The Work of Directors-Volume 1 (2003)

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This special box set houses the first three volumes of The Director's Label Series plus a special bonus DVD with the following extras:

"Y Control" (uncut version) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (3:55)
"Island in the Sun" by Weezer (Spike Jonze Version) (3:18)
"Invisible Boards" - Excerpt from Yeah Right! (1:48)
"I Wonder" by The Willowz (3:25)
"Ossamuch!" by Kishu & Co. (original short) (2:49)
Chris, Spike + Michel - Q&A at Virgin (9:24)

The most interesting extra on this bonus DVD is the 'Q+A session' at Virgin Megastore in Hollywood. Jonze, Cunningham and Gondry answer questions from a small adoring crowd. Jonze speaks candidly regarding working with Sean John Combs, while Cunningham declares he wishes to work with Justin Timberlake and Gondry reveals while he didn't have a desire to work with Kylie Minogue, he likes working with "pretty girls". The session is moderated by Ty Evans, director of Yeah Right!. Jack Black is also in attendance.

Also with this extras disc which has a wonderful cover design, a dual sided poster is also advertised. With my review copy I did not receive the poster. The double sided poster features an original "exquisite corpse" illustration by Jonze, Cunningham and Gondry and an exclusive design by Chris Cunningham.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Spike Jonze (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation-Jonze Animations Audio Commentary- Musicians discuss the music videos Interviews-Cast & Crew-Musicians discuss the music videos Featurette-Making of "Drop" by The Pharcyde Short Film- How They Got There - Short Film with Mark Gozales Short Film-Mark Paints - Another Short Film with Mark Gozales Short Film-The Oasis Video That Never Happened Short Film- Rockafella Skank Short Film-The Woods Short Film- Torrance Rises Short Film-What's Up Fatlip? Short Film-Amarillo By Morning Booklet-52 Page Book
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	120:22
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Sided	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Spike Jonze Lance Bangs Roman Coppola Kim Gordon
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Ashley Barnett Beastie Boys Brian Bell Björk The Breeders Sofia Coppola Rivers Cuomo Kelley Deal Kim Deal Mike D Fatlip Spike Jonze Christopher Walken
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	Fatlip Sam Spiegel Daft Punk

The Work of Director Spike Jonze is released by Madman Entertainment and the AV Channel under the Director’s Suite label and is the first volume of The Directors Label Series which was originally released in Region 4 by Palm Pictures, Kaleidoscope Film and DVD and Shock Records in August 2004.

Palm Pictures have produced the music video compilation with affection and care and while the Spike Jonze directed compilation does not include all of his music video directorial work it includes Jonze’s most celebrated and well known collaborations with Weezer, The Beastie Boys, Björk, Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim.

Video

The aspect ratios of the music videos vary, some are presented in 1.33:1 full frame, while others are preserved in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. However none of the content on this DVD is 16x9 enhanced. Jonze is widely noted for changing the music video industry in the 90s as he often changed film speed and choose to shoot in one shot ("Undone (The Sweater Song)" by Weezer), opted for washed out colours and film grain ("Sabotage" by Beastie Boys) and filmed on DV ("Praise You" by Fatboy Slim). The transfer is relatively clean, although some of the older videos have film artefacts and aliasing, however the production value of this DVD is very high.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The single audio soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 and it is sharp and perfectly accompanies the music videos. There are no faults with this soundtrack.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Side A:

Main Menu Audio & Animation

The ‘Side A’ main menu opens with a hand drawn Jonze animation and is then branched into three categories; “Music Videos,” “Commentaries and Info,” and “From Our Friends.” The menu is relatively easy to use with a Play All feature with commentary and without commentary and the videos can also be selected individually. 'Side B' includes a similarly themed menu which also branches into three categories; “Rarities”, “Documentaries” and “Credits and Thanks.” Overall this is a well themed menu and perfectly suits the numerous features on the DVD.

Audio Commentary

‘California’ by Wax – Commentary by Loomis.

‘Sure Shot’ by Beastie Boys – Commentary with Beastie Boys.

‘Drop’ by The Pharcyde – Commentary by Tre.

‘Sabotage’ by Beastie Boys – Commentary by Beastie Boys.

‘Da Funk’ by Daft Punk – Two separate commentary soundtracks are available including one by Daft Punk and another Tony Maxwell who portrayed Charles the “Dog Boy.” Also the music video can be played with a French language dub with or without subtitles.

‘What’s Up Fatlip?’ by Fatlip – Commentary with Fatlip.

‘Undone (The Sweater Song) by Weezer – Commentary by Weezer band members Brian Bell, Patrick Wilson and Rivers Cuomo.

‘Praise You’ by Fatboy Slim – Commentary by Norman Cook.

‘Feel the Pain’ by Dinosaur Jr. – Commentary by J. Mascis.

‘Sky’s the Limit’ by The Notorious B.I.G –Three separate commentary soundtracks are available including one by Puffy, another with actor Conrad Sokalski and finally one with actor Jeremy Butler.

‘Weapon of Choice’ by Fatboy Slim – Two separate commentaries are available including one with Norman Cook and another with Christopher Walken who starred in the award winning music video.

‘Buddy Holly’ by Weezer – Two commentary soundtracks are available including one by Weezer band members by Brian Bell, Patrick Wilson and Rivers Cuomo and another one with Tony Maxwell.

‘Electrobank’ by The Chemical Brothers – Commentary soundtrack provided by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons.

‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ by Björk – Commentary by Björk on perhaps one of her most recognizable music videos.

Special Running Commentary by the Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys provide commentary on their music videos 'Sure Shot,’ and ‘Sabotage,’ as well as ‘Da Funk’ by Daft Punk, ‘Drop’ by The Pharcyde, ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ by Björk, ‘California’ by Wax , ‘Buddy Holly’ by Weezer, ‘Cannonball by The Breeders, ‘Undone (The Sweater Song) by Weezer and ‘Praise You’ by Fatboy Slim (52.58)

The Interviews

The commentaries are largely excerpted from interviews and this feature includes segments of interviews which were not previously used for the commentary soundtrack. (11:35)

The Making of ‘Drop’ by The Pharcyde.

This feature focuses on one of Jonze’s most complicated videos. This brief feature provides an interesting insight into the unusual vision Jonze had for this song.

Music Video Cast and Production Credits (Text)

Weblinks

A list of links to the artist’s websites and also production and media company websites.

From Our Friends

Trailers for “The Work of Chris Cunningham,” "The Work of Michel Gondry” and Yeah Right! Also included is the theatrical trailer for the award winning 2002 Spike Jonze film Adaptation.

Side B:

How They Got There - Short Film with Mark Gozales (2:31)

An interesting short film which displays Jonze’s dreamlike look at reality.

Mark Paints - Another Short Film with Mark Gozales (1:06)

This short film is a single shot on a blank canvas and captures Mark Gozales creating an image.

The 'Oasis' Video That Never Happened (5:59)

At the height of their fame Oasis decided against Jonze’s idea for a music video. In this feature we get to see Jonze’s approach to the video that never was.

Rockafella Skank - "Richard Koufey's" audition tape (4:35)

This is the audition tape for a non-existent Fatboy Slim video by a peculiar character named Richard Koufey. This video became the basis for Praise You by Fatboy Slim.

The Woods - A film excerpt from "Mouse, A Girl Skateboards film (1:27)

What's Up Fatlip? (31:00)

A 2002 documentary which follows the trials and tribulations of a candid Fatlip after he was kicked out of The Pharcyde.

Amarillo By Morning (28:48)

This 1998 documentary was original intended to be a series of commercials for Wrangler Jeans Europe. Instead Jonze was fascinated by two teenagers who happened to be involved in the professional bull riding circuit.

Torrance Rises (34:21)

A mockumentary which follows the Torrance Community Dance Group led by Richard Koufey on their way to the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards for a special performance.

DVD Credits and Thanks (3:12)

Book

Also housed with the DVD is a wonderfully presented 52 page book which includes an interview with Spike Jonze regarding the music videos he has directed and his celebrated film career. Rare photographs, storyboards and sketches are replicated in the book.

The NTSC R1 and PAL R4 are identical in terms of features.

A beautifully presented music video compilation for film and music enthusiasts.The abundance of extra features are a novelty.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Chris Cunningham (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Short Film-'Monkey Drummer' feat. music by Aphex Twin Short Film-'Flex' - Excerpt from video installation TV Spots-'Mental Wealth' - Sony Playstation commercial Unseen Footage-'Photocopier' - Unseen Levis commercial TV Spots-'Nissan' Commerical feat. music by Boards of Canada Music Video-'Windowlicker' - Censored version Featurette-Making Of-Making of "All is Full of Love" Booklet-52 Page Book - Photographs, Storyboards and Interviews
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	45:11
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Chris Cunningham Lance Bangs
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Carl Antolin Aphex Twin Sigtryggur Baldursson Robert Ball Stephen Ball Afrika Bambaataa William Baraket Björk Gary Cruz Chris Cunningham Brian Friedman Beth Gibbons Madonna
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	Aphex Twin Authechre Björk

The Work of Director Chris Cunningham is released by Madman Entertainment and the AV Channel under the Director’s Suite label and is the second volume of The Directors Label Series which was originally released in Region 4 by Palm Pictures, Kaleidoscope Film and DVD and Shock Records in August 2004.

Palm Pictures have produced the music video compilation with affection and care and while the Chris Cunningham directed compilation does not include all of his music video directorial work, the DVD includes Cunningham’s most renowned and well known collaborations with Autechre, Aphex Twin, Björk, Portishead and Madonna.

Video

The aspect ratios of the music videos vary from 1.33:1, 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, however no content on the DVD is 16x9 enhanced. British director Chris Cunningham is also a video artist and his work often utilises cold blue and grey ('Come to Daddy' by Aphex Twin) and often his videos have a pristine, almost unrealistic quality about them ('Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin). Each video has been well presented and there are no issues of MPEG compression artefacts, although mild aliasing was briefly evident. Overall an excellent transfer and English subtitles for ‘Come On My Selector’ by Squarepusher are burnt onto the print.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The single audio soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 and it is sharp and perfectly accompanies the music videos. There are no faults with this soundtrack.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio and Animation

The main menu has been co-designed by Cunningham and features one of thematic concerns found extensively in Cunningham's work - Man vs. Machine. Also the menu features the arrhythmic editing which is a frequent fixture of a Cunningham music video. The menu is well designed and is easy to navigate. Music videos can be accessed individually or can be viewed as a main feature. The only disappointment is the menu features sequences of music videos which do not appear on the DVD itself.

Making of "All is Full of Love" (7:30)

Rare interviews with both Björk and Cunningham discussing the concept for the music video edited with behind the scenes footage.

'Monkey Drummer’ video installation featuring music by Aphex Twin (2:26)

Flex' - Excerpt from video installation (3:27)

Mental Wealth' - Sony Playstation commercial (0:41)

'Photocopier' - Unseen Levis commercial (0:28)

Nissan' Commercial feat. music by Boards of Canada (2:21)

'Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin (Censored version) (8:27)

Trailers

Rubber Johnny (1:00) - Preview of Cunningham’s 2005 experimental short film.

The Work of Director - Spike Jonze

The Work of Director - Michel Gondry

Booklet

A nice companion to the DVD which features rare photographs, concept art and storyboards and also an interview with Cunningham discussing his successful career. The book also contains images from other Cunningham directed videos which are not included on the DVD release.

The NTSC R1 and PAL R4 are identical in terms of features.

The second volume of The Director's Label series does not contain the the wealth of extras found on the first volume (The Work of Director - Spike Jonze ), however the small selection of Cunningham's directorial work is confronting and fascinating and the DVD has been beautifully presented. In this case less is more.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Michel Gondry (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation-Videos accessed in chronological order, shuffle or by artist Featurette-I've Been Twelve Forever (2003) - Parts 2 and 1(77:05) Short Film- La Lettre (1998) (13:57) TV Spots-Levi's "Drugstore" ( 1:30) TV Spots-Polaroid "Resignation" (1:02) Short Film-One Day... (2001) (6:56) TV Spots-Smirnoff "Smarienberg" (1:10) TV Spots-"Lacuna Inc" (0:34) Short Film-"Drumb and Drumber" (1:17) Short Film-"Three Dead People" (2.51) Short Film-"My Brother's 24th Birthday (3:57) Short Film-"Tiny" (1:05) Short Film-"Out Oui" Live (15:15) Short Film-"Pecan Pie" (2003) with Jim Carrey (1:25) Theatrical Trailer-The Work of Director Spike Jonze (2:00) Theatrical Trailer-The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (1:07) Credits-DVD Credits and Thanks (4:16) Booklet-52 page book with drawings, rare photographs and interviews
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	100:30
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Sided	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Michel Gondry Lance Bangs Olivier Gondry
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Michel Gondry Akhenaton Patricia Arquette Thomas Bangalter Beck Jean-Michel Bernard Björk Jim Carrey The Chemical Brothers Foo Fighters The Rolling Stones Daft Punk The White Stripes
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	Michel Gondry

The Work of Director Michel Gondry is released by Madman Entertainment and the AV Channel under the Director’s Suite label and is the third volume of The Directors Label Series which was originally released in Region 4 by Palm Pictures, Kaleidoscope Film and DVD and Shock Records in August 2004.

Palm Pictures have produced the music video compilation with affection and care and while the Michel Gondry directed compilation does not include all of his music video and promotional directorial work, the DVD includes Gondry's most renowned and well known collaborations with Björk, The Chemical Brothers and The White Stripes. One disappointment is the absence of Radiohead’s “Knives Out” music video which was used in the trailer for this DVD. However what separates this DVD from the two previously released volumes (The Work of Director - Spike Jonze and The Work of Director - Chris Cunningham) is Gondry's hands-on approach to production, organisation and design of the DVD.

Video

As with the previous DVD releases of The Director's Label Series the music videos are presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame. Some of the extra feature content is 16x9 enhanced. Gondry uses both visual mediums of animation and live action in his music videos and the colours remain rich and vivid, while the action remains smooth. There is are no signs of MPEG artifacting and overall this is a pleasing transfer.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The single audio soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0 and it is sharp and perfectly accompanies the music videos. There are no faults with this soundtrack.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

SIDE A 2003-1996:

Main Menu Introduction and Audio & Animation

Michel Gondry proudly presents the DVD in front of a small audience, he then claims his intention was to have quantity over quality. There are a number of filmed introductions, so the introduction changes when the DVD is played. The menu design itself is very clever and humorous. The videos can be organized either chronologically, by artist or shuffled.

I've Been Twelve Forever (2003) – Part 2 –The Later Years: My Mother (35.58)

This documentary is the main extra feature and is focused on Gondry speaking with his mother and friends as well as the many artists he has successfully collaborated with. The feature also can be seamlessly branched with the corresponding music video when a small rectangle (Le Carré Blanc) appears. The conceptual ideas behind the music videos are discussed in depth. This is an excellent feature which is central to viewing and understanding the other content on the DVD.

Stories and Things

La Lettre (1998) (13:57)

Levi's "Drugstore" ( 1:30)

Polaroid "Resignation" (1:02)

One Day... (2001) (6:56)

Smirnoff "Smarienberg" (1:10)

"Lacuna Inc" (0:34)

SIDE B 1995-1987:

I've Been Twelve Forever (2003) – Part 1 – The Early Years: My Father (41:47)

The documentary continues with Gondry speaking of his childhood and his fascination with Michael Jackson, rhythm and his own talent as a musician. The feature as before can be seamlessly branched with the corresponding music video when a small rectangle (Le Carré Blanc) appears. The conceptual ideas behind the music videos are discussed in depth. This is an excellent feature which is central to viewing and understanding the other content on the DVD.

Stories and Things

"Drumb and Drumber" (1:17)

"Three Dead People" (2.51)

"My Brother's 24th Birthday" (3:57)

"Tiny" (1:05)

"Out Oui" Live (15:15)

"Pecan Pie" (2003) with Jim Carrey (1:25)

The Work of Director Spike Jonze (2:00)

The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (1:07)

DVD Credits and Thanks (4:16)

Booklet - " I've been twelve forever"

Unlike the booklets featured in the previous releases the accompanying booklet is organised like an essay with rare production photographs as well as photo's of Gondry's own family. Again this is a wonderful companion to the content on the DVD and is filled with Gondry's unique perspective of the world.

The NTSC R1 and PAL R4 are identical in terms of features.

A wonderfully assembled DVD, with an excellent selection of music videos and Michel Gondry's stamp of approval. Perhaps one of the best releases in The Director's Label Series.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall