In Conversation with Director X: The Art of Direction and Receiving a Star

BY: KRISTINA RAMCHARRAN 

You’ve most likely seen many of his videos. Whether it’s Drake’s Hotline Bling, Sean Paul’s Get Busy, or Usher’s Yeah, we know the songs and the visuals but not the creative genius behind them. That genius is Brampton’s very own Director X. And in recognition of his outstanding work within the music industry, Brampton’s Rose Theatre threw a big bash to celebrate this wonderful accomplishment of receiving a star on their Arts Walk of Fame.

Reflecting upon his rise to fame and his recent endeavours Director X, real name Julien Christian Lutz, had the chance to open up about ongoing music video legacy and more ahead of the celebration bash on September 14^th.

“I had an internship with Hype Williams,” said X on the move that started everything. “You know, my time at Much Music is when I started to look at music videos as an art form I’d be interested in getting into. And then I just started, you know, banging on a lot of doors,” says Director X on connecting with Hype Williams as an intern at Much Music.

On his inspiration within the music video industry X notes, “Hype was the major influence.”

After working under Hype Williams for some time, Director X broke out in 1998, taking on the lead role in directing music videos. His videos soon became iconic snapshots of hip-hop culture, which would make a statement on the music video industry as a whole.

“In the day, a lot of the things I’d do in my videos would be taken by other directors and they would start repeating it. The same way I would repeat a lot of stuff that Hype did, I would innovate, and that would have an effect on the videos that were on the air.”

X adds, “I was one of those guys, I was setting trends. That was a pretty amazing time.”

As a Brampton native, and of Trinidadian and Swiss descent, Director X credits some of his style and influence to his own and surrounding cultures. “Being from Brampton it’s just a really multicultural place and, you’re around a lot of different people, but at the same time you can really immerse yourself in your own culture,” says X.

“So I was around a lot of West Indians, and you know how we all just kind of blend in with each other. And then my father, the European side, even though there wasn’t really a Swiss community, just the influence of European thinking is what my father brought to the table.”

This year, Director X tried his hand at something new and directed the film Superfly, starring singer and actor Trevor Jackson and Jason Mitchell, known for his portrayal as rapper Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton. “The difference between a movie (and a music video) is the amount of time that you’re shooting. You’re shooting for about thirty-eight days, a music video takes one or two days, maybe three. Thirty-eight days is a long time, it really takes a toll on you,” notes X on the change of directing the film.

“I got in there and decided to make something fun and exciting. I didn’t want to make a hard crime movie, It’s not what we’re looking for nowadays, I wanted to make something that’s more of a fun action movie. Even though it’s a quote-on-quote crime movie.”

X adds that directing the film, which is now out on a digital and hard copy, was a great creative experience where he was able to apply his sleek and modern direction into the form of a film. “Superfly is about a drug dealer, but we’re not really giving a realistic portrayal of drug dealing, we are giving you a fun, exciting action movie set in that world.”

Apart from directing, Director X also takes pride in creating other forms of art. X debuted an art installation titled “Death of The Sun” during Nuit Blanche in 2016. “Just like my show Mr. Tachyon on Viceland, I’m very interested in science, and the Death of The Sun was a chance to show that interest, in an artistic and meaningful kind of a way, a thought-provoking kind of way.”

X continues, “Any chance I get to express some creativity, I’m into it. I have the chance to show a different side of my personality.”

Although he won’t be debuting any art for this year’s Nuit Blanche, X does note that he will be involved this year, “more like a curator.” He adds, “I’m very interested in artistic expression, whichever form it takes.”

With the city providing the backdrop and inspiration to many of his works, X says it’s not all altruistic when involving Toronto. “Toronto is a busy production town. We got good crews, we got good at everything. It’s one of the places in the world where they make lots of movies, a lot of TV shows. I’m fortunate that my hometown is the type of place I can bring my work to, keep the work going, spread the money around and get a good product. So it all goes together.”

On what defines him and all that he does, X makes it quite simple and notes, “I do music videos, I do commercials, I do television and I do film, I’m a director.”