Fadi Haddad: “Social Media” videos make our task difficult
Every time the Lebanese director Fadi Haddad appears in a music video for an artist, he leaves a positive impression on his viewers. It is constantly renewed, adopting attractive photography techniques, colors, and montage. Nawal Al Zoghbi’s “Party” clip recently achieved 20 million views. And with Shatha Hassoun in her song “My Life’s Dream”, he was distinguished by an artistic packaging unlike any other. His latest filmed work with the artist Maher Jah, “Ya Ward”, is distinguished. Your love is the story of the young man, “Don Juan,” with a funny frame in which he went out of the ordinary. His camera moved between different filming locations, and the clip’s follower does not tire of watching it. It was characterized by an elaborate and colorful photography par excellence.
Fadi is one of the Lebanese directors with a rich professional history. To this day, he continues to achieve success after success, as if he had just started practicing his profession. His secret lies in his ability to generate ideas. It does not resemble or intersect with any other idea of his colleagues.
From where does he derive his renewal? How does he develop his technical skills? He replies to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Renewal is necessary, otherwise the director will fall into the trap of routine and be expelled by the art scene. This renewal is not limited to ideas only, but to keep up with the latest technologies and requirements of the remarkable image. And with modern cameras and lenses and well-thought-out lighting, in addition to accumulated experiences, he made the difference.
In Haddad’s opinion, the image must dazzle its viewer, otherwise, with the click of a button, he moves to another one in order to enjoy his gaze with what is more beautiful than it. The Lebanese professional director is comparable to his works today. He placed this profession in its required framework, which made him the focus of attention of Arab, Lebanese and foreign artists.
Fadi Haddad tells us that any clip he intends to implement takes time to prepare. It also requires him to search and keep up with anything new on the world stage. He points out that colors are the popular “trend” today in the world of photography. «It translates the theme of the clip and is directly related to the artist’s look and fashion. It should also be in tune with the weather conditions prevailing in the process of photography. They are elements that make up an artistic plot that is not easy at all, especially since coloring the clip after filming is no longer desirable.
He tells Asharq Al-Awsat that every work he intends to carry out requires him about 15 days. The first thing he sees is the subject of the song. Then he moves on to a careful study of the color selection process. And with it proceeds in determining the largest prevailing in the work. Orange or blue can occupy the largest area. And on its basis, the rest of the clip stones are relied upon, relying on his talent and not on specific references. “Since my beginnings, I have worked on this basis, and therefore the viewer enjoys, to this day, following up on my old works. In “Gharibiya Al-Nas” by Wael Jassar or “Ezz Al-Habayeb” by Saber Al-Rubai, you notice this. The duration of the four minutes that the clip takes must be saturated with a smart artistic process, so that it does not drive its viewers to boredom.
In his opinion, the implementation of a video clip is a very complex process that is controlled by expertise and knowledge, or keeping up with everything new. The stirring of feelings and the harmony of the eye of the beholder of the work with the image presented to him stem from the song first. “(Audio) is my main starting point. And the accompanying melody is the one that takes you to the right place and idea. The whole process requires a marketing culture.”
Fadi Haddad and Nawal Al Zoghbi form a harmonious duo whose understanding is reflected in any work they collaborate on. Recently, after her song “Hala”, he also filmed “Rito” for her, commenting: “I love Nawal very much, and her songs are beautiful, which motivate different aspirations for the director. It doesn’t bother me that Marat has turned into a director. My professional relationship with him is not a marriage, but a cooperative one. And I consider this matter to be in my interest, because when someone else tries it, he must return to my camera. This also motivates me to strive to exchange the best of what I have for a picture saturated with beauty.
Fadi Haddad does not stop researching, studying and learning, and says: “I travel a lot in order to enrich my eyes, as if I were a beginner student. Sometimes I go back to my studies, as I worked in Germany, so as not to miss modernity. I know very well that the director should strive and not feel satisfied at all. When he declares that he has reached the summit and achieved what he aspires to, he begins to draw his line of retreat.
Director Haddad relies on the cinematic dimension of the image in his works. He sees the clip as an important element for promoting the artist’s concerts. Whenever the viewer loves him, he causes people to rush to attend this or that party. “The artist cannot do without the video clip of his song. It brings him closer to his audience and generates this close relationship between them. The clip is also present in the artist’s concerts on the stage as an artistic background. And he accompanies his appearance on the stage while presenting the live song.
“The clip does not die,” Fadi repeats, and social media plays a prominent role in this equation. «It contributes to achieving a wide spread of it. And if he knows how to interact with his clip and his marketing process, the result will be many times what he aspires to. In the past, television dominated the arena. And the cost of passing a song on the small screen cost the artist large sums. Today, thanks to (Social Media), it is free and faster to reach millions of people. It is remarkable that different ages are reached by the clip, intentionally or otherwise.
On the other hand, Haddad asserts that the renewal of the clip world today is witnessing more difficulty because of these methods. “Imagine that thousands of video clips are generated daily on (Tik Tok), (Instagram), and others. It’s what we call Reel, which is sweeping through these apps like a tsunami. Opportunities are available for anyone to make a music video. And this world is growing day by day, which makes the task of the director difficult and requires excellence from him.
