Sometimes when I’m out hunting for films I catch something that I’m certain I want to feature from around frame 5 and have to hold back from firing off the interview invite before I’ve watched to the end. The fashion / art / experimental fusion that is Bathtub from M.A.Y.O. - Mind All Your Outsides [...]

Bathtub (2008) In a bathroom set with diamonds, white cake, and a porcelain claw-foot tub, a beautiful young woman readies for death. She’s hooked up to a machine, which instead of reading her vital signs emits a warning about the extinction of dinosaurs. In the minutes before her death, she practices a ritual to prepare herself [...]

Not many directors can thank the lilt of the banjo for their move into feature projects, but this week’s guest Alex Walker - a self confessed indie boy - followed the siren’s call down the rabbit hole of Country/Americana after being exposed to the genre through his work and friendship with band Hey Negrita and [...]

We Dreamed America (2007) A documentary that delves deep into the dark recesses of the British Americana music scene, exploring the gritty underworld of the New British Country movement. Featuring an array of music from all the featured artists, cultural and historical critiques from London’s luminaries of musical journalism as well as a heady slice of perspective [...]

Many artists have the all too unfortunate experience of working away in obscurity for their entire creative life spans, so when the first two projects you put out are warmly received, with one of them selected as the winner for Thunderheist’s ‘make us a promo’ competition, chances are you’re doing several things right. Noel Paul [...]

Thunderheist: Jerk It (2008) Winner of the Thunderheist promo competition for track Jerk It. Related Posts DN EP 107: Thunderheist: Jerk It - That Go Weightless - Erika Janunger The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone Moros Eros: On My Side - Jesse Ewles Menomena: Evil Bee - Stefan Nadelman

If you’re of the view that that fan films are exclusively the domain of soulless, sub-standard knock-offs, the work of this week’s guests Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann is going to massively shake your world view. Their John Carpenter inspired promo for electronic duo ZOMBIE ZOMBIE, Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free, is [...]

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE: Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free (2008) First non-official video clip made for Zombie Zombie, the electrifying French duo of Etienne Jaumet and Cosmic Neman. Directed by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann thanks to their favourite toys… the GI Joes! The video is an hommage to the director AND soundtrack composer John [...]

The work of Erika Janunger spans the fields of architecture, interior design and music, however her latest piece Weightless adds filmmaking into the mix to create a hypnotic film that itself defies categorisation, and has spawned a bookcase that is currently produced by Carl Malmsten. Erika joins us to discuss how space, movement and music [...]

Weightless (2007) A short dance / architectural movie, about defying gravity. Related Posts DN EP 105: Weightless - Erika Janunger Auto Pilot, Distortion, Ping Pong & Biker Mike - Mike Chan Moros Eros: On My Side - Jesse Ewles Frame of Mind - Susie Glynn _grau - Robert Seidel

For most successful filmmakers putting out a film that’s well received by an audience and your peers is the pinnacle of success on a project, but if your film then goes on to inspire others to jump into the fray and give proof to the mantra of ‘just get out there and shoot,’ then you [...]

White Red Panic (2008) A thriller about two guys mixed up in the wrong side of life, and the toll it takes on their character and soul… Do yourself a favour and get the HD version Via the ever great No fat clips!!! Related Posts DN EP 104: White Red Panic - Ayz Waraich The West Side - Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo & [...]

Despite not considering himself a fully fledged director, Runkid’s work has been picked up by D&AD and has brought forth tears from audiences. He joins us to discuss his animation His Own Image and life as a creative living in Lithuania. His Own Image Materials Original Postcards Showlinks Runkid Adobe Photoshop Adobe Flash Adobe Premiere D&AD New Blood Related Posts His Own Image - Runkid Filmstock [...]

His Own Image (2007) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. Related Posts DN EP 103: His Own Image - Runkid _grau - Robert Seidel Virtuosi - Marcelo Garcia To Shoot a Rurf - Shane & Paula Sheils Stumble Then Rise on Some Awkward Morning - Kurtis Hough

A recent animation graduate, Anne Wilkins has hit the ground running with her film Sun in the Night Time, a study of childhood and the transformation of relationships and roles in the shadow of loss. Sun in the Night Time Materials Stills, Character Sheets & Storyboards Showlinks Emily & Anne anneimation Arcade Fire Twilight: Photography in the Magic Hour Adobe Photoshop Adobe After [...]

Sun in the Night Time (2007) Cecily protects her mother from hysterical grief by maintaining the pretence that her dead brother is still alive and living in their house. Related Posts DN EP 102: Sun in the Night Time - Anne Wilkins Carlin - Brent Green _grau - Robert Seidel ZOMBIE ZOMBIE: Driving Clip - Simon Gesrel & Xavier Ehretsmann White Red [...]

This week I’m joined by director Daniel Bloomberg to discuss his Jacques Lacan inspired, chocolate sauce massacre short The Greatest Gift. The Greatest Gift Materials Treatment Shotlist Storyboards Showlinks Daniel Bloomberg Videology Interview Slavoj Žižek Jacques Lacan Related Posts The Greatest Gift - Daniel Bloomberg Miss D 2007 Top Ten DN LFF07: Water Lilies - Celine Sciamma DN EP 102: Sun in the Night Time - Anne Wilkins DN EP [...]

The Greatest Gift (2008) A short film of green jello, chocolate sauce massacre and a cafeteria full of pretty women inspired by the psychoanalytic ideas of Jacques Lacan. via No fat clips!!! Related Posts DN EP 101: The Greatest Gift - Daniel Bloomberg White Red Panic - Ayz Waraich The West Side - Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo & Zachary Lieberman The Shovel - Nick [...]

Well it seemed like the distant future back when I posted episode 1, but believe it or not we’ve now been bringing you Directors Notes each and every week for the last 100 weeks! So to mark our move into triple figures I’m pleased to be joined by returning director Stathis Athanasiou (DN036) to talk [...]

El Senor Antipirina: Me Voy (2008) Stathis Athanasiou finds a way to channel the heartache in his promo for El Senor Antipirina’s track Me Voy. Related Posts DN EP 100: El Senor Antipirina: Me Voy - Stathis Athanasiou Weightless - Erika Janunger Thunderheist: Jerk It - That Go The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone Moros Eros: On My [...]

Sometimes when I get really lucky, a director whose work we’ve featured will stick around once the interview dust has settled and become a firm friend who I can have extended film discussions with and tap up for viewing suggestions. Thankfully since his first appearance on DN 028 Kurtis Hough has fallen into that category, [...]

If you’re tapped into a community, creative or otherwise, the laws of nature dictate that either through chance or shear determination certain individuals will become the embodiment of that scene. Mark Escribano found such an incarnation in the Super Noble Brothers who where ubiquitous across the Milwaukee music and arts scene, and decided to explore [...]

The Super Noble Brothers (2007) The Super Noble Brothers chronicles the ‘beautiful struggles’ of the uncompromising artists and entrepreneurs Davey, Tommy, and Andy Noble. Raised by independent art dealers and encouraged from the outset to pursue their artistic interests, they quickly garnered local celebrity in their home town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin as talented musicians, painters and [...]

It’s with complete unashamedness that I admit we discovered this week’s guest Dan Schneidkraut from our well mined source of the Filmstock Film Festival when El Vez spotted Daddy’s Time, Part two of Dan’s Seeking Wellness: Suffering Through Four Movements quadrilogy of films. My interest in the films only grew when all four parts arrived [...]

Seeking Wellness: Suffering Through Four Movements (2007) A series of conceptual video projects exploring ideas relating to victimization, recovery and empathy. Part One: Cup of Friendship, Shrine of Scars Part Two: Daddy’s Time Part Three: Malignant Love Part Four: Final Project Related Posts DN EP 098: Seeking Wellness - Dan Schneidkraut Now You See Me, Now You Don’t - Attila Szasz Four Eyed [...]

It’s not often I experience the films we feature in their full cinematic glory, and even rarer that I also get face to face time with the directors, but of the many films we’ve covered on the show Marcy Garriott’s feature documentary Inside the Circle - which opens a window into B-Boy culture, friendship and [...]

Inside the Circle (2007) Capturing the raw power of a grassroots hip-hop movement, the award-winning documentary Inside the Circle tells the stories of strikingly talented b-boys Josh and Omar, former best friends who become rivals when they join competing dance crews. Immersed in the b-boy culture of defiant creativity, Omar rises to international renown, while [...]

What happens when you’re far from home and on-route to living your dream? Do you come back to start again with nothing to show for your years of effort when things get rough or do you hang on in the hope that success and the life you’ve imagined is just round the corner? Co-directed by [...]

Tokyo Cowboys (2008) Tokyo Cowboys follows the stories of four western men living long-term in Tokyo. The film’s delicate and humorous portrait illuminates the price some pay for a taste of Tokyo’s success. Related Posts DN EP 096: Tokyo Cowboys - Daneeta Loretta Saft & Patrick Jackson We Dreamed America - Alex Walker The Super Noble Brothers - Mark Escribano Routes [...]

Director Duncan Bone joins us this week to discuss his multi-discipline career and recent move into music promos with the stop frame piece Not in a Million Lovers for band The Beangrowers. The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers Materials Production Sheet Showlinks duncanbone.com The Beangrowers Adobe After Effects Related Posts The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone DN EP [...]

The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone (2008) Duncan Bone’s relationship stillsfest for The Beangrowers’ Not in a Million Lovers. Related Posts DN EP 095: The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone Moros Eros: On My Side - Jesse Ewles ZOMBIE ZOMBIE: Driving Clip - Simon Gesrel & Xavier Ehretsmann Weightless - Erika Janunger Thunderheist: Jerk [...]

Sometimes I go after a director for one film and they’ll come back at me with another that completely trumps my already high appreciation of their work. This week is such a case with director Gabriel Tupinamba and his lyrical study on repetition Das Dores. Das Dores Materials Stills Script Storyboard, Shotlist & Lighting Plan Showlinks Nonada Filmes Das Dores Festivus Film [...]

And the Colors Are Like Summer (2006) And the Colors Are Like Summer is a short film that deals with the passage from hate to love and with the place that violence and aggression have in the sexual and love discourse, specially when taken to its limits. Das Dores (2008) Das Dores tells the story of two [...]

Given last week’s UK parliamentary vote for a 42 day detention period, I’m especially glad to have Marc Hawker of Dark Fibre Films join us this week to discuss the Amnesty commissioned ad spots Waiting for the Guards and The Stuff of Life, which are part of their Unsubscribe movement designed to united people concerned [...]

Waiting for the Guards (2008) Waiting For The Guards is the first of 3 films commissioned by Amnesty to highlight the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the “War on Terror”. The Directors approached the making of the film in a way that has never been done before, choosing to show the reality of Stress [...]

Tim Plester joins us this week to discuss his DVD released trilogy of shorts and directorial debut English Language (With English Subtitles), which he also wrote and stars in. English Language (With English Subtitles) Materials Stills & Storyboards Script Shotlist Music by Barbarossa Afterglow Music Promo Trailer Behind the Scenes Footage Showlinks timplester.com English Language (With English Subtitles) Blurring the Line KMIR6 Breakfast News Interview ‘Ant Muzak’, Blake’s Junction [...]

English Language (With English Subtitles) (2007) A tenderly offbeat black-and-white romantic comedy… with subtitles. Meet Mulligan (a typically English man), Esther (his Scandinavian girlfriend), and the on-screen captions that happen to find themselves along for the ride. Related Posts The Upper Hand - Lana Schwarcz The Raftman’s Razor - Keith Bearden Filmstock #8 DN EP 092: English Language (With English Subtitles) [...]

There’s so much great work out there that even if I spent the full 24 hours a day on Directors Notes I’d still only be scratching the surface, which is why I’m so pleased that the mighty Wholphin DVD magazine exists to bring the best of it straight into our homes every quarter. I managed [...]

Our guest Michael Johnson used his skills as an advertising writer to pursue his true passion for filmmaking by writing his own scripts to cut his teeth on whilst leaveraging his ad contacts into potential new projects. We sit down with him to discuss his take on Honey Honey’s Homeless Heart in his latest music [...]

Honey Honey: Homeless Heart (2008) Something’s a going down in Michael Johnson’s promo for Honey Honey. Related Posts DN EP 091: Honey Honey: Homeless Heart - Michael Johnson Weightless - Erika Janunger Thunderheist: Jerk It - That Go The Beangrowers: Not in a Million Lovers - Duncan Bone Moros Eros: On My Side - Jesse Ewles