Pathetically, just spent the last hour searching out Michel Gondry videos I hadn't seen (that is, which aren't on the 'Directors Series' DVD). Quite a number that are up to standard, a few that simply show techniques in fetal development (and a few awful, awful tracks as far as the music is concerned).
I'm sure there are some Gondry hating contrarians (wink) to be found at Dissensus, but as a natural visualist/formalist/fan of craftsmanship, I find him to be simply brilliant. The most convincing argument against him is that he can be a little too precious with the "showing the seams" aesthetic/motif, but the fact is that even when he "shows the seams" he's usually employing technical mastery of both low-tech and hi-tech effects that goes way beyond the glossiest product out there (and an inventiveness that seems almost effortless, habitual). The second argument might be that, despite his sentamemtalism, he's a bit cerebral, a bit gimmicky--but I tend to feel that his technical inventions stem from sincere emotional need--that is, at least with music (or scripts) with any depth, his ideas grow from the source material: he doesn't often arbitrarily impose a technical innovation for its own sake. The worst criticism is probably that he sometimes gives his art to musicians who don't deserve him--well, this one I can't argue with (Lucas, Steriowhatever, Willowz, White Stripes, Radiohead, Cody Chestnutt, and let's just try to forget Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz and. . .). Still, the fact that he can transend shallow sources is to his credit (except of course for the Marxists in the room, who see the fact that he essentially creates adverts for inessential consumerist commodities. . .).
Music Videos:
Cody Chestnutt - "King of the Game" (2006)
Beck - "Cellpone's Dead" (2006)
White Stripes - "The Denial Twist" (2005)
making of:
Devendra Banhart - "A Ribbon" (2005)
Kanye West - "Heard Em Say" (2005)
Polyphonic Spree - "Light & Day" (2004)
The Vines - "Winning Days" (2004)
The Vines - "Ride" (2004)
Willowz - "I Wonder" (2004)
Gary Jules - "Mad World" (2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf6w5dkuolc
Steriogram - "Walkie Talkie Man" (2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGthZ5dsf8o
making of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_JEkTKkW0
Lacquer - "Behind" (2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_q6kpNWjJc
Noir Desir - "A l'envers a l'endroit" (2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcJ6QQ9zNnE
Radiohead - "Knives Out" (2001)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ge6hWYQ8kU
Stardust - "Music Sounds Better With You" (1998)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM1s0ll5AX4
Neneh Cherry - "Feel It" (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVZERmRZ3cI
Black Crowes - "High Head Blues" (1995)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIvWd5Q4vOo
Stina Nordenstam - "Little Star" (1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc3nOgJ2bz4
Donald Fagen - "Snowbound" (1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MGtr121fFI
Belinda Carlisle - "It's Too Real" (1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVbYDVPBFYw
Terence Trent D'Arby - "She Kissed Me" (1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfccjbcKO00
Laurent Voulzy - "Paradoxal Systeme" (1992)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ftrhUBG9dg
Other bits:
Chemical Bros. - "Star Guitar" making of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nDUnEEtrHw
Clip re 'Science of Sleep'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivDu17n_-qc
Talk about 'Science of Sleep'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAH9MvdIzRo
General Discussion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TusuZsWaevU
The "Fire on Babylon' Sinead O'Connor video sounds interesting (
http://www.director-file.com/gondry/sinead.html) but I couldn't find it.