To live is to create – and create often. At Style.No.Chaser, we believe art and genuine creativity are essential to daily survival, and Randy Scott Slavin completely embodies that concept. Slavin has applied his artistic abilities in several different forms – photography, film, music videos, commercials – and in each lane, he has added a personal touch of edginess, style and brave innovation. In his still unfolding career, he has directed videos for acts like The Foo Fighters, Hesta Prynn and Alabama Shakes, and his continuing “Alternate Perspectives” panoramic photography series is opening new doors of recognition for this proven artist.
See our feature below:
“I found Alternate Perspectives by delving into a tangent of a tangent …”
Where are you originally from and when did you first realize you had a knack for photography and directing visuals? What came first – was it photography or dabbling in video?
I’m a life-long New Yorker. I grew up on Long Island and moved to Manhattan after high school. At 18 I got my first hi-8 camcorder and shot virtually everything. I went to NYU for media studies and it was there that I took my first film classes. I guess it was a bit of formal training but they were more like “here’s a camera, go shoot”
What do you consider as your first big break in both photography/video?
My first big break was when I won the Special Jury award at SXSW for my music video “Temporarily in Love.” It really kicked my career into gear and got my work seen.
Every auteur/director has a certain signature – what would you say is your artistic signature?
Edgy yet accessible.
Of all the music videos, you’ve ever directed, which one was the most fun and challenging to do?
That’d have to be Hesta Prynns “Can We Go Wrong”. The majority of the video was shot with just the two of us in Central Park at the ass crack of dawn over a two week period. It was fun because we had great chemistry (as evidenced by the fact that she’s now my wife) but it was also challenging as hell. We had to take 13 thousand still frames to complete the video. The technique of live action stop motion is tedious and can be really treacherous on the talent. Each frame has to be shot separately and it just takes lots of time and patience. Thankfully she really trusted in what I was doing. I think that the director’s most important skill, aside from having a vision, is making the talent comfortable enough in what you are doing for/with them so that they can give 100%. Without 100% on all sides, without everyone working to make something absolutely special you just get some pedestrian and forgettable bullshit. That doesn’t interest me when making art projects (which I consider music videos to be)
