Music Video Director Study

Mark Romanek

Mark Romanek is an American filmmaker, focused in the areas of feature films and music videos. He was born in 1959 and has been active in filmmaking since 1985.

Mark Romanek's filmmaker career mainly began when he decided to go into music videos after writing a few screenplays for feature films. One of his most notable works in music videos is Nine Inch Nails - Closer. Due to the videos disturbing, demonic and distressing nature, it gained worldwide and critical acclaim and reputation, ultimately giving recognition to Mark Romanek as a director. He later went on to direct another Nine Inch Nails song: "The Perfect Drug".

Ater his collaboration with Nine Inch Nails, Mark Romanek went on to direct the music video for Michael and Janet Jackson's song: "Scream". It was through this collaboration that Mark Romanek won his first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video. It was through this collaboration that Mark Romanek went on to work with Janet Jackson again, directing the music video for "Got 'Til It's Gone" which won him his second Grammy.

Mark Romanek's music vido for Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails - Hurt in 2002 has been regarded as the most moving and personal music video ever made. It was also this video that granted Romanek with his third Grammy award.

Mark Romanek has worked with many artists including: Keith Richards, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Madonna and Coldplay. Many of the artists he has collaborated with have gone on to grant him numerous awards for his direction of the music video.

Mark Romanek's work in music videos has been regarded as some of the most creative and best of the type of filmmaking.

As well as music videos, Mark Romanek has directed some feature films including: Never Let Me Go, One Hour Photo and Static.

- I am heavily influenced by his work on the music video Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop through the spontaneous, random and different artist scenarios in the video. Through this influence, I am contemplating creating a music video along the same line as this.

2 Music Videos

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop




Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson - Scream

Music Industry Investigation

Major Record Label: Sony Music Entertainment 

Sony Music Entertainment was initially found in 1929. Then, it was founded as American Record Cooperation which is now no longer in business, but who's legacy is now part of Sony Music Entertainment.

Following ARC's acquisition through CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System), in 1938, the company was renamed to Columbia Recording Cooperation. However, in 1966, it was again reorganised and renamed to CBS Records in association with CBS.

In 1987, SCA (Sony Cooperation of America) bought CBS Records and renamed it to Sony Music Entertainment in 1991.

- SME is part of the 'Big Three' music cooperation conglomerates alongside Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

- As of 2012, the yearly income of SME was $6 billion.

- SME contains and owns additional pre-eminent labels within the conglomerate. These are: Columbia Records, Epic Records and ECA Records. it also has genre-limited record labels, which are specifically concerned with the production and distribution of specific genres. These include: (Classical) Sony Masterworks, (Country) Sony Music Nashville, (Latin) Sony Music Latin and (Christian/Gospel) Kingdom Life Records and Provident Label Group.

- Artists in SME include: Aerosmith, Adele, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Kings Of Leon, Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters, John Mayer, Jimmy Hendrix and One Direction.

Minor Record Label: Domino Recording Company

Domino Recording Company was initially founded in 1993. It is an indecent record label based in South London. Although being an independent British-centred label, it has additional side-labels which release and distribute music in other parts of the world, but still under the wing of the DRC. There is a German division called Domino Deutschland which focuses about the release of music from DRC in Germany and also one in France named Domino France which is centred around the release of music from DRC in France.

- When DRC was first founded, success was not shortly-followed. It was only until DRC started signing a bigger list of artists that success began to occur. Artists such as Arctic Monkeys, The Kills and Franz Ferdinand helped increase the credibility of the label and have now aided in DRC becoming one of the most successful and longest running indecent labels in the UK.

- DRC also owns additional label imprints. These include: Geographic Music, Double Six Records, Weird World Record Company, Ribbon Records and Rekords Rekords.

- DRC's main genre focus is Indie Rock and Rock.