April 03, 2007 @ 3:56 pm

Just Me And My Boyfriend

Shauna Barbosa

VIBE glimpses the secret relationship between Beyonce and her photographer

Cliff Watts likes Beyonce when she's stripped down and very raw. One early Friday morning on Fisher Island in Miami, what started as an idea of a candid Beyonce on a beach developed into a piece of Beyonce's long-awaited Anthology DVD. The video Watts directed for "Flaws And All"- a new song released on B'Day Deluxe Edition - doesn't look very directed. Recorded on a primitive Super 8 camera, it was hard to gauge how the visual would turn out. Watts calls it "very human and soulful." Photographers like Tony Duran, John Jay, and Mertin Marcus, have cultivated long-standing business relationships with celebrities like P. Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Beyonce - and their connection inevitably grows personal. Friendships are born. "Trust is a big reason why a certain photographer and artist will join together repeatedly," explains Robyn Forest, VIBE's photo editor. "Celebrities have to be photographed, and often times, the way people view them is not that flattering. When celebrities find a photographer they like and are comfortable with, it's a safe place for them. They can build from where the last photo shoot left off." Beyonce and Cliff Watts have been working together for six years. With each shoot, the two grew closer. Photographers often have to flirt with women to get them to relax before the camera. The chemistry between Watts and Beyonce shows in the shoots and videos they create. "He shoots her like someone who's in love with her," observes Forest. "He's not passing judgment, he loves her exactly as she is." Acting like a boyfriend behind the camera, Cliff Watts is clearly a photographer who shoots for beauty and comfort. Before the release of the videos "Flaws and All" and "Still in Love," Watts sat down to talk to VIBE about what it was like in those intimate moments with Beyonce. No make-up, no set, no glam squad, no props: just Beyonce, and the man behind the camera. Who came up with the idea behind "Still In Love?"
I showed Beyonce a small film that I shot of a friend of mine on the beach a long time ago and she really responded to it. Whenever I would see her, I'd say, "I still want to do that piece with you on the beach some time." It was sort of like an experiment, just to see and to work like that. She knows that I like her without any fuss. It was her idea to make it be really personal. Considering this video is a new look for Beyonce, what was her demeanor?
B was super comfortable. The object of it was to feel as if she's alone with the person that she cares for. We wanted you to feel like you're sort of invading the privacy of her and her loved one. I felt like it would be nice to add a lot of darkness. Make the sea dark and sparkling because I wanted this to be kind of mysterious. Like the Loch Ness monster could come out of the water at any minute. It's kind of scary, a little bit, but mysterious and intense and emotional. It was a lot of fun being with her - it was just like hanging out with a friend. What was your vision for the video?
I wanted moments of her splashing and being sweet and carefree, and then I wanted other moments where she was sort of introverted, and then other moments where she was just sexy and then, of course, performance. In the part where there's so much crescendo to it, I wanted the most performance. I just wanted it to be beautiful visuals, because I find with a lot of videos these days, it's so much performance and you kind of lose the art of it because the person just wants to be singing the whole time. Like, great, but sometimes the song doesn't need that. "Still in Love" You mentioned the video being Beyonce's idea: from working with her, what do you think she wanted to convey?
When you've gone every direction possible, and then all of a sudden you can just strip it down to who you are, that's exciting. There's an excitement in just being you. It's good when people can see her as this sweet soul that she is. The intense look in her eyes, it's like she's staring directly at the person she's still in love with.
It was her boyfriend shooting her and they were together. She really gave me that feeling, without me saying that to her - she understood. Maybe that was in her mind too. It's just a little bit too personal. Beyonce doesn't speak about her personal relationship. Was this her artistic way of revealing her feeling about someone?
I don't think the video relates necessarily, umm, to that. I just think her intention was that her fans could see her in a more personal way. That's what I think it is. Her personal life is definitely her own. This is the only way they would see it. Craig Wisemen edited the video. Were you involved significantly in the process?
Yes, through the whole thing. I intentionally shot a lot of slow motion because I wanted it to feel very sensual and very slow and slithery and kind of moody. I kept asking, "Slow that down, slow that down, and slow that down." He's like, "Even more?" I'm like, "Even more." When she's walking in the water, I slowed it down a lot. I didn't want it to be as slow as the song. I wanted it to keep flipping and moving. So that you became… that you kept yourself interested. That was one thing I kept telling her: "Keep it moving, keep it moving, more water, more heat, more, flip." What's a major different between a video like "Crazy In Love" and "Still In Love?"
"Crazy in Love" was one of the best videos of all time. I mean, it was exciting, it was cinematic, and it was just hot to death. I loved that video. You just wanted to see it a thousand times and it made you feel super good. You want to get up and start dancing or do something. That was really B breaking out saying, "This is who I am." But "Still In Love" is a different part of her, a different part of her performance. The difference is that it shows her range. She can go from high style and glossy to something simple, sweet and gentle. Fans see the glamorous Beyonce. But we don't have much insight into who and how she is as an individual. Tell me about the Beyonce you know.
My experience with B is she's very child-like. She's very sweet and child-like. And that's what I try to show in those videos is the sweet gentle side of her that like this soulful child, that's what I like to show. She's very gentle. She's nice to everyone and very gracious. She's really an example of a good human being. The other thing \she's got that no one else has: she is not aware of herself in front of the camera. She's not aware if she's got a good angle or a bad angle or if she's making a silly face or is she gonna look good or is she not gonna look good. She is completely unaware of herself; she has an ability to just take direction and just move with it. She just puts it in your hands. "Flaws and All": "Flaws And All" was random footage you captured from being around her - shots in Louisiana, New York and LA. Is this how you learned about her personality? Did it at all prepare you for "Still In Love?"
I knew that about B because when I shot her a long time ago, I took her to the side at the end of the shoot and I shot 35mm on her. I had her make all kinds of different faces at me and I gave her a present of the proof sheet of those faces, because it was so sweet. I knew she could do that. Some people don't do that really well. If you try to give them direction, they're like, "Oh I don't want to do that, that'll look weird." But she'll just say "OK." It's instantaneous with her. The direction is immediately to action. She doesn't think about it, she just does it. She's good, she's real good. [I ask Watts about his overall feeling of the video. His eyes are intent and passion filled. Like he did something that felt good, some lovely thing. A word doesn't come to mind. I say, genuine. ]
That is it right there. That wasn't the word I could ever have found, but that is the word. That's the right word.

Article tags: Just, Me, And, My, Boyfriend 

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