Musicbed Podcast #008 with Calmatic on Crafting Your Creative Rhythm

47:42

OVERVIEW

Filmmaker Charles Kidd II, known as Calmatic, is a Director with a passion for storytelling. With collaborations featuring influential musicians like Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak, and award-winning music videos like “Old Town Road,” his creative curiosity has allowed him to solidify a place for himself in a constantly evolving industry.

In episode #008 of the Musicbed Podcast, Calmatic shares his experiences collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson Paak, and Lil Nas X; He then explains why creating selfishly is crucial to a filmmaker’s ongoing success.

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Episode #008 Transcript

In this episode of the Musicbed Podcast, we delve into the captivating world of renowned filmmaker Calmatic, as he takes us on a journey through his remarkable collaborations with industry giants such as Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, and Lil Nas X.

Christian Schultz:

We’re sitting here with Calmatic—can I call you Chuck?

Calmatic:

Yeah, you can call me Chuck.

Christian Schultz:

Do people call you Calmatic?

Calmatic:

People obviously call me Calmatic but it’s because I was trying to start a business. When I first started doing film, [the business] was called Calmatic. So when people saw the YouTube page was called Calmatic, they just assumed that was my name. Like, I’ve never put ‘Directed by Calmatic’. They just started calling me Calmatic, and I just never stopped them. So it’s kind of my fault.

Christian Schultz:

Does it mean something?

Calmatic:

Yeah. It’s actually, so you know, I come from music. Like, I used to make beats and I used to rap. And I remember back in 2008-ish, there was like this thing where everyone was re-mixing Jay Z’s Black Album—it was like The Grey Album. So it was like the whole remix thing.

So I was like, alright, I’m a producer. I’m from the west coast. But my favorite album is Illmatic, so I’m gonna make a remix album where I put Nas’ Illmatic over west coast beats and I’m gonna call it Calmatic. So when I started my YouTube page, I didn’t know what username to put, so I just put Calmatic just as a temporary thing. It just stuck.

Christian Schultz:

So you did [Kendrick Lamar’s] “Rich Spirit”, right? Like, how did that come about? Tell me that story.

Calmatic:

Man. So, I’ve known Kendrick and his creative collaborator, Dave Free, for a long time—going back to like, 2009. Even before, like, right before I got my camera. I was just a fan. And I remember tweeting Why is @KendrickLamar so slept on? And he responded to me like, Man, it’s because the industry hasn’t really caught up to what I’m doing. And I was like, Yeah, bro. It’s crazy. I remember telling him like, Yo, bro, I’m a director. I’ll do some music videos to help you. Like, I’ll do it for free. And then we connected back. I did a video for “Cut You Off”. And a video for this freestyle called “Monster Freestyle”.

Christian Schultz:

So, that wasn’t the first time you guys have worked together?

Calmatic:

No, no. And it’s funny because like, ever since then, after he did “Monster Freestyle,” that’s when it like, took off.

Christian Schultz:

Yeah.

Calmatic:

And obviously, I’m a fan of his music. But also I’m like, I’m doing music videos, too. So every album that came out—as soon as the album came out—I’d just write a treatment to like, damn near every song. Like, alright, I gotta get a video on Kendrick for every album. Soon as the new album come out, —boom, boom, boom, boom—right in treatments, and like, it never really connected.

It’s funny, because, at this point, I’m like, alright, you know what, let me just kind of sit back and just be a fan and not worry about doing a video for this next album. Even in the back of my head, I’m like, damn, I should write something for that. Then I’m like, nah, I don’t put yourself in that position again.

Out of the blue, I get a call from Dave, who’s this creative guy. And he’s like, Yo, we need some videos. And I think, you know, for me, the way I approach working with Kendrick is like, Man, I am a fan. And I think about like, if I was a fan what I would want to see is what he came out with for “The Heart Part 5” video.

My mind was just so blown. Not by the visual effects and like the, you know, face-changing—all that shit. It was more like his performance as Kendrick, you know. You kind of saw him tap into a different level of emotion and vulnerability. And he did almost seem possessed, so to speak, you know what I’m saying? And I remember when we were doing “Rich Spirit”, I remember thinking like, Alright, so in this part, when you turn into the mirror and you perform, I want you to give me that shit from “The Heart Part 5″—whatever the fuck that is that kind of brought out some type of emotion inside of me. I need you to bring that out again because I’m a fan. We love seeing that shit.

Christian Schultz:

How does he respond when you say that?

Calmatic:

It’s funny because I’ve kind of developed this thing like, Oh, Kendrick is like, just so elevated. And then I look in his face, like, in between takes, when we would just be hanging out. I’m looking at him like Yo, this is the same exact dude from 2010. The dude that we had to like, pick up. He’s the same person. He’s just been consistent and has gotten to this level. And so, you know, talking to him, he’s receptive as he was back in the day. He’s not like, No, I’m not doing that or whatever, you know, to me.

I think that probably plays a big part in his success is that he’s willing to be coached and he surrounds himself with people that get it. I feel like his hiring me after all these years is a sign that he trusts my vision—how I see it. It’s like, I’m dreaming that I’m the head coach of the Lakers and I’m given LeBron a play to go execute, and he goes and executes it to a tee. Like telling Michael Jackson I want you to go over there and moonwalk and then like, and like throw your hat and then grab your crotch. I hope that I’m able to continue to work with him and kind of elevate even more with him and tap into a different level of creativity. Because as a fan, there are still things that I want to see out of Kendrick that I haven’t seen. And I feel qualified to be able to have that conversation with him and be able to articulate and brainstorm so that we can get that because, you know, I represent a million other fans out in the world.

Christian Schultz:

That’s such a cool way to think about it, dude. Because a lot of times with directors, there is a lot of ego. We think our vision is so singular and specific that you bring a lot of ego to the project.

Calmatic:

I take pride in being a fan of the artists that I work with. If you look at all my videos, I guarantee the song is a good song.

Christian Schultz:

Was it always that way? Like, speaking a little practically? People who want to be doing music videos, how do you specifically build your portfolio in the earlier days to have that ability to choose and make sure that you’re only working with good music?

Calmatic:

My story began with me making music and making a certain type of music. And you know, that’s kind of how I got into making music videos. I was like, I’m a tech and I’m a tech guy, right? And so when I’m around all these artists, like Anderson .Paak and Tyler, The Creator, and Dom Kennedy, and whoever. I’m also the guy that knows how to upload their music to MySpace, or like, make an HTML design, you know what I’m saying? Or, like, do a flyer for the show tonight. So I was always right there. And so once I got my video camera, I was just like, alright, well, instead of making a flyer, let’s go make a music video. And so, you know, word got around that, like, oh, Chuck makes videos, like, let’s go and see what that’s about. I was doing it for free. So you know, no one was losing anything. And it was all just proximity, to be honest.

Christian Schultz:

I was gonna ask: how does music—even to this day—find its way into your work or your process?

Calmatic:

I think about music so much—every single day. I wake up in the morning, like, Man, I love music. And I’m not a big film buff. There are so many actors that are like, everyone knows. And I’m like, I don’t know who the fuck that is. I don’t know anybody’s name. I don’t know directors. But I can tell you every producer, every engineer, every rapper on all these albums, so I kind of like to say that I’m not really a hardcore filmmaker. I’m more a musician—or someone who is in love with music—who just so happens to be making film right now. And so no matter what I do in my life, music is a part of it. And so how I like to implement it into film is, you know, it’s all about a feeling to me, and I think the type of music that I do indulge myself in is off-kilter like funky, like, just crazy, like, you know, weird type shit. I try to make sure that my films feel the way those things sound. I edit 98% of my music videos.

Christian Schultz:

Oh wow.

Calmatic:

And the way I edit is the same way I make a beat. You know, I’m not cutting everything to like, the one in the to me cut and cut and cut, cut, cut, the one ends and it’s the one it’s the it’s the it’s like the off beat, or it’s like, you know, J Dilla. His hi hat. So just like, always a little drunk and not perfect, right? Not quantize like, I like to edit that way. And obviously, it doesn’t really, the sound doesn’t necessarily translate to like an edit or cut in a film or picture.

Christian Schultz:

It’s a rhythm.

Calmatic:

But it’s like a silent rhythm that you can just feel, you know. It’s almost like listening with your eyes, so to speak. I try to implement that into everything I’m doing, even with filming every day. When I know what scenes are coming up that day, I’m always trying to pick a song in the morning that I like having in my headphones all day, just to kind of get that rhythm out. Sometimes it might be a weird song. It might be some classical music, it might be some instrumental music, it might even be a Suga Free song. I kind of let that energy dictate how I direct and what the rhythm is, and the mood for that day.

Even with dialogue and things in a narrative space, sometimes I don’t even look at a scene and playback. Sometimes I just listen. I kind of have this theory that if it sounds good, it probably looks good. I think a lot of times when you’re watching the scene play out, you’re kind of just looking at all this other shit. You make sure that the things in the background look right, and the hand gestures are right, but you’re not really listening. So I think like I’ve realized that. Even as a director, I’ll come in and give an actor a note. And I’m just like, can you just change that word and just make it a little bit less perfect? I even have a struggle, like, articulating how to translate this thing that I hear to them. But you know, sometimes I even send them that song in the morning so that they can know this is the energy that we’re on. So, yeah, it’s a work in progress. And I think it’s definitely a different way to approach filmmaking. But like I said, I didn’t go to film school, but like, I’ve made 1,000 beats in my life. I’ve listened to a billion songs. And they say that film is the sum of all arts, right. They say film has music, dance, lighting, photography—like, every art is part of film. And I think my strong point is music and the way things sound audibly and feel audibly. I think if I can lean into that, then everything else will kind of catches up to that.

Christian Schultz:

I got into a mode because I do the same thing with music. But I would give it to operators, like a Steadicam.

Calmatic:

Yeah, yeah.

Christian Schultz:

A dolly off or something like that. Because it informs so much, man.

Calmatic:

Man, there’s this interview—there’s a DP by the name of Arthur, Arthur Jafa.

Christian Schultz:

Okay.

Calmatic:

He did a bunch of films back in the day. And he was talking about how he likes to create a shorthand with his collaborators. And usually, shorthand isn’t something that they teach in film school. It’s just like a cultural reference that they share.

So he was like, even if they’re filming an action movie, you know, can you tell the cameraman you know, I want the camera to move how Jordan dunks. You know what I mean? Or how Iverson crossed over Jordan. It may not translate perfectly, but they know it’s like a little bit of hesitation and a little bit of like, rise. And then once you get past Jordan, how do you finish up the hoop? It’s like, that type of like, conversation that I like to make sure that everyone is on the same page with, and music is how you find that connection to people.

Like if you’re an Eminem fan, and I’m like, yeah, I don’t want this to feel like Slim Shady. I want to feel like Marshall Mathers—you know what that is. It’s a little more sophisticated, a little more mature. It’s still crazy. It’s a little darker, but it’s not like, it’s not that zany. You know.

Christian Schultz:

That’s so cool. Diving into music videos a little bit more. I’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about “Bubblin,” which I feel like, it’s just one of my favorite music videos. When because, as you said, it’s such a good song. But there are very rare moments where a music video matches the song.

Calmatic:

Yeah.

Christian Schultz:

Give me the story of how you guys met. How did that music video come about?

Calmatic:

When I first got my camera, before I was doing music videos for artists, I would just go around to all these different events and capture them. I used to go to this open mic night in Leimert Park—it was an event called Bananas. And I would film whoever was performing or—if they were super dope—I would take them outside and film like a little freestyle, and put it on my YouTube page. And I remember going in there and filming and there was like—keep in mind these are just rappers, right? Just like do spin. I go in there and it’s like a dude playing drums and I’m just like, who the fuck is playing drums? It’s an open mic—no one does that. And not is he on the drums and like, killing the drums, but he’s also rapping at the same time. And also like, singing at the same time. There are girls in the crowd that are like, swooning. I remember filming him being like, blown away by it. And right after the performance, I took it to the site and I was like, Yo, bro like, what the fuck. Like, you need to be on ‘The Guinness Book of Records’. Like, you need to be on ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ or some shit. Like, ‘America’s Got Talent.’

And he actually knew about the videos I had been making with this group called OverDoz. at that time. And so he already knew who I was, and I was just a fan—the same way I was with Kendrick. He started doing more and more music, and I remember one day he called me like, Yo, I got this song. I want to do a music video for it. I was like, Man, I gotta go to San Francisco tonight. But also at the same time, I didn’t even have any money to get to San Francisco. I had like maybe like $100 or something like that. He was like, I’ll pay you, and that was my first time getting paid for a music video. He paid me $300 to come to this random apartment to film this video that actually never even came out. We didn’t finish it because I had to go to San Francisco.

So I took that $300 from him, went to San Francisco, and then two weeks passed, and we just kind of stopped talking to each other. It was weird. But keep in mind, he’s still going and he’s still seeing my work. And he’s like, Yo, bro, as soon as I get the budget. You’re gonna tap into each one another, you know. He’s like, getting bigger and bigger. And, you know, he came out with a song called “Suede”. And he reached out to me and he was like, Yo, let’s do a video.

After that, we did the video for “Come Down”, which was like a kind of like a slightly bigger video budget-wise. But then right around that time when he did “Come Down”—that’s when the Dr. Dre thing happened. And it was like, you know, he’s out of here. And you know, he had the single “Bubblin” and they wanted me to write a treatment for it. He was like, Yo, once I get this budget, like I’m coming to you.

At first the treatment—that original treatment that I wrote—was a play on Pulp Fiction. It was supposed to be him and Issa Rae sitting at a diner, and they start arguing and all of a sudden in the middle of the argument, they rob the diner. They got a bunch of money and they go to Vegas and blow the money—like, that was the whole thing.

I remember Anderson .Paak loved it. We had Issa Rae ready to go. And I had to meet Dr. Dre and like, break it down to him. I remember going to his castle—I don’t to call it his mansion. Going to Dr. Dre’s house, it was just me and him. It was so crazy—it was just me and him. We’re sitting there and I kind of broke down the treatment. He was like, Cool, cool, alright. Yeah, let’s do it. And then I leave his house. And like, less than five minutes after I leave his house, I get a text from Anderson .Paak’s manager that said Dre didn’t like the treatment. And I’m like, Oh, shit, I literally just left his house. Like I can see his house, I can see his castle in the distance in my rearview mirror. And he didn’t really give a reason why he didn’t like it necessarily. He actually didn’t say like, Cancel the video. He was just like, It’s cool. But like, I think you guys can do better. You know what I’m saying? But go ahead if you think this is it, do it. And so I remember thinking like, Fuck, I think he’s right. Like, it is a little basic.

Christian Schultz:

In a way, it’s kind of dope.

Calmatic:

Yes. Like, it was a blessing in disguise. And I remember thinking like, Alright, man, like people need to really know, like, as a fan, people need to know how fun Anderson .Paak is. He’s one of the funniest people. Like, he could be a comedian if he really wanted to. And he’s just so talented, like physically, and like, he has really great comedic timing. Like, let’s have fun with this shit.

And so I remember, you know, I’m like a reference connoisseur. I got folders and folders and folders and folders and just like random ass references. And so I was like, Man, it’s cool. They rob this diner and have a bunch of money, but like, let’s make the video more about how they spend the money, versus them going to Vegas and getting in the shootout with somebody you don’t understand. And so I went through that folder, and I was just looking at all these images and like, thinking like, Okay, how can I translate this image to something that has to do with this story? How can I translate this?

And so I started coming up with all these different images. And one of the images was of someone at an ATM. It wasn’t even like the ATM coming out or money coming out. It was just somebody at the ATM. And I was like, Damn, what if the whole video was that he went to the bank? And he tried to get some money out of the ATM and like, all the money from the ATM came out? But not only that, it constantly comes out and he actually ends up taking the ATM with them and going on a crazy ass journey with the ATM? And so I took all those references that I was looking up before I got to the ATM. And I applied the new idea to those and that shit all just like, synced up.

Christian Schultz:

Yeah.

Calmatic:

You know, it was like an image of someone swimming in a pool and like jumping in the pool. And I was like, Well, what if the pool is full of money?

Christian Schultz:

Right.

Calmatic:

You know, I’m saying like, there’s that Salvador Dali portrait where he has six arms and he’s like holding a book, has a paintbrush, eating something with his other hand. And I was like, Man, what would it take for him to have six arms? Maybe he took the money from the ATM and like, bought some arms, whatever, you know what I mean?

So we just kind of had all these references and we just made sure that we didn’t repeat anything in the video. We never went back to scenes. We never duplicated anything, and we just wanted every moment to just be new and fresh, and just like fun. Yeah. So I don’t know. I mean, it was one of those things where like, I couldn’t believe we were doing what we were doing. But it turned out to be probably one of the biggest moments in my career—just to kind of show the range, but also to do it with someone like Anderson .Paak, who can execute perfectly. Just a joy to be around and a joy to work with.

Christian Schultz:

You got the Grammy for “Old Town Road”. I mean, “Old Town Road” has something like, 800 million views, or something like that—

Calmatic:

Billions. There are two different videos. There’s the video that’s like, the long form and that shit has like 800 million. And then there’s a version that’s just like, the song only without the little story at the beginning that has like, like a billion or something. So it’s almost like 3 billion probably like if you combine those.

Christian Schultz:

I mean, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask: did you know? Like, did you get a sense of like, what that was going to become?

Calmatic:

Nah, man. I mean, at the time, you know, I had just, I just done “Bubblin”. So what happened was, I got married, and I went on a honeymoon in Japan. And so I was not working for like two months. And so when I came back, I was like, Alright, I need to get back into the flow of writing treatments. And like, you know, letting the people at the labels know that I’m back working. And so they sent me that song. I remember the day they sent it to me. I remember I have the email, I need to frame this email. But they sent it to me and I responded to them: Is this a joke?

Christian Schultz:

Really?

Calmatic:

Yeah. And I wasn’t like serious, like, Oh, it’s just a joke. Like, don’t send me this shit. It was more like, I can’t believe this song that you’re sending me from an artist from Atlanta in 2019, or whatever. So I was like, You know what, fuck it, I’m gonna I need to get back in the flow of things. Let me just like, get my brain going and just write a treatment. I’m probably not gonna get this. Let me just write it exactly how I would do it if I had the opportunity to do it.

He was from Atlanta. And at the time, I was a huge fan of the show Atlanta. I was like, Man, wouldn’t it be dope if it was an episode of ‘Atlanta’ where a cowboy from the past came back to like, claim his land? And everybody in Atlanta is like, ‘what the fuck? Like, who is this dude?’ But also, it’s also like, how the “hood” will react to that, right? So like, you know, they’ll probably be looking at his gun, like being like, Damn, that’s a big ass gun. Or, you know, the kids will be trying to pet the horse, or people will be filming it or, somebody has a crazy muscle car, and they want to race the car versus the horse. Just like hood shit that people will probably do. And I wrote the treatment and, and Lil Nas X loved it. I was just like, Alright, let’s do it. It’s weird, because—at the time that I think the day that I wrote the treatment—was the day that it became like the number one song. As I was creating it, I didn’t think it was a big deal. And then as we were preparing for it, it kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

Christian Schultz:

That tells me that they didn’t even know.

Calmatic:

Oh, no, they didn’t know. I mean, they kind of knew that it was picking up steam on like the social media. But for it to break through the way it did—it hit a whole new level. The day that we started filming, it was a Friday. And so we had we filmed Friday, and then we had a break on Saturday and Sunday. And then on Monday, we continue filming. So that first Friday, he was like super nervous, like, not really making eye contact with the camera. Just like really just like, anxious. I remember him coming to me like, Man, you think this is gonna work?

Then that weekend he performed at Stagecoach [Festival] out in Coachella. And that was his first time ever performing the song. It was in front of like, you know, half a million people. And they all knew the words and I think that was the moment where he felt like, Okay, this is real. And then on Monday he came back with a blunt in his mouth, like, ‘Sup Calmatic, man, let’s get it. I think that was the moment I was like, Oh yeah, this shit is different.

It’s funny because like, at the time, he didn’t really have any managers around. Like he was talking about moving to LA. It was all new, but I don’t think he even realized at the time that he would probably have the biggest song of all time. But I think that’s dope. I think the raw way we approached it benefited the song even more. If it would have been if we would have shot this video, you know when he broke the record—when he broke Mariah Carey’s record—who knows how it would have influenced the creative? But I just wanted to keep it raw in reference to things that, I as a creative and he as a creative, felt dear to us. It’s proof that the world can accept this and digest this and might like it, you know what I mean?

Christian Schultz:

You have like a lot of narrative elements in your music videos. Obviously, there’s a purpose within the music video but it’s because you love narrative stuff. I’d love to know how that helped in the journey to House Party and White Men Can’t Jump.

Calmatic:

Well, yeah, I mean, once again, it’s like being a fan, right? I think one of my favorite music videos is

“Mo Money Mo Problems” with Ma$e and Diddy. And I remember my favorite part of that video was in the middle of the video, they just cut out of it and went to some weird golf tournament. Where Ma$e was like, Ma$e Gumbel, and Diddy was Puffy Woods or something. And then the beat came back in. We kind of lost that energy in our era of music videos and so I wanted to always try to create stories and take things deeper. But it also kind of helps the music—it gives you a chance to play with the sound and take things out and bring them back in and make moments in the music feel more impactful that way. It’s just something I fell in love with. I mean, I’ve never done a short film. I’ve never done like, you know, a student press student film or you know—

Christian Schultz:

[laughs] What do you got against short films?

Calmatic:

Oh, no, I don’t have anything. I want to do some short films.

Christian Schultz:

Like I think it’s crazy that you jumped so hard into the features without it.

Calmatic:

Yeah.

Christian Schultz:

Were there any nerves of you going, like, should I test some of this stuff out?

Calmatic:

I’ve done narrative stuff. I’ve done that and stuff on my music videos. You know, I’m saying like, I kind of use that. It’s funny, because once I knew that I was doing that, I was like, potentially a candidate to direct House Party. I was like, I thought the same way you thought. Like, should I need to do some short films? Or like, so that’s something that documentary or something? And then I was like, No, I got these videos here. Let me create a narrative moment here.

Christian Schultz:

That’s cool.

Calmatic:

Same thing I did with “Bubblin”. If you look at “Bubblin”, there’s a scene where the girl is on the date with the ATM. And that was like, that’s a scene, you know. I’ve made it a point to like, put that into all my music videos. So if that conversation did come up, they could look at my music videos, and add that as proof of concept, so to speak.

And even like, when I did “Old Town Road,” I was directing Chris Rock, right? Like, I wrote that—there’s a joke that Chris Rock says as Lil Nas X is running away with the money and they stop chasing him. And Chris Rock says, If you see a Black man running that fast, you just gotta let them go. Like, I wrote that. I wrote that joke, and he liked it, you know what I’m saying? And I’m like, Yeah, if I could write a joke for Chris Rock, film him, direct him, have this whole sequence, and like, I can do a movie, I can do this 80 more times. That was kind of like my approach to it. It’s just like, I’ve been given the opportunity to fuck up and learn on the fly.

I’m not a perfect filmmaker. There are a lot of mistakes that I make. All my projects, all my music videos, all my films, I’m like, Fuck, I wish I did that. But like, I’m blessed enough to get the opportunity to prove myself once again. And I think that’s how I’m approaching my career. I’m not going to ever be a perfect filmmaker, but I’m going to always try new things. And then, over the course of those trial and error moments, I’ll become the filmmaker that I’m supposed to become.

Christian Schultz:

How long was the production on House Party?

Calmatic:

Man, House Party was crazy, man. So, House Party was 30 days.

Christian Schultz:

It’s not that long.

Calmatic:

But check this out: 30 days, but then in the middle—maybe day 22 or something—we had to replace one of our leads.

Christian Schultz:

What?

Calmatic:

Yeah, we had to replace one of our leads. I can’t get into why, but we have to replace one of our leads. So we had to reshoot maybe like, 15 days, after we already shot it. So it ended up being like 50 days. Yeah.

Christian Schultz:

Wow.

Calmatic:

Yeah. So that’s why I tell people all the time—I literally felt like doing House Party was like being on an episode of Scared Straight: Hollywood. You know what I mean? Where they showed us like, the big buff dudes wake the kid up out of the bed. I felt like, like a big Hollywood bully came up to me and was like, You want to make a movie? Alright, well, fuck you. I’m gonna give you a beloved title that everyone’s gonna judge before they even see the movie. I’m gonna make you have to replace the main actor in the middle of the movie when you’re almost done.

Like, it’s gonna be COVID and it’s gonna be a house party. So, that means you only can have 10 people. Because of all these obstacles, anyone would have quit. I had to like deal with those.

I felt like every day I learned something new that I wish I knew the day before. I’m like, Fuck, man. If I knew that yesterday, that scene would have been way better. At the end of it all, I felt like I collected so many lessons and understood this is what filmmaking is—learning from your mistakes. The more you learn, the fewer mistakes you make. And you know, because there are always going to be mistakes. It’s a miracle that people make a movie, let alone a great movie.

Christian Schultz:

Isn’t that such a cool revelation? I’ve had the exact same revelation. After you finish the movie, the idea that anybody makes a movie brings a miracle.

Calmatic:

And it’s so funny, too. Because like, obviously, when you’re a creative and you’re watching films, you’re like critiquing shit. And you’re like, Man, why was he dressed like that? What was her hair? What is this lighting? And it’s like, when you make a movie, you understand exactly how all that should happen.

And it’s not always like, things. As a director, it’s not always things that are in your control. You know, it’s funny, we had to reshoot a lot of scenes for House Party. And so, you know, I kind of took that as like, Alright, cool. I get to make scenes better and look back and see my mistakes. But also when we went back to shoot certain scenes, you know, the first time we shot it, it was clear skies. And now this time we shoot it, it’s overcast and cloudy and it’s about to rain. So it’s like, even though I’m able to make the scene feel better, there’s like gray skies. So like, you can’t control all those elements. You just kind of have to deal with whatever you get dealt that day.

Christian Schultz:

It gives you like, real reverence for the movies that you love.

Calmatic:

But also, you also realize that with the movies you love, it wasn’t like the creators are just so locked in and like planned everything.

Christian Schultz:

It’s like a universe thing.

Calmatic:

It’s like, yeah, like God was on their side, and they made certain things happen.

Christian Schultz:

So you didn’t have to go shoot—you didn’t just go back to the scenes and shoot that coverage. Like, you shot the entire thing.

Calmatic:

Yeah, because this whole scene was like, based on one person. So it’s like, anything that had that person in it, we had to reshoot it. And luckily, we didn’t have to reshoot the whole movie. But the crazy thing is, when we brought in the new actor, he had to start, like, at the end of the movie. With, like, 10 days left. And then go back and shoot the beginning of his story. So it was just, it was a lot. It was a journey. But it’s funny because I started shooting White Men Can’t Jump, another remake, three months after I wrapped the edit for House Party. And so I was able to just like, apply those lessons.

Christian Schultz:

Doesn’t that feel so good?

Calmatic:

Oh, my God. And it’s so funny because obviously, House Party is my first movie. But I kind of look at White Men Can’t Jump as my first movie as well. You know, it’s like, it’s like, 1.5. I made some mistakes in that film. But hopefully, my next film, I’ll be able to apply what I learned from those mistakes.

Christian Schultz:

What was the biggest mistake that you made that you got to apply, or sort of take lesson from?

Calmatic:

I think—and this is no jab at anything that House Party had or anything—but I didn’t really take charge of creating the shot list. I left it up to my DP Andrew Turner. And obviously, I had input on the shot list, but I wish I was a lot more hands-on because there were certain things that I wanted. But I was like, Nah, he knows better because he’s been doing this for years. And so when I watch certain scenes, I’m like, Damn, I wish I would have gotten that close up. And it’s no one’s fault but mine.

So, you know, going into White Men Can’t Jump. You know, me and the DP Maddox Upshaw—who is amazing—we shotlist the whole movie before we even started. I created the shot list and he added his two cents. On the day, he would take my shot list and make it better, you know, as he should, but like, I took control over that. And, I think overall, this movie is going to feel more like a film, you know what I’m saying? Because I tapped into certain things that I felt like House Party was missing. You know, I’m saying I learned lessons, like making my own shot list. Like, okay, maybe this shot list—you just shot what you think you want, you don’t need that. And there’s stuff that Andrew from House Party implemented into our shot list that I was like, Oh, yeah, I see why he did that. Because we need this to establish this moment or whatever, like that. So, you know, it was just, it’s just a lesson as far as like, how much power I have, and how I should take advantage of that. And like, really try to get what I want, but also be open to working with the DP and making sure that you know, it’s not just me that’s dictating what everything looks and feels like.

Christian Schultz:

Yeah, it’s so funny that you jumped straight into like, two back-to-back movies.

Calmatic:

Crazy.

Christian Schultz:

What’s some of the baggage that comes with a remake of something of that caliber?

Calmatic:

You know what, to be honest, man, I know people look at the studio. The one thing people have to realize, too… When it comes to the studio—whether it be Warner Brothers, Fox, or Disney—people think it’s like a boardroom of like, 100 people making a decision. It’s like three people. It’s like, Steve and Colin—those are the guys at Fox—they’re just cool guys. And it’s not like, they’re down my throat like, Make sure that this lives up to the original. They just want to make a movie. They’re creative, just like we are. And as far as tying things into the to the remake of it all, that’s not really a thought. There’s no baggage there. I think the biggest thing that the studio wants is a cameo from the original cast, which we may or may not have in the next film that’s coming out.

Christian Schultz:

Are you saying you got Woody Harrelson?

Calmatic:

You gotta find out.

Christian Schultz:

Just tell us here!

Calmatic:

Yeah, there’s one scene with Woody Harrelson and Jack Harlow. They’re just like, going at it for like, 40 minutes straight, and then we start to move. I think at the end of the day, to be honest, there’s a lot of talk about remakes. I think the Hollywood is in a weird position right now where they need to make money to keep going, you know what I mean? And they aren’t in a position to take that many risks with like a major studio budget. And so, the name is what gets people going to the theaters. Like, that’s the end, or it gets people talking, you know. If House Party was called LeBron’s Mansion, less people would be interested. That’s just the truth. Obviously, they do need to take more chances. But the reality is, you know, they have a formula, and this formula works for them.

Christian Schultz:

What’s something that you have found in the last couple of years that you’re going to take into the future?

Calmatic:

I think I want to be more selfish as a creator. And what I mean by that is, when you’re making something that you feel is for a broad audience, you have a tendency to kind of cater to everybody to make sure that they understand what’s going on—that they get that reference. But I learned that all the great filmmakers, whether it be Spike [Lee], or Martin [Scorcese], or whoever— they’re really selfish about the world that they show us. They show us what they think is cool, they play the music that they think is cool. They cast the characters that resonate with them and speak that inside language that they appreciate. And it’s tough, because you feel like, Man, ain’t nobody gonna get that. And it’s like, yeah, but you can. If you present it in the right way, you will realize that the world does understand it, and you also teach the world your language.

I feel like Hollywood might realize that I’m not a great director, and my last movie is White Men Can’t Jump. At least I can look back and say I did it my way. To me, that’s the most important part. And I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m clearly going to do more projects. But, you know, if I look at it that way, I can feel satisfied with myself—that I did how I wanted to do it. I didn’t try to play the game.

Christian Schultz:

Give me some background real quick on House Party. How did that come about? How did you get to talk with the writers and stuff?

Calmatic:

You know, like, I come from music. And the group that I was doing a lot of music videos for, they did a song with Childish Gambino. I developed the relationship with Childish Gambino’s manager, who is from LA, went to Crenshaw High School, and is fan of my work. We were just kind of like, I think I worked on a couple Childish Gambino projects here and there. But then one day they announced that, you know, the writers from Atlanta—Donald and Steven Glover and Jamal Olori—they were writing the House Party script. So I literally went to my DMs and Instagram right away. I was like, Yo, I need first dibs on ‘House Party’.

Christian Schultz:

Which is funny, because that’s what you were doing with music videos. Yeah, you’re like leveling up.

Calmatic:

Exactly. Right. Yeah. Like I hear a song and I’m like, Yo, can I do a video? And at the time, it’s like Atlanta was just like not coming. I was like, Oh yeah, I gotta work with them on ‘Atlanta’. And to be honest, it’s funny because he didn’t even respond to me. And like, I knew him but he still didn’t respond. So I was like, Whatever. And over the course of that year, you know, I did “Bubblin”. I did “Old Town Road”, and I made sure to put that narrative moment in there just to make sure if it came up, like, I’ll show this as a proof of concept.

And I think maybe like, a year and a half later, they reached out like, Yo, we want to set up a meeting with you and SpringHill Company—LeBron’s company who produced it—and we hit it off at the meeting. And, you know, I basically told them—making it as personal as possible—like, this story is an LA story. I’m from LA. I totally get what the story is. This is the only place where this could happen, you know what I mean? I kind of pitch them with that angle and they loved it, man. And you know, the rest is history. So I shot my shot, and it got me here on the couch.

Christian Schultz:

So I’m going to ask you some rapid-fire stuff in this episode. You ready?

Calmatic:

Mmhm.

Christian Schultz:

What are three essential tools for your creative process? Tools that you use?

Calmatic:

Like physical tools or like iOS?

Christian Schultz:

Could be either.

Calmatic:

iPhone, Instagram—I know that sounds like the same thing. But those two different things. And

music.

Christian Schultz:

Yeah.

Calmatic:

Yeah. That’s it.

Christian Schultz:

What’s your favorite scene, movie or TV, where music elevated the moment?

Calmatic:

Wow. I felt like it had to be like the end of Malcolm X. Where were you know, Spike [Lee] did like the double dolly shot as Malcolm is going to his speech where he gets killed. I feel like Spike Lee. I feel like he’s probably one of the best directors that like does that in film, he’s just able to, like really tap into that like soulful, musical note that just kind of makes your skin crawl and go away. You know?

Christian Schultz:

What’s a piece of career advice that you wish you heard sooner?

Calmatic:

Man. I’ve just learned this recently. It’s like, the thing that you think you want to be doing, or the director you think you want to be, or the creator you think you want to be—you’re already that right now. You just have to keep going and keep leaning into who you are at this moment, and you’ll eventually get there. It’s not going to just change overnight. It starts with you recognizing that you have it already and you eventually will meet that goal.

Christian Schultz:

If you had to pick a different career, what would it be?

Calmatic:

The old answer would be the second baseman for the Dodgers or something like that. But my new answer—and my wife will love this— is I’ll think I will be like an FBI agent or like an FBI investigator. I’m so good at like finding stuff on the Internet. I could probably find out where you live, the high school you went to, everything. I’m just really good at snooping around on the internet. So I would love to get paid for that.

Christian Schultz:

What upcoming movie are you most excited about this year?

Calmatic:

There are a few, but there’s a film called They Cloned Tyrone that Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and my boy Stephen Love is producing as well. So Netflix. I feel like they’re not allowed a lot of movies that like, tap into like the young Black energy—I don’t want to say culture—but there’s not a lot, and so I think that movie is gonna really do some fun things.

Christian Schultz:

What is the last song you listened to? Just like, pull it up in your history.

Calmatic:

Damn, what was the last song I listened to? This is gonna be funny. Let’s see. Oh yeah, Iman Omari “Energy”. He’s one of the dopest producers and songwriters. He’s just got the craziest sounds, man.

Christian Schultz:

What is one book you would recommend to any filmmaker?

Calmatic:

I don’t know if I want to call it a book, but it’s like a little handbook. It’s called Show Your Work. It’s a book about sharing your creative process with your “fan base” or other people that you want to create with. Because the more you show your work, people like following your journey with you. So if you just try to hide it and make it seem like you just started from scratch and you’re already this great, people are less enthused to support that. But they see that you started from here and you worked your way up to where you are now, no matter how far you are, I think people are more likely to support and follow your journey.

Christian Schultz:

What’s something you always bring to set?

Calmatic:

A hat—always the hat, man.

Christian Schultz:

What is your dream collaboration?

Calmatic:

Oh, dream collaboration. I don’t really know, man. I feel like my dream collaboration is like, collaborating with my parents or my family to write something that’s near and dear to them and to be able to like put it out there for the world to see.

Christian Schultz:

What’s your guilty pleasure movie?

Calmatic:

Oh, guilty pleasure movie. I don’t know if it’s a guilty pleasure, but I love Forrest Gump, man. Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. I think it’s like, a perfect film. It’s got everything you need: comedy, drama, history. It’s just shot well. Good characters. It’s just dope, man.

Christian Schultz:

Thank you for being on the show, man.

Calmatic:

Nah, thank you too, man. I appreciate it, bro.

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Calmatic’s Musicbed Playlist

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Episode #008 Transcript

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