It would be hard to count the amount of directors that have graduated from making music videos to enjoying a full feature film career. Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and even David Fincher are some of the acclaimed film talents who had a particularly healthy videography before making their big screen debuts.
Sometimes, though, well-known and successful directors are persuaded to take a break from long-form filmmaking and team up with a musician. Motivations vary: whether that’s friendship, romance, a favour or even (dare we suggest?) money. Still, whatever the reasons, sometimes these videos can prove intriguing, if inevitably minor, additions to a director’s body of work. Here are some of the best music videos from directors who didn’t necessarily have to slum it for MTV:
P.T. Anderson / Fiona Apple
These two were once upon a time romantically involved, and the relationship led to the acclaimed director of Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and The Master directing several of Apple’s popular music videos for songs like Paper Bag. The break-up must not have been too nasty, though, as just today they’ve released another collaboration in the form of Hot Knife, a belated promo for the closing song from Apple’s 2012 album The Idler Wheel…
Rian Johnson / The Mountain Goats
Rian Johnson is the director of Brick, Looper and several of the best Breaking Bad episodes. The Mountain Goats are the acclaimed folk rock band fronted by brilliant lyricist John Darnielle. A year after Johnson’s debut feature Brick, he was responsible for the technically nifty video for Woke Up New:
John Landis / Michael Jackson
Landis already had instant-classics like The Blues Brothers, Animal House and An American Werewolf in London behind him when he agreed to team up with the most famous Jackson for a little song called Thriller (you might have heard of it). I hardly need to introduce the result, which remains arguably the definitive, iconic music video – all 13 epic minutes of it. The pair would team up again a decade later for Black & White.
Martin Scorsese / Michael Jackson
What was it about the King of Pop that attracted some of the best directors America had to offer (we haven’t even mentioned the Spike Lee joint)? Whatever it was, it's hard to dispute with the tightly choreographed, delightfully catchy results when Scorsese stepped in to direct the 1987 video for Bad. Keep an eye out for a pre-fame Wesley Snipes.
David Lynch / Nine Inch Nails
It has been seven years since David Lynch released his last feature, the typically odd, experimental epic Inland Empire. But his latest release – aside from his continuing ad work – is for the Nine Inch Nails single Came Back Haunted. You mightn’t want to watch this rather eye-melting effort if you have epilepsy:
Hayao Miyazaki / Chage and Aska
Master animator Miyazaki’s last release before the majestic, game-changing Princess Mononoke was actually a music video for a popular Japanese musical duo. Cheesy song, predictably gorgeous animation:
