Watch The Throne Documentary from Forgotten Sundays on Vimeo.
A look at the making of Kanye West and Jay Z's collaborative album, "Watch The Throne". Here is what the director Robert Lopuski had to say about taking on the project:
I was in Madrid on another gig when I got the call. I had to drop everything to fly out to Sydney. I didn’t have any equipment with me. So I asked Kanye’s team if it was cool to put in a rental order– like, could you guys get some stuff down there for me? I wrote up a list: I need a camera, a mic, a stand, the simple abc’s, and they said don’t worry, we got it.
A few days later, I show up and none of it is there. So I went on a crazy four-hour tear around Sydney, finding whatever pieces of equipment I could get my hands on.
When I started filming, there were issues with exposure. I didn’t have the tools to properly capture Kanye and Jay in a candlelit studio. The equipment I had at the time couldn’t handle such low light. I would say to the handlers that there were certain things that I needed to do: turn on lights, get slightly better access, possibly stage a better setup photographically.
They said ‘no, we can’t do that.’ Could I sit down? Could I put lavs on them? I know you guys are recording the album, but could I record their conversations? ‘No, you can’t do that.’ Can I set mics up in the room to record the room? ‘No.’ Do you think while I’m here, I can do sit-down interviews with them…maybe get something that I can at least use audio wise? ‘No. They don’t feel like doing interviews.’
The job was challenging professionally because you’re thrust immediately into the inner circle yet not allowed to capture the inner workings properly.
Directed, Edited, and Photographed by Robert Lopuski.
