Tennesia Malcolm, Gleaner Writer

Jay Will - Contributed

IT'S 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, and shooting for the day is winding down. Film director Jay Will and his crew have occupied the Fort Clarence beach for 12 hours, shooting the Jamaican leg of Shaggy's Feel The Rush, a theme song for UEFA, governing body of European football.

It hasn't been the easiest of days; heavy winds and mini sand storms force delays and adjustments. But the 29-year-old Jay Will is up to the task.

He issues directives in a no-nonsense manner.

If there are complaints from production crew, they fall on unsympathetic ears. Jay Will has a vision which goes, for the most part, uninterrupted.

"We're gonna set up over there until the lunch is ready," he assures a somewhat reluctant worker.

The lunch break, at which time he promises to break for an interview, has been two hours in coming. And when he does sit down to eat, it is mere seconds later that he turns away from his meal. His is an intentness of purpose that could easily be misconstrued as arrogance.

Directing, a gift

But it is a winning approach, as far as Shaggy is concerned. This is the deejay's fifth video with Jay Will who was responsible for Bonafide Girl, Church Heathen and Broadway.

In February, Church Heathen won a Reggae Academy Award for Best Music Video.

"As dysfunctional as it is, Jay and I have a successful chemistry. He gives me more trouble than any other director, but I respect his creativity," says Shaggy. "We have mutual chemistry; he's a very talented director."

As the talented one sits over his uneaten meal, he explains that, "Majority of the times I come up with the concept (for a music video) and if the artiste presents one, I still always add my touch to it," he said.

Artistic licence perhaps earned by directing over 80 music videos, and that's in Jamaica alone. It would seem that producing concepts for so many songs would be a task, but Jay Will explains that 'it is a gift'.

"Every time I hear a song, I see pictures. I have a very crazy imagination," he relates.

Giving to Jamaican music

This imagination influenced him to leave behind experience with noted American networks such as CBS, NBC and MTV and return home to Jamaica and become a film director. That was three years ago.

Today, Jason Williams has become the go-to guy for Jamaican music videos.

"People come to me because they want me to come up with a concept. They like the way I shoot my videos, the concept, the overall video," he said.

The fact that he is the most in-demand director in Jamaica doesn't prevent him from approaching artistes with video ideas. Battling wind which makes even the strongest voice barely audible, Jay Will nonchalantly shares, "I write an idea and send to the person and if they like it, maybe they'll hire me."

Childhood dream

He seems to have no problems getting hired, as apart from his work at home Jay Will recently did work on six soca videos in Barbados, including Pumpin' and Girls Gone Wild. Throw in his work with hip hop/R&B outfits, such as Lil Kim, Mya, Kanye and Noriega, and he has an eclectic repertoire.

The lack of boundaries placed the dream into young Williams' head that he could indeed become a filmmaker. That no-holds-barred attitude has seen him grow from his first Jamaican music video - Wayne Marshall and Tami Chynn's Arguing - to Serious Times, his first full-length film.

Serious Times is a low-budget project written by 'The Doc' about life in Jamaica with the music industry as a backdrop, told through the eyes of dancers," Jay Will said. Casting begins on April 13, with filming to begin later this year.

In the interim, he hopes to collaborate with "anyone that's doing positive dancehall and reggae music".

Though his outfit of plain white T-shirt and black shorts betray any hint of authority, it's easy to tell who is in charge on the Fort Clarence set. The authoritative manner in which he issues directives, coupled with wild gesticulation, sets him apart. It is in this matter-of-fact tone that he addresses budgetary issues.

"I don't know what the budget (for this music video) is like; I'm the director," is all he divulged. The Gleaner later learns that the Jamaican leg of the shoot cost US$15,000.

On the way from one set-up to the next, Jay Will explains how a hefty budget or lack thereof can affect the end product.

"If you have more money, more things can be done; if you have less money, it can be tight," he said.

Attention to detail

Elementary really, but lack of funds does not equate to lack of creativity. Jay Will's work has run the gamut from low-budget to Feel The Rush, which he admits is his biggest production to date; he was also responsible for the Austrian leg of the shoot.

His attention to detail shows why his videos reflect a certain standard. It's hard to keep up with Jay Will as he flits from location to location, crew in tow.

But the intensity on set does not prevent the director from having a little fun. As the sound system begins to belt out Feel The Rush for the performance scene, he 'busts' some of the latest dance moves. It seems the entire crew breathes a sigh of relief and many begin cheering him on.

It's a fleeting moment and it's soon back to work.

"Wi setting up on the beach; get the footballers ready."