The Music Industry Under Jackie Russ' Camera
James Momo
Video director Jackie Russ got his imprint on the Liberian music industry. Jackie is not the new wave in the industry, he is the wave and every artistes wants to go for him – the music industry is under his influence.
The sensational video director is the bedrock of visual interpretation of audio recordings by Liberian musicians. If one had not really known Jackie Russ and been seeing the name at the start or end of many music videos, one would go so far as to call Jackie Russ a conglomeration of 10 directors.
I mean, the talented and restless Jackie must have been doing 10 men’s jobs considering the large number of videos released under his film every month. Jackie must have directed 3 videos out of every 5 videos shown on TV, that’s a clue. It is so obvious that Jackie is restless, no doubt, he loves it.
While he has clawed his way up, Jackie, a connoisseur of quality music videos has achieved more than some legends in the industry.
Jackie, the man behind the video has transformed his vast knowledge into a world of stylistic images. Not only did his videos complement the songs, but also, he makes songs larger than life, improving many artists’ images because they trust his professional judgment about image-making.
He can create the craziest images that seem to come out of nowhere. The much-sought-after and widely imitated director has given us a visual interpretation of most Liberian artists with his fancy camera work, charming and following rhythmic beat as well as painting with a variety of catchy colors, cheap but of high quality.
His vision definitely gave more texture to the way Liberian music is felt. The hardworking and easy-going young lad who makes the daunting task look easy will surely capture your attention for 4 minutes. He has got these special effects, bold and dramatic lighting.
Using his easy-to-use camera, he adds interesting storylines to music videos and computes wonderful graphics.
In Liberia, it is now a catch-22 situation, you get a Jackie, then you get the best video and vice versa. In spite of his heavy workload which makes him a workaholic, never underrates the ability of Jackie Russ. Calling him the best video director might be an understatement, let’s call him the best revelation so far.