Young Thug – Wyclef Jean

Young Thug
— Wyclef Jean

01. Brief
When Young Thug fails to show up for his shoot, we use editing, text, and a nothing-to-lose attitude to avert a crisis.
"Co-director"
Ryan Staake
Young Thug
Agency
Atlantic/300
A multimedia approach drove the narrative
The only part of this that was planned was using the audio of him describing what he wanted and building it out piece by piece. Beyond that, it's 100% a reaction to the shitty cards I was dealt on this production.
— Ryan Staake, Director
02. Context
Believe it or not, there were actually three different iterations of the video treatment:

Back when Young Thug went by Jeffrey for a brief period and the track was called NASCAR. In this concept, he lit the budget on fire.

A completely new idea based on an audio recording of Young Thug describing what he wanted.

After Young Thug never arrived on set, Staake put together this “recovery plan”

Vice was there filming a doc that ended up documenting our doc.
How meta.
03. Result
When the video was released in early 2017, it promptly broke the internet. Social media was inundated with people talking about how hilarious it was, how it had to be fake, how refreshing the unapologetic honesty was in the post-truth era, or saw it as a trojan horse storming the gates of the hypocritical, image-obsessed music industry itself.
Then came the awards

Young Thug
— Wyclef Jean

"Co-Directors"
Ryan Staake
Young Thug
Type
Music Video
Label
Atlantic/300

Production Companies: Pomp&Clout x Freenjoy / EPs: Ryan Staake, Ryen Bartlett & Nathan Scherrer / Producer: Jeff Kopchia / Head of Production: Kevin Staake / Director of Photography: Trevor Wineman / Editors: Ryan Staake & Eric Degliomini / VFX Supervisor: Aaron Vinton / Lead VFX/3D: Pete Puskas / VFX Touchups: Eric Degliomini & Ryan Staake / Colorist: David Torcivia / Audio Edit: Aaron Vinton / Voice on Recording: John Colombo / Rotoscoping: 3D Services India / Typeface: GT Sectra

Production Manager: Nathaniel Dueber / Production Coordinator: Jimmy Stannard / 1st AD: Erik Mateo / 2nd AD: Anthony Hayward / Casting Director: Michael Stonewall Beaudry / Production Designer: Clayton Beisner / Art Director: Pele Kudren / Set Dresser: Greg Shultz / Set Dec Shopper: Philip Steiger / 1st AC: Alicia Pharris / 2nd AC: Erin Naifeh / B CAM OP: Bret Watkins / B CAM AC: Erick Aguilar / DIT: Mike Halper / VTR: Chris Warren / Techno Dolly Tech: Adam Francis / Techno Dolly Op: Paul Maples / Gaffer: Mike Misslin / Best Boy Electric: Garett Williams / Electric: Joel Gill / Key Grip: Nick Bodkin / Best Boy Grip: Josh Smith / Grip: Sean Burris / Grip Driver: Randy Crisco / Stylist: Bo Roses / Hair: Priscilla Nguyen / Makeup: Julie Dinh / Pyro Tech: Erick Hicks / Truck PA: Ted Keffer / Set PA: Freddy Mendez / Set PA: Patricia Ramirez / Driver PA: Zac Grado / Moho Driver: Rusty

Kid Cops: Roman George, Steven Thomas, Corey Jackson / Girls: Sharifa Bailey, Alexis Paton, Stephanie Chukwoucha, Melissa Moore, Jacqueline Cohen, Emily Gruen, Blaire Hampton, Saiyda, Bey, Danica Cooper, Jasmine Macken, Shakina Greene, Ella Moore, Kathaleen Fisher, Sylvia Kochinski, Brandi Lawrence, Meica Bradshaw, Ermaline Ogbodo, Jessica Harris, Kaleila Jordan, Nicole, Ballantine, Skylar Roberge, Vanessa Stewart