By Kristin Wilcha
The Music Video Production Association (MVPA) held its 13th annual MVPA Awards Show on May 20 at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. The awards honor artistic and technical achievements in music videos.
David LaChapelle of bicoastal HSI Productions received the award for director of the year. He earned the honor for Christina Aguilera’s "Voice Within," Jennifer Lopez’s "I’m Glad" and No Doubt’s "It’s My Life." The honor for best directorial debut went to Daniel Levi of bicoastal Smuggler for LFO’s "Freak."
Best direction of a new artist went to Michel Gondry of bicoastal/international Partizan for the Steriogram clip "Walkie Talkie Man," while Bryan Barber’s Outkast video for "Hey Ya!" garnered the awards for best direction of a male artist, video of the year, best art direction and hip-hop video of the year. (Barber is repped by F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica, for music videos, and for spots by Boondoggle, the commercial division of F.M. Rocks.) Best direction of a female artist went to Dave Meyers of bicoastal/international @radical.media/music for Missy Elliott’s "Pass That Dutch." (He is also repped for spots by @radical.media.)
The honor for cinematography went to DP Christopher Soos, repped by Radiant Artists, Santa Monica, for the Aguilera clip "Fighter," which was directed by Floria Sigismondi of Revolver Film Company, Toronto. The Aguilera video also won honors for best styling and best makeup.
The Eastman Kodak Lifetime Achievement Award went to director David Fincher of bicoastal Anonymous Content. The award is bestowed on a director who has made a significant contribution to the music video industry. Fincher, who has directed clips for the Rolling Stones and Madonna, among others, is a noted spot and feature helmer (Panic Room, Se7en) who won the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for best commercial director earlier this year on the strength of his work for Nike and Xelibri cell phones.
Gondry was given the Kratz Award for Creative Excellence, which honors creative ingenuity and fresh ideas in the clips realm. The award is named after Douglas Kratz, a Warner Bros. music video commissioner who was killed in the same plane crash that claimed the life of recording artist Aaliyah.
The 1994 Beastie Boys clip "Sabotage" was inducted into the MVPA Hall of Fame. Spike Jonze, then of now defunct Satellite directed the clip; he is now with bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander.
A complete list of MVPA winners is below.
Pop Video of the Year
Christina Aguilera, "Fighter." Revolver Film Company, Toronto. Floria Sigismondi, director.
Best Art Direction
Outkast, "Hey Ya!" F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Bryan Barber, director. Eric Beauchamp, art director.
Adult Contemporary Video
of the Year
Dave Matthews, "Gravedigger." Merge@Crossroads, Los Angeles. Mark Pellington, director.
Best Styling
Christina Aguilera, "Fighter." Revolver Film Company, Toronto. Floria Sigismondi, director. Carol Beadle and Trish Summerville, stylists.
Soundtrack Video of the Year
School of Rock, "School of Rock." Merge@Crossroads, Los Angeles. Jesse Peretz, director.
Best Directorial Debut
LFO, "Freak." Smuggler, bicoastal. Daniel Levi, director.
Best Colorist/Telecine
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love." F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Jake Nava, director. Company 3, Santa Monica. Dave Hussey, colorist.
Best Direction of a
Female Artist
Missy Elliott, "Pass That Dutch." @radical.media/music, bicoastal/international. Dave Meyers, director.
Best Hair
No Doubt, "It’s My Life." HSI Productions, bicoastal. David LaChapelle, director. Laurent, hair stylist.
Hip-Hop Video of the Year
Outkast, "Hey Ya!" F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Bryan Barber, director.
Best Special Effects
Ludacris, "Stand Up." @radical. media, bicoastal/international. Dave Meyers, director. R!OT, Santa Monica. Les Umberger, visual effects supervisor/lead artist; Ryan Thompson, visual effects supervisor/producer; Hans Payer, lead CG artist; Kiki Chansamone, lead Flame artist; Sean Wilson, lead Inferno artist; Claus Hansen, Inferno artist; Robin Scher, Mike Amron, Shuichi Suzuki and Kaori Miyazawa, Maya 3-D; Ashlee Wismach, Inferno intern; and Ellen Gaion, Combustion intern.
Electronic Music Video of
the Year
Crystal Method, "Born Too Slow." Anonymous Content, bicoastal. Gore Verbinski, director.
Best Video Produced for
Under $25,000
Mellowdrone, "Fashionably Uninvited." Little Minx@RSA, Los Angeles. Laurent Briet, director.
Best Choreography
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love," F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Jake Nava, director. Frank Gatson Jr., choreographer.
Alternative Video of the Year
The White Stripes, "7 Nation Army." Partizan, bicoastal/international. Alex & Martin, director.
Best Direction of a Male Artist
Outkast, "Hey Ya!." F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Bryan Barber, director.
Rock Video of the Year
No Doubt, "It’s My Life." HSI Productions, bicoastal. David LaChapelle, director.
Best Makeup
Christina Aguilera, "Fighter. " Revolver Film Company, Toronto. Floria Sigismondi, director. Francesca Tolot, makeup.
R&B Video of the Year
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love." F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Jake Nava, director.
Best Direction of a New Artist
Steriogram, "Walkie Talkie Man." Partizan, bicoastal/international. Michel Gondry, director.
Director of the Year
Christina Aguilera, "Voice Within"; Jennifer Lopez, "I’m Glad"; No Doubt, "It’s My Life." HSI Productions, bicoastal. David LaChapelle, director.
Best Cinematography
Christina Aguilera, "Fighter. " Revolver Film Company, Toronto. Floria Sigismondi, director. Christopher Soos, DP.
Country Video of the Year
Dolly Parton, "I’m Gone." Oil Factory Films, Hollywood. Sophie Muller, director.
Best Editing
The White Stripes, "Hardest Button to Button." Partizan, bicoastal/international. Michel Gondry, director. Lost Planet, bicoastal. Charlie Johnston, Geoff Hounsell and Andy Grieve, editors.
International Video of the Year
Robbie Williams, "Come Undone." HSI Productions, bicoastal. Jonas Akerlund, director.
Video of the Year
Outkast, "Hey Ya!" F.M. Rocks, Santa Monica. Bryan Barber, director.
Eastman Kodak Lifetime
Achievement Award
David Fincher, director, Anonymous Content, bicoastal.
Kratz Award for Creative
Excellence
Michel Gondry, director, Partizan, bicoastal/international.
Hall of Fame Video Award
Beastie Boys, "Sabotage" (1994). Satellite (now defunct). Spike Jonze, director.
Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” Named Closing Night Film At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that the world premiere of Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 will close the 38th edition of AFI Fest. The Warner Bros. Pictures film stars Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Gabriel Basso, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, Leslie Bibb and Kiefer Sutherland. Juror #2 will screen as the AFI Fest Closing Night Red Carpet Premiere at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on October 27.
“There is only one Clint Eastwood--and AFI is proud to present the world premiere of this next chapter in his historic canon,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We are honored to bring the community together once again--artists and audiences--to celebrate an American icon.”
The premiere of Juror #2 continues a long relationship between Eastwood and AFI. Eastwood launched the World Premieres of American Sniper, J. Edgar and Richard Jewell at AFI Fest. In 1996, Eastwood received the 24th AFI Life Achievement Award--the highest honor for a career in film, and in 2009, AFI conferred an Honorary Degree upon Eastwood for contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image.
Juror #2 follows family man Justin Kemp who, while serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma...one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict--or free-–the accused killer.
Juror #2 is written by Jonathan Abrams; produced by Eastwood, Tim Moore, p.g.a., Jessica Meier, p.g.a., Adam Goodman and Matt Skiena; and executive produced by David M. Bernstein, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jeremy Bell. The film features the work of Yves Bélanger, director of photography; Ron Reiss,... Read More