Music Video Directors: The New Guard

One afternoon spent sipping from the bottomless well of MySpace Music proves how the rise of digital recording techniques has given birth to a glut of bands looking to build an audience from a public who's attention in increasingly divided. With little chance of radio play for many of these artists, one of the best ways to cut through the static is with a clever video treatment to draw eyes and eventually ears their way. Having abdicated their responsibility in this department long ago, MTV can no longer be relied upon to show these videos. Thankfully, the digital revolution provides it’s own answer to the problem in the form of video streaming sites like YouTube and Dailymotion. These new outlets have given a new generation of video auteurs the opportunity to make a name for themselves, while blowing the doors off the hinges for what can and can’t be shown to the masses. Below we introduce three rising stars on the directing circuit and a few of the gems they’ve created thus far.

So Me

The French designer and artist first came to promomence as the art director for Ed Banger Records—home to electro kingpins Justice and Mr. Oizo. His graphic heavy style first grabbed major attention with his work for the Justice smash “D.A.N.C.E.”. Since then he has gone on to work with artists as diverse as Kid Cudi and Kanye West.

Justice – "D.A.N.C.E."

Kid Cudi - "Day And Night"

Kanye West - "Good Life"

Rik Cordero

Known for his guerilla shooting techniques, Cordero has quickly risen to become one of the most prolific young directors in the hip hop game. The stripped down aestetic he employs harkens back to earlier rap times when grit trumped bling. His nine-minute opus for Nas’s “Be A N*gger Too” combines a looping narrative with highly stylized camerawork, and serves as his most high profile calling card as he moves forward building his reputation.

Nas – "Be A N*gger Too"

Jake One - "The Truth" feat. Freeway and Brother Ali

Joell Ortiz - "Brooklyn Bullshit"

Mathew Cullen

Cullen reflected the viral video phenomenon back in on itself with his meta-mashup for Weezer’s “Pork and Beans.” The founder of video production house Motion Theory brought together a cadre of popular internet celebs for a love fest that showed just how ingrained these purveyors of WTFs had become to the online meme. Couple this with his forward thinking advertising campaigns for some of the biggest brands on the planet, and Cullen fits in firmly with the new guard of directors helping take visual creativity to new heights.

Weezer - "Pork and Beans"