BY MIKEY MIGO
A music video director is a film director that specializes in supervising the filming and editing of music videos to be used as promotional tools for popular music singles. The earliest music videos were directed by television and film directors; by the 1990s, music-video directing had become a specialized field.
The art of music is only complimented with a great visual guide. That visual guide is arranged, directed, and edited by the music video director. Since the birth of MTV, there have been literally thousands of music videos on our television screens. Some were great and some flat out sucked, but the director is never really appreciated.
You never hear "Hey did you see that new Samuel Bayer video?" What you do hear is "Did you see those awesome Green Day videos?" Why? Mainly because the song is the property of the artist, but also because the music video director never gets their proper respect from the general public. While I'm not the voice of the music community, I can still show some love and respect for those who give us visual memories of some of the best music.
The following is a list of twelve of the most prominent music video directors out there. Are there more than just these twelve? Of course. I normally include a "411" where I voice my opinions on each subject, but this time I'm going to leave that to your imagination. Obviously if you're reading this, you love music and have mostly likely seen most of the credited videos.
Let's take a look at the twelve I choose to display for you all today...
Director: Paul Hunter
Credits:
Puff Daddy - "It's All About The Benjamins"
Usher - "My Way"
Marilyn Manson - "The Dope Show"
Marilyn Manson - "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)"
Lenny Kravitz - "Fly Away"
Eminem - "The Way I Am"
Mos Def - "Sex, Love, & Money"
Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl"
Mary J. Blige with U2 - "One"
Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. - "My Love"
Director(s): Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Credits:
"Been Caught Stealing", Jane's Addiction
"Tonight, Tonight", The Smashing Pumpkins
"Spider-Man", The Ramones
"Freak On A Leash", Korn
"Californication", Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Otherside", Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Tell Me Baby", Red Hot Chili Peppers
Director: Anton Corbijn
Credits:
"Pride (In the Name of Love)", U2
"Strangelove," Depeche Mode
"Personal Jesus," Depeche Mode
"One" (original version), U2
"Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana
"Liar," Henry Rollins
"Talk", Coldplay
Director: Samuel Bayer
Credits:
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana
"Mama, I'm Coming Home" Ozzy Osbourne
"No Rain" Blind Melon
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" The Smashing Pumpkins
"Coma White" Marilyn Manson
"American Idiot" Green Day
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Green Day
"Holiday" Green Day
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" Green Day
"Jesus of Suburbia" Green Day
"Welcome to the Black Parade" My Chemical Romance
"What Goes Around..." Justin Timberlake
Director: Michel Gondry
Credits:
"Heard 'Em Say" (U.S. Version) - Kanye West
"The Hardest Button to Button" - The White Stripes
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes
"Fell In Love With A Girl" - The White Stripes
"Everlong" - Foo Fighters
Director: David Fincher
Credits:
"Express Yourself," Madonna (1989)
"Janie's Got a Gun," Aerosmith (1989)
"Vogue," Madonna (1990)
"Cradle of Love," Billy Idol (1990)
"Opposites Attract, Paula Abdul (1990)
"Judith," A Perfect Circle (2000)
"Only," Nine Inch Nails (2005)
Director: Nigel Dick
Credits:
"Shout" by Tears for Fears
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses
"Wonderwall" by Oasis
"Champagne Supernova" by Oasis
"(You Drive Me) Crazy" by Britney Spears
"Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
Director: Spike Jonze
Credits:
"Buddy Holly" by Weezer
"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
"Sure Shot" by Beastie Boys
"Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim
"Y Control" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Director: Mark Romanek
Credits:
"Closer," Nine Inch Nails
"Scream," Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson
"Devil's Haircut," Beck
"The Perfect Drug," Nine Inch Nails
"Criminal," Fiona Apple
"Faint," Linkin Park
"99 Problems," Jay-Z
Director: Marc Webb
Credits:
Puddle of Mudd - She Hates Me
Maroon5 - Harder to Breathe
My Chemical Romance - Helena
Matisyahu - Youth
AFI - Miss Murder
Director: Hype Williams
Credits:
Busta Rhymes - "Woo-hah! Got You All In Check"
Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112 - "I'll Be Missing You"
Busta Rhymes - "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"
Will Smith - "Gettin' Jiggy With It"
TLC - "No Scrubs"
Nas feat. Puff Daddy - "Hate Me Now"
Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx - "Gold Digger"
Director: Jonas Ackerlund
Credits:
"Smack My Bitch Up" for The Prodigy
"Whiskey in the Jar" for Metallica
"The Everlasting Gaze" for The Smashing Pumpkins
"Beautiful Day" for U2
"Beautiful" for Christina Aguilera
So who is your favorite music video director and why?
I am leaning towards Mark Romanek because of the Nine Inch Nails connection and the other credits he has. His detail for visuals and making you feel comforted by the video and still a bit unkempt with the sights is awesome. Then again the same can be said for Samuel Bayer or David Fincher. One thing is for sure are all of these people have their own style that stands out and always makes for an interesting "clip"(I hate when they call videos that).
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