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The Director's Label Series is the premier showcase for the art of the music video. The previous boxed set featured the work of Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry, with each director contributing music videos, commercials, and documentary featurettes. The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2 features the work of video auteurs Mark Romanek, Stéphane Sednaoui, Anton Corbijn, and Jonathan Glazer. There is a bounty of superb material here, with watershed videos from some of the biggest acts of the past twenty years (Metallica, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna) as well as from lesser-knowns (Eels, Mirwais, David Sylvian, Herbert Gronemeyer). Beyond the videos, extras include commercials, beautifully-produced booklets for each director, and an exhaustive selection of documentary shorts. When future generations debate the artistic merit of the music video, this is where they'll start.
A Complete Guide to The Director's Label Series
Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 1
Vol 1: The Work of Spike Jonze
Vol 2: The Work of Chris Cunningham
Vol 3: The Work of Michel Gondry
Vol 4: The Work of Mark Romanek
Vol 5: The Work of Jonathan Glazer
Vol 6: The Work of Anton Corbijn
Vol 7: The Work of Stéphane Sednaoui
Other Music Videos and Documentaries
Interviews with the Directors
Anton Corbijn
Stéphane Sednaoui
Mark Romanek
DVDs included in The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2
Vol. 4: Work of Director Mark Romanek
Artists who’ve worked with him describe Mark Romanek as "meticulous" and "demanding." Yet, the biggest names in the business have clamored to work with the mercurial helmer, because they know he'll make them look good: Madonna ("Rain"), No Doubt ("Hella Good"), etc. Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos. On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," and Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems"--the latter two in director's cut editions. In another class entirely, is Romanek's heartbreaking video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt." More than a promo, it's an elegy for a legend. Despite an interview with Robin Williams, this collection otherwise overlooks Romanek's features, One Hour Photo and Static.
Vol. 5: Work of Director Jonathan Glazer
British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer began by directing pop promos and advertisements before transitioning into features. His video style is crisp and clean, yet vaguely menacing. There's always more going on than meets the eye--a quality carried over into his films. Like Kubrick, he's partial to Steadicams and empty hallways. Massive Attack's "Karmacoma" even features twins straight from The Shining, while Blur's "The Universal" cops from A Clockwork Orange, so he's not exactly shying away from the influence. Glazer's commercial style, on the other hand, is more wide-ranging, less easily identifiable. His ambitious ads for Guinness, Levi’s, etc. bring out his playful side in a way the videos do not. Interestingly, oddball actor Denis Lavant (Beau Travail) shows up twice, in the creepy clip for UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" and the "Last Orders" spot for Stella Artois. This Director's Series edition also features excerpts from Sexy Beast and Birth.
Vol. 6: Work of Director Anton Corbijn
Known as much for his photography as his videos, Anton Corbijn has produced some of rock's most memorable images. Long associated with Depeche Mode and U2 (that’s his iconic shot on the cover of Joshua Tree), the Dutch director has worked with a diverse array of acts, including Joy Division ("Atmosphere"), Nirvana ("Heart-Shaped Box"), and Metallica ("Hero of the Day"). This collection captures over 20 years of wit and style, with influences ranging from surrealism, expressionism, and elegant European auteurs like Fritz Lang, Wim Wenders, and Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal). Like many of the best video makers, Corbijn takes his cues more from the music and personality of the artists than the lyrics. The striking video for David Sylvian's "Red Guitar," for instance, features the singer, an old man, and a young boy--no red guitars anywhere. That about sums up Corbijn: often slick, occasionally bizarre--always unpredictable.
Vol. 7: Work of Director Stéphane Sednaoui
According to Bono, "He’s much cooler than anyone in his videos." That’s high praise indeed as French filmmaker/photographer Stéphane Sednaoui has conjured up many of music’s hippest clips. Glitter, mirror balls, metallic paint--if it glows, shines, or sparkles, you can bet he's incorporated it into one of his projects. Sednaoui's background in fashion permeates every production, so it's no wonder he's worked with such stylish performers as Bjork and Garbage's Shirley Manson. (Like Anton Corbijn, celebrity portraiture is also part of his purview.) Fortunately, his are more than pretty pictures, but concentrated capsules of mood, as in his melancholy meditations for Massive Attack ("Sly") and Tricky ("Pumpkin"), and movement, as in his ecstatic explorations for the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Give It Away"), U2 ("Mysterious Ways"), and Bjork ("Big Time Sensuality"). And yes, trivia buffs, that's Sofia Coppola in the bad trip video for the Black Crowes' "Sometimes Salvation." --Kathleen C. Fennessy with Ryan Boudinot
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