Key Music Video DirectorJoseph Khan

Joseph Khan: A Background

• Kahn was born in Busan, South Korea• His family moved to Jersey Village, Texas,

a suburb of Houston, when Joseph was three.• After graduating from Jersey Village High

School in 1990, Kahn went to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He later dropped out after one year to direct music videos.

What has he directed?Here are some of the most Iconic, but there are many more

I’ve not included.

• Britney Spears – Stronger (2000)• Enrique Iglesias – Hero (2001)• Eminem – Without Me (2002)• Britney Spears – Toxic (2004)• Gwen Stefani – Sweet Escape (2006)• Chris Brown – Forever (2008)• Pussycat Dolls – When I Grow Up (2008)• Katy Perry – Waking Up in Vegas (2009)• Eminem ft Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie (2010)• Taylor Swift – Blank Space, Bad Blood, Wildest Dream’s (2014/2015)

Eminem – Without Me (2002)• Joseph Khan won his first Grammy for directing Eminem’s music

video for Without Me• The music video of the song features a number of scenarios built

around its context, including Eminem and Dr. Dre as parodies of comics in general, specifically Batman, Robin and Blade trying to save a child who bought a copy of The Eminem Show that has a Parental Advisory sticker. Eminem and his band of heroes rush to the rescue before the child puts the CD in and he snatches it away from him, and showing that his CD has explicit lyrics.

• The video also features a Lamborghini Murcielago.• Also the video leaves in words like that were censored on the clean

album.• This video received MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year,

Best Male Video, Best Rap Video, and Best Direction as well as gaining nominations for Best Editing and Viewer's Choice. It also won Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards of 2003.

Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas (2009)

• Waking up in Vegas is another well known video directed by Joseph Khan.

• It begins with Katy Perry and her love interest winning money on slot machines.

• The next scene shows them winning at roulette the night before, it features a cameo from Penn and Teller, who they kick out of their hotel room. There are many shots of Katy Perry and her love interest winning money and enjoying a lavish lifestyle.

• Eventually Katy Perry and her partner kiss in a money booth, and their luck begins to change, they lose all their winnings and Penn and Teller take their hotel room back.

• The video ends where it began, as Perry and her partner win more jackpots on slot machines.

• I like this video directed by Khan, as it really captures the song and also the impact Vegas and gambling can have on a person. People can go from having everything, to eventually nothing due to the addictive nature of gambling.

Britney Spears – Toxic (2004)• Britney Spears’ video for Toxic is arguably one of her, and

one of the most iconic music videos in history.

• Spears first approached Kahn with a story sketch of a secret agent out for revenge against an ex-lover, to which Kahn created a treatment for. Kahn said, "That's part of her brilliance [...] She totally understands that she's naughty and nice, that she's the girl-next-door gone bad who is constantly titillating you". Spears said she wanted to join the mile high club and be a stewardess that kissed a man in the bathroom. Kahn suggested making him a fat man, so the "common man" would feel represented.

• It was considered too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night showings.

• In September 2009, the music video for "Toxic" was voted by users of the music video website MUZU TV as the sexiest music video of all time

• I think Khans genius in capturing Britney, and breaking her image away from her teen pop 90’s phase, into a sophisticated, sexy female seeking revenge is why the video, along with its motifs is so iconic.

His work with Taylor Swift• I discovered Khan through his work with Taylor, and

immediately noticed the improvement in videos of hers that he had directed. As opposed to other videos, with different directors.

• Khan has worked with Taylor on 3 music videos, “Bad Blood”, “Blank Space” and “Wildest Dreams”.

• Khan and Swift have won awards at MTV VMA awards for their work with music videos.

• What I like about Khan and Swift’s work together, is how each one of the music videos has a story, be it Taylor being a serial dater, or teaming up with a stream of allies to get revenger, or being left heartbroken after filming a movie in Africa. All of the videos have a story, which makes them much more enjoyable for people to watch, in my view. The videos are cleverly filmed and include numerous different locations, keeping the viewer captivated and drawn to the storyline.