adjust as well. Basically, with or without the traditional resources of how to make a motion picture, I’m gonna make you FEEL something, it doesn’t matter how I get there, as long as you FEEL something.

Are there any books you’ve read that have influenced you?

My favorite book is “Rebel Without A Crew” by Robert Rodriguez. He explains how he made “El Mariachi” for like 7,000 bucks. It’s a huge inspiration for me because he just says to go out there and do it. He says you can learn everything you need to know about making a movie in 10 minutes, but you HAVE to go out there and learn through experience. It’s amazing and a very easy read.

What current projects are you working on?

I actually just wrapped on my second full length feature film produced by Fader Films and Three/21 Films titled Inside A Change. The story is about Chris Price (Ephraim Benton) who is about to serve 180 days in prison for a first time offense. When his mother (Karen Chilton) invites him home for dinner, he finds his younger brother following in his footsteps and his older brother disowning him. With his family falling apart, Chris forced to re-examine his life and how he can bring everyone together for his mother’s birthday. It’s based on the life of a friend of mine Chris Alexander who passed away in 2004. I used to produce beats back then and he was a rapper. We formed a deep artistic bond and I felt like I got a chance to glimpse into his soul. That’s something that will be with me forever and his memory is the inspiration for the movie. It’s definitely a labor of love and everyone involved came into the project because of that. Check out the website at insideachange.com.

Originally posted at BakitWhy.com