Self-taught Emmy award-winning director Robert Alexander releases his newest project, _A Man Named Scott_, on Amazon Prime today, November 5th, 2021.
The new series centers the story of global genre-bending icon, Kid Cudi, following his path to fame with the release of his 2009 debut LP _Man on the Moon: The End of Day._ Since the release of his first body of work, Cudi has been launched into the spotlight as a musical and cultural legend. _A Man Named Scott_ explores the not only the process of reaching fame, but what comes after you’ve obtained it, as well as the struggle and triumphs creating music over the last decade.
As a creative force himself who knows what it’s like to not always have confidence, Robert Alexander felt that Cudi’s story was an inspiration to all artists who may lack confidence in their sense of self or their work. The director speaks on the process of shooting the film as well as what drew him to taking on this project.
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**You’re the mastermind behind a range of celebrity projects including HBO’s Emmy award-winning series, _The Shop_. How did you and Kid Cudi begin your collaboration?**
Complex reached out to me and asked if I wanted to create something to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of Cudi’s debut album. My first time meeting Cudi was when we sat down for the interview captured in Tokyo. He would have to speak for himself but I felt like we connected and became comfortable with each other very quickly. Neither of us knew what this film would look like but we were clearly aligned from the beginning that whatever we made had to have a big impact on young creative people. following our first interview I saw how important it was that we didn’t settle with just a look back at a single album but to explore his whole career up to the present and dig deep into his creative journey over a longer span of time.
**When did you start working on the project?**
We started in 2019.
**How would you describe _A Man Named Scott?_**
This is an art film made for anyone at any level of creative practice. Its part documentary, part narrative play and part commercial for unapologetc creativity. The goal of the film is to be like the song at the gym you put on when you need to to be energized. This is a film to hopefully re-watch and inspire and motivate artists of any medium to push to new boundaries.
**_A Man Named Scott_ opens discussing Cudi’s meteoric rise to success. Was that always the plan?**
To me with his first album, Cudi shifted culture by presenting a sound and a voice that was brand new in the space of hip-hop. With that in mind the plan was always to detail the pivotal moments that got Cudi to that level of artistry and then analyze everything after by answering the questions how do you follow up? How do you please fans? Please yourself? What's the pressure to create? What's the fear to create? Ultimately the goal was to show Cudi as someone you can create a real connection with because like any other artist he’s constantly trying to find his own formula to push into a new space and do something special that hasn’t been done before.
**There was so much intimacy and vulnerability in Cudi’s interviews. How did all that come together?**
Intimacy and honesty in front of the camera takes a lot of honest communication on intention, and a lot of shared truths both good and ugly from not only the subject but from me as well. The place we ultimately got to in the film means so much to me because Cudi believed in the vision and trusted me to handle his true story with care.
**The film touches upon his struggles with addiction and mental health. What was it like for you as a filmmaker to get him and the people closest to him to open up about some of the darkest moments of his life?**
Coming in to people’s lives and asking them to share intimate details that doesn’t constantly put them in the best light is something that I take incredibly seriously. I want to build the best story possible but its never the story you originally outline because with proper respect to the emotion of the voices your capturing your story will inevitably shift and evolve. By following that path I’ve always seen the results better then when you attempt to force a narrative.
**You explore the convergence between Kid Cudi’s creative and personal journeys. How important was it for you to depict how they influenced one another?**
It was incredibly important because one directly influences the other. In my own experience, artist expression comes directly from life experience and the quality of the work I put out is clearly reflected from how good I feel about myself when I’m trying to write, or shoot or just elevate ideas. That is why I wanted to spend so much time exploring these ideas so the audience can see delivering art isn’t automatic or on a schedule, we actively have to create the best space for art to flourish.
**You’ve achieved a lot of success in the narrative space. What compels you to tell stories through his medium?**
I love the idea of connection and seeing the beauty in everything because it truly is there, its just about how choose to see what’s around us. I started as a photographer and still consider myself one so when I direct I’m thinking of a photo in motion and for it to be beautiful it has to illicit emotion and connection and beauty and surprise in both the visual space and in the audio space simultaneously, when I feel like I do that selfishly its the most fulfilled I feel.
**Performance art utilized as a major device on your storytelling. How did you conceptualize this and how did you weave it into the overall narrative?**
The performance art piece with Jaden Smith was inspired by some incredibly powerful dialogue from Cudi during our interviews that in my opinion was being wasted without a complimentary visual component. The idea came to me to write a one man show in 3 acts where the sole performer is in a constant battle with himself. We had just interviewed Jaden Smith for the film and he felt like the perfect performer for the piece. I reached out to his team and he generously agreed to do it and gave us a few hours one afternoon to capture it all.
**How do you think Cudi as an artist empowered his fans around the world and why do you think his music is as impactful as it is?**
Cudi showed people you can be different in public and not only is it embraced Its celebrated because he made it cool to be different, to be honest in front of others.
**You include the many iconic figures throughout the film including Kanye West and Timothee Chalamet. How important were these voices in allowing you to tell his story?**
I think the voices were important because they carry a lot of weight and whether you love it or hate it, that’s critical for getting people to listen to important messages. Beyond the weight they had great things to say about the creative process that were honest, thoughtful, and inspiring which gave the film levity. Selfishly, I was a fan of so many of the people that sat for interviews and I was so excited to talk about the creative journey with them all and their responses helped make the film what it is.
**There are a few songs in which you show him performing throughout the film, and one is “Pursuit of Happiness.” What did you choose to highlight that song, and what emotional weight do you think it carries?**
“Pursuit of Happiness” is the perfect song to articulate the journey Cudi is on during the film and the journey were all on. We’re constantly moving through life day by day trying to find our individual formulas for happiness, for self love and self acceptance and the confidence for self expression. Its incredibly emotional because this treasure hunt for happiness is what makes us fulfill our dreams or run from them.
**What’s next for you?**
I’m currently producing a few films and directing a multi-part doc series for HBO on an NBA legend and am finishing up a script I started writing last year that I will hopefully direct once I finish this current doc series. After that we’ll see, I’m just extremely blessed to be able to explore ideas and make them into films that if I do correctly are unique hybrids of multiple mediums.
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