Chew chats to multi-award winning director Ryan Kruger about his latest music video Should We Fight back shot for multi-award winning band The Parlotones

Tell us about yourself; how did you get involved in directing?

RK: I am originally from the UK but my dad is Afrikaans and my mum is British, so over the years I’ve always been back and forth for visits and work. For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be in the movies, first as an actor and then later on as a director. Every second week I used to stay at my mum’s place in the UK and make short films with my friends acting in them and directing them. I’ve been acting in TV and film productions for about eleven years now and I’ve been directing since 2004. I studied acting and did film in the UK as well as studying directing at AFDA (film school in Cape Town). I’ve always known what I wanted to do so I’ve never wasted any time doing anything else and my mum and dad have always supported my choice. I just had to work hard for it to all happen and to get where I am today.

What was it like to receive not one but two awards at the Wirral International Film Festival in the UK for your video The Turn shot for local band Taxi Violence?

RK: The two awards were for best director and then best actor for Phillip Hotz, the old man that played the lead. It was great to see Phillip win an award as he was perfect for the role. At the time of writing the concept I was working on a feature film script based on time travel which I gave a whole new angle and slant to, but I was just thinking of different scenarios of stories and it came to me that I can make a music video on time travel. So to be really honest the video came together exactly the way I envisioned it, which was fantastic to see in the end. The great thing about the video is that it’s a short film; it has a beginning, middle and end with a twist. You also start to care for the character so to get all of that into a three minute video is amazing as I think it’s hard to get that across without forcing it.

How did your collaboration with The Parlotones kick off?

RK: The band was very impressed with my previous work and they decided to see what I could come up with. Before the band could get hold of me though, I contacted them asking to pitch for an idea. They thought I was the director for the job to give a grittier take and feel to their song and video.

Which directors’ work inspires you most?

RK: Well, I have to say I am a big fan of 80s films and I truly believe that they don’t make movies like they used to. These days it’s all about the budget and special effects. I love David Cronenberg’s old 80s movies and Terry Gilliam. All their films had great stories, cool old-school effects and prosthetics, production design and fantastic sets. These days if they cant find a location they always say ‘lets do it in post’.

If you could work with any two actors (or a band), who would it be?

RK: I love Joaquin Phoenix. He is a great actor; he’s real when you watch him; you believe in his character. I have followed him from a young age because I was a fan of his brother River Phoenix. He always gets to play these really interesting parts with great meaning, always interesting to watch. As for a band here in SA, it would defiantly be Inge Beckman (Lark) who is just unbelievable. If you haven’t seen her live, go watch her! I have worked with her in the past but if I had a chance, I’d work with her again.

You write most of the concepts for your videos. How did the concept for The Parlotones’ vid come about?

RK: When I heard the song I was inspired by Madiba’s Long Walk To Freedom. I thought it was a great opportunity to do something different and hard hitting. A lot of my films and music vids are a grittier take and feel towards things but that’s just my style. I think The Parlotones wanted something different to what they normally do so I was the guy for the job. They really liked the concept I gave them and so we started with the video. Some of the scenes are graphic but that’s how it was and that’s how it went down and we can’t change that. The music speaks for itself: it’s a positive message and note to all of us. Should We Fight Back reflects the history of South Africa; it’s political state during apartheid in the 80s and showing how things are today. By comparing them, it shows how times have changed and how much more unified South Africa is today.

When is the video due to be released and where can fans go and check it out?

RK: The video will be released in the next two weeks here in SA, Europe and in the USA. Fans can also keep an eye out for it on the MK music channel.

What’s it like working with The Parlotones?

RK: The guys were great to work with; they are nice, down to earth guys. We had a lot of fun doing the video.

What is the weirdest thing you have gotten up to?

RK: This is a hard one … I’ve done lots of weird things: I’ve ran through a London street naked during a shoot without a permit and there was suppose to be a woman at the end of the road to give me my jacket and clothes but she was nowhere to be seen (she was browsing through a shop further down the road).

What is your best comfort food?

RK: A ham, green pepper, chili and mushroom pizza. I love pizza; there used to be a place in Durbanville called Mamaroma Pizza and it had the best pizzas but I heard it has closed down now ;-(

So you’re also an actor. What did you enjoy most about being a hillbilly in the Samsung Bluetooth commercials?

RK: I love acting. It’s great when a cool or interesting character comes along. I thought the teeth were funny and my bad hair, lol. It sure helped me to get into character though. A lot of my friends saw it and said the hillbilly look suits me as I’m always wearing a red and black checkered jacket or shirt.

What did director Quentin Tarantino have to say about your work?

RK: I met him at the premier of Death Proof in the UK. He is exactly the same in real life as you see him when he’s acting. I gave him my work and a month or two later he mailed me. It was short and sweet but he told me what I should concentrate on.

What has been your greatest personal achievement?

RK: I think my greatest personal achievement is that I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do and it’s a bonus that I’ve walked away with awards and getting paid for doing what I love. It has been hard work to get here but it’s awesome to know that my name is out there after the success of the Taxi Violence video and with the soon to be released Should We Fight Back music video. Now it’s even harder to keep my name there. So I still have a long way to go and I want to start heading into feature films soon.

Who is ‘papa smurf‘ and why does he always make an appearance in your films?

RK: I met ‘papa smurf’, aka Phillip Hotz, in 2008 on Long Street with my producer at the time. Phillip goes on dancing till the sun comes up with his re-chargeable batteries. He jumps and moves like a teenager. I don’t know were he gets the energy from; he doesn’t drink alcohol and he exercises everyday to stay in shape. As soon as I met Phillip I said we have to get this guy in our films as he is such a character and looks great on film. Ever since then I always write roles for him, he’s like my little signature. I try to get him out there as much as I can so that he can get other jobs. His acting career has just started – more people have started to recognise him – and at the age of 73 he’s just begun, as it’s never to late to start.

How much research went into the making of Should We Fight Back?

RK: My team and I researched the 80s during this time. I looked at a lot of images online from riot scenes and checked a lot of vids on YouTube. I looked at riot scenes in the towns and townships (as it was known back then) – there’s a lot of brutal footage out there – crazy stuff! I think we really wanted to get it as detailed as we could, so it could bring us back to the time and make the people remember what it was like or at least show younger people what it was like. As a director I wanted to really create a feel and mood to show the pain and the struggle.

How do you think the public will receive this music video?

I think it will go down well but will also have other people saying otherwise. I’ve noticed that some people are touchy about this topic. But we can’t pretend that our freedom and democracy wasn’t won with blood, sweat and tears. It’s sad, but that’s how it was.

Awards

2010 Best Director for Taxi Violence music video – The Turn – Wirral International Film Festival

2008 Best Documentary – S.A Cops – Wirral International Wirral International Film Festival