So after the spectacular release of the hit music video “Love” by Bob Powers and Caleb Culver, I was able to sit down with them for an exclusive interview which was only available to CompelledByReality.com readers. Not a day after the interview is live on the net, am I contacted by the powers that be to do an in depth with the Director of the film. With the fame this video is getting I considered it to be utter destruction to my budding career as a journalist if I turned this down. So today we have just that… an interview with the director of the music video “Love,” Micah Blosser.
I’m sitting here with Director Micah Blosser today, 2 days after the exciting release of the music video “Love.” So, Micah, tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I grew up in Ohio, and just recently (a little over a year ago) I moved out to Kansas City to be apart of the International House of Prayer. I like music a lot, I’ve always liked music, always played in bands. I’ve also liked media, and so one of the things I’m doing here at the house of prayer is the Media Apprenticeship.
What was your role in making this video?
Basically, I heard the song and I knew I had to do something about it. I knew that it wouldn’t be complete without something to see. You can’t just hear it, you have to see it. So I begged Bob and Caleb, and at first they said no. But I begged them, pleaded with them to let me make a music video with them. Then I [started getting] hate text messages from them saying “stop talking to us,” but finally they warmed up to me. We began filming and all is history from there.
Did you have any serious problems with this film, besides working with Bob and Caleb?
Well, I’d never used final cut before, and I’d never officially done a video shoot. And I didn’t have a camera, and I didn’t have any of the software. So I’d say those were a few issues. But other than that I think it went fine.
Do you think it was a great music video or the greatest music video?
It left me wanting a little more honestly. I could have seen more… I did watch it a lot of times… but I wish it could have been a little bit more. But I don’t know what that is. It’s pretty funny though, I enjoy it. So a great music video… not the greatest.
What was harder, fitting the talent of both Caleb and Bob into a 2 minute and 30 second video, or to keep yourself from hyperventilating in their presence?
I’d say… both. Both were pretty hard. Yeah, there were a few times that I had to stop filming… just so I could not look at them any more, because you have to look when you’re filming.
Kind of overwhelming?
Yeah definitely. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
How else do you plan on promoting the film?
Well, I thought of billboards, internet media, ads and such. Direct mail, maybe. So, I’m gonna see what I can do about that… I’ve got some friends in the Post Office.
Over the years you’ve been very selective in your choice of projects. What made you want to direct your first music video?
I think it was that I liked the song so much, like I’d said that I wanted something more, I wanted to make it if possible… not better, but I wanted to make it more enjoyable than it already was. Really, this was my first project ever, that’s how selective I was. I’ve never, ever done a project before… except for this one. So, we’ll see if I do anymore. If I do anymore it will obviously involve Bob and Caleb.
Well that answers the next question, any future collaborations with Bob and Caleb?
Yes, definitely.
What was the most fun part of making the music video?
Probably making the music video, was the most fun.
And the most fun part?
Just being in their presence.
Whose idea was it to put the puppets in the video?
I believe it was Bob’s. He had the puppets and he brought them to the shoot, and I said “that’s sweet,” and we did it. We just integrated them in.
How much of what we saw on screen was improvised?
100%.
How much direction did you give during the shoot and what did you do in the direction of the film?
Maybe 30%. I would listen to it (the song) a lot, and I would just think about funny things, or things that would be funny as the video was going on. I really wanted the music to be like how I edited the video. I wanted the actions which were taking place in the video to be like the lyrics. So I knew that I wanted to do nice clean dissolves, good formulated shots… not a bunch of jerky stuff like a regular music video. And so I double checked all my head room, all my nose room. I wanted it to look good, but I wanted the things that were going on to be ridiculous.
So I story boarded a little bit of it out. I talked with Caleb and Bob before [we did the shoot]. And [we] went through what they wanted and what I wanted and we talked through it. There were a few things I needed to change right off the bat, which was more of Caleb. I didn’t know that Bob wanted Caleb in it as much… I thought it was just about Bob, but Bob [had said] “I want Caleb to be a part of it… more.” So I had to redo some of the shots I was thinking of.
It was a basic setup. There was the first location and the first couple shots, and there was a foreshadowing of the second location in the second shot. Then the whole first and second verse goes through the apartment, which was my first location. Then the third verse and the rest of the song is shot out in the field, and it kind of goes back and forth. So I figured all of that stuff out and talked to them about it. Then we just did it. It was fun.
So if you haven’t seen it yet, which I can’t believe there is anyone who hasn’t… it’s been release for almost 48 hours now, Bob Powers and Caleb Culver have released a music video of an original song titled “Love” performed by them to the viewers of the internet. In response to the amazing video, both Caleb and Bob have agreed to give an exclusive interview available only to the readers of CompelledByReality.com.
Bob & Caleb, you have a new music video out titled “Love”, and I wanted to give our readers a behind the scenes look at the video and the message of the video. But first we want to get to know you a little and introduce you to my readers here at compelledbyreality.com. Tell us a little about yourselves.
[Bob] Well, I grew up in the upstate New York, Rochester area. I moved out to Kansas City 5 years ago. About 3 years ago I jumped on Luke Wood’s team playing electric guitar and associate worship leading.
[Caleb] I grew up in Syracuse, New York and moved out to the International House of Prayer 4 years ago. I’ve been on Luke Wood’s team playing keyboard for 3 years and I’ve been section leading in the JPR (Justice Prayer Room) for 1 year.
What was your inspiration for the song/music video “Love” ?
[Bob] Well, when we originally wrote the song, me and Caleb sat down one day, and we were talking about writing an album, and we realized that there just weren’t enough love songs in the world. Particularly love songs that compared love to nature. And so we both decided, alright, lets really try to hash out what a well written song comparing love to nature would look like. And I think we did it on this one.
[Caleb] We wrote the song in about 45 minutes… is that right?
[Bob] It was really fast
[Caleb] I had the progression, idea and the creativeness flowed with the lyrics and 45 minutes later…
[Bob] We had a hit.
[Caleb] We had a hit.
So, being that this is a song about love, performed by two guys in a very romantic type setting… who or what is the song about?
[Bob] Actually, the song glories in itself. It’s a song about love, to love… and that’s basically it. It’s not to anybody, it’s just a song speaking about itself… essentially.
So, just to set the record straight…
[Caleb] Is that a pun Adam…. Is that a pun? Answer the question…
[Bob] [laughs] It’s just a metaphor… a metaphor for love using nature.
Why a music video? Don’t we have enough music videos in the world today, especially on You Tube?
[Bob] Each music video is unique and we felt like we really needed to express our hearts through a video. And, by chance, our friend Micah had heard the song and demanded that we start immediately filming. This is the message that we wanted to convey. And we really took it seriously, and came out with a great looking video.
Why love, why not peace, hope or joy?
[Bob] Well the greatest of those is love, so why not just stick with the best.
Love has been sung about in many different ways, what is the message behind your song? What do you want your viewers to walk away with from this video/song?
[Caleb] Give 110%. Believe in yourself.
[Bob] Never give up.
[Caleb] Never give up.
The video has been out for about a day, and it’s already climbing to the top of the charts, almost. On YouTube it has more than 200 hits… So, going into this did you expect this big of a reaction?
[Bob] Absolutely. We knew we had written a hit. We knew it was great and that it was bound for success. I mean, I’m not gonna apologize for that. It’s a well written song, with very sophisticated lyrics, much better than most radio songs, I would say. Yeah, I’m actually shocked that it hasn’t gotten more views. But I’m guessing it’s just because, you know, word of mouth hasn’t really gotten around. We haven’t really been plugging it very much. So yeah, we’re pretty happy with what we have so far.
Should we expect to see more music videos from Bob and Caleb in the future?
[Bob] Probably. You should probably see more in the future. We were really trying to spread our wings on this one and venture out of our normal styles and so we figured a beautiful piano ballad would do the trick. So you might see us pulling out some other ones. Maybe going the route of techno, only with some style… with great melodies and thoughtful lyrics written by me, awesome music in general by Caleb. So yeah, definitely expect more.
What do you hope to accomplish by releasing this song and this video into the world?
[Caleb] We really just want people to think… not about anything in particular.
[Bob] Yeah, just thinking is really good. We also chose the route of comparing love to nature because we love nature so dearly. And we’re the kind that really respect nature, we love animals, and I’m not embarrassed that I do break for birds. They have their lives and I would never want to take it from them. And I just… people who litter… well, they’re alright I guess… I understand where they’re coming from but we don’t like to litter any more than we have to.
[Caleb] We want people to find love in nature more so than in tire burning parties.
[Bob] Yeah
[Caleb] Although we do enjoy a good tire burning party from time to time.
[Bob] Who doesn’t love a good tire burning party. So… a love of nature and for people… and to just think about stuff. Lots of stuff.
So any last thoughts?
[Caleb] We know that many of you probably aren’t able to put out music with such exceptional quality, but you ARE able to listen to it and learn from it…
[Bob] And love it…
[Caleb] And love it… So remember to do your part.
[Bob] Yeah, absolutely. We can’t love our music as much as if you love it more than us. So… if I had final words, those would be it.
Even on my death bed I think I would say those words.
So a couple friends of mine on Luke Wood’s team (Caleb Culver and Bob Powers) just recently released a music video. It is an original song written just for this video and available (for now) exclusively to youtube viewers. It is extremely funny, so sit back and enjoy.
Zack Hensely, a missionary at the International House of Prayer here in Kansas City, wrote a very insightful post on Life is Punishment? that is well worth the read. Go on over and check it out, and leave a comment if you found it interesting.
Obama thanked Planned Parenthood for the “invaluable work” that they do to help young women be saved from unwanted pregnancy.
Let’s talk about how absurd this type of thinking is for a second. Under the logic used by Obama, there should also be an organization that saves women from making bad choices for husbands. They could call in “Planned Matrimony”, if you don’t like your husband they’ll show up in the night and shoot him in the head with a shot gun and take him away.
Just another personal update here about this 3rd Leadership Track of ATC (Awakening Teen Camp). I am blown away by these teenagers. My heart is so moved seeing young people leading prayer meetings, and wanting to be trained to lead prayer meetings in their high schools and middle schools. I mean these are 13-17 year olds leading a room of adults in prayer… and it’s REALLY enjoyable.
In a country where 1 out of 10 high schools has a club for gay and gay-friendly kids and where sexual laxity in our society among teenagers has become a social norm, there are forerunners who are standing up for purity, wholeheartedness, and fighting to maintain a life in God.
Zealous Teenagers In YOUR City
In the high schools in YOUR city there are teenagers who are in love with Jesus and want to see revival break out in their schools. They want to see kids saved and set free from addictions and are willing to pay the price to see that happen. These ones who have a seemingly unlimited amount of zeal and strength and a hunger for more like you’ve never seen are in YOUR church and cleaning out YOUR refrigerator.
I just had to post this video. This was this morning at the Awakening Teen Camp at IHOP KC. I love seeing teenagers getting saved and set free from drugs and sexual addictions and realizing who they are in Christ.
This is an answer in part to our prayers for the youth of this city and this nation.
Most of the time when people think of judgment and more specifically “God’s judgment”, they think of something that is very scary, dark, end of the worldish, destruction, etc. For most of my life my view of Jesus coming and judging the earth was very similar, focusing on the negative aspects of judgment.
However, a judge is not a bad person or a mean, angry person. When we think of a judge in a court of law, he is not there in that court solely so that he can execute punishments. He doesn’t find fulfillment doling out punishments left and right, keeping the ever-so-creepy grin on his face while people receive the hard end of a hammer. The judge is there to make sure the law is upheld. If the law is upheld by a person then a judgment is administered in favor of that person. It is only when the law is broken that a judgment has negative consequences, and rightly so. It is completely right and just when someone who murders or rapes someone receives a negative judgment.
We have been studying, playing and singing through Psalm 50 (one of the 12 end-time Psalms of Asaph) with our worship team. It is so exciting and exhilarating to sing about the return of Jesus to earth to setup His kingdom in Zion and rule and reign on the earth with Him. Today we just went through Ps. 50:4-6 introducing the Judge and what will happen upon His return.
Psalm 50:3-6 - “3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: 5 ‘Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ 6 Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.”
Judgments are rewards for the innocent and punishment for the guilty. When we come into a court of law and stand before the judge, if we are innocent and have evidence to prove our innocence, then the judge will give us a judgment in our favor. We will be glad to stand before the judge in that case. That is what we have before God. The covenant we have made with Jesus being the sacrificial lamb that paid the penalty for our sins is all the proof we need to stand boldly before the judge (with fear and trembling… it is the uncreated God we’re talking about here). But Jesus has given us a right standing with God and there are rewards that God will give to us when He returns (that is a whole ‘nother topic though, yet a great one).
2 Cor. 5:10 - “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
I am really looking forward to the time that I get to see Jesus coming with the clouds in the whirlwind of fire where every eye will see Him and know that He is God. I am passionately motivated to pray for those who don’t Him and am moved by the love and desire that God has for them, not to see them perish but to come into the kingdom. We have a kind, merciful God, a good just Judge.
I thought it was about time for another post, being that we’re at the end of June and we’re about to embarq on a 40-day fast. I’m not sure what exactly that means for my blogging habits, but time will tell.
Since it has been a few more than a few days since the last post, I thought I would just give a little update:
So we were at the Daniel Academy today. We were being interviewed by the Principle of the school, which seemed a little intimidating at first, but turned out to be very social and laid back. It was very enjoyable.
The Daniel Academy is basically a school run by IHOPers for grades K-12. Here is their description: (more…)
Just another personal update here about this 3rd Leadership Track of ATC (Awakening Teen Camp). I am blown away by these teenagers. My heart is so moved seeing young people leading prayer meetings, and wanting to be trained to lead prayer meetings in their high schools and middle schools. I mean these are 13-17 year olds leading a room of adults in prayer… and it’s REALLY enjoyable.
In a country where 1 out of 10 high schools has a club for gay and gay-friendly kids and where sexual laxity in our society among teenagers has become a social norm, there are forerunners who are standing up for purity, wholeheartedness, and fighting to maintain a life in God.
So we were at the Daniel Academy today. We were being interviewed by the Principle of the school, which seemed a little intimidating at first, but turned out to be very social and laid back. It was very enjoyable.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed