Five Music Video Directors You Should Know
Everyone likes a good music video. Some songs broke as big as they did & are remembered the way that they are, almost only because of their unique visuals. The biggest artists are spending millions of dollars on a 3-minute music video because they know how much it could influence their success. Similarly to music producers, it's very pleasing to see that the videographers are getting a lot more credit & attention nowadays. Directors like @_colebennett_ & @davemeyers have broken big and became world famous names. However, we feel like the people behind the cameras are still not getting enough attention, especially the young upcoming ones. Therefore, we have decided to put together an article dedicated to 5 of the biggest talents in music video production.
By Ilai Dgani
26/10/2021
Top left: seck. | Bottom left: Nxphew | Middle: Cultvision | Top right: Ryan Detroit | Bottom right: Director Bari
1. seck. (IG: @seck2x)
Currently based in Nashville, TN, seck. is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker. His all around talent includes directing, filming, and editing. The young director’s style seems often minimalist, but very thoughtful & sophisticated. Despite his young age, seck. has had a chance to work with some incredible artists such as Ron Obasi, Brian Brown, Chuck iNDigo, $avvy, Mike Floss and many others.
2. Ryan Detroit (IG: @ryandetroit)
Nappi Devi, Jacob Manning & Ash Kvtchem are just some of the names Ryan Klosowski directed videos for. As his name might already tell, he’s coming straight out of Detroit. His videos are always very well planned and present satisfying color gradients. Whether his videos are full of colour or black & white, you can always trust Ryan Detroit to create a perfect visual representation of the music.
3. Nxphew (IG: @nxphew)
Dallas based Nxphew is undoubtedly one of our favorite videographers. Da Blck House member works regularly with Neaux ID, NinoSoSupremey, and free blck. The multifaceted collective as a whole is one of the most exciting things happening in the third coast right now, and Nxphew manages to bring the family’s visual portrait perfectly. No wonder he got to film the recent Isaiah Rashad concert in Dallas.
4. Cultvision (IG: @cultclassic.mp4 / @cultivision)
It’s not easy to present & capture all members of the O2worldwide collective in one video while maintaining a clean visual that clearly represents the idea behind the song & also features the course' lyrics. Especially when the whole video is shot with just one take(!). Sounds hard right? Well, not if you ask Colin a.k.a Cult Classic a.k.a Cultvision because that’s exactly what he did with the Oklahoma oriented collective’s music video for “WHAT’S THE MOVE”. Culvision maintains a retro / 90’s visual style without hurting the quality of his videos. He’s worked with a lot of artists so far, and it’s no wonder that everyone is happy with the final product. Don’t be surprised if you see his name next to the biggest artists in the future.
5. Director Bari (IG: @directorbari)
23 year old Atlanta based Jabari Jenkins a.k.a Director Bari is a name you should remember. Constantly working with some of Atlanta’s most promising talents such as Raimon, Alex Bond, and Zaia (and many more), Bari is a one stop shop. He directs, films, and edits the videos he works on, and brings out the best visual possible (even if it’s a last minute notice). Looking at his process & progress from the side is inspiring. Bari never stops working and constantly gets better at what he does.