but it wasnt laser-heavy enough, so he brought the lights back forZayns just-released Like I Wouldclip.
If I could go back in time, I would have made Yeah!
all laser, X, whose recent credits includeDrakes Hotline BlingandRihannas Work,tells EW.
Credit: Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic
So this is my chance to do it.
Read on for more about how Yeah!
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where did the idea for the video come from?
If Im getting the story right, his laser designers in general said, Weve designed this thing.
Thats their custom rig.
This should be the video.
Ive done a bunch of laser-themed music videos before.
I did Ushers Yeah!
and Ive been wanting to redo that video for a long time.
Ive got, what, 10 years of thinking about what I could have done differently?
So I brought in all that old experience and the Cyclone, and we started building it from there.
Then the team started getting involved.
Like, Hey, what if we did clothes that light up?
Could you talk a bit more about how Yeah!
got inspired by the [imitates the songs opening], that really distinct sound.
We mixed it in with a club narrative.
In general, I enjoy making videos very much a theme.
Like you saw with this one, its the laser theme.
Its not just a thing that happens, its about the lasers.
You saw Hotline Bling, it was a theme.
I like to find what a theme is gonna be and just rock with that.
Of course Im aTronfan.
The way I work, I really let people own their department.
And they showed up to set with those great outfits.
We had a third one, but it wasnt bright enough.
It was red lights, and red can get a little technical.
It eats up a lot of light.
Has much input did Zayn have?
Zayn really has a good team around him that he communicates with.
He definitely has an opinion on set and very much into how hes performing.
Okay, I can do this, I can do that better.
Is he into dancing?
I think there is a dancer inside of him.
If you look at his performance, you begin to see it.
Hes coming out of his shell.
Hes a former boy band member trying to break free of that.
Did that factor into this video at all?
Its not really something I was thinking about.
My focus is just always on the work.
I was treating him like any other artist.
[Laughs] Not that One Direction wasnt major, but theres a disconnect with those young boy bands.
It feels like theyre on a different radar.
Even like Justin Bieber, hes progressed and now hes really in the game.
Hes legitimately getting clubs.
Theyre playing his songs at nightclubs.
There is another level to achieve.
What can you tell me about the orange contact?
That was Zayns idea.
Its something he wanted to do.
He came on set and had this contact in.
I was like, Thats what were doing?
Yeah, thats what were doing.
I trust their instinct and their tastes, because their taste is what their audience likes.
I go with it.
