Stephen Kijak: The Man Behind the Lens
There’s just one week until Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of invades the UK and Europe so we think it’s time to meet the man himself, director Stephen Kijak!
Having previously worked on documentaries about the Rolling Stones and musician Scott Walker, boy bands weren’t exactly Stephen’s thing. In fact, he initially turned down what we fans would call a dream gig and it wasn’t until he met with the band that he knew he had to work on the project – guess no-one’s immune to that Backstreet spell!
We talked to Stephen about the challenges of making the documentary, his lively first encounter with BSB and mud pie runs with Nick…
What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
The first album I ever bought was Love Gun by KISS when I was eight-years-old. High school was very new wave – I actually thought I was Robert Smith from The Cure. I really liked British music like New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Depeche Mode. It was a totally new wave childhood – including the hair!
What were your impressions of BSB back then?
I was the cool kids and they were the enemy. I didn’t like that kind of music at all. Although I’ll never forget living in New York when Millennium came out and hearing ‘I Want It That Way’ on the radio in a little Korean deli. I was actually frozen in my tracks thinking, “Oh my god, this is the perfect pop song.”
Then it was, “Oh God, I can’t like this.”
There was almost a shame, but the song just got you. I tucked that away and kept it a secret that I loved that song. They were just there, a part of pop culture at the time.
So it’s fair to say you never expected to work on such a significant project of theirs?
Never! To be honest, I turned it down when it was first offered to me and it wasn’t until my producer Mia Bays got involved and sold it hard, like “You really need to do this. These guys are great, there’s a great story here and it will be fun to work together again.’’
Then you meet the guys and it’s like, “What was I thinking? Of course I should do this!”
Mia and the team at Pulse Films had already completed filming in London by then. What did you think of that footage?
That’s when the call came in again. She had this footage she wanted to show me and that really convinced me – seeing how they were letting themselves be portrayed. They were really up for doing a film that wasn’t guarded or a puff piece. You could tell they wanted to be real, which convinced me it was going to be a great thing.
Even though they’ve known each other for 22 years, those hometown visits really stepped it up a notch in terms of their bonds. What did you observe happening with group dynamics during that week?
That was actually the first time I’d met them. We all met in Delray Beach in AJ’s hometown and that was the first thing we shot. It was interesting to have that be my first experience with them because I learned about them through these early stages of their lives – the places they came from and the things that made them who they are today. It was a cool, casual, relaxed week.
Although as the week went on each guy would see the emotional impact that these days were having on each other and it became like, “Oh god, my day’s coming up!”
It was intense and a lot of emotion, but fun to see the bond. It felt really natural.
Which visit was the hardest one to film?
AJ’s was tough in that there were just so many people running around! There were friends, teachers then all of a sudden tons of kids everywhere. And it was our first one, so we were trying to find our groove with the crew and how these guys behaved on camera.
But we picked up steam pretty quickly. Any difficulty was logistical and more on the production side.
You’ve been pretty active with the fan base on Twitter and I see this morning someone called you the sixth Backstreet Boy…
That’s hilarious. I don’t know the moves. I couldn’t do that. No way.
What? They didn’t teach you any moves!?
Uh, well … a few. If I’m honest, I have learned a few.
What was the guys’ reactions when they saw the completed film?
They’re all very proud of it from what we can tell!
What’s your favourite part?
Hiking in Kentucky was the sweet spot for me. That was the last hometown trip. Climbing a mountain with Kevin in Kentucky is my fondest memory and I love how it lives in the movie. It wraps around the movie and is like our bookend.
What was your standout memory with the guys off-camera?
Nick forcing us to eat a mud-pie dessert at some ridiculous restaurant in Tampa one night. I don’t know where he brought us, but it was the biggest, most disgusting and delicious thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life! I had some good Florida eating with the boys.
And, just observing Nick Carter’s appetite first-hand. I’ve never quite seen anyone eat like that. The boy’s got a lot of energy.
*Next week kicks off the beginning of Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of’s international launch. Check here (http://backstreetboys.com/
By Leena Tailor/@LeenaNZ