Box Office Prophets: A-Lists

A-List: Movie Directors Who Started in Music Videos

By Jason Dean

July 10, 2003

Excuse me sir, but do you speak Malkovich?

This week’s column is either early or late as far as its connection to current releases. Around the time of my second or third A-List being published one of the other Box Office Prophets suggested the topic of feature directors who got their start in the world of music videos, which is an excellent topic that I just never got around to covering. I did get as far as compiling a list of directors and their features in the week leading up to Charlie’s Angels, but was distracted by the topic of model turned actress debuts. Since I can’t read our own site release schedule correctly, I thought that Bad Boys II was going to be released this week and that having missed McG, I could instead use Michael Bay but alas, his movie is actually next week.

Michael Bay

Actually due to his rather high profile with films such as The Rock, Armageddon, and the original Bad Boys, some people use Michael Bay as a prime example of the influence of music video directors on feature films. Further, Bay is held up by some film purists as an example of the negative impact of video directors on feature films. I am referring to what has become Bay’s trademark love for the AVID editing system and his rapid fire cuts that are so sometimes so brief that it becomes impossible to follow the action. The explosion aboard the MIR space station in Armageddon would be a prime example of this style. At the same time, Bay has managed to make wildly successful films as far as box office goes, and for all the badmouthing that exists around his movies, lots of people are willing to fork out money to see his films.

F. Gary Gray

Gray’s feature credits include the still-playing, with-legs-as-long-as Charlize The Italian Job, so there’s a still relevant link to the current summer. He also did films such as Friday, Set It Off and The Negotiator, which show a progression from video days to a reputation as a feature director. However, as one can see by the lineup, Gray’s body of work shows more a sample of smooth transition to the world of film without necessarily bringing along the style from the video world.

Spike Jonze

Jonze did some of the more memorable of beat videos such as the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage and the Fat Boy Slim videos. In a mind-warping as opposed to visually warping style such as the one seen from Bay, Spike Jonze seems to do the definitely non-mainstream projects whether full length on the big screen or short form on the small screen, as evidenced by films such as Being John Malkovich and Adapatation.

David Fincher

Fincher shows that it is possible to have a distinctive style for feature films without linking to a video past. After the less-than-warmly-received, claustrophobic and bleak outlook of Alien 3, Fincher has gone on to establish a reputation of aptly tackling dark material in films such as Se7en, The Game and Fight Club. He also has shown a flair for shot making, as most recently displayed in the fly through the rooms and keyhole shot in Panic Room.

Wrapping up the list we have Mark Pellington, who did the recent Mothman Prophecies and the excellent Arlington Road, which was an above average thriller with an explosive finish. There was also The Cell by Tarsem Singh, which was one of the most technically stunning films of recent times that undoubtedly has served to be the showcase entry on many a Hollywood resume for things such as effects, costume design, set design, and so on. Unfortunately, the storyline just didn’t compare to the visuals presented.