Director Jeremi Durand has joined Eleanor–the production company under the aegis of president Sophie Gold–for U.S. representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos.
A former professional actor and musician, Durand as a filmmaker has turned out work that’s garnered accolades including Golds for Best Direction and Cinematography at the LIA Awards, wins and nominations at UKMVAs, Berlin Commercial Awards, and Webby Awards, and recognition from Cannes Lions. The emotion held within a single glance in work like his “Parking Lot” music video for Mustard featuring Travis Scott shows the powerful result of his directorial approach.
Durand–who prior to joining Eleanor was most recently repped by RadicalMedia–credits three films as the major stepping stones of his directorial journey. In his music video for Zimmer’s “Lost Your Mind,” Durand’s experience was defined by the creative synergy he found with the client and the imaginative sparks that flew from the moment he heard the track.
Durand credits his music video for Kaycyy X Gesaffelstein’s “OKAY! & The Sun” as the landmark of the next stage in his career. “It had a crazy turnaround. I received the track on a Thursday night and was starting on Monday. We shot two music videos in one day, with ten animals on set. It was a lot of pressure, but I felt like I proved myself.”
Facing extreme weather conditions as he crafted a surrealist masterpiece for the world-famous band Muse, Durand sees “Compliance” as a the marker of a third level up in his directorial career.
Durand’s ambitions for the next step in his journey align with why he’s enthused about having joined Eleanor. “Eleanor is a company of tastemakers working with craft,” said Durand. “It was clear talking with Sophie that knows her directors well and she knows how to be a voice for them. Bigger music videos, big-name commercials, a feature film, I have great ambitions for the next step. I want to push boundaries, and I want to work with a talented team that is ready to push boundaries. Eleanor feels like a place where I can do that.”
Durand sets out to inspire a journey of reflection and emotion for his audience. “I like to present the audience with a bold image that takes them on a journey in their own minds. It triggers something. I don’t necessarily like to answer the questions that arise. It’s much more interesting when you trust the audience to do that job. The audience will get the message. “
As for his approach to an assignment, Durand shared, “First I ask myself how I can make this project unlike any other. From there, my thought process divides into two roads that must align or collide at some point. One road is the human or social context. The other road is what I call bold images–-the kind of evocative image that stays in your mind long after watching the film. And so my process is a meeting of those two lines of thought. I ping pong between those roads until they converge. The imagery and its human context must trigger a question or emotion.”
Durand brings a background in design to his filmmaking. He noted, “I studied design knowing I wouldn’t be a designer.” In the beginning of his journey, unsure of what his future held, but determined to embark on an artistic career, Durand became a designer, specializing in design fiction, image culture, narratives and conceptual thinking. In design, there were constraints of technical material he had to work within. As a director, that restriction comes from excelling within time and/or budgetary constraints.
Bored by visuals that are on the nose, Durand is by nature looking to challenge audiences with artistry. “It’s not about selling chocolate,” he explained. “We don’t want to just see chocolate. We want to see what eating chocolate feels like”.
Gold said of Durand, “Hearing him talk about his distinct approach to craft was music to my ears. That kind of visionary is rare, and it enchants everything he does. I cannot wait to see what he creates next.”
