Michel Gondry was born May 8, 1963 in Versailles, France. He is an Academy Award winning French filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène.
His career as a filmmaker began with creating music videos for the French rock band 'Oui Oui', in which he also served as a drummer. The style of his videos for 'Oui Oui' caught the attention of music artist 'Björk', who asked him to direct the video for her song 'Human Behaviour'. The collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of eight music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck.
Michel Gondry has his own style of directing and making music videos, that all have an unconventional feel to them. His style of videos makes them all feel separated from the real world, like dreams, by using different camera tricks and editing. He is a clear example of an auteur. (The auteur theory was first put forward in the 1950s by François Truffaut. The theory states that a director's films reflect that director's personal creative vision. The author's creative voice is distinctive and is noticeable in all of their work).
In particular, music artist, Mia Doi Todd's video, 'Open Your Heart' is very distinctive. In this music video the visuals are very repetitive, and the audience can see the same things happening over and over again. The video is made up of mostly long takes, with some lasting up to 40 seconds. He also demonstrates a large depth of field and uses optical illusions to stun the audience. After watching this music video, it is evident that Michel Gondry's auteur signature has a repetitive nature and is usually shot in one long single shot, rather than short, sharp cuts. It is obvious that his music videos are dependent on the audience watching the entire video, to grasp the effect that Michel Gondry is trying to create within the music video.
In particular, music artist, Mia Doi Todd's video, 'Open Your Heart' is very distinctive. In this music video the visuals are very repetitive, and the audience can see the same things happening over and over again. The video is made up of mostly long takes, with some lasting up to 40 seconds. He also demonstrates a large depth of field and uses optical illusions to stun the audience. After watching this music video, it is evident that Michel Gondry's auteur signature has a repetitive nature and is usually shot in one long single shot, rather than short, sharp cuts. It is obvious that his music videos are dependent on the audience watching the entire video, to grasp the effect that Michel Gondry is trying to create within the music video.
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