When you discover a new music artist that you really enjoy, what are some of the first things you do? You’ll look up their entire catalog, find out more about them, and, of course, dive into some of their music videos. These visual pieces educate us on the band’s look, what they like, how they perform, and so much more. It’s important for an artist to get the right feel while still conveying the message of the song.
One of my favorite music video directors today is Warren Fu. His vision is fresh and nostalgic at the same time. Although he’s worked with many different artists throughout his career, he mainly focuses on indie rock bands like The Strokes and The Killers. His work always creates a story and with his illustration and design talents, they are uniquely interesting and always so visually appealing. His understanding of typography and color are only a few of the major differences that separate his videos from the rest. He is truly a visionary. Below are a few of my personal favorites that Warren has created over the past few years.
Mark Ronson – The Bike Song (2010)
This video was my first introduction to Warren Fu’s work. I quickly fell in love with Mark Ronson’s album, Record Collection. I attribute a great deal of that love to the visuals created by Warren Fu. Warren directed two videos from this album, which included, “Bang Bang Bang” and “The Bike Song,” as seen above. The video for “The Bike Song” picks up right where “Bang Bang Bang” leaves off, which gives us the opportunity to enjoy them on their own or together as a story. These videos set the tone for the record and gave us an understanding of how Mark Ronson wanted his work to be presented.
Daft Punk – Instant Crush (2013)
Warren Fu created a lot of visuals for Daft Punk’s 2013 iconic album, Random Access Memories, including the cover art and three music videos. The video for “Instant Crush” is one of my all time favorites. It features two museum mannequins who happen to be facing each other, and how the end up falling in love. As with most Daft Punk tracks, “Instant Crush” features a different artist on lead vocals, which happens to be Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. As I had mentioned, Warren Fu has a long relationship with The Strokes and Julian’s solo work. He’s created a number of music videos and visual art for both. Warren and Julian seem to speak the same language, and “Instant Crush” is no exception. The song itself is a perfect combination of The Strokes and Daft Punk. With Warren in the mix, you really can’t go wrong.
The Killers – Just Another Girl (2013)
Warren has worked with The Killers and Brandon Flowers’ solo work in the past. Once again, Warren had created the cover art for their 4th record, Battle Born, while then directing a few music videos for that album. When The Killers released a greatest hits compilation a year later called Direct Hits, they brought back Warren to direct the video for a new song on the album called, “Just Another Girl”. This video is basically Disneyworld for every Victim. It throws back to every Killers video ever created. Warren even makes an appearance in the end of the video at the 4:13 mark. With Diana Agron acting out Brandon’s moves and dressing up in all his iconic outfits, Warren brings The Killers history to life in under 5 minutes.
Haim – If I Could Change Your Mind (2014)
This video is kind of throwback to Daft Punk. The shiny 70’s look, with bold colors and simple compositions. Warren’s logo for the band is displayed up in lights as the girls perform a dance routine to their song. It’s at this point that we can tell that musicians are bringing on Warren for a specific look that is memorable and timeless.
Brandon Flowers – Still Want You (2015)
Ok I know all of these videos are my favorites of all time, but guys, this is one of my favorite videos of all time! Once again we see some similarities in his work: synchronized dancing, playing with light and dark, and simple compositions. And for once, Brandon is not in the desert! Warren designed the album art Brandon’s 2015 release, The Desired Effect. This video plays perfectly into that vision and takes you on a completely different journey from a conventional Brandon Flowers or Killers video.
These are a just a few of the great visual pieces from Warren. I highly recommend looking into the rest of his portfolio. You might be surprised or suddenly fit some puzzle pieces together. A band’s vision is only as good as the directors and designers they bring on to deliver that vision. Warren Fu seems to have a really tight grasp on that. I’m looking forward to what the future holds for Warren and his rock bands.
