...he's (quietly?) emerged as the most successful rock music video director in the US.

Several of his videos have been hated on here, but a lot have been praised; usually with non-antville-friendly artists.

A sampling: All American Rejects "Move Along",Green Day "Waiting", My Chemical Romance "I'm Not Okay", Hot Hot Heat "Middle of Nowhere", Snow Patrol "Chocolate", Weezer "Perfect Situation".

         

you know there is a marc webb official site? with tons of vids in QT

         

yeah but youtube is so much quicker...

         

true, now on marc..... I always thought of him as a solid/average dir. But looking at his videography and the number of times its come out wrong.......

I just wish he would do a vid that could change everything and shut a lot of the haters up.

         

Met him at the MVPA. Nice guy. He makes MUSIC VIDEOS. Doesn't do the "I'm gonna make that short film I've been dreaming about and just have to fit this lame band in there somehow" thing. Probably why he gets a lot of work. Also why he gets slammed alot.

         

One could make the argument that Webb is more talented than your idols on this board. Take for one, Chris Cunningham. Basically the same video/style every time. At least Webb has done some different styles and offers more of a variety. Cunningham hides in the safety of low budget videos where he has total freedom. Id love to see Cunningham actually take a bigger budget video for AFI, My Chem or AAR. Your precious visions of him would be forever ruined I guarantee. Gondry is another hiding in the low budget world (another one note director). With more money comes less control and thats the world Webb plays in and succeeds. If he went the low budget route, you'd all be much happier Im sure and he would be one of your heroes. He hasnt been as selective cause the guy wants to make money too and have success. Not sit in a room somewhere in the UK and do DRAWRINGS. Like Webb hasnt done some great vids, the My Chem "Helena" was really darkly fun and personality filled and memorable.

I actually like Cunningham more than Webb personally, but they just aren't playing in the same league. But the point of this board isn't to discuss reality, its to play art fag favorites. Like it means anything outside of a couple of geeks who don't understand anything about filmmaking or this business.

Someone please post the next obscure animation technique video by the next directing collective by the next unknown band that is going nowhere so this board can return to normal. Thanks.

         

cap'n!? "yeah but youtube is so much quicker..."? oh sorrowed day....

QT's All American Rejects "Move Along",Green Day "Waiting", My Chemical Romance "I'm Not Okay", Hot Hot Heat "Middle of Nowhere", Snow Patrol "Chocolate", Weezer "Perfect Situation"

rossma: chris & michel hiding in low budgets?? while you may have half a point in slamming antville as a clique for the obscure, that's such a ridiculous thought it's almost funny.

         

prog, quicker to search; quicker to load... i couldn't figure out mw's website.

honestly; a lot of videos will link to a 50mb quicktime on antville; I'll go to youtube cause half the videos posted here aren't worth more than a fastforward.

         

not a clear site, def. but since your question's about quality, a tad more effort, m'friend. (in general, i have nothing against utoob as complementary, scrub-through links. but if it's worth posting, i find qt still de rigeur.)

regarding webb: he's done a few serious stinkers - but that can't keep anyone from ignoring his (brand of) talent.

         

rossman.. smaller budget more creative control, agreed.. so why not use that control rather then spankin out another regular performance video shot in a run down warehouse. The truth is that you can often make a more interesting piece of work for the money using alternative processes.. not to say the results are always ground breaking.. but when they are, and the director shows consistency, the budgets get bigger and so do the clients. shit, and if gondry is hiding in the low budget world shooting videos for Kanye, Kylie, Whitestripes etc.. then we are all in alot of trouble.. i might just stay in my room, somewhere in the UK, doing drawrings..

bbrrrrappp to obscure animation techniques..

bbrrrrappp to team stush..

and bbrrrrappp to the next unknown band..

         

Gondry and Cunningham have dealt with normal budgets. Your point is kind flaky.

         

who cares? really? on the simplest level there are two polar extremes to the music video industry. 1. as an artistic statement/collaboration in response to the music 2. as an advert to sell that music. obviously they overlap. at the end of the day it's all pop art: ephemeral and throwaway, visual and sonic, contemporary and futurist social commentaries, new media and so on and so on. at the end of the day it depends where you stand. so whether a director goes one way or t'other - it's all pop art ready for exploitation and consumption. it's easy to slag someone off, especially if they're doing alright or if they don't share your aesthetic. i'm sure in a few years marc will be laughing even harder if he manages to secure royalties on his videos and it'll be interesting to see how many directors go down the second route... i guess that's it.
x

         

I think Marc Webb is doing a wonderful job producing lukewarm videos that major record label video comissioners love. As mentioned above videos are adverts crossed with creative visual expression. That being said, it is important to remember that videos began as commercials, mostly live video cut together, for forth coming albums. Then later evolved into an expressive medium that pushed the boundaries of modern day filmmaking. My final word in the previous sentence is important to take into consideration. Videos are a form of filmmaking and the strong directors push the boundaries of filmmaking within the music video world. They create new techniques, they inspire, they change the way we look at the world around us, just like all great films and filmmakers. Thus there will always be music videos as adverts and music videos are films. But a video director should not be judged on his or her ability to produce solid visual adverts, any one, i repeat anyone! can do this with the right team and the right money. If you spend enough time on sets, you will see how easy it really is to be the most requested music video director in the United States. You can check out the step by step process in my new book for young aspiring music video directors, How to make "it" like Marc Webb. Enough beating around the bush, the guy is a hack, nothing he has made is interesting, fresh, inspiring, or challenging, every video looks the same! I think he probably just building his reel so he can shoot "High School Musical Two" or the next Mary-Kate& Ashley Olsen flick. As to Marc Webb securing royalties to his videos...sure he will die rich but we all know that you can't take it with you! I don't many great filmmakers were trying to please corportate society and make as much money as possible. I cant even comment on the hiding behind budgets.

         

the results of this poll kinda render it useless. I hope everyone knows that we all have our opinions and tastes, and it would suck a lot if we all liked the same things.

         

I think this is worth being discussed. Mark style is dictating what USA commissioners are expecting from directors as far as narratives, coverage, cinematography and telecine. I find it really freighting that there is such a homogenization of styles right now. If you want to survive as a music video director you have to consider the Mark Webb formula everytime you write on rock act, or else you won't be considered. It's hilarious to say that any director can hide in the safety and creative freedom of low budget videos, as if there is a choice! Try writing a creative/original idea past $100K see where that gets you.

The American MV market doesn't have the variety that the English market does and that is in large part due to Mark's success. Right or wrong he is to the MV industry what Speilberg was to 70's American cinema. I don't think the guy is a hack, in fact some of his work I find intersting but there is something so cynical about so much of his work, it just creeps me out. I do think he has good videos in him, I wish he would use his cloat to change the paradigm by taking a few chances.

         

bobbysolo, actually videos began as clips to play on TV shows when the band was unable to make it. So, not necessarily 'commercials' but rather 'live performance placeholders.'

petulia, the poll is interesting because it illustrates that there are (evenly distributed?) various different opinions of the guy.

         

Personally, when I consider a music video directors' body of work (oh here we go..), I watch carefully for a voice (read: visual or narrative style), one that is different from all the other directors out there, and somehow rises above music video cliche.

It's clear to me that Marc has his own definitive voice, which he's developing quite well.

It's tricky, though. Some of his videos are quite distinctive, but he also dabbles in formulaic work - but I don't blame him for it. In his best work you can see he has expert shot composition and narrative cadence, with creative storylines or techniques.

I don't work in the mv biz, but I do not from my armchair perspective fear 'homogenization' of visual styles. To me, creativity trumps any visual style, and this is Marc's triumph. As Tim Gunn says: [Take what you have and] Make it work!

         

TRANS_ALT: "Right or wrong he is to the MV industry what Speilberg was to 70's American cinema" -- wtf......... That's so insanely retarded it's almost funny.

Am I the only one who feels like he's just another one of those guys? Like he just carries the torch of the dave meyers ilk. Y'know, the MTV banner. And soon there'll be another. And then another. etc etc.

A lot of my friends say they've lost jobs to webb but why do said convos, this post, and antville in general feel like it's degenerating into a haven of strange jealousy and finger pointing. Critiquing vids is one thing, but polls on who is/is not a hack seem naive.

If people have such problems with always being compromised by budget, label, creative means, etc -- then why are you fighting to be in an industry that necessitates on doing exactly that? Why not focus on your own work - spec, short, experimental, doc, or otherwise...? MV's don't pay the bills anyway.

And KEV, what exactly is Webb's "voice"? When one speaks of an artist's "voice", it's usually in regards to their viewpoint, ideas, opinions, etc that they bring to the medium and express through said medium.

         

Why is that retarded? How many times has the end of the great era for the music video been bemoaned on antville. All of the greats of the late nineties and early ought years would never have been able to grow in this enviroment.

Forgive me for sticking around but I think there is a chance that next flag waver might have a little more imagination. Francis Lawrence certainly did.

Lets not forget that when Dave Myers was running amock there was an actual mid-range for budgets. A director could try something new for $150K. Now the mid-range is the high end and if you want to try something in that range you have to smooth out the skin, pop the highlights and have a crowd of fist pumping extras.

What a charmed life you live to say that MV don't pay the bills. They happen to pay mine and alot of other people I know. We're the ones struggling to keep some integrity while every commissioner is trying to get the next Mark Webb for half the price. I would love to do a post on that comment alone and have every struggling director tear you a new one for pissing on them.

         

Why is that retarded? Let's start with the obvious:

1. You're comparing one of (if not the) best american film directors with a run of the mill mv director.
2. You're signaling one's accomplishments in cinema as somehow relevant to what has become a cookie cutter standard in an already dying industry.
3. You're trying to draw parallels (indirectly or otherwise) between the transforming studio system(s) of the 70's and the sudden drop in budget/creative freedom of the now.

As for my "charmed life", I don't consider it proactive or noteworthy by any means to con my way into what you say is "the high end". If an investor is going to put a considerable amount of capital on a product, it makes relative sense that they would want said product to be 'safe'. Nothing too different. Nothing too offensive. Something more or less the norm. Etc.

For you to sit here and say man - I wish I was getting 150k a promo because I could change things. I could help fight for what mv's should be and why they should be that. I just don't know.... Because in all honestly, that feels very naive.

At the end of the day, what are you fighting for? "Integrity"? What does that even mean in the world of promos? Every director in this game is a gun for hire at best.

If the "commissioner" has become your enemy, why not try and feel him/her out before pitching? Why not actually speak to person and express a certain interest and/or direction you'd like to bring the work. Call me crazy, but that might eliminate a LOT of sour feeling and all around dismay toward the likes of webb and others.

         

I personally miss good high end music videos and I don't consider it a con to try and make them. There are certainly a few big American directors out there that still inspire. Patrick Daughters and Chris Milk still manage to maintain some integrity while dancing with the devil. Yes a director is a gun for hire but a good commissioner looks for a director with integrity. The last thing that anyone wants is someone that does what everyone tells them to do. That's why they call it directing.

Speaking of being naive, you should ask your friends how easy it is to reach out to a commissioner who has sent the track out to 20 directors. Not so chatty

I maybe bitter but your the cynical one, I don't think this industry is dying and I don't think that integrity only exists below $50K.
I think that the norm is relative to the times, and at the moment Mark Webb is leading the norm. I'm just waiting for that to shift.

         

Trans Alt --- What exactly do you mean by integrity? Patrick Daughters and Chris Milk maintain their integrity while dancing with the devil and Marc Webb doesn't? The fact that marc's aesthetic isn't one you agree with or enjoy doesn't mean he lacks integrity. WANTING to make work that has broad appeal doesn't mean you lack integrity. Or, for that matter, accidentally making videos that have broad appeal doesn't mean you lack integrity.

I can only assume that what you really mean by integrity is that indie/gritty look that Chris and Patrick have refined so well.

I also challenge you to look beyond the colorful/pop look of marc's videos and really look at what's going on in them. Write a one sentence logline of the themes/storylines in marc's videos and do the same with patrick daughters and chris milk and whoever else you think is cool or has integrity... I think you'll be surprised to find much of marc's work a bit more subversive and a bit darker than you might imagine. I also think you'll find that patrick's videos make almost no sense and that chris has only made like 4 videos in the last two years.

         

I hear that Marc Webb has worked his ass off from day one. I think he started out as a video p.a. at Interscope. I could be wrong though. To get from there to directing videos is not easy at all.

I think for the Snow Patrol Chocolate video he deserves many commendations. That is a really beautiful piece, terrific idea and wonderful execution.

I can't stand the All American Rejects but every time Move Along is on I watch it from start to finish. I would've asked the singer to tone down the facial expressions a tad though.

Face it, most antvillers just hate mainstream work. There's a reason he is successful: Marc is great at what he does. I'd rather watch his work than Joseph Kahn or Isham by far. I also think some of you take videos way too seriously. Not kevathens; his affection is sincere. But anyone who thinks a music video is going to change the world doesn't understand what the function of a music video is.

         

I'll add something else: There's a certain validity to the argument that Marc Webb is the new, better Dave Meyers (given the sheer volume of standard fare Marc creates), just as Meyers was, in a sense, the new Nigel Dick. It's a rough approximation though.

As a former programmer, I can attest to the fact that there are hundreds of really bad videos that cross your desk. If you watched all the videos made, you'd see that Marc (and Dave) are actually quite enjoyable to watch.

         

Dave Meyers took McG's place as McG when off to do Charlie's Angels. Actually, what was unusual about Dave Meyers is that he got a ton of Hype Williams artists.

         

That anyone outside of Webb's mother would even take him over Cunningham or Michel is hilarious. I'd take Meyers over him. There's nothing 'subversive' about Webb's work. You are confusing a hack's repetition and lack of ideas with a message. Also, there's a pretty good chance (99.9999%) that Webb is posting his own praises on this stupid thread. Don't think that self indulgent turd isn't googling his own name and stooping to defend himself. What a loser. Can't wait til Nigel Dick 7.3 takes his spot.

         

Hmm... would I rather watch Me and You and Everyone we Know or Monster House?

Did I pick the first one because I'm an indie geek who can't keep himself from any sort of low budget, high-buzz film, or is it that I'd rather watch something memorable and visionary over something forgettable and formulaic? Marc Webb is not a hack for doing what he does (cookie cutter, instantly forgettable, unsubstantial videos for the new power pop craze du jour), but as an artist, he simply does not stack up to people like Chris and Michel.

Its not because his work does not have value, or is particularly boring or without merit, its simply because his standard clip is more boring and has less merit than any standard clip by one of our current visionaries or up and coming collectives. They cater to a different market, and thats okay. But at the end of the day, if I could choose what I watch, I'd rather see something with a bit more originality and colour.

P.S. To whoever the hell called Cunningham and Gondry "one note", may you burn in a fiery pit of acid for all eternity.

         

I highly doubt "rossman" is Webb. Though I can almost guarantee "crymercy" has lost a video or two to him.

Marc's a solid director. He does some good shit and he does some shit shit. I actually really like that first My Chemical Romance video.

What Marc does better than anyone on this board though is play the game. He's a nice guy, he delivers a good video where the artist looks great, and he can handle the politics of the dealing with the labels.

To say "Mark's style is dictating what USA commissioners are expecting from directors as far as narratives, coverage, cinematography and telecine. If you want to survive as a music video director you have to consider the Mark Webb formula every time you write on rock act, or else you won't be considered." is misguided and reeks of jealousy. Just cause you can't get a track, don't blame it on Marc Webb. Guy paid his dues, and you need to to. If you do an amazing low budget video and write a good treatment for the next band, guess what, commissioners will give you more work. If your shit bites, they won't. But it ain't cause your idea isn't "marc webb" enough.

And this poll shit about whether a director is a hack "vote here" is fucking mean-spirited bullshit. I've met Marc, he's a down to earth humble guy. I really hope he doesn't read this cause it will break his heart.

         

Marc Webb gets the last laugh.

         

I wonder how Joseph Kahn and David Meyers are feeling about this news.

Not trying to be snarky; it's just I think it's interesting how you can't judge a person's movie career based on their music video success.