Auteur Music Video Director

Michel Gondry

Born: 8 May 1963 

Notability: French director, screenwriter, and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mine en scene

Distinctive themes in videos: Continuous shot, manipulation of reality, emphasis on inferring meaning through visual stimulation of emotions

Background: Originally directed a video for the French band he was a drummer for named Oui Oui, his skills were noticed by artist Bjork and he was asked to direct a video for him. 

Pioneered the bullet-time technique used in The Matrix which involved setting up cameras all round Keanu Reeves and taking hundreds of photos to then piece together into a video sequence.

Cibo Matto - "Sugar Water" - a very interesting example of his work.