Samuel Bayer (born 17th February 1965) is an American film and music video director with a career in the industry spanning almost 17 years.
Bayer graduated from New York City's School of Visual Arts in 1987 with a degree in Fine Arts. He originally specialised as a painter, but after moving to Los Angeles in 1991, identified film and video as the perfect medium to deliver his art to a broader audience. Subsequently, he became a prominant and popular director within the up and coming 'Alternative Rock' era.
Awards and Recognition...
His 2005 video for Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' swept the MTV Music Awards; in total collecting 7 Moon Men including Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Rock Video, as well as the coveted Viewer's Choice Award.
In 2005, Bayer was also the recipient of the Kodack Lifetime Achievement Award for his work and cinematography in the field of music video production.
Additionally, in 2006, he was honoured with his second Lifetime Achievement Award by the Music Video Producers Association.
In 2007, Bayer's video for Justin Timberlake's 'What goes around.../...Comes around' ranked as itunes' fastest selling music video in history and went on to earn Bayer his second MTV Music Award for Best Director.
A Note on his Style...
"I love film like I love my wife and I'll never cheat on either of them" - Samuel Bayer.
It's clear from his own statement above that Bayer fiercely rejects the 'HD revolution' that has taken the media industry by storm. Infact, he has defiently decided to shoot every music video he has ever constructed on film stock, and perhaps this is what makes him so unique as a directer in this era of technology.
When discussing his impact as a director, Bayer is quick to stress that leaving a collection of tapes or digital files is not his desired legacy. Instead, a box of 'real' film and tangible negatives is what he strives to leave behind.
However, this style is not merely a question of principle or the preservation of film heritage.
Bayer really does love capturing his ideas on film and the unique quality it produces that is unmatched by digital.
"I wanna hear the shutter moving, I wanna hear the film running through the gate. I wanna open up the camera and feel the emulsion in my hands"
Bayer's very hands-on approach to filmmaking is another prominant part of his style as a director. On a frequent basis, he chooses to light, photograph and opperate the camera in his work, therefore giving him the upmost control over the feel and look of the final product.
In Nirvana's 'Smells like Team Spirit' video, (which first launched Bayer's career and is still heralded by MTV as one of the most influential music videos in history) Bayer's decision to photograph the footage himself infused it with a distinct attitude that started him on a path he has blazed ever since.
This unique style caught the eye of many prestigious artists;
The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, John Lee Hooker, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Green Day and Justin Timberlake to name a few!
However, personally I wouldn't say that Bayer's style is particulary static or rigid, but infact that it fluctuates with a diversity equal to the range of artists he works with.
Some strong themeatic or asthetic parallels can be drawn between them as well as stark contrasts.
For Example.....
Good Charlotte - "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZRfBixCO_k&ob=av2nGreen Day - "Boulevard of Broken Dreams' -
Apart from the obvious fact that they are primarily performance orientated music videos (which is a fitting convention of the rock genre); both are similar in the fact that they display Bayer's passion of manipulating film stock and his experimentation with frames and footage.
The jumpy, almost disjointed nature of 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' applifies the poignancy of the lyrics perfectly, whereas the special effects used in 'Keep your hands off my Girl' simply add to the video's edgy image.
Although a large quantity of Bayer's music videos revolve solely around the artist performing; there are a handful of his videos which break the trend and become a hybrid of narrative, performance and short film (Postmodern in itself!!) which provides yet another level of depth to this director's fascinating style...
Justin Timberlake - 'What Goes Around.../...Comes Around' -
Green Day - 'Wake me up When September Ends' -
It's now clear for you to see the difference in style between these two videos and the previous pair!
Bayer has decided to opt for a cinematic, theatrical style that, emphasised with the use of titles and dialogue, mirrors the finish of a short film rather than a music video. Each also has some big-name actors starring in them; Scarlett Johansson in the case of 'What Goes Around' and Jamie Bell in 'Wake me up When September Ends', again adding to the feel of a slick, hollywood-worthy production.
Despite this, Bayer still remains true to music video convention and continues to intertwine footage of the artists performing the song with the narrative.
The images in 'What Goes Around' are clearly more illustrative of the lyrics than that of 'Wake me up When Spetember Ends'; a song that has no solid connection to the conflict in Iraq other than the visual narrative that accompanies it.
This style of creating short films in music video allows Bayer to really get 'under the skin' of the song, and exploit the emotional threads of the lyrics; therefore, in a commersial sense, being successful in constructing a bond between the audience and the artist (which in turn is pivital for boosting image and record sales...arguably an example of the post modern condition? It's all about the money rather than the art? You decide.)
Some of Bayer's other Music Videos that you may of heard of;
Robbie Williams - "Angels"; My Chemical Romance - "Welcome to the Black Parade"; Blink 182 - "Stay Together for the Kids".
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