Floria Sigismondi on Directing The Runaways and Sexism in Music Videos

Did you have any idea how much scrutiny and paparazzi attention this production would get?

Well, we locked Kristen before Twilight came out, so no, absolutely not. [Laughs] I think Twilight came out the day after we locked her in. It was like a new world, obviously. It was just a new equation. Because we didn't have that many exterior shots, we didn't have to worry about the paparazzi as much, but we obviously had to compensate as far as security and call sheets, because people were getting their hands on call sheets and they always knew where we were. It was like, "Who's the person ratting us out?" In that way, we had to play some games. There was only one time where they were a little too close to us, and a couple of cases where it disturbed the acting.

Of course, it's something the actual Runaways dealt with.

Cherie talks about when she first arrived in Japan, how they tore a hunk of her scalp from her head because these kids wanted her hair. It was very important for them to get her hair.

Jesus.

I guess it's like that in a way, right? [Laughs] They just didn't have digital photography back then.

I'm curious how you feel about the state of music videos today, since there have been a lot of cutbacks and--

So many cutbacks! So. Many. Cutbacks. And then I spend all this time coloring something in, and people view it as five pixels. Do you know what I mean? I'm like, "Wow, I really put my blood, sweat and tears into this, and there are all these little nuances that nobody sees." I don't even know if they play music videos on television that much, anymore.

I think YouTube is just about the only place people see them now.

And the quality is not that great. I don't know, maybe it's gotten better. Yeah, it's definitely changed. When I started, it was a very booming, rich time to start; people were experimenting and it was really free. The budgets were good! Look, I come from a painting background, and if I want to make flying green people in painting, it's nothing. It doesn't cost me a dime! In videos, it costs money, so are there some restrictions for sure in the budget now. But you know, I always challenge myself, and every once in a while I'll do a low-budget video because I think it challenges your creativity. It's like, "How can I do something with a piece of chewing gum, a stick, and a piece of paper? I've got to be able to create something." Sometimes those limitations kind of surprise you.

Have you directed any lately?

Yeah, I just finished a Dead Weather video. It should be coming out soon.

Did you feel any of the gender bias that the Runaways felt when you were trying to break into music video directing?

Yeah, definitely. It's funny, it wasn't necessarily from the people who were giving me jobs. It's more of the consensus from the crew. Obviously, once you start doing work that speaks for itself, it changes, but the makeup artists and people, they never expected me to be the director. Every once in a while in the beginning, a D.P. would treat me funny, and I'd be like, "But I know what I'm talking about. I was a photographer. I know what f-stop you're shooting." Especially when you deal with the technical aspect of things, you get that.

Do you feel like you have to establish your knowledge right away, then?

I'm always shocked. I'm always taken aback that people think like that. I'm just a spirit in the world just like you are. I can do all these things -- gender shouldn't be a problem.

[Photo Credit: Jeff Vespa/Getty Images]

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