The human loop of Star Guitar

The music video visionaries

Chapter 1

Michel Gondry's playful illusions

Chapter 2

Spike Jonze's chaotic charm

Chapter 3

Chris Cunningham's biomechanical nightmares

Chapter 4

Mark Romanek and Anton Corbijn's cinematic atmospheres

YOUR GOAL

Master of The music video visionaries

Ch 1 · Michel Gondry's playful illusions

Glossary

bass guitar line (noun)
The sequence of low, deep notes played on a bass guitar that establishes the rhythm and holds a song's groove together. In Michel Gondry's music video for Daft Punk's 'Around the World,' athletes climb up and down stairs to visually represent this bouncing beat, making the music's foundation impossible to miss.

mankai Star Guitar Music Video

Every tower and tree is a beat on this train ride home

mankai The magic of practical effects

Gondry bygde faktisk et uendelig teater i teateret med fysiske effekter.

streetspirit See how Gondry's rotating pillars transform a forest into Björk's nested stage.

So cool how Björk’s nested-theater video is an infinite play within a play.

mankai So cool how Björk’s nested-theater video is an infinite play within a play.

Michel Gondry's playful illusions

BETA

mankai Build the cardboard sets to discover how Gondry crafts his iconic music video illusions.

Fun Fact

Train window illusions: A train ride from Nîmes to Valence inspired Michel Gondry to sync passing French landscapes with the beats of Star Guitar.

Glossary

motion-control camera (noun)
A camera system that uses computer programming to repeat the exact same movement with robotic precision. By filming multiple takes along the identical path, filmmakers can seamlessly blend different shots together—perfect for making an actor look like they are interacting with their own clone!

Gossip

Which Gondry trick is coolest?

Quiz

Before directing music videos, Michel Gondry was a drummer for which French pop-rock band in the 1980s?

mankai Michel Gondry's Music Videos

He mapped the speeding train ride on a paper grid, Using forks and oranges for every beat he did.

mankai The human loop of Star Guitar

I just learned how athletes climbing stairs can physically mimic a bass line.

mankai I just learned how athletes climbing stairs can physically mimic a bass line.

Björk and the human mind

mankai Gondry collaborated with Icelandic singer Björk on multiple videos that visually mapped the subconscious.

Fun Fact

Playful illusions: To sync the passing scenery to the music, Gondry mapped the train journey on graph paper using household objects like oranges, forks, and shoes.

Glossary

illusion (noun)
An instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience. Gondry utilized a motion-control camera in 2002 to create a seamless looping street scene for Kylie Minogue.

Quiz

Which French city's train route did Michel Gondry film to create the visual rhythm for "Star Guitar"?

The human loop of Star Guitar

mankai The 2002 video for The Chemical Brothers synchronized passing train scenery with the music's beats.

Fun Fact

Creative Beats: Before directing hits for Björk and Daft Punk, Michel Gondry discovered filmmaking by creating whimsical music videos for his own indie band, Oui Oui.

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Fun Fact

Lego bricks: Lego refused to sponsor The White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl" video, forcing director Michel Gondry to buy all the plastic bricks himself at retail stores.

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