"I create these stories with missing pieces. Missing pieces are very interesting because then people wanna fill them. People are afraid of emptiness and they wanna fill those gaps.... That's exactly what I want to do with my art. I want people to think about what they see and wonder if what they see is real. If what they see has a meaning."
If you've yet to fall under the spell of French director and musician Woodkid's (aka Yoann Lemoine) approach to music videos, then I suggest you get comfortable and feast your eyes on this trio of promos for Iron, Run Boy Run, and I Love You:
There's a formality to Woodkid's black and white compositions that, when paired with his expansive score-like music, gives the whole the feel of a classical artwork set to motion. That atmosphere travels across the films, knitting the three videos into a larger whole -- which, in fact, according to Georgia Reeve's recent interview with Woodkid for Highsnobiety TV, was the plan all along.
More often than not, music video directors are required to navigate the no man's land that sits between their creative desires and the expectations of the artist. As Woodkid fills both roles and also self-funds his epic videos, the resulting films are free to remain uncompromised with nothing lost in translation. Given that the three videos have clocked up over 24 million online views, it seems to be a strategy that works.
What do you think of Woodkid's black and white aesthetic? Are there other musicians you've seen successfully sit in the director's chair?
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