Jamaican Music Video Director Ernesto Mitchell Eyes Films, Documentaries

Ernesto Mitchell, founder and lead music video producer at Xtreme.Arts, says he is eyeing the film industry, and hopes to get into the groove of it soon.

“I think this type of branching out will be the next big step for me, as the music world is ever changing and change is inevitable. I already have scripts, treatments and ideas in the pipeline,” he told DancehallMag.

Mitchell, 33, founded the company in 2011. He has shot and directed videos for a long list of Jamaican celebrities including Koffee, Protoje, Shenseea, Spice, Teejay and Tarrus Riley.

Even with such an impressive track record, Mitchell still has a favorite.

“My best production so far; would be Protoje and Koffee – Switch It Up. The mood and feeling of that video was at an all time difference. I put both artistes on location where no one would have expected them to be,” he said.

Mitchell got his big break after working with Baby Cham and O on the track Whine. An alumnus of the New York Film Academy, where he earned a diploma in video productions, this is certainly something he has always wanted to pursue. However, he said that his career comes with a fair share of challenges.

“Most of the challenges that we face comes through finding the right locations and talent to complement each video. Bringing an artistes idea to life can also be difficult as a lot of them are quite specific in how they want the video to come out,” Mitchell explained.

Mitchell has also recorded some singles under the monicker Deejay X. He revealed how he was forced to record his own videos when he dabbled in recording.

“There came a point where we (he and his brother) needed someone to shoot music videos for our songs and realised we were lacking in that aspect. As I already had a passion for it, I gave it a try and ended up loving it. I can safely say that I’ve gained the ultimate career from that decision,” he continued.

He doesn’t have to rack his brain too much when coming up with concepts for music videos. In fact, Mitchell says all he and his team have to do is combine their creativity to do this.

“My team and I listen to the track several times, exchange ideas , mix and match, take out and add in which helps to bring the idea from mind to pen to paper. Then the script or treatment is birthed,” the music video director added.

He further had some words of encouragement for aspiring music video producers.

“Once you have an interest, don’t suppress your vision and dreams. YouTube is your best bet right now, this is an open platform where you have access to a wide range of videos/tools to help you to learn a lot of things about production videos and more. If possible, get educated or certified in the field. Push yourself.”