Directors Label/Anton Corbijn Discussion

[EuyandoStar]

Anyone else really into the work that Anton Corbijn has done over his long career? I guess he's probably more famous for his photography (w/ Depeche Mode, U2, etc), but his videos are prime as far as I'm concerned. Universal Music recently released a compilation of his work on their Directors Label series, which captures Anton's work throughout the 80s, 90s, and today (everyone from Joy Division to new bands like The Killers). He's also working on a biopic about Ian Curtis' (Joy Division singer) life.

The Directors Label Series in general is really cool. I have the Chris Cunningham one that they released a couple of years ago -- the guy who did those twisted Aphex Twin vids. Anyone familiar with that series?

[Bunnyboy]

The CC is pretty poor value for money IMHO - 8 promo clips only

However, the quality of them is stunning and I can watch them over and over again.

Having said that, you are probably better off getting the Warp Vision comp in that case.

The Spike Jonze comp is great and has all his famous ones on, as does the Michel Gondry one, but i'm not that impressed with his output

The newer additions to the Director's Series do not seem to be that innovative which is a shame, but i guess that most record companies demand pretty standard promo clips, unlike Warp

Is Corbijn actually directing the biopic? that should be very interesting, esp as he pretty much created the image of JD (the tube picture, etc)

[biomechanoid]

yeh...the chris cunningham one is great, but very short....the michel gondry one is brilliant too imo...its a 2 disc set with some amazing vids, and an odd little documentary by and about gondry, called 'i've been twelve forever'. the dvd is worth the price for that alone.

[bio]

[bduffy]

Boy, this is odd. I happened to watch Henry Rollins' "Shock & Awe" video last night (he's playing Vancouver next month), and I just looked him up on IMDB and what did I see in the credits but "The Work of Director Anton Corbijn" for "Himself" in "Liar", then I see this thread. funny.

Great video! Didn't realise it was Corbijn.

[deastman]

I liked the first set of Directors DVDs, and I'm very much a fan of CC and MG. Anton Corbijn is a good photographer, but I've always felt that his videos were rather mediocre. Depeche Mode, in particular, really did themselves a disservice by sticking with him for so long. Just my opinion...

[EuyandoStar]

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Yeah, you don't really think of Anton and Henry Rollins being on the same project, but Corbijn did in fact direct the video for "Liar." I love that video, too, love the song.

Corbijn is in fact directing the Ian Curtis biopic -- the film is called Control, and it's being adapted from the book by Ian's wife.

From www.screendaily.com (http://www.screendaily.com) --

Corbijn takes Control with Joy Division biopic

Rock photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn is preparing for an early 2006 shoot for his first feature film, tentatively titled Control, about the life of the late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

Producers Orian Williams and Todd Eckert of US-based Claraflora first announced the project in January and Corbijn tells ScreenDaily.com that they are currently nailing down financing and starting the casting process.

Corbijn expects to shoot Control for up to two months in early 2006 in Manchester, Macclesfield, and surrounding areas. Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, himself a mythical figure in the Manchester music scene (as captured in Michael Winterbottom’s 24-Hour Party People), will co-produce as will Ian Curtis’s widow, Deborah Curtis.

Deborah Curtis’s book Touching From a Distance is the basis for the script (by Matt Greenhalgh), but Corbijn adds, “It’s broader than that.” He adds, “It’s not a Joy Division film, it’s a film about Ian as an artist.”

No actors have been confirmed yet, and Corbijn admits that that finding an actor to play such an idolized figure as Curtis is quite a challenge. “A lot of people have expressed interest but we haven’t found the right people yet,” he says. Corbijn reveals that several American actors have expressed interest in playing Curtis, but the director says simply, “that would be wrong.”

Unlike his music video work, Corbijn doesn’t plan to serve as his own cinematographer. He does have concrete ideas about the look of the film already: “It will be shot on film, most likely in black and white,” he reveals. “Most people’s memories of that era are in black and white. Joy Division specifically seems like such a black-and-white band.” (Corbijn used B&W images in his famous 1988 video for Joy Division’s Atmosphere that featured hooded monks carrying a giant photograph of Ian Curtis on a deserted beach.)

As for the sounds of Control (the title was inspired by Joy Division’s classic She’s Lost Control), the film-makers have the rights to Joy Division’s music. The band’s successor New Order is also involved.

The subject is close to Corbijn’s heart: as a young, music-obsessed photographer in 1979, he moved from Holland to England to be closer to Joy Division, his favourite band. Two weeks later he convinced the group to let him do a photo shoot, despite his lack of credentials.

That 1979 photo can be seen on Corbijn’s new Director’s Label DVD, devoted to his career so far. The DVD includes several dozen of his award-winning music videos for artists such as U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, and Nick Cave, along with commentaries and a 40-minute documentary about Corbijn.”