All that said, we had an AMAZING time and it was all worth it in the end because Taylor’s new video for her latest single “MINE” is officially finished and it’s insanely great! I mean, you never really know what a piece is going to look like in the end, but when we were shooting this video everything was just perfect and you just had a feeling that it was all going to fall in to place perfectly . . . as it did. Taylor also worked CRAZY hard on this one. From the concept to the shoot, it was definitely a huge collaboration this time. She spent HOURS in the edit to really make this piece everything she dreamed it would be, and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate her!

As I said above, we shot in Maine, and it was absolutely stunning from day one. There were forests and beaches and harbors and boats and islands and tons of amazing people. The crew and cast on this one were simply perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Everybody worked their tails off and it was NOT an easy shoot. We had tons of footage to capture!

We began on day one shooting at a HUGE estate that was over 2,000 acres with some stunning views. For day two, we were in a small town called Cape Porpoise and the people could not have been nicer and more cooperative. It really was a stellar experience, and we had a blast from beginning to end. It really is amazing how much fun we have on our shoots, but why not? I mean, it beats sitting at home getting addicted to daytime soaps . . . not that it’s ever happened to me personally. Ahem.

Things I remember most? The kids! One of them, “Little Monster,” (you know who you are) chased me around with lobster claws! And, speaking of lobster, the amazing Tameron Hedge (Producer) got accosted by a giant sea gull who stole her lobster roll! But don’t worry, she got another one! I also remember one of my best friends (and fabulous DP), Pedro Castro sleeping like a newborn fawn on the way to the location scout. I have a picture, but am pretty sure he’d hunt me down if I posted it. Shoot me an email if you’re interested! Hehe.

And, of course, topping it all off, was receiving Hugs A Lot bear from Taylor at the end of the shoot. HE’S AN EVIL BEAR THAT SMELLS OF STRAWBERRIES, and he’s now keeping my moon man company! Hehe.

So, as you can tell, it was an FANTASTIC SHOOT! Look for the video soon! It will be premiering in the near future! Until then, check out Taylor’s new single “MINE” on itunes!!! It ROCKS!!!

Well, it has officially happened. I am speechless! Okay, okay, maybe that’s a little extreme. Hehe. I found out this week that the video I created with Taylor for FIFTEEN has been nominated for an MTV Music Video Award for Best Female Video! How freakin’ exciting is that?

The video was A LOT of work, and I could not have done it without the KILLER Magnetic Dreams gang. They did an amazing job and I was more than happy to be locked in a room with Don Culwell and the lovely Rhea Borzak for three months working nonstop . . . and that IS NOT an exaggeration. We were working our fingers and brains to the nub! But, luckily, we had Snuggies and caffeine and YouTube and Juggling (for those rendering times of course) to keep us company. In the end, the video turned out beautifully and we really captured the heart of the song while also creating something that looks incredible.

We shot the entire piece over green screen in a studio in Nashville. After the edit, the REAL fun began as 3D EVERYTHING was created for the piece. There’s really nothing in the video that’s real with the exception of Taylor and Abigail . . . oh, and the door is real in a couple of shots. Other than that, it was all CG (computer generated). From the flowers to the plants to the lockers to paper airplanes and trees, the team made it all. Oh, and did you notice that the tree over Taylor’s head forms the shape of a heart??? Hehe.

So, if you love you some Taylor Swift as much as I do and want to make all the artists happy who slaved away on the project, get those fingers moving and head on over to MTV.com to VOTE I mean, what harm could it do? It’s not like you’re doing anything else crazy important . . . right?

I’ve been a freakin’ blogging slug lately, but have several new posts coming up to really catch up on everything that’s been going on in ’09. A lot has happened, and there’s TONS to talk about, but . . .

In the meantime, I thought I’d start with a quick BOOK PLUG! I do A LOT of writing and even more reading and through the years I’ve been crazy fortunate to make TONS of stellar friends in the writing world. One of my good friends, Kimberly Frost, has a series of books out that I’ve really been enjoying.

The first is called Would-Be Witch and the second is Barely Bewitched. I enjoyed them both, but just finished the second and have to say I enjoyed it even more than the first . . . which is a huge feat! The third book in the series is coming out next year. I believe it’s called Halfway Hexed, and I’ve already been begging for a sneak peek. Yeah, I’m addicted at this point! Hehe.

So, if you love witches, werewolves, and all things magical, check her books out! They really are a lot of fun!!!

I spent the day yesterday shooting a music video for the AMAZING Whitney Duncan!!!! It involved a fantastic swimming hole, a lot of heat, a Calvin Klein model, watermelon, brownies, a tire swing and, of course, some SKINNY DIPPIN’ to really make things interesting.

We had an AMAZING day, and here’s a little peak at Whitney with her co-star in a boat with the always incredible Steve Glass complete with waders! It’s going to be an amazing video, and I can’t wait to finish it up. In the meantime, check Whitney out on her website and look for the video and song on a channel near you . . . and get out of the house and find your nearest swimming hole and . . . um . . . have a little summer fun of your own!!!

Okay, I am a huge fan of Craig Ferguson. He’s an AMAZING writer and, as you will see in this clip, an even MORE AMAZING dancer. Watch and ENJOY! SOOOOO GOOD!

I have to say that this is the most fun I’ve has on a shoot in a very long time and everything went together PERFECTLY!!! It was almost as if things in this video were just meant to be and it all started with the perfect song by the lovely Taylor Swift!

We shot the piece over two days. The first was on location in Hendersonville at a new development with a lot of GREAT homes. We shot all of the interior and exteriors of the bedrooms as well as the morning footage where Band Geek Taylor gets to spend some heavenly time with Lucas Till on a park bench before Evil Cheerleader Taylor swoops in with her 2010 Mustang to tear them apart. Now, that said, I want to say that I don’t think all cheerleaders are evil . . . but the one in our video is. She’s kind of the girl we all loved to hate in High School, and we had a great time with her, and I think Taylor had a blast playing two very different roles. The weirdest part was that she really CHANGED once that wig went on. She walked differently. She spoke differently. She even had some fantastic new evil looks she’d toss around. It was GREAT!

The second day of shooting was a Pope John Paul II High School (also in Hendersonville), and I cannot say enough about the staff and kids there. They quite simply ROCKED! Fortunately for us, they were having their prom the night after we were shooting and the gym was already decorated floor to ceiling and we were able to use the setup for our video prom, and it could NOT have worked more perfectly. After we shot the prom, including a ton of JPH student extras, we moved out onto the football field where hundreds of people waited in the bleachers for a faux football game!

All of JPH’s cheerleaders and football players were on hand as well as their band and tons of extras. We simply could not have made this happen without all their help, and I BEYOND appreciate them for working with us and being so patient. The entire student body and everybody there was simply fantastic. Lucas caught a few passes and Taylor did a little cheerleading as well as a little band playing (with her real band) in the stands. Taylor and Lucas did some AMAZING acting in this piece and you can really feel the story playing out between their two characters from beginning to end.

Of course the crew kicked ass, everything went smoothly and we had a blast! I really loved working on this piece and appreciate everybody involved with it. It’s now playing on the tube, but if you want to check it out online you can find it on romanwhite.com or cmt.com! Thanks again everybody for all the hard work . . . I could NOT have done it without you!!!

Producers : Randy Brewer and Michelle Abnet
DP : Norman Bonney

I have four words that can easily describe working on this video . . . I LOVE THE PICKLER! Hehe.

I met Kellie briefly at the ACM awards about a year ago and have wanted to work with her since then. When I got the opportunity, I was waaaaay excited, and we had a BLLAAASSST working on this video where we not only got to play with Taylor Swift for the day, but also got to hit a guy with a bus! It doesn’t really get any better than that.

Kellie and Taylor wrote “The Best Days of Your Life” together, and we all thought it would be amazing if she could be a part of the video. Luckily, everybody’s schedules worked out perfectly and these two amazing talents got to perform in the piece together and do a little fake shopping along the way! It was a great experience, and I love the way it all turned out.

We shot the entire piece in one day, using various locations around Nashville, including the Belcourt Theatre, Hillsboro Village, a friends apartment complete with my old leather couch (THANKS JEN) and a fantastic set created by my favorite, crazy talented art director Ruby Guidara. It was a very fast-paced day, but everything fell together perfectly!

Kellie was incredibly natural in front of the camera and there were moments when we were having too much fun and had to be calmed down a bit so we could get some work done (sorry, Randy and Michelle!). Taylor and the rest of the cast were equally awesome . . . not to mention our fantastic all-girl band.

As always, none of this would have been possible without the crew and all the hard work they put in . . . and this WAS NOT an easy day. So, I REALLY do appreciate all the hard work you guys and gals put into this video. It’s a group effort and know that and thank you!

The video is now airing all over the tube and you can also find it at romanwhite.com! Also, check Kellie and Taylor out on tour together!!! I can’t wait to see the show myself and hear it KICK ASS!!!

Producers : Randy Brewer and Michelle Abnet
DP : Pedro Castro

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I assure you that a lot has been going on and some WAY cool stuff is coming! That said, some WAY COOL stuff has already been finished and one of said projects is a piece I just finished for Ruben Studdard, another talented winner from American Idol and a crazy nice, very sweet guy who has a voice smoother than milk chocolate!

We had a GREAT time shooting this piece at an amazing club in Nashville called FUSE. If you’re ever out at the Opryland Hotel, check this place out. It was designed by the same peeps who design all the big Las Vegas clubs and it definitely feels very elegant and insanely cool. For a while, I felt like I was IN Vegas, but there weren’t any slot machines “ching-chinging” in the background and the place was completely void of blue-haired ladies at said machines smoking cigarettes alongside their oxygen tanks. If you think I’m joking then you’ve never been to Vegas. Hehe.

Everybody on the shoot was amazing (as always). We had a fantastic cast that filled the club with steamy bodies and our lead actors were PERFECT, helping me create a love story in a setting that quite simply rocked. The entire story plays out around Ruben as he performs on stage, and he nailed it every time. It always makes the day so much easier when you have an artist that really knows how to perform and Ruben was incredible, and I loved working with him.

Thanks so much to everybody who worked on the piece! It’s now playing all over the place, but head on over to romanwhite.com if you’d like to take a look!

Producers : Randy Brewer and Michelle Abnet
DP : Pedro Castro

I think the title of this post pretty much sums it up, but I am crazy excited because I truly love this song and Carrie just rocks in the video!

Other videos I directed on the countdown are: “All-American Girl” at #11 and . . .

Alan Jackson’s “Small Town Southern Man” coming in at #7!!!!

I have to say thanks once again to EVERYBODY who worked on these pieces. I couldn’t do it without you ALL!!!

I met Josh Turner a few months ago at a shoot for a Nashville Tourism spot, and he was a lot of fun. Not only does he have a great sense of humor and a voice that could melt a log of Velveeta, he’s also one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met. Soon after, I was given the opportunity to direct a video for Josh’s new single “Everything Is Fine,” and I think we created something that is not only incredibly personal to Josh, but also visually unique and interesting.

We spent the day shooting over green screen in Nashville, Josh spending most of his day walking on a treadmill, singing and playing the guitar. Like I said, he’s a talented guy and got an incredible workout as well! Who knows, maybe there’s an aerobics DVD in his future. Hehe. Other members of the Turner household also showed up, including Moses, Josh’s bloodhound who is pretty much a big baby who also has quite the singing voice. I guess it runs in the family.

I had an amazing time and the entire crew was GREAT as always. They make my job so much easier and I REALLY appreciate them. Look for the new video on CMT and GAC soon!

Click here to view a quicktime of the entire piece

Producers : Randy Brewer and Michelle Abnet
DP : Pedro Castro