Task 3 - Music Video Director Research

Gondry was born in Versailles, France. He is the grandson of Constant Martin (who is most famously recognized as the inventor of the Clavioline, a precursor to the synthesizer). He has a teenage son named Paul who is also an artist.
His career as a filmmaker began with creating music videos for the French rock band Oui Oui, in which he also served as a drummer. The style of his videos for Oui Oui caught the attention of music artist Björk, who asked him to direct the video for her song "Human Behaviour". The collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of seven music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck. Gondry has also created numerous television commercials. He pioneered the "bullet time" technique later adapted in The Matrix, in a 1998 commercial for Smirnoff vodka, as well as directing a trio of inventive holiday-themed advertisements for clothing retailer Gap, Incorporated.
Gondry, along with directors Spike Jonze and David Fincher, is representative of the influx of music video directors into feature film. Gondry made his feature film debut in 2001 with Human Nature, garnering mixed reviews. His second film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (also his second collaboration with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman), was released in 2004 and received very favorable reviews, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. Eternal Sunshine utilizes many of the image manipulation techniques that Gondry had experimented with in his music videos. Gondry won an Academy Award alongside Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine. The style of Gondry's music videos often relies on videography and camera tricks which play with frames of reference.
Gondry also directed the musical documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2006) which followed comedian Dave Chappelle as he attempted to hold a large, free concert in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His following film, The Science of Sleep, hit theaters in September, 2006. This film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, and marked a return to the fantastical, surreal techniques he employed in Eternal Sunshine.
According to the Guinness World Records 2004, Michel Gondry's Levi's 501 Jeans "Drugstore" spot holds the record for "Most awards won by a TV commercial". The commercial was never aired in North America because of the suggestive content involving purchasing latex condoms.
In September 2006, Gondry made his debut as an installation artist at Deitch Projects in New York City's SoHo gallery district. The show, called "The Science of Sleep: An Exhibition of Sculpture and Pathological Creepy Little Gifts" featured props from his film, The Science of Sleep, as well as film clips and a selection of gifts that the artist had given to women he was interested in, many of them former or current collaborators, Karen Baird, Kishu Chand, Dorothy Barrick and Lauri Faggioni. A leitmotif of the film is a 'Disastrology' calendar; Gondry commissioned the painter Baptiste Ibar to draw harrowing images of natural and human disasters.
His brother Olivier "Twist" Gondry is also a television commercial and music video director creating videos for bands such as The Stills, Hot Hot Heat and The Vines. He was asked by French comic duet Eric and Ramzy to direct Steak, but declined;the film was subsequently directed by Mr Oizo.
Gondry was an Artist in Residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005 and 2006. Later directing the music video for the Paul McCartney song "Dance Tonight", in which Gondry makes a cameo appearance. His most recent work was the directing of "Unnatural Love," the fifth episode in season two of HBO's Flight of the Conchords (TV series).
He is currently slated to direct Seth Rogen in the motion picture adaptation The Green Hornet.

Below are some of the music videos that Michel Gondry has directed

The White Stripes "Fell in Love with a Girl" directed by Michael Gondry

Quotes for The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl" directed by Michael Gondry

MrTimbotron

haha i like this video and what and rocking song

girluisa

the best everrr

"Thank the lord this has been released"- 22 Nov 2003

Michel Gondry is widely acclaimed as one of the best - if not THE best - music promo directors ever.
One of his stand-out videos is "Star Guitar" for the Chemical Brothers, where the viewer is placed looking out of a train window and the landscape outside passes in time with the music. So, a tree represents a bass drum, or a bridge denotes a cymbal in the song. It's very clever, and almost hypnotic.
Another brilliant example, and perhaps one of his more famous ones, is his video for The White Stripes' "Fell In Love With A Girl" .It features Meg and Jack White, as animations using just Lego bricks. Again, totally absorbing.
Others who've requested the Gondry treatment for their music include Lenny Kravitz, Massive Attack and Daft Punk. All are excellent.
I admit I'm not totally down with his other work, like his ads for the likes of Nike and Smirnoff and short films, but just for his seminal music videos, this DVD is pretty much essential.

Chris Morse "faraway_pictures" (UK) -

How this guy has so many genuinley interesting ideas for videos is incredible. he's a real artist. The disc is double sided so when you think you've finally seen all his videos just turn it over and there's another load!

These comments about the video show that Gondry's work is watched by people and that some people find it to be a great music video.The music video itself is made using lego bricks and is a wierd take on a music video.

"Star Guitar"-The Chemical Brothers- "Star Guitar" directed by Michael Gondry

Quotes for Star Guitar-The Chemical Brothers directed by Michael Gondry

w4r7

What's so genius about this video is that, what seems as a routine train ride through some European country, the scenary becomes musical notes and counts. Objects such as bridges and passing by trains take place of drum patterns and layers of the track...a well thought out creative vision. Truly an experience worth viewing time and time again (13,473).

TRULLYAwwwsommevid-

This is the best video that Gondry has directed trully a awsommme director.

KkAngel4Ever-

Michel Gondry is a great director. I think his work is awsome.

These comments about the video shown above show that Gondry's work is watched by people and that some people find it to be an interesting music video. The video sequence is shot looking through the eyes of a person riding on a train and it is clever as the sequence is repeated in some areas but you can't notice it unless you know about the repetitions.

The videos and responces above show how the target audience of Michel Gondry are responding to his work as they show that the audience enjoy watching his music videos because they think that he is a good director.

Other videos directed by Michael Gondry
Come Into My World" - Kylie Minogue (2002)
"Knives Out" - Radiohead (2001)
"Mad World" - Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (2001)
"Let Forever Be" - The Chemical Brothers (1999)
"Gimme Shelter" - The Rolling Stones (1998)