Music Video Directors and Producers

In the music video industry, advancement often comes with recognition. Directors who work on well-received music videos receive awards as well as more lucrative and prestigious job offers. Some directors choose to advance by leaving the music video industry for work in the motion picture or other related industries. Spike Jonze is an excellent example of a music video director who made the jump to feature film directing. In the early 1990s, Jonze made a name as the director of well-received music videos for REM and the Beastie Boys, and then used the skills he developed directing music videos to create award-winning feature films such as Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Her. Other music video directors who have made the transition to feature-film directing include Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand), David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Transformers).