Episode #41
The Director Behind Ariana Grande And Your Favorite Artist
Christian Breslauer directed the music videos you have already watched a hundred times. Ariana Grande. SZA's Kill Bill. Lil Nas X's Industry Baby. Doja Cat. Lisa. Roddy Ricch's The Box. If you have loved a music video in the last five years, there is a good chance he made it. He also never went to film school. His parents couldn't afford to send him, so he worked in restaurants and taught himself the craft one video at a time. Then he heard a song called The Box, wrote a treatment nobody asked him for, said "this is the hit," and it changed his life. In this conversation I break down with Christian how he shot SZA's Kill Bill in a single 18 hour day with wirework and stunts, the one scene he pitched over lunch that took Lil Nas X from 50 million views to 500 million, the pitch that made Ariana Grande cry and led to Video of the Year at the VMAs, and what it was like shooting Ariana on real film with Steven Spielberg's two time Oscar winning DP. We also get into the parts nobody posts about. Why you have to be your own agent, why he walks onto every set a little scared, why he'd rather have a hundred shots that look thirty percent cool than one perfect one, and why he thinks you have to be a little psychotic to be a creative. If you're trying to build a career in film or music video without permission or connections, this is the blueprint. 0:00 Cold Open 2:23 Becoming A Dad Changed Everything 6:54 Shooting Ariana Grande On Film 14:03 YUNGBLUD, Ozzy And Sharon On Set 15:44 His Dad Built The Karol G Museum 18:55 Self Taught, No Film School 23:26 Trippie Redd's First 100K Video 24:32 Roddy Ricch's The Box, Nobody Asked 28:04 You Have To Be Your Own Agent 29:53 The Box Dropped, Then Lockdown 37:16 Lil Nas X's Industry Baby Shower Scene 41:36 SZA's Kill Bill Was An Accident 43:35 Doja Cat's Streets And Blacking Out 45:44 Why His Treatments Got Simpler 50:22 SZA And Lisa Shot In One Day 57:54 Spielberg, Fincher And Precision 1:02:49 Inside Ariana Grande's World 1:05:48 We Can't Be Friends And Eternal Sunshine 1:11:54 Creative Directing Ariana's Tour 1:16:36 20,000 People Lose It 1:20:06 Winning Video Of The Year At The VMAs 1:25:06 Advice For Up And Coming Directors 1:32:42 Old Spice, Marshmello And Commercials 1:37:18 Chasing The First Feature 1:45:25 Stop Forcing The Timeline 1:50:10 McConaughey's Oscar Speech Lesson 1:57:40 Dinner With His Grandparents Follow Christian here Follow Arrad (podcast host) here LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: SPOTIFY APPLE MUSIC YOUTUBE CONNECT WITH US: ✩ Ourselves (production team) : ✩ Instagram ✩ Twitter ✩ TikTok ✩ Facebook
