MV Directors

1. David Fincher
Michael Gondry
Chris Cunningham
Spike Jonze
Hype Williams
Anthony Mandler

2. On November 8, 1992, MTV began listing directors with the artist, song and
record company credits. It’s the MV director who has principal control of
everything that is added to the pre-existing recorded sound text.
A lot of famous film directors actually started out directing music videos - e.g,
David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Michael Bay...
Each director has their own individual style and do not always stick to the
generic codes & conventions that you may usually see.
There are hundreds of influential Music Video directors around who have left
their mark in different ways, but today we are going to look at four in particular
and then you can do your own research into who may influence your own video...

3. DAVID FINCHER
David Fincher is the skillful perfectionist behind cult-flicks such as Se7en, Fight Club,
Zodiac, The Social Network and Gone Girl. But long before making it big in Hollywood,
David Fincher directed music videos for some of the most iconic stars in the business.
STYLE
It was in music videos like Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” “Oh Father,” and “Vogue” that Fincher would begin to develop his
own signature style and expression, resulting in his first feature film, Alien 3.
Traces of the gritty, industrial look of Alien 3 can be found in Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” along with stylistic
touches of low angles, swooping crane shots and fast tracking shots.
In Madonna’s “Oh Father” and “Vogue,” the director’s affinity for deep chiaroscuro (composition/lighting defined by
bold, strong contrasts between light and dark) was explored in the black and white style of these videos.
Dramatic low key lighting is one of his main signature styles, sometimes with a faint tint of colour overlaying it.
WHY DO YOU THINK HE USES THESE TECHNIQUES?

4. We can also see his signature style in the more recent Suit & Tie by Justin
Timberlake and Jay Z…
The power of Fincher’s work is that he creates worlds that are impactful and memorable.
Though maybe not always scarring, they make their impression nonetheless. His visual
language is easily identifiable but also one of a kind.

5. ANTHONY MANDLER
• Antony Mandler is an American film director, music video director, TV
advert director and photographer . He mostly collaborates with Rihanna
whereby they have created 16 videos together.
• He has also created music videos for artists such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé,
Eminem, Usher, Shakira, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, 50
Cent, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Cheryl Cole, M.I.A., Mary J
Blige and Lana Del Rey.
STYLE
• His videos are mostly known for containing an element of narrative and
performance as well as looking very cinematic.
• He also uses coloured filters in order to create atmosphere and emotion,
for example, in Rihanna’s Only Girl in The World video

6. One of Mandlers most creative yet controversial videos to this day is National
Anthem by Lana Del Ray.
• It portrays, rapper A$AP Rocky as JFK and singer Lana Del Rey as Jackie Kennedy
and Marilyn Monroe.
• The film is mostly shot in home-video style of the early 60′s and ends with a re-
enactment of the Zapruder film (the piece of footage in which we see JFK shot
dead)
• Mandler is telling a significant story through the historic events surrounding
Kennedy’s personal life. He said he wanted to “rewrite history without rewriting
it, meaning telling [the story] from new perspectives, recreating it, in a distorted
way.”
• Its highly controversial themes not only touch on the JFK assassination, but also
interracial issues and the loss of innocence, along with a strong sexual
component.
WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON
THE VIDEO AND WHAT MAKES IT
SO EFFECTIVE?

7. CHRIS CUNNINGAHAM
• British MV Director and has also worked on films and TV adverts.
• Has work with artists such as: Madonna, Bjork and Aphex Twin.
• Generally works with the same genres of - electronic/techno/ambient/alternative
• His work is very post modern and mainly goes for style over substance. He believes that what the
audience see is more important than what they hear.
• His video’s do not all follow a main narrative and may not always make sense, however, will
contain deeper meanings.
• A lot of the visuals in his videos are quite eerie and haunting. He has a fascination with human
distortion, alienation and dark images which are a signature style of his. These tend to create
controversy, yet is effective as the audience remember the videos.
• His videos generally lack colour and look quite depressing. When colour is used, it makes the
video look quite sinister, cold and dark and generally emphasizes the mood and tone.
• There is rarely a link between the lyric and visuals in his videos which differentiates him between
other Music Video Director’s. He aims to shock the audience and leave them feeling discontented
and uncomfortable.

8. Frozen by Madonna
All Is Full Of Love by Bjork
Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin

9. SPIKE JONZE
• One of the most popular MV director’s within the industry.
• Throughout the 1990s, Jonze directed music videos for many prominent artists—including
R.E.M., The Beastie Boys, the Breeders, Puff Daddy, Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers and
Björk.
• Most of his music videos use narrative rather than performance. They also regularly
contain intertextual references such as in Weezer’s Buddy Holly video whereby there is
reference to the 1970’s sitcom Happy Days - this use of intertexuality may bring in a new
type of audience
• His videos are also quite unusual and tend to keep the audience gripped
• Da Funk by Daft Punk contains a lot of dialogue in this video over the track. He has
included a lot of dialogue as the song itself is fairly repetitive and lacks in meaning. The
narrative and dialogue gives the song meaning and leaves the audience more likely to
remember it.

10. • Jonze does not always conform to genre , as seen in the hip-hop video “Flashing Lights” by
Kanye West. Although the women shown in it is half naked she is not objectified, in fact
she is in control of the situation much like the femme fatale of film noir, unlike most
women seen in Hip Hop videos who are seen as sex objects.
• Spike Jonze’s personality shines through in his videos, especially in Praise You by Fatboy
Slim where he is infact the lead dancer!

11. TASK
• Pick your favourite Music Video Director (can be one that we have discussed in class
or one you have found yourself) and put together a research pack - either on
glogster/prezi or you can even film yourself talking about them to camera if you are
feeling brave!
• Discuss why you have picked them as your favourite MV Director and how they will
influence you in the creation of your own Music Video. Go in to greater detail about
them and find as much information you can.
• Embed some of their videos into your presentation and analyze their style of work
and why they may have used certain codes & conventions. Do you notice any
signature styles? What Editing techniques do they use? Mise-en-scene/use of colour?
Character types? Does this Director normally direct the same genre?
• Also discuss the style of their videos: e.g, is it narrative
based/surreal/performance/concept based and how does this fit with the genre?
• Please add this to your blog by next lesson