The Work of Directors-Volume 2 (2005)

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Volume Two showcases four unique and prolific directors whose work prove that artistic integrity can exist within the commercial music video industry. The volumes are all designed individually to reflect the personality and style of the director and have the participation of the director and authorisation of the artists involved in the music video productions. All four volumes are welcomed to the series; from Mark Romanek’s big budgeted epic feats to the visionary off beat world of Jonathan Glazer, to the raw gritty portraits of Anton Corbijn, to the emotional and spiritual world of Stephane Sednaoui.

These volumes were originally released in R1 in 2005 and there have been no other releases since. However rumoured future releases in the series include volumes dedicated to Hammer & Tongs, Mike Mills, Shynola, Samuel Bayer, Jonas Åkerlund, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Roman Coppola and a second volume dedicated to Michel Gondry. The box set is highly recommended to film and music enthusiasts.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Mark Romanek (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Interviews and Commentaries Featurette-The Work of Director Mark Romanek Interviews-Cast-Romanekian Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Making of 99 Problems Booklet-56 Page Book Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	100:54
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mark Romanek Lance Bangs
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Fiona Apple Audioslave Beck Brian Bell Chester Bennington David Blaine Rob Bourdon David Bowie Peter Buck Johnny Cash Chris Cornell Rivers Cuomo Brad Delson
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

The fourth DVD volume from The Director’s Label is devoted to the work of Mark Romanek. A veteran of the music video industry, Romanek also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature film One Hour Photo (2002). Unfortunately since then Romanek’s feature films projects have fallen through. However this year Romanek signed on to direct a remake of The Wolf Man (1941) for Universal Studios starring Benicio Del Toro with a script written by Andrew Kevin Walker.

Romanek’s first feature film Static (1985) found a cult audience in the UK but the director decided to work within the music video medium through a division of David Fincher's Propaganda Films. Romanek’s work is highly recognisable as he has worked with many high profile artists, musicians and bands.

There are a few music videos absent from this release including Romanek’s debut music video Sweet Bird of Truth for The The, You Don't Have To Worry for En Vogue, Is There Any Love In Your Heart and If You Can't Say No for Lenny Kravitz, Do Something and I Try for Macy Gray, Sleepwalker for The Wallflowers and finally Speed of Sound for Coldplay, which was left off the DVD compilation as it was produced after the compilation was released in 2005.

Video

Unfortunately no content on this DVD is 16x9 enhanced and each of the 25 music videos are presented in the 1.33:1 Full Frame aspect ratio, replicating how the videos would have originally been broadcast. There were some incidents of aliasing and film artefacts but overall the picture quality is relatively good, as the videos remain clear and colour remains true to artistic vision. The transfer has been encoded at an average bit rate of 5.92 Mbps over a dual-layer, single-sided DVD. The high bit-rate overall achieves a pleasing transfer, the most recent videos are pristine and remain sharp and detailed, such as 99 Problems and Cochise, while the older videos such as Constant Craving and Are You Gonna Go My Way display low level noise and minor incidents of cross colouration. No subtitle options are available for the music videos.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

The single audio option is clear and error-free and is suitable for the medium of a music video. The 2.0 Dolby Digital soundtrack does not take advantage of the possibilities of surround sound and subwoofer usage is limited. Overall the soundtrack is appropriate.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

The main menu is 16x9 enhanced and features a subtle, atmospheric soundtrack with various animated still images from Mark Romanek’s music videos. The menu is suited to the different content on the DVD and is presented in a clear, practical and functional design that enables the user to navigate through the content with ease. A play all option is available for the music videos which are listed in a reverse chronological order.

Audio Commentary

As with previous DVDs in the series the commentaries have been sourced from interviews. Romanek provides commentary for each video while some of the artists provide a separate commentary. Each are brutally honest; Rivers Cuomo speaks of his frustrations regarding the final product of El Scorcho, Trent Reznor speaks about his first impression of Johnny Cash’s cover of his song, while Fiona Apple speaks about her negative experiences after Criminal was released, due to the provocative nature of the music video. However all the artists conclude they admire Romanek’s unique approach and with time have understood Romanek’s sophisticated and sometimes dangerous ideas. Romanek equally speaks honestly about various issues which plague a music video production and how he needs to balance the artist’s expectations with his own concepts and ideas. Each commentary draws upon the complexities and volatile nature of music video productions:

99 Problems (director's cut) by Jay-Z

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Jay-Z

Faint by Linkin Park

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Mr. Hahn

Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Anthony Kiedis

• Commentary with Flea

Hurt by Johnny Cash

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Trent Reznor

Cochise (director's cut) by Audioslave

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Tom Morello

Hella Good (director's cut) by No Doubt

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Gwen Stefani

God Gave Me Everything by Mick Jagger

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Got 'til It's Gone by Janet Jackson

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Janet Jackson

• Commentary with Joni Mitchell

Criminal by Fiona Apple

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Fiona Apple

Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Trent Reznor

Devil's Haircut by Beck

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Beck

El Scorcho (director's cut) by Weezer

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Rivers Cuomo and Brian Bell

Novocaine for the Soul by Eels

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Mark Oliver Everett.

Little Trouble Girl by Sonic Youth

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Kim Gordon

Scream (director's cut) by Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Janet Jackson

Bedtime Story by Madonna

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Michel Stipe

Cold Beverage by G. Love & Special Sauce

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Closer (director's cut) by Nine Inch Nails

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Trent Reznor

Jump They Say by David Bowie

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Rain by Madonna

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Lenny Kravitz

Wicket as it Seems (director's cut) by Keith Richards

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

• Commentary with Keith Richards

Free Your Mind by En Vogue

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

Constant Craving by k.d. lang

• Commentary with Mark Romanek

The Work of Director Mark Romanek (38:19)

The same interviews which were sourced for audio commentaries are expanded and edited with rare behind the scenes footage from the music video productions, treatments and stills. Other interviewees included are Michel Gondry, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Steven Soderbergh, Rick Rubin, Chris Rock and Shannyn Sossamon. An excellent addition to the compilation. Optional subtitles are available.

Romanekian (7:48)

Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Robin Williams speak about their favourite Romanek music videos and try to decipher the ‘Romanekian’ style. As you would expect the three comedians provide very funny commentary on the music videos. Optional subtitles available.

Making of 99 Problems(10:42)

Jay-z originally wanted Quentin Tarantino to direct the production but after a suggestion by Rick Rubin and after seeing the music video for Hurt by Johnny Cash chose Mark Romanek instead. Jay-Z wanted a realistic black and white music video set where he grew up, which is an approach uncommon in music videos of the rap genre. Interviews with Romanek, Jay-Z and Rick Rubin are all included in this feature which is blended with rare behind the scenes footage.

Booklet

A revealing in-depth interview with Romanek by Spike Jonze is included in the 56-page colour book, which also includes rare photographs of the artists, cast and crew of Romanek's music video productions and film productions.

Credits (1:00)

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

Almost all of Romanek's work is included on this compilation with an in-depth behind the scenes look at the complexities and volatile nature of music video productions. The picture quality is average and somewhat flawed with a limited yet appropriate soundtrack. Overall this volume is a welcome addition to The Director's Label series and demonstrates artistic integrity does exist within the commercial music video industry.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Jonathan Glazer (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Menu Animation & Audio-Feat Glazer and Actor Paul Kaye Audio Commentary-Feat. Nick Cave, Richard Ashcroft, Denis Lavant and more TV Spots- Ride - Wrangler commercial TV Spots- Surfer (extended), Swim Back, Dreamer - Guinness commercial TV Spots- Protection - Volkswagen commercial TV Spots- Last Orders, Whip Round - Stella Artois commercial TV Spots- Kung Fu, Odyssey - Levi's commercial TV Spots-Bull , Chicken - Barclays commercial feat. Samuel L. Jackson Interviews-Cast-Interviews with Ray Winstone and Sir Ben Kingsley Interviews-Cast & Crew-Interviews with Nicole Kidman, Danny Huston, Harris Savides. Booklet-Includes photographs, sketches, storyboards and interview. Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	35:11
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Jonathan Glazer Nick Cave
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Milo Addica Damon Albarn Richard Ashcroft Jean-Claude Carrière Nick Cave Graham Coxon Robert del Naja Olegar Fedoro Colin Greenwood Jonny Greenwood Danny Huston Samuel L. Jackson Alex James
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	Nick Cave Thom Yorke

The Directors Label series returns with a welcomed volume dedicated to British director Jonathon Glazer. This is volume five of seven released music video and commercial compilation DVDs. Like the previously released sets, the director also helped with producing the content and structure of the DVD, which lends an authenticity to the project.

This compilation can be likened to the Chris Cunningham set as Glazer himself does not comment on his work, but there is an obvious care in producing the DVD. This volume exhibits Glazer’s individuality and collects rare visual work which charts the director’s own visual style, and unique outlook of the world.

Glazer has directed ten music videos in his career and eight are included on this DVD. Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai and Live with Me by Massive Attack are absent. Glazer has also directed two acclaimed yet controversial feature films; Sexy Beast (2000) and Birth (2004). Both these films are exceptional and demonstrate Glazer’s penchant for slow building suspense and confronting thematic concerns. For example Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out) is the memorable closing track from their successful 1995 album The Bends. The song contains the cherished lyric 'Immerse your soul in love', however Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead has always claimed the song has a dark undercurrent as it explores the possibility that there is no hope, only loss and pain. Glazer’s accompanying music video visualises the song’s sinister outlook as there is no clear narrative but rather the band members filmed in black and white in various camera speeds. Glazer has always regarded this video as a defining moment in his own career, as he felt it was a work "that emoted, that had some kind of poetic as well as prosaic value”.(1) Glazer also directed the music video Karma Police for Radiohead from their phenomenally popular 1997 album OK Computer. Despite the popularity of the music video Glazer regards the final product without enthusiasm, “I regard "Karma Police" as a complete failure, because I decided to do a very minimalist, subjective use of camera, and tried to do something hypnotic and dramatic from one perspective, and it was very hard to achieve and I feel that I didn't achieve it”.(2)

Stylus Magazine claims Glazer's music video for UNKLE's Rabbit in your Headlights which features vocals by Thom Yorke, as the number one music video of all time. The music video follows an incoherent disturbed man walking through a darkened car tunnel, protected only by his coat. The character is played by Denis Lavant and the music video is shot in real time and features atmospheric sounds and dialogue mixed above the soundtrack. Similar filming techniques can be found in Richard Ashcroft’s A Song for Lovers. Blur’s The Universal and Massive Attack’s Karmacoma feature homages to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Shining (1980). Also included on the set is the music video for Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai.

Video

The various music videos appear as they would have originally been broadcast, in 1.33:1 Full Frame. The original aspect ratios of the music videos vary but as Glazer’s music videos are envisioned like short films most appear to be filmed in 2.35:1 or 1:85:1 wide-screen. However no content on this DVD is 16x9 enhanced. On this single-layer single-sided disc the videos have been encoded at an average bit rate of 4.47 Mbps. The low encoding rate accounts for average sharpness and shadow detail as well as minor incidents of MPEG compression artefacts. The colour palette of each video is clear and true to the source and artistic vision while film grain is evident in some music videos. Overall the image quality isn’t particular striking and is rather average.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is clear but is not particularly suited to surround sound processing. There are no encoding errors and the videos that feature dialogue, atmospheric sound and the score are clear and audible. Subwoofer usage is limited.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu Animation & Audio

The structure of the menus on this series of DVDs is continuously inventive and tongue in cheek. The menus feature short introductions composed of hand-held black and white footage of a crew filming Glazer walking the London streets without his knowledge. The footage reveals where Glazer gets his ‘original’ ideas for commercials and music videos. Also the select individual music video option and select individual commercial option features an audio sound-bite of a comical conversation between two unnamed individuals (sometimes) discussing the content to be selected. The introductions and audio conversations can be skipped if preferred.

Audio Commentary

Rabbit in Your Headlights by UNKLE (18:38) - French Actor Denis Lavant details how he became involved in the production of the video and how he met Glazer. Lavant mentions the video was banned in France and takes us step by step through the production of the clip and details his costume and how he approached the performance of a human being dying, physically and psychologically. Optional English subtitles are included for Lavant’s French language commentary.

The second commentary is provided by James Lavelle of UNKLE who explains his understanding of Glazer’s approach to the visualisation of the song and why he collaborated with the director. Lavelle also details the public reaction, the broadcaster’s negative response and recording company’s panic regarding Glazer’s realistic depiction of car accidents.

Into My Arms by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (4:27) -Nick Cave honestly recalls his reaction to the memorable music video. Cave is unfortunately unhappy with the music video treatment as he believes the images overpower the song and the video as a whole is grim and depressing in contrast to what he believes is an uplifting spiritual song.

A Song for Lovers by Richard Ashcroft (8:05) - Richard Ashcroft explains the unusual approach to the music video and how he interprets the final product. Ashcroft also mentions his self-awareness on camera and how he feels about music videos in regards to how the strength of a visual image can overpower the lyrics of the song.

Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai (5:09) – Jay Kay recalls the chaos on set with fondness and goes through the video shot by shot recalling the difficulty of the performance.

The Universal by Blur (5:52) – Graham Coxon states he doesn’t particularly like the idea of music videos as he believes the images take away from the impact of the music. Coxon has never enjoyed participating in music videos and believes neither he nor the other members of the band are particularly interesting in the video. Rather Coxon finds the other characters and situations in the video to be more intriguing.

Karmacoma by Massive Attack (6:07) – 3D recalls his first impression of Glazer and the abstract approach of the music video. 3D also states Karmacoma was Glazer’s first music video and the director treated the concept of the music video as a part of a film.

The final feature of this section is titled Diary of a Lunatic (7:24) and documents the filming of a music video by a band named Lunatic. The band members introduce themselves to the camera and we follow their rehearsals. It is noted Glazer met the band while filming Sexy Beast.

TV Spots

Glazer’s directorial work for Wrangler, Guinness, Volkswagen, Stella Artois, Levis and Barcleys are all impressive and all feature the subtle humour and remarkable original visuals found in his music video and film work. The eleven advertisements are an excellent addition to the main content on the DVD. (13:40)

Guinness – Surfer (extended): A man stares into the distance… "he waits, that is what he does.”

Wrangler – Ride: A visual treat as a man and a woman race – destroying everything in their path.

Stella Artois –Whip Around: A beautifully filmed black and white advertisement which follows a group of priests trying to find a crate of Stella Artois which has fallen through the ice.

Guinness – Swim Black: How long does it take to pour the perfect pint?

Volkswagen – Protection: Another visual treat which details the similarities between man and machine.

Stella Artois – Last Orders: This is a familiar advertisement to those who watch SBS. A dying man asks his son to retrieve him a Stella Artois which incurs hilarious results. Stars Denis Lavant.

Levis - Kung Fu: A colourful advertisement which demonstrates the best way to wash your Levi jeans.

Guinness – Dreamer: A black and white advertisement which details the dreams which occur in between drinking Guinness.

Barclays – Bull and Chicken: Have you ever seen Dave Chappelle’s sketch in which he plays a loud Samuel L. Jackson in a beer advertisement? Well here you get to see Jackson advertising Barclays which is a UK banking company. In the first advertisement Jackson is speaking to the camera and recalls an incident of miscommunication, while the other similarly themed advertisement features Jackson discussing the issue of whether money is evil. Both are very funny and clever.

Films

The last section of the DVD offers excerpts from two of Glazer’s films and interviews with the cast and crew of those films.

Scene excerpt ‘You’re the Problem’ (3:11): The first excerpt offered is from the brilliant film Sexy Beast and features the final confrontation between the characters played by Sir Ben Kinsley and Ray Winstone.

Interview with Sir Ben Kinsley and Ray Winstone (9:20): The two celebrated actors detail their attraction to the originality of the project and how they found beauty in the anger and guilt of their characters.

Scene excerpt ‘Central Park’ (3:29): The second excerpt is from the opening of the controversial film Birth. This scene is incredible to look at and demonstrates Glazer’s determined approach and ability to capture the audiences’ attention through suspense and bewilderment.

A collection of interviews are included with the cast and crew of Birth (15:33). Nicole Kidman, Danny Huston, Harris Savides, Milo Addica and Jean-Claude Carrière all explain why they chose to work with Glazer and the differences between the ‘male film’ Sexy Beast and ‘female film’ Birth. Glazer’s direction is also discussed in depth and and the interviewees marvel at how Glazer can capture emotion and feeling in visual images.

Booklet

Finally the DVD is accompanied with a nicely presented booklet featuring rare photographs from the various music video, commercial and film productions. Storyboards, designs and notes are also featured as well as a revealing interview with the director.

Credits (2:50)

The credits for each of the music videos, advertisements and films.

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

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

The DVD compiles almost all of Glazer’s directorial work and the production and design of the DVD reflect the director’s unique vision and talent. Although the DVD is average in terms of picture quality and sound, the collection of rarities and the interviews and commentaries by the artists, cast and crew more then make up for it. An excellent addition to an already impressive DVD series.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Anton Corbijn (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary TV Spots-MTV Promos Featurette-Behind The Scenes-U2 - The Making of Electrical Storm Short Film-Some Yo Yo Stuff Music Video-Travis - Love Will Come Through Music Video-Depeche Mode -It's No Good Music Video-Hockey - Palais Schaumburg Music Video-Front By Front - Front 242 Interviews-Cast & Crew-NotNa Booklet Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	118:07
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Joseph Arthur Bono Nick Cave Adam Clayton Kurt Cobain Anton Corbijn Pete DeFreitas Depeche Mode Andy Dunlop Andrew Fletcher Peter Gabriel David Gahan Martin Gore
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

The work of director – Anton Corbijn marks the sixth volume of the series from The Directors Label. The Dutch music video director is also a well known photographer who began his career with New Musical Express and has photographed a multitude of artists, musicians and actors. Anton Corbijn’s name is synonymous with the Post Punk movement as he collaborated predominately with Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen and created raw unpretentious images of his subjects through their music videos. Corbijn has also collaborated with such artists as U2 for the music videos One (original version) and Electrical Storm as well as the influential electronic band Depeche Mode for the music videos Behind the Wheel, Enjoy the Silence (first version) and Barrel of a Gun. In the nineties Corbijn directed the award winning music video Heart-Shaped Box for Nirvana.

Corbijn’s style is enduring and unique as the director refrained from technical trickery, and instead opted for simple ideas which focused on the emotion of the songs and the humanity of the artists. There are some notable videos left off this compilation including Personal Jesus for Depeche Mode, Do I Have to Say the Words? and Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? for Bryan Adams, Delia's Gone for Johnny Cash, Love & Tears for Naomi Campbell and Salvation for Roxette, however the 26 music videos chosen for this compilation give a wonderful insight into how Anton Corbijn visualises music and portrays artists. It is also interesting to view this compilation in light of the Corbijn’s forthcoming feature length film Control: The Ian Curtis film, which is a biopic concerning the life of the late Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division. The film is based on the book Touching From a Distance, written by Curtis' wife, Deborah.

Video

All the music videos are unfortunately presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame. No content on this DVD is 16x9 enhanced. The music videos have been encoded at an average bit rate of 6.25 Mbps over a dual-layer, single-sided DVD. Corbijn is known for filming in black and white and using grainy film and due to the high encoding bit rate the images remain sharp and defined. Colour is also true and vibrant, in particular for the videos Straight To You and Heart-Shaped Box. The early black and white videos such as Dr. Mabuse, Seven Seas and My Secret Place have visible film artefacts while the later black and white productions are pristine, such as All These Things That I've Done. Into the Sun unfortunately has evident aliasing artefacts, while Walking In My Shoes and One have visible cross colouration artefacts. There are no subtitle options available for the music videos.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

The single audio Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is clear and well suited to the genre of the music video. There are no encoding errors however surround sound and subwoofer usage is limited. Overall a pleasing and suitable soundtrack considering the type of content on this DVD.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Audio & Animation

The main menu is designed with many different ways to access the content. An animated figure driving a car passes buildings with each artist/band name. Select the desired building-artist/band to access a menu which lists the music videos and available commentaries for that particular artist/band. Otherwise select the music video option to play the music videos in chronological order, random order or play all with commentaries. The menu is scored with atmospheric noise and if the user takes too long to select, a car horn is heard.

Audio Commentary

As with the previous DVD releases the audio commentaries are sourced from interviews. The following music videos have optional commentaries which discuss why the artist choose to work with Corbijn and how they feel about the final product. Many of the artists are brutally honest; Nick Cave reveals he doesn’t care for the video Straight to You, while Lars Ulrich reveals the behind the scenes artistic differences. However all the artist’s respect Corbijn and his unique approach to the creation of a music video as he remains faithful to the themes and tone of the song:

Dr. Mabuse by Propaganda

· Commentary by Claudia Brücken

Seven Seas by Echo and the Bunnymen

· Commentary by Ian McCulloch

Behind the Wheel by Depeche Mode

· Commentary by David Gahan

Atmostphere by Joy Division

· Commentary by Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner

Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode

· Commentary by David Gahan

One (director's cut) by U2

· Commentary by Bono

Straight to You by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

· Commentary by Nick Cave

Walking in My Shoes by Depeche Mode

· Commentary by David Gahan

Hero of the Day by Metallica

· Commentary by Lars Ulrich

It's No Good by Depeche Mode

· Commentary by David Gahan

Bleibt Alles Anders by Herbert Grönemeyer

· Commentary by Herbert Grönemeyer

Opus 40 by Mercury Rev

· Commentary by Grasshopper

Goddess on a Highway by Mercury Rev

· Commentary by Grasshopper

In The Sun by Joseph Arthur

· Commentary by Joseph Arthur

Mensch by Herbert Grönemeyer

· Commentary by Herbert Grönemeyer

Electrical Storm by U2

· Commentary by Bono

· Commentary by Samantha Morton

Re-Offender by Travis

· Commentary by Francis Healy

NotNa - A documentary about Anton (40:36)

This is an excellent documentary featuring the expanded interviews which were used for the commentaries, as well as an interview with Corbijn discussing his career in depth. The styles and the stories behind the music videos are all discussed from Bono’s father’s appearance in One to a discussion of Heart-Shaped Box with archival interviews with Kurt Cobain. Interviews with Martin Gore and Michael Stipe are also included as well as rare behind the scenes footage of a photo-shoot featuring Iggy Pop. A number of Corbijn’s photographic stills and artwork are also discussed. Optional subtitles are available for this feature.

U2 - The Making of Electrical Storm (7:23)

This feature includes interviews with Corbijn, U2 and Samantha Morton on location discussing the production. Optional subtitles are available for this feature.

Depeche Mode - It's No Good tour projections (4:43)

This is the alternate music video for the title song, recorded as a screen projection for the Exciter Tour.

Don Van Vliet -Some YoYo Stuff (4:30)

An experimental short film by Don Van Vliet, who is a musician and visual artist who is also known as Captain Beefheart. Optional subtitles available for this feature.

Travis - Love Will Come Through (3:38)

A home made video with Fran Healy.

Palais Schaumburg - Hockey (3:11)

Corbijn’s début music video.

Front 242 - Front By Front (4:40)

Music Video for the Belgian electronic music group.

MTV Promos

• Beck (0:34)

• Dave Grohl (0:36)

Booklet

The 56 page booklet features hand drawn notes by Corbijn with rare photographs and drawings.

Credits (1:22)

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

A wonderful insight into how Anton Corbijn visualises music and portrays artists. The DVD content is unfortunately of average quality, however the extra feature content and the presentation of the DVD is very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

The Work of Director-Stephane Sednaoui (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Menu Animation & Audio Short Film-Walk On The Wild Side Short Film-Army Of Me (Animation) Short Film-Acqua Natasa Short Film-Reve Reche Interviews-Cast & Crew Featurette-Stephane's presentation at New York University Film School Booklet-Diary of photos, storyboards, sketches and comments
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	84:48
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Stephane Sednaoui
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Mirwais Ahmadzaï Björk Bono Peter Buck Jeff Cease Neneh Cherry Adam Clayton Johnny Colt Robert del Naja Duke Erikson Flea John Frusciante Steve Gorman
Case	Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (256Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	Varies
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	Varies	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French German Spanish Italian	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

French director and fashion photographer Stéphane Sednaoui is the subject of the seventh volume of The Directors Label series. Sednaoui has directed 50 music videos since 1990 and his most high-profile music video directorial work has been compiled on this DVD. This includes the renowned music videos for artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Björk, U2, R.E.M. Youssou N’Dour, Massive Attack and Tricky.

Sednaoui’s music videos are centred on simple yet inspired ideas which work with the music by allowing the camera to participate in the performance. For example the music video for Give It Away by Red Hot Chili Peppers features the band forsaken in the desert, dressed in chain mail and other oddities with unique hairstyles giving an animated performance of the title song. Likewise the camera follows suit by manically zooming in and out on the band members as they sing and perform. The camera is not still and simply filming a routine performance rather it is in the middle of the action, participating in the on screen drama. The music video for Scar Tissue also by Red Hot Chili Peppers is also included on this DVD and is considered to be the pseudo sequel to Give It Away.

Similarly the two music videos for Big Time Sensuality see a vibrant Björk dancing and singing on the back of a truck moving through the chaotic streets of New York during day and night time. The camera again focuses on the artist’s expressive performance of the song and is complicit in the action. The videos have since been parodied on French & Saunders and marked Björk’s first international success. Possibly Maybe also by Björk is also included on this DVD. Sednaoui’s music video for U2’s Mysterious Ways uses special effects which warp the visuals and see the band in exotic Moroccan locations performing the song interspersed with shots of a belly dancer. The distorted imagery works well with the music. On the other hand the unique video for Discothèque saw Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. dressed up as members of The Village People and marked the band’s first use of electronic music. Other music videos included on this release are Tricky’s For Real, Pumpkin and Hell is Around the Corner, Massive Attack’s Sly, Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry's Seven Seconds, R.E.M.’s Lotus and Alanis Morisette’s Ironic. Each of these music videos embraces the spirit of the different music genres as Sednaoui seems to be in awe of his performers, as he captures expressive eyes, movement of the mouth and distortion of the body. Queer by Garbage is also included uncut on this DVD as well as an early video for NTM and the bizarre videos for Mirwais.

Video

The good news is the following music videos are presented in 16x9 enhanced, 1.78:1 wide-screen; Massive Attack’s Sly, Tricky’s For Real, Alanis Morisette’s Ironic, the director’s cut of U2’s Discothèque, Björk’s Possibly Maybe and Mirwais’ Disco Science . The other music videos are presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame, the same ratio in which they were originally broadcast on television. Overall the quality of the transfer is quite good. Black levels are fine as seen in the polished music video for Mirwais’ Disco Science. The early black and white videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Björk are clear and have existent film grain as intended by the director. Skin tones and shadow detail are also clear and defined. The music videos have been encoded at an average bit-rate of 6.25 Mbps and this high bit rate accounts for the above average picture quality on the single-sided, single-layer DVD. There are no subtitle features for the music videos.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

The single audio Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is clear and suited to the genre of the music video. There are no encoding errors. Tricky’s Hell is Around the Corner does incur crackle and pops but this is artistically intended and the song remains clear and audible. Surround sound and subwoofer usage is limited but overall a pleasing and suitable soundtrack considering the type of content on this DVD.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Main Menu Animation and Audio

The 16x9 enhanced main menu is scored with a section of Mirwais’s I Can’t Wait and is clear and functional. There are two viewing options regarding the music videos, either view them in the director’s preferred order or by chronological order.

Short Films

Acqua Natassa – Featuring Natasa Vojnovic (5:15)

This video installation combines CGI with underwater filming to create the image of a young woman drowning. The dreamlike imagery and the electronic score are beautifully bewildering.

Army of Me – Animation Inspired by Björk song (4:45)

The black and white CGI animation creates an image of Björk singing the title song controlling her surrounding environment. The themes of the songs are explored through demonic imagery and livid weather conditions.

Walk on the Wild Side – Short Film Inspired by Lou Reed’s song (9:58)

The short film begins with an image of Reed against an urban industrialist landscape viewing those who exist on the fringe of society. We then follow the lives of the characters as they travel to New York. The short film exhibits how Sednaoui is able to successfully visualise the thematic concerns and the textures of a song and is able to balance images and lyrics, creating one single element.

Reve Reche – Sednaoui’s first attempt at a short film with music (3:10) (Available to view with or without director’s commentary).

The short film begins with a title card which tells the audience that Sednaoui believes his first short film was a failure and he only includes it on this DVD to show that one disappointment does not account for the failure of one’s whole career. Like any student film the intentions were grand but unfortunately the director’s first film is incoherent. Sednaoui himself on the commentary claims he doesn’t even remember the narrative other than it is a zombie film set in a graveyard.

Interviews

Interviews (34:59)

This black and white feature includes interviews with Bono, Björk, Flea, Michael Stipe, Shirley Manson, Tricky and Stéphane Sednaoui all discussing their music video collaborations in depth. The feature details what the artists expected and how Sednaoui saw the individual songs. All the artists find Sednaoui to be directing with his emotions rather then with his mind and they find this approach refreshing and inspiring. Optional subtitles can be accessed for this feature

NYU Presentation (19:25)

Stéphane Sednaoui discusses his career by answering questions from students. The director shares his experiences with the students regarding his start in the business to his improvisational directing style to what music inspires him and how he develops ideas for his music videos. Sednaoui speaks frankly and engages with the audience. The feature is filmed in black and white and contains scene excerpts in colour from the music videos discussed. Optional subtitles can be accessed for this feature

Booklet

The booklet features rare photographs from the music video productions with dates, locations and details written by Sednaoui. Treatments, designs and storyboards are also included and overall the booklet is a nice accompaniment to the DVD.

Music Video and Short Film Credits (3:34)

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

The varied selection of music videos give a great insight into the style of Stéphane Sednaoui. The audio option is suitable and picture quality is very good while the in-depth extras go behind the scenes to demonstrate the amount of work and inspiration needed to create a music video that will satisfy the the artist's integrity and talent and the record company's appetite for marketing and promotion. This is volume seven and is the latest volume in the series.

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