Music Video Director in Focus: Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry is a peculiar talent in constructing strange universes, and his childhood-inspired narrative charmed Bjork into inviting him to make her video for Human Behaviour. Their partnership soon became famous: Gondry directed five other Björk’s videos. This led to commissions by other artists around the world, including Massive Attack, the Rolling Stones, Chemical Brothers and Radiohead, among others. He also made a lot of commercials for Gap, Smirnoff, Air France, Nike, Coca Cola and Adidas.In Human Behaviour, Gondry combines animation with rear-screen projection and constructs a dreamlike narrative that would ultimately become his signature. In his music video’s and commercials, Gondry manifests himself as a pioneer and will pass to media history as a very influential director. The video clip he made for IAM (Je danse le Mia) was the first video clip using the morphing techniques, and his video Like a Rolling Stone for the Rolling Stones was the first to master the technique of the so-called frozen moment, that has been made so popular worldwide by the film The Matrix. Michel Gondry recently directed his first movie, Human Nature, presented at the Cannes Festival 2001.
credits
Artist, title (supplied by)
Cibo Matto, Sugar Water (Partizan)
Bjork, Bachelorette (Partizan)
Polaroid, Resignation (Partizan)
Massive Attack, Protection (Partizan)
Levis, Storm (Partizan)
Bjork, Yoga (Partizan)
Lucas Off, Lucas With the Lid (Partizan)
Levis, Drugstore (Partizan)
Bjork, Human Behaviour (Partizan)
Rolling Stones, Like a Rolling Stone (Partizan)
Daft Punk, Around the World (Partizan)
Smirnoff, Smarienberg (Partizan)
Bjork, Hyper Ballad (Partizan)
Chemical Brothers, Let Forever be (Partizan)
J.F. Cohen, La tour de Pise (Partizan)
Lancia, Y10 (Partizan)
Bjork, Isobel (Partizan)
Beck, Deadweight (Partizan)
Levis, Mermaids (Partizan)
AMD, Flatzone (Partizan)
Bjork, Army of Me (Partizan)
Radiohead, Knives Out (Partizan)