Hiro MuraiAUTEUR STUDY

Hiro Murai is a Tokyo-born filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, he grew up watching the Japanese yakuza flicks of Takeshi Kitano this combined with a love for the works of David Lynch has crafted him into the unpredictable, quirky and creative man that he is today.

Though he is known for each of his videos being completely different from the last this is not to say he doesn’t have his own signature style. Part of the reason for the uniqueness for each video is his openness to work with artists of any genre. After watching a few of his videos however you begin to notice a few recurring themes and features. One of the most noticeable features is his ability to connote the emotions of the song visually be it though narrative or mis-en-scene. His style is also highly cinematic and polished however this is sometimes juxtaposed against ominous and gritty scenes and locations. It also seems he has a love affair with long takes (also a favourite of Takeshi Kittano) which can be seen in a number of his videos, he utilises both Steadicam’s and dolly's to achieve this. When he does use cuts in his video they tend to be mostly straight cuts and fades.

HIRO MURAI

3005 – CHILDISH GAMBINO

In this video we see Gambino on a seemingly eternal Ferris wheel ride besides a teddy bear wearing an aviator hat (a trademark of Gambino). This perpetual theme is homogeneous with the lyrics of song “till 3005 I’ll be by your side”. As to be expected with a video of Murai’s all is not quite right, as the camera rotates we are shown a roaring fire going on in the distance possibly representing Gambino’s burning love for the woman described in the song. As the video goes on the teddy bear slowly deteriorates putting further emphasis on the song themes of everlastingness

Another of Murai’s penchants is working with the same artists repeatedly (something he has done with both Earl and Gambino). In this song also the dark, depressing mood has been captured through the gloomy lighting and sluggish pacing. Earl’s feeling of bitterness and anger at his departed father (the subject of the song) are illustrated through a fire in a shopping trolley. Earl’s feelings of isolation are captured by having him drift along not interacting with anything or anyone. The only other ‘person’ in the video is the drummer who is seen wearing a skeleton suit back to front so it seems as if he is looking at you. This love for the otherworldly is a recurring theme in his videos with actors often wearing masks and costumes

CHUM – EARL SWEATSHIRT