Mark Romanek
Mark Lee Romanek (/roʊˈmænɪk/;[1] born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker and photographer.
Mark Romanek
September 18, 1959
- Filmmaker
- photographer
1985–present
2
Romanek is best known for directing the music videos for songs such as "Closer" and "The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails, Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Black Tie White Noise" and "Jump They Say" by David Bowie, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, "Devils Haircut" by Beck, "Rain" and "Bedtime Story" by Madonna, "Scream" by Michael and Janet Jackson, "Cochise" by Audioslave, "99 Problems" and "Picasso Baby" by Jay-Z, "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay, "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, and "Sandcastles" by Beyoncé.
Romanek's film work includes writing and directing One Hour Photo (2002) and directing Never Let Me Go (2010). His music videos have won 20 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Direction for "99 Problems" and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He has also won three Grammy Awards for Best Short Form Music Video, more than any other director.
Career[edit]
Music videos[edit]
After a few years writing screenplays, Romanek decided to focus on music videos and signed on with Satellite Films, a division of Propaganda Films. His subsequent work has come to be regarded as among the best of the medium. He has worked with many top-selling recording artists from different genres of popular music, and his videos have been given credit for making stars out of some. One of his notable videos was for the Nine Inch Nails song "Closer". Its critical acclaim was only matched by its controversy, with many accusing the video as being disturbing and demonic (a big reason why the video was so popular among fans). Romanek would again work with Nine Inch Nails for the song "The Perfect Drug".
Romanek directed the music videos for David Bowie's 1993 singles "Jump They Say" and "Black Tie White Noise".[7]
Romanek was given his first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video in 1996 for "Scream", a collaboration between the pop superstar siblings Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. The video, which cost $7 million to make, is cited as one of the most expensive ever made. Romanek won his second Grammy two years later, again with Janet Jackson, for her video "Got 'til It's Gone". In 2002, Romanek shot a video for Audioslave's "Cochise" in which the band performed in the midst of a prolonged pyrotechnic display of the intensity usually seen only during fireworks finales. The explosions were so loud during the night shoot in the San Fernando Valley that local police and fire departments received hundreds of calls from residents who feared that a terrorist attack was under way.
Romanek's 2002 music video for Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" has been hailed by many critics and fans alike as the most personal and moving music video ever made. The song expresses self-loathing and the futility of worldly accomplishments; this content took on a new poignancy when sung by Cash near the end of his life, quietly performing in his memorabilia-filled home, with shots of the flood-ravaged "House of Cash" museum and archival shots of a younger, cockier Cash edited in. The video was nominated for seven VMAs, winning one for cinematography, and also won Romanek his third Grammy.
Other Romanek videos that have received accolades and awards include the VMA winners "Free Your Mind" (En Vogue), "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (Lenny Kravitz), "Rain" (Madonna), "Devil's Haircut" (Beck), "99 Problems" (Jay-Z), and "Criminal" (Fiona Apple). Many others have also received nominations. In 1997, Romanek received the VMA Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for his contribution to the medium. Two of his music videos, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails and "Bedtime Story" by Madonna, have been made part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
In an interview for IndieWire, when asked if he would direct another music video, Romanek said: