Playlist: Zak Stoltz

A child of the digital revolution, HunkyDorey's Zak Stoltz started making movies at the age of 14 and has since helmed music videos for the likes of Robin Schulz, Fitz and The Tantrum and Joywave among others.

What’s the best promo you’ve seen recently and why?

I know this is going to sound like a joke, but I’m being totally serious when I say that it’s the video for U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer. Everything about that video is so damn good. It’s a classic song, the dancing is incredible, the style is perfectly dialled in on all fronts, the energy is off the charts, and MC Hammer’s performance is excellent. I’d be content if my life was even a quarter as exciting as everyone’s life appears to be in that video.

What’s the first promo you remember being impressed by?

It’s got to be A-ha’s video for Take on Me. The blend of animation and live action is so clever and well-executed, and it’s a predominantly narrative video, which is pretty awesome for 1985. That first moment when the hand comes out of the page is pure magic.

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

My favourites are always changing, but one of the ones that’s consistently in my top five is Star Guitar by The Chemical Brothers. That video is the perfect execution of something that I (and I’m assuming many others) have experienced and thought about while riding in a car or on a train.

The whole video is built around precision and subtlety, which is a pretty bold move for a music video, but I’m all about that sort of thing when it works, and this video definitely works. It’s hypnotic and beautiful.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

I’ve been getting inspired by video games a lot these days. I was a pretty serious gamer growing up, and I’ve recently been getting back into it. There’s a game called Inside that is a work of art, and even if you don’t play games, it’s worth checking out. I also play a lot of Overwatch. Too much probably. Definitely. But surrounding that game is this really cool universe filled with lore that is just super accessible and fun.

I play with a few other director friends, and we often joke (but not really) about who among us is going to direct which character’s movie. Of course there are other sources of inspiration all around. It’s all about keeping your eyes and ears open at all times. I know that’s a bit of a stock answer, but it’s 100% true.

What are you listening to at the moment?

There are a couple songs I’m digging off the new Future Islands album, The Far Field, but the truth is that I’ve mostly been listening to All I Want by Toad The Wet Sprocket and That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars on repeat. I’m not trolling you. I’m just a shameless nerd who really enjoys both of those songs.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

I’m more of a software/app guy, so I’m going to talk about that. Evernote is huge for me. I use it every day and keep all my notebooks synced up across multiple devices. I share notebooks with department heads on productions. I use it for my personal life and my professional life. It’s the best. I’ve also recently downloaded this program called X-Mind, which is used for really simple mind-mapping. I haven’t gotten too deep into it just yet, but it’s pretty rad. All your thoughts just get organized into this super easy to follow node tree. I’m a node nerd.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

Honestly, there are no artists in particular I’m dying to work with. When it comes to music videos, I’m just looking to work with anyone who is down to take a risk and make something that rises above the noise. There’s a lot of great content out there, but there’s also a lot of boring stuff getting made, and I think that's because too many artists/labels want to play it safe. This is something that I understand, but I can’t say that I agree with it. So yeah, I want to work with the artists who are willing to get a little spicy and have some fun.

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

I honestly have no idea. The industry is such a mystery for me. I don’t know if the budgets are going up, down or sideways. I do feel like things have gotten a bit more conservative, but that could also be because I’m pitching on projects with bigger budgets than I used to. All I know is that the music video that Ryan Staake made for Wycleaf Jean by Young Thug struck a whole bunch of chords that resonated into infinity.

Music videos have had a resurgence of late; where do you see the industry being in five years’ time?

I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot more virtual reality music videos that put you in the space with the artist. That technology seems to be advancing pretty rapidly, and it’s becoming more and more accessible and commonplace, so I imagine it will be used more in the coming years… but maybe it’s just another gimmick that won’t affect music videos at all.

I do think that budgets will stay the same or shrink though. As long as there are up and comers who are willing to go all out to make something awesome with a limited budget, there’s not going to be much of a reason to increase them. Everyone I know in music videos worked for peanuts or less when they got started because they cared about the craft and wanted to get their foot in the door by taking on an impossible budget. I wish it wasn’t the case, but it’s part of the hustle, and I don’t see that changing in five years’ time. 

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

Before I got into film, I was convinced that I was going to be a biomedical engineer and make artificial organs. I also used to be very good at Dance Dance Revolution and played in tournaments as a teenager. Actually, I’m still really good at Dance Dance Revolution. If we ever meet and you know where a nearby arcade machine is located, that will be our next stop.