BOOKED: Flobots - Dirty UK, directors

artist: Flobots
song: "Handlebars"   
label: Universal Republic
director(s): Dirty UK
production co: Draw Pictures

NEW RELEASE: The Bravery "Something To Believe"

Bravery singer Sam Endicott spends much of this video either hoisted up by the crowd like some sort of champion — or Michael Stipe in "Drive" — or floating through them unnoticed like a ghost. Rest of the time he's on stage fronting the band and performing this catchy alt rock tune. The footage has a grittiness that's reinforced by an occasional effect that highlights various moments by rendering them as monochromatic  posters. --> watch "Something To Believe" via Yahoo

The Bravery "Something To Believe" (Island Def Jam)
Goodtimes, director | Jason Valen, producer | Draw Pictures, production co | Todd Somodevilla, DP | James Duffy @ Mad River Post, editor

BOOKED: The Bravery - Goodtimes/Sam Endicott, directors

Bravery singer Sam Endicott co-directing with the Goodtimes creative crew...

artist: The Bravery
song: "Believe"
label: Island Def Jam
director(s): Goodtimes and Sam Endicott
production co: Draw Pictures

SHOT: Kevin Michael - Petro, directors

artist: Kevin Michael
song: "If I Ain't Got You"
label: Atlantic
director(s): Petro
production co: Draw Pictures

SHOT: Bad Religion - Michael, directors

artist: Bad Religion
song: "New Dark Ages"
label: Epitaph
director(s): Michael
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: The Cribs - 3 Pronged Attack, directors

artist: The Cribs
song: "I'm A Realist"
label: Wichita
director(s): 3 Pronged Attack
production co: Draw Pictures
commissioner: Jill Kaplan/Skyway

SHOT: Cheri Dennis - Petro, director

The director who is Petro on the set with Cheri Dennis...

artist: Cheri Dennis f/ Yung Joc & Gorilla Zoe
song: "Portrait Of Love"
label: Bad Boy/Atlantic
director(s): Petro
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: Josephine Collective - Silas Howard, director

artist: Josephine Collective
song: "Living"
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Silas Howard
production co: Draw Pictures

Director Silas Howard is best known for her film By Hook Or By Crook — which she co-directed, co-wrote and starred in.

NEW RELEASE: Bob Dylan "You Go Your Way..."

Director Rupert Jones takes you on a stroll in with Bob Dylan through the years and his many guises and phases. While it doesn't take you behind the scenes, it does take you literally behind Dylan as an actor recreates some famous moments  — the cover of The Freewheeling Bob Dylan or the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" segment from the film "Don't Look Back" — that every music fan should recognize. Other scenes merely hint at what Dylan was up to, but everything is imbued with a "freewheeling" vibe that reflects the energy of this revampment by omnipresent hitmaker Mark Ronson and backing band The Dap-Kings. Ronson was AWOL from the shoot, as was the D-Man, but the Dap Kings are in full effect and Wyclef Jean makes a cameo — perhaps as a repayment to Dylan for appearing in Clef's "Gone Til November?" --> watch "You Go Your Way..."

Bob Dylan "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)"
[Mark Ronson re-version] (Columbia)
Rupert Jones, director | Meredith Welsh, producer | Draw Pictures, production co | Tim Ives, DP | Quin Williams, editor

SHOT: Bullet For My Valentine - Frank Borin, director

artist: Bullet For My Valentine
song: "Scream, Aim & Fire"
label: Columbia (UK) / Jive/ZLG (US)
director(s): Frank Borin
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: Bob Dylan - Rupert Jones, director

Bob Dylan. Remix. No, not as scary as it sounds. Hitmaker Mark Ronson updates the Blonde On Blonde classic "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" by adding some block rocking beats and his now trademarked retro coolness. For all those longtime fans who are horrified (horrified!) at the idea, might I give you a taste of how His Royal Bobness is currently performing the tune? Just be thankful it's not Diddy doing the remake.

Video shooting later this month in NYC to support the forthcoming Dylan box set.

artist: Bob Dylan
song: "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)"
             (Mark Ronson re-version)
label: Columbia
director(s): Rupert Jones
production co: Draw Pictures

SHOT: The Shins - Michael, director

The upcoming Shins video for "Turn On Me" was directed by Michael, which is the team of Michael Reich and Michael Pinkney. That's Michael Reich in the first photo with the goggles and the American flag shorts, in the background. And for those wondering: Yes, baggy Jams are more patriotic than banana hammocks. (Click the pictures to make 'em bigger. Savor every detail.)

The second photo is proof, yet again, that no detail is too minor for the professional video maker. These lucky ladies are on ass duty, making sure that the wedgie is exactly as Michael envisioned it. Yes, it's glamorous on a video set.

The beautiful woman you see in the third photo is also in the video. She knows her away around a spoon and a cube of Jello, if you what I mean. (Full disclosure: I don't know what that means).

Not seen in the photos, but in the video nonetheless are several pounds of Jello (not just the aforementioned spoonful), a one-eyed chihuahua and a grand piano held aloft by a 50 foot crane.

artist: The Shins
song: "Turn On Me"
label: Sub Pop
director(s): Michael
production co: Draw Pictures

1,2,3 with Caswell Coggins

In light of the July 4th holiday, Video Static will be on holiday for a few days. Funny how that works. We will, however, leave you with a new feature we call "1,2,3 with..."

Here's the deal: We'll be asking directors and other creative types in the music video world to pick three videos based on any criteria of their choosing. Their three favorite videos, ever. The three videos that they never want to see again. The three best videos with cameos by professional wrestlers (yes, Captain Lou Albano would count). Also, they have to explain their picks. Leading things off is Caswell Coggins, who directed the recent Chris Cornell "Arms Around Your Love" in addition to videos for Keane, Boy Kill Boy, The Feeling and plenty others.

Caswell Coggins, director (Draw Pictures):

Here are three videos I think are great...

1. The first is Chris Cunningham's video for Aphex Twin "Windowlicker." It's a very dark video. It gets stranger each time I watch it.
   
2. The second is Michel Gondry's video for Daft Punk "All Around the World." It's just a fantastic thing to watch. I never get tired of seeing it.
   
3. Third is a recent video by Timothy Saccenti for the Battles "Atlas." It's just a great piece of music and a great performance captured by a beautifully simple visual concept. It has a relentless quality that I find very satisfying.
   

NEW RELEASE: Mark Ronson "Stop Me"

DJ/producer Mark Ronson has an uncanny ability to recast nearly any song into a retro, yet very of-the-moment style that incorporates Two Tone ska, Motown soul and the kind of over-the-top music you'd expect in a vintage James Bond theme song. This track is a revamp of The Smiths tune "Stop Me If You've Heard This One Again" with vocals handled by international r&b star Daniel Merriweather. It's a delicate balance between the maudlin lyrics with an arrangement that's downright playful. That same dichotomy is evident in this video as well. The concept seems sad — a city's populace is in danger of drowning in their own tears — but it's depicted in a light, if not totally whimsical tone. Torrents of animated, day-glo tears emanate from all the characters, forming puddles and eventually flooding the whole city. --> watch "Stop Me" via YouTube

Mark Ronson f/ Daniel Merriweather
"Stop Me" (Allido/RCA)
Matt Lenski, director | Sebastian Kaufman, producer | Draw Pictures, production co | Ketil Dietrichson, DP | Click 3x, post effects

NEW RELEASE: Chris Cornell "Arms Around Your Love"

The trouble with true love is that you don't realize you lost it until you're dead drunk and in the middle of a lap dance. Such is the case for the poor sap in this video for "Arms Around Your Love." The drama unfolds on a very rainy day — the video was shot in NYC during a massive nor'easter — while Chris Cornell sheds his Audioslave baggage in favor of a more sensitive jangly style that seems to be more influenced by Jeff Buckley than any of the rock star's previous work. --> watch "Arms Around Your Love"

Chris Cornell "Arms Around Your Love" (Interscope)
Caswell Coggins, director | Meredith Welsch, producer | Draw Pictures, production co | Aaron Philips, DP | Quinn Williams @ Marshall Street, editor

BOOKED: Rufus Wainwright - Petro, director

Shooting in London... Petro Papahadjopoulos has done the tour visuals for Korn, Madonna and Kelly Clarkson.

artist: Rufus Wainwright
song: "Rules And Regulations"
label: Geffen
director(s): Petro
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: Mark Ronson - Matt Lenski, director

While Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen provide the headlines, the architect responsible for crafting that retro, yet distinctly modern sound is DJ Mark Ronson. Incorporating everything from soul to ska to rap on his upcoming solo release Version, Ronson creates his own versions of songs from the likes of Coldplay, Britney Spears, Radiohead and Maximo Park with an equally impressive list of guest vocalists. The video for this revision of The Smiths classic "Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before" features singer Daniel Merriweather and shoots May 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.

artist: Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather
song: "Stop Me"
label: Allido/Columbia
director(s): Matt Lenski
production co: Draw Pictures
DP: Ketil Dietrichson

BOOKED: Chris Cornell - Caswell Coggins, director

Shooting over two days in NYC...

artist: Chris Cornell
song: "Arms Around Your Love"
label: Interscope
director(s): Caswell Coggins
production co: Draw Pictures

SHOT: Thirteen Senses - Michael Reich, director

Director Michael Reich staged a miniature version of a Japanese horror movie — and hosted a picnic — out in Malibu, CA for UK rock band Thirteen Senses.

artist: Thirteen Senses
song: "Follow Me"
label: Vertigo/Universal UK
director(s): Michael Reich
production co: Draw Pictures

NEWS: Draw Pictures Signs Frank Borin For UK

Draw Pictures has signed director Frank Borin for UK representation. Borin's music video credits include:

• Ima Robot "Creeps Me Out"
• Rocco DeLuca "Colorful"
• plus videos for Good Charlotte, Bowling For Soup and Simple Plan as part of the directing team Smith N' Borin

Borin will be repped in the UK by Draw Pictures' Jen Herrera. Yvette Lange-Einczig of Yell Productions remains his US rep.

NEW RELEASE: The LeeVees "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?"

Hannukah. Not only do most gentiles not know what it is (no, Jewish Christmas isn't a good description) they don't even know how to spell it. And to make matters even worse, there's at least two acceptable spellings for it. This video off The LeeVees Hanukkah Rocks album won't clear anything up, but it is pretty cute as it shows a bunch of characters grappling with the myriad of incorrect and correct spellings. --> watch "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?"

The LeeVees "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?"
(JDub/Reprise/Warner Bros.)
Goodtimes, directors |  Draw Pictures, production co

NEWS: Jen Herrera Joins Draw Pictures

Jen Herrera is leaving Robin Frank Management — and the United States — to join Draw Pictures in London as the company's head of music video. Directors repped by Draw Pictures include Uwe Flade, Ulf, Caswell Coggins, Lee Lennox and Rupert Jones. Herrera officially starts the new gig tomorrow, December 1.

SHOT: The LeeVees - Goodtimes, directors

Jewish schteppergroup The LeeVees — consisting of Guster's Adam Gardner and The Zambonis' Dave Schneider — have a video on the way for this musical musing on how to properly spell the name for the Festival Of Lights. However you spell it — I prefer Hanukkah —  just keep in mind that it's definitely incorrect in this song title.

artist: The LeeVees
song: "How Do You Spell Channukkahh"
label: JDub/Reprise/Warner Bros.
director(s): Goodtimes
production co: Draw Pictures

NEW RELEASE: Oxford Collapse "Please Visit..."

Oxford Collapse brings the rock to a sheep farm in this very indie video for "Please Visit Your National Parks." How indie is it? Instead of using earwigs and some fancy playback system, the band members listen to the track through old school cassette Walkmen and bulky headphones. And instead of shooting at some glamorous spot, they chose a sheep pen. The sheep get to enjoy the tune — the shearing, not so much —but the cassettes suffer the same fate: The magnetic tapes get yanked out and sent to a woman at an antique loom to hopefully be woven into a fine musical garment. 

Michael Pace, singer/guitarist of Oxford Collapse: "Sub Pop had solicited treatments for the video and the majority were totally lame. Stuff like, 'The band is playing in a practice space in Brooklyn and a bird flies in a window and attacks the band.' Or, 'The band is walking the streets of Brooklyn, looking cool.' And that's not what we're about really. Then we see a treatment about the band performing at a sheep farm, in a pen, surrounded by sheep and feces. We thought that encapsulated our band perfectly. It was a no brainer.

They found a working sheep farm out in Yaphank, Long Island. We shot in this pen all day. Sheep don't speak, of course. They bah, or whatever. It's really disturbing. But it was a really good first video experience to be covered in sheep shit and surrounded by sheep urinating all over the place."

--> watch "Please Visit Your National Parks"

ps: Be sure to visit the YouTube version of the video. Not because it's any different or better, but so you can read the comments of "girliiegirl," who not only detects that "the Jewish singer pretends to play guitar," but also uncovers how YouTube fits into the overall International Jewish Conspiracy that runs the world. You go, girliiegirl!

Oxford Collapse "Please Visit Your National Parks" (Sub Pop)
Michael Reich, director | Sebastian Kaufmann, producer | Draw Pictures, production co. | Mark Stetz, DP | Enzo Semmens, editor

BOOKED: Brett Dennen - Ulf Buddensieck & Susan Agostinelli-Buddensieck, directors

Moved after hearing "The Holidays Are Here (and We're Still At War)" on Chris Douridas' show on Santa Monica NPR station KCRW, director Ulf Buddensieck and Susan Agostinelli-Buddensieck contacted folk troubadour Brett Dennen to offer their services in making a free video for this anti-war tune. The documentary-styled shoot will take place this week in and around Los Angeles, featuring Dennen in performance at mall parking lots and above the (always) packed area highways.

"The Holidays Are Here (and We're Still At War)" is available for free download at brettdennen.com.

artist: Brett Dennen
song: "The Holidays Are Here (And We're Still At War)"
director(s): Ulf Buddensieck & Susan Agostinelli-Buddensieck
production co: Draw Pictures/UK