J.B. Lawrence

Hi, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Can you give us a quick overview of who you are and what you do?

Absolutely! In the beginning of my career I worked as a journalist, photographer and cameraman. I mainly made documentaries. Ten years ago I started making music videos for the music industry. I wanted to do something with music for a long time and I knew it wasn't going to be as a musician or a songwriter; I didn't have the talent for that (laughs). I've worked for various artists in various genres of music over the past ten years. In total, I've produced over 200 music videos and several music documentaries.

Did you know as a child that you wanted to do this kind of work?

I grew up in a musical family with singers, songwriters, conductors and symphony musicians. We played mostly church music, Southern gospel. That was the only music I was exposed to. Everyone in my family played music, I was the only one who had a different interest. Growing up I sang, but it was clearly not my thing. My grandfather was a photographer. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but at the same time I hoped to bring all the musical knowledge and experience I had with me. That musical background would have a big impact on my later work.

Did you try to play an instrument yourself?

I did (laughs). I played a bit of piano and tuba in the school band; I was not so bad at all. I also tried guitar and, like many people, I could play a few chords, but I never really got into it.

When did you know you wanted to do something with photography?

I went to New York City and studied to be an actor, primarily in theater. That's when I bought my first video camera. I wanted to use it to create a video portfolio of my own performances for agencies that were hiring actors. It quickly became clear to me that this was what I wanted to do. I felt good as an actor and director, but the camera became my great love.

So what was so appealing about making videos?

I had control over my work. I wrote a script and filmed it, I didn't have to wait for anyone. I could also learn a lot from it; I could look at lighting effects, colors, and the effect of clothing. So having complete control over the creative process and the fact that I had instant results were the two factors that appealed to me most.

Did you also study photography at that time?

I did. I got a degree in photography from the University of Maine. After college, I moved back south and worked as a video journalist and documentary filmmaker in Jackson, Mississippi for a while.

Was making documentaries a real choice at that time or was that more of a coincidence?

During my education I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was mainly interested in the technical aspect of the job: the camera, the lighting and the lenses. At that time there was a digital revolution going on in newspapers. There were fewer and fewer printed copies and more and more online newspapers. I was able to work there as a videographer and made short documentaries. I took every chance I got, was hungry and learned a lot of new things.

Were the music videos a real choice or was that also more of a coincidence?

That was a choice. At one point I did a photo reportage of a performance by Stockner & The Good Time Band, a country singer from Jackson, Mississippi. After the performance, the frontman came to me and asked me to shoot a music video for one of their songs. For them it was their first music video and for me too (laughs). That was 10 years ago now, and 3 weeks ago I directed my 208th music video.

How do you keep up that pace?

I do this full-time, but it's still a huge amount of work. In the beginning of my career it was quieter; I worked mainly locally, in the Jackson, Mississippi area. During that period I had time to gradually work out my regular routines. Now ten years later, I have one production after another, all over America. But I'm doing well, I love it. Fortunately, I've had time to grow.

All that traveling and those projects, it feels like the life of a musician.

It certainly does (laughs). I often tell musicians that I feel like I'm on tour. I live the nomadic life of a musician and that's fun. It creates a bond with the people I work with. I also have a number of regular assignments; I work for Malaco Records, a major blues label from Jackson, and for a Nashville label. So there are individual assignments but also more permanent collaborations.

Can you give a few examples of artists you have worked with?

Absolutely! Let me start with my latest project. This past month, I was able to work with Buddy Guy and that was very special. He is a legend. I followed him for 3 days in Nashville, Tennessee and that was an experience like no other. I also worked with Grammy Award winners Grady Champion and with Mr. Sipp, Marcus King, Samatha Fish and Jason Isbell, to name a few. I was the head videographer for Guitar Player Magazine, for their series My Life In Five Riffs. There, we asked artists which five songs had the most influence on their music. In that context I worked with Wilco, Luther Dickinson, the North Mississippi All Stars and several others. In the past ten years I have made videos for relatively unknown artists, but also for musicians who are at the top of the blues scene. I really enjoy that too. One day I'm working with Buddy Guy and the next day I'm in a small town in Mississippi working with an artist on his first music video. There's something magical about working with those emerging artists. Watching the development of those young artists is really fun. You never know how big or famous they're going to be.

How does a production like that of yours work? The musicians have their music and they probably have an idea for their music video, and then you come in with your experience and knowledge. How does that process work?

We start by exchanging ideas. Most musicians usually realize that my job is completely different from what they do. So we have to find a way to bring those two worlds together. The song already exists, and that's where I get my ideas for the video. Sometimes I use an abstract approach. Sometimes I want the video to be a literal representation of the lyrics. That's one of the first steps I go through with the artist. We try to find each other on how to approach the whole thing. Musicians usually have a visual image in their head while they're writing the song, but they rely on me to bring all the ideas together into a coherent whole. When I talk about how I would approach the video, it's great to see them start thinking that way too, and they build on it. That collaboration continues throughout the entire process; even when we're already filming. I film quickly and often freehand, and there's a lot of improvisation possible on stage. I like to create in the moment. In the 208 music videos I've produced, I've never written a script, never used a storyboard. Hardly anyone works that way. Of course, we do have production meetings and make agreements: we know where we're going to be, and when, and we know whether or not we need actors. I also try to find a good location in advance, think about the lighting I need, and choose the lenses I want to film with. The rest is all done in the moment.

You said beforehand that you started with videography mainly because it gave you total control over your creative work. With this improvisation you have to take into account the other people involved in the production. Isn't that a problem?

That's right and an interesting observation. I do have to give up some of that control. In the beginning of my career, that control was really important; I wanted things directly and exactly as I saw them. Over the years, I've learned to give up that control. I realize now, more than ever, that other people's ideas are as rich or richer than mine. Sometimes I'm too close to the subject and someone who looks at it from a distance has a more objective view. Some of the best ideas in my music videos came from the artists' parents, and I really want to keep it open. The best idea I ever got during a production came from a seven-year-old boy. Anyone with an idea is welcome. People like that approach.

Does it always work?

No (laughs), of course not. I film every idea, every approach, but sometimes it doesn't work. At that point, I also explain why it won't work, based on my professional knowledge.

I usually edit the final product myself. Because that's a very technical cinematographic process: you want to get your lighting right, choose your colors, choose the best scenes. In those cases, the experience becomes more important and the process is less open to collaboration. So the collaboration will always be about ideas, never about the technical aspects of a cameraman like choosing lenses or lighting.

What is your personal musical preference?

Any kind of rock—soft rock, hard rock, heavy metal—but also acoustic singer/songwriter genres, and gospel music of course, that's what I grew up with. And last but not least, blues, although that's more recent (laughs). Oddly enough, I was never really introduced to blues music until five years ago. Growing up, I heard mostly gospel and then when I went to college I moved up north to Maine. Blues wasn't really prominent there. If I did hear blues, it certainly wasn't Mississippi Delta blues (laughs). Then I got in touch with Wes Lee, a blues musician from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and later I went to see live performances by artists from Mississippi. I fell in love with the music. The foot stomp made the musician a one-man band, an orchestra in itself. That was cool. And then I was introduced to Mr. Sipp and got to work with him at Malaco Records. He is a fantastic musician. I was mostly familiar with rock music and this blues music had the same drive, the punch. Then a new world opened up. This was really my thing. Mr. Sipp plays his guitar like a rock musician. I understand the music now and blues has become one of my favorite genres. Blues musicians are phenomenal people to work with. Their songs are lived through. They are great composers. Their lyrics are pure and resonate with real life.

Blues lyrics are often very concrete. Doesn't that limit you in the video you can make about it?

No, I have found that I can put a lot more creativity into blues music videos. Because of their very concrete lyrics, there is indeed little room for interpretation, but that also means that I don't have to waste time analyzing and interpreting the lyrics. That allows me to be more creative. I don't have to translate anything visually if it is obvious; I can tell an abstract story. In addition, blues is always surrounded by a certain mystique. The Robert-Johnson-at-the-crossroads feeling, selling your soul, the light and dark, the swampy atmosphere, the wide open spaces of the Delta and the smoky Juke joints give me the opportunity to be very creative visually. The concrete lyrics, combined with a more abstract and dark story, and strong visual images, produce the most beautiful videos.

Is that the added value that a music video can bring?

That's right. The alternative story you tell with your video is the added value. I always have to use all the expertise I have about lighting, lenses, color, movement of the musician and other actors to create the vibe that the song needs. Every emotion that the artist wants to express in the song also has to be visually perfect.

How would you describe your own style?

Very organic. As a journalist and documentary maker I like to capture the moment, I don't want to miss it. So I mainly film handheld or with a shoulder holder, without a tripod. I usually let people move freely, and I do that myself. The images are often rather dark and move quickly. So I think and film quickly, in the moment. I like to use harder light, backlight that clearly defines the image frame, harder contrasts. Finding your own style is never over. I wonder where I will be in ten years (laughs).

Which of your 208 productions gave you the most satisfaction?

Without a doubt the production with Buddy Guy. Buddy contacted me on the recommendation of one of the blues record labels I work for. Working with him for three days in Nashville, Tennessee, in a historic recording studio, watching him in his own element, getting to know him personally, talking to him, was a dream come true. This recording will be Buddy's very last CD—unless he changes his mind of course (laughs). He's a living blues legend, and I got the chance to capture that final phase of his career on film. I was able to follow him for three days without any restrictions: his breakfast at the hotel, the drive to the studio and the CD recording, all without managers interfering and without a big set or script. That was special. It's almost never the case that you can work so uninhibited with someone of his caliber. I look back on that with pleasure and with some pride.

When will we see the results of this recording?

The end result will be a documentary about Buddy Guy's very last CD recording. Buddy is leaving soon for his Farewell Tour, and this will be the accompanying CD.

The recordings will probably be released in small chunks, depending on his management's communication strategy. I might use recordings in my own projects, but there will also be an overarching documentary about his life. Recordings will be used in that as well. I also expect pop-ups on Netflix and Amazon Prime. These recordings will be very popular in the future, and I feel lucky to have them. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It will never happen again.

What are your plans for the future?

This year, I will be working mainly on editing existing film material. Bookings for productions usually only come in a few months before the actual production dates, so that is difficult to predict. It is always good to have some time to edit past projects. There is always enough work. I also always have a number of long-term projects, usually documentaries that I want to make myself and that are then shown at film festivals all over the world. These are usually about artists that I have worked with; they often have an interesting story that cannot always be told in their music video.

Have you worked in Europe yet?

No, I have always worked in the United States so far, in 43 states now. At the end of May there will be a project in the Bahamas; I am looking forward to that. I have worked with European artists several times, but always in the US. I have had requests to film in Europe, but so far I have not been able to fit that into my schedule. But I am also willing to work in Europe.

If artists from Belgium are interested in working with you, where can they find your information?

My way of working is also quite different from what is usual. I don't have any marketing, no ads, no website, no business cards, but you can find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I also post videos. I work solely on word of mouth. That's a conscious choice, and it works. Maybe I'll change my method if I ever find myself out of work (laughs), but for now that's not necessary.

Did we forget to discuss anything that you find important?

I just wanted to say that it has always amazed and fascinated me how well Europeans know the blues, even the Mississippi Delta blues. Usually the American blues artists are also much more popular in Europe than here. There is an incredible number of Europeans who come here specifically to learn about the history of the music and to visit the juke joints. The respect for blues musicians is so much greater in Europe than in America. And that also applies to the people from Africa, Asia, Australia.

It makes it clear to me that blues is a universal language.

How would you like to be remembered, later? What is your legacy?

It is an interesting and difficult question, which I still struggle with. You know, I don't have children, so I don't have that legacy. I hear people talk about their children and realize how important it is to continue the family line, to leave a piece of yourself behind. I have been struggling with that for a while now, wondering if I will ever regret not having children. I try not to think about it too much. I do realize more and more that what I do will be my legacy. I don't just mean physical film products, but also my way of working, who I am in life, and what emotions I evoke in people. It would be nice if people remembered that I was reliable, persistent, that I treated people fairly and equally, that a beginning artist got the same treatment as Buddy, that I was committed. I hope that people remember me as a gentle, kind and good person. And then of course I leave all the visual work behind; I hope that lives on.

That is a very long-winded answer (laughs), and if we are all dead it doesn't matter at all (laughs heartily).

Thank you J.B.

Interview Luc Borms
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