Justin Timberlake Video Director Talks Innovative Clip

(Gibson) A striking new "live shot" video Justin Timberlake is generating tremendous buzz. Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. of the Paris-based filmmaker collective La Blogotheque, the video for Timberlake's new single, "Say Something," was recorded in a single take, following two weeks of intensive planning and pre-production.

"It could have been a gigantic disaster," said Perez, speaking with Esquire earlier this week. "A lot of the times, when you're working with such a big artist, there's so much to lose. And to his credit, [Timberlake] wanted to be vulnerable."

Shot at Los Angeles's Bradbury Building (which famously served as a setting in the "Blade Runner" film), the video involved a 200-person crew-including 17 musicians and a 60-member choir. One of those musicians was Chris Stapleton, who accompanied Timberlake on guitar and was integral to the proceedings. Rehearsals took place throughout the day, with the knowledge that the actual shoot had to occur during a narrow 10-minute time frame, when a deep blue evening light was shining through a window.

"I'm not joking when I tell you that this is the first and only take that we did in the night time," Perez said. "This is � Justin Timberlake. That guy is a pro. And Chris Stapleton was such a good guy. I don't know if he knew exactly what was going on, but that guy is a performer, so he just settled back and did it." Read more here.