Name	Jay Chou
Tradchinesename	周杰倫
Simpchinesename	周杰伦
Pinyinchinesename	Zhōu Jiélún
Origin	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Birthdate	January 18, 1979
Birthplace	Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan
Othername	Director Chou (周董)
Occupation	Singer, musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, rapper, deejay, music video director, film director, music arranger, model, screenwriter and actor
Genre	R&B;, C-hip hop, C-pop, C-rock
Instrument	Piano, violin, cello, guitar, drum, guzheng, bass guitar, keyboard, pipa, erhu, harmonica
Label	Sony Music Taiwan (2008–present)JVR Music (2007–present)Alfa Music (1999–2007)
Yearsactive	2000–present
Parents	周耀中 (father)葉惠美 (mother)
Influenced	Nan Quan Mama
Religion	Buddhist
Website	jay2u.comjvrmusic.com
Hongkongfilmwards	Best New Performer2006 Initial DBest Original Film Song2007 "Chrysanthemum Terrace" (Curse of the Golden Flower)
Goldenhorseawards	Best Newcomer2005 Initial DOutstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year2007 SecretBest Original Song2007 "The Secret That Cannot Be Told" (Secret)
Mtvasiaawards	Favorite Artist, Taiwan2002, 2005
Goldenmelodyawards	Best Mandarin Album2001 Jay2002 Fantasy2004 Ye Hui MeiBest Music Video2009 "Mr. Magic" (Capricorn)Best Song of the Year2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run)2009 "Fragrant Rice" (Capricorn)Best Composer2002 "Love Before A.D." (Fantasy)2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run)Best Producer2002 Fantasy
Awards	World Music AwardsBest-Selling Chinese Artist2004, 2006, 2007, 2008Shanghai Film Critics Awards2007 Best Actor (Curse of the Golden Flower)

Jay Chou () (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, music and film producer, actor and director who is one of the biggest stars in Asia and is a 4-time winner of the World Music Award. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Chou combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B;, rock and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.

In 2000 Chou released his first album, titled Jay, under the record company Alfa Music. Since then he has released one album per year except in 2009, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in regions such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and in overseas Asian communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold more than 28 million albums worldwide up to 2010. He debuted his acting career in Initial D (2005), for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He produced the theme song for the film Ocean Heaven starring Jet Li. His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.

Life and career

Jay Chou grew up in Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother Ye Hui Mei () taught fine arts while his father Zhou Yao Zhong () was a biomedical researcher. His mother noticed his sensitivity to music and took him to piano lessons at the age of three. Meanwhile, he found himself a job as a waiter. Without his knowing, his friend had entered both their names in a talent show called Super New Talent King. Chou played the piano accompaniment for his friend, whose singing was described as "lousy". Although they did not win, the show's host Jacky Wu—an influential character in Taiwan's entertainment business—happened to glance at Chou's music score and was impressed with its complexity. Wu hired him as a contract composer and paired him with the novice lyricist Vincent Fang. has been popularized to describe his trademark cross-cultural music and his insistence on singing with relaxed enunciation. Taipei Times once described the meaning of "Chou Style": "In what has become the archetypal Chou style, Taiwan's favorite son blends pop, rap, blues and a smorgasbord of esthetic elements of world music to create his dream-like never-never land ..."

He regularly fuses traditional Chinese instruments and styles with R&B; or rock to form a new genre called "Zhongguo feng" (), which literally means "China wind", some of which are written in the Pentatonic Scale as opposed to the more common seven-note scale (Diatonic Scale) to accentuate an oriental style. Besides his own culture, he also incorporated Spanish guitar in "Red Imitation" (), American techno/electronica in "Herbalist's Manual" (), rap with subtle classical music undertones in "Reverse Scales" (), and Bossanova style in "Rosemary" (), to name a few. Sound effects from everyday life are frequently woven into his music, such as bouncing ping pong balls, touch tone phone dialing, helicopter blades, dripping rain, and radio static noise (concrete music).

His formal musical training is evident by the use of classical textures in his compositions. For example, counterpoint was used in "Perfection" () and "Sorry" (), while polyphony can be found in "The Wound That Ends War" () and "Twilight's Chapter Seven" ().

Chou's albums have been noted for the lack of change compared to his earlier works, yet he firmly stated that he will not alter his style: "They say I've been standing still ... but this is the music I want, and I don't see what I want by moving ahead." which he also insisted will not change; however, recently he has adopted clearer pronunciation for certain songs, particularly more traditional "Zhongguo feng" songs, such as "Faraway" () and "Chrysanthemum Terrace" ().

Lyrics

Strictly speaking, Chou is more often a singer-composer than a lyricist. Several "regulars" write the lyrics for most of his music, but the content and style is unified with his own personality and image, covering a diverse range of topics and ideas. Vincent Fang accounts for more than half of the lyrics in his albums, helping to establish an important element in Chou's music: the use of meaningful, imagery- and emotionally-rich lyrics, sometimes written in the form of ancient Chinese poetry with reference to Chinese history or folklore. In addition to writing romantic hits, he also touches on war, the Bible, sports, and martial arts. Vivian Hsu is a singer herself and has helped with Chou's earlier hits, while Huang Jun Lang () is noted for his work surrounding unusual themes (such as a detective story and chess game).

Chou himself has written lyrics for many a ballet dancer, but has also discussed societal ills such as drug addiction in "Coward" () and loss of the rural countryside to urbanization in "Terrace fields" (). Domestic violence discussed in "Dad, I am back" () received a great deal of commotion since he was the first to bring up this taboo subject in Sanscript music, which helped solidify his status as a pioneer and a unique pop singer capable of approaching serious issues. In the songs "Maternal grandmother" () and "Listen to Mother" (), he voiced his high regard for family values. He addressed personal issues about his failure to enter university in "Split" (), his resentment towards the paparazzi in "Besieged From All Sides" (), and highlighted the importance of individuality in "Popular Imitation" (). "Rice Fragrance" (), a song from his 9th album Capricorn encourages people not to give up their dreams even when facing difficulties in life.

Collaborations

Chou began as a songwriter for other singers and continued this area of work even after he debuted his own career in singing. He has composed frequently for Jolin Tsai, Landy Wen, and occasionally for other Taiwanese singers such as Coco Lee, S.H.E, Vivian Hsu, Leehom Wang, Will Liu, Valen Hsu, and Hong Kong pop stars Edmond Leung, Gigi Leung, Jordan Chan, Edison Chen, Karen Mok, Leo Ku, Eason Chan, and Joey Yung, as well as a one-time collaboration with Howard Su. He has also written for singers outside of his generation—over one dozen songs for his mentor Jacky Wu, later also for Taiwanese singer Jody Chiang, and Hong Kong singers Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Lui Fong (), Aaron Kwok, and Kenny Bee.

He initiated the band Nan Quan Mama in 2004, selecting band members and overseeing their album production. The group has been noted for sounding too similar to their mentor; as a result, Chou has reduced his involvement in the band, but continues to help increase their exposure to mass audiences by inviting them as guests performers for his own concerts and music videos.

He has performed live duets with Landy Wen, and former girlfriend news anchor Patty Hou, but only two studio recordings of duets have been formally placed in his own albums: "Coral Sea" () in 2005 with Lara Veronin (of Nan Quan Mama) and "Faraway" () in 2006 with Fei Yu-Ching, who began his career in the 1970s. Besides working with singers, Chou's longest-running collaboration is with lyricist Vincent Fang, as they both started their careers in the music field in 1998. The compilation album Partners () featured 12 songs, each consisting of Chou's musical and Fang's lyrical compositions. Fang has written the words to more than 40 of Chou's songs, was the chief editor of Chou's book Grandeur de D Major (), and is now Chou's business partner (together with Chou's manager JR Yang) for the record company JVR Music. Jay Chou was also featured in Cindy Yen's (袁詠琳) song "Sand Painting" (畫沙) released in October 2009.

Other works

Movie career

Chou formally entered the film industry in 2005 with the release of the movie Initial D (頭文字Ｄ). He has since acted in three other movies, directed one film and more than a dozen music videos. Chou, who once said "I live because of music", ventured into movies because he felt the need for a new challenge. As fans have grown concerned that movies will compromise his music career, Chou has repeatedly reassured that movies are a source of inspiration and not a distraction; at the same time, he realizes the need to balance both careers and maintain his place in the music field to garner the continued support of fans.

Acting

in January 2008]] Entry into acting was an unexpected move for Chou. In 2005, Chou's first role as the lead actor in Initial D served two purposes: to launch his acting debut, and to increase his exposure to Japanese audiences. This film is based on the Japanese comic Initial D, where Chou played Takumi Fujiwara, a gifted touge racer who is quiet and rarely shows expression. Some reviewers criticized his bland acting while others felt he performed naturally, but only because the character’s personality closely mirrored his own. His performance in Initial D won him Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards. Chou’s second film was Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). As a supporting character, he drew much of the attention of Chinese reporters; Chou’s involvement in this movie was announced in its own press conference, separate from the meeting held for Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and the other actors. Chou portrayed Prince Jai, the ambitious second eldest prince and general of the Imperial army whose personality epitomizes Xiao (孝), the Chinese virtue of filial piety. In this internationally-released film, North American audiences saw Chou for the first time. According to Chinese movie critics, comments about his acting ranged from "lacks complexity" to "acceptable," but was critically praised by Western reviewers. His performance in Curse of the Golden Flower was nominated Best Supporting Actor in the Hong Kong Film Awards. In the 2008 film Kung Fu Dunk, Chou portrayed a kung fu student and dunking prodigy, and the film earned over ¥100 million (US$14.7 million). Chou was cast to portray Kato in The Green Hornet, directed by Michel Gondry and slated for release in January 2011, after Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow withdrew from the project.

Directing

featuring Chou as a director for the first time.]] Chou's acquired his first directing experience in 2004 through music videos. He initially experimented with a song by the group Nan Quan Mama titled "Home" () where he was involved throughout the entire process from research to editing. After learning the difficulties of being a director, he refused to direct again even at the request of his record company. However, his interest resurfaced again as he directed music videos for 4 of the 12 songs in own album November's Chopin in 2005, and later television advertisements. By 2006, he had taken responsibility for the storyboard, directing, and editing of music videos for all his songs.

In February 2007, Chou finally directed his first movie Secret. The story he wrote is based loosely on his relationship with a high school girlfriend, with a plot focused on music, love, and family. He stars as the lead actor of the film with Kwai Lun-Mei‎ as the female lead, and Hong Kong veteran actor Anthony Wong as Chou’s father. Despite previous experience in filming music videos, Chou admits that movies are more challenging due to storyline and time constraints.

In 2005, Jay Chou played the male lead in Initial D, but according to reports, he will be back to direct the sequel, while Andrew Lau, who was a co-director of the first Initial D, will take on the role of the producer.

Book: Grandeur de D Major

Chou published his first book titled Grandeur de D Major () on November 25, 2004. This 200-page book features a prologue written by his family, friends, and co-workers; the main section is a compilation of his personal attitudes, philosophies, and recollections of childhood experiences along with pictures from his music videos, many of which have never been released; and lastly, a list of the artist's major awards, musical and lyrical compositions, and discography. For the usually low-profile singer, this book revealed his personality and convictions that has served as the basis of his musical and public image. He demonstrated a strong appreciation of family values with an especially deep connection with his mother and maternal grandmother. His confidence and dedication towards music is evident as he dedicated 2 out of 7 chapters to music: the current state of the industry, his composition methodology, and the importance of individualism to his success in music. This pride is contrasted against his modesty and self-assessed naivety about many aspects in life, particularly regarding relationships and marriage.

Endorsements

In contrast to the United States where a negative connotation is placed on celebrities who endorse commercial products ("selling out"), in Asia, acquiring endorsement contracts with major brands are positive testaments of star-status. Chou has been a spokesperson for popular brands such as Pepsi (2002–2007), Panasonic (2001–2005), Motorola (since 2006), M-Zone/China Mobile (since 2003), Levi's (2004–2005), Deerhui (sporting goods, since 2003), and Metersbonwe Group (casual wear, since 2003), Colgate (2004–2005), popular computer game (2002), science and nature magazine National Geographic (2005). To maximize the celebrity branding effect, advertisements are nearly always linked to his music and TV commercials are occasionally directed by him. Recently, Jay is promoting Sprite with Angela Chang. In the commercial, he can be seen performing magic tricks.He also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

Media and public relations

Public image

Despite living under continual media scrutiny, Chou's public image has changed little over the years as he emphasizes individuality as his "personal philosophy". In his music, this is also evident as he fuses Chinese and Western styles and explores topics unconventional for a pop singer, which have been described as "authentic" and "revolutionary". The media describes a hard-working perfectionist who is occasionally regarded as competitive and a "control freak". but also points at his musical talent. modest, and views filial piety as "the most important thing". In-line with his aim to present a positive image, he is a non-smoker, non-drinker, and does not go to nightclubs. Government officials and educators in Asia have awarded him for his exemplary behaviour, designated him a spokesperson in the youth-empowerment project "Young Voice" in 2005 and an anti-depression campaign in 2007, His lyrics for two songs has been incorporated into the school syllabus to inspire motivational and filial attitudes. In November 2007, Chou was criticized for attending the funeral of Taiwanese gang leader Chen Chi-li to console Chen's son Chen Chuhe, whom Chou met while filming Kung Fu Dunk.

Accolades

From the launch of his music career in 2000, Jay Chou has won more than 350 singer, singer-songwriter, and producer awards in Asia. The highly coveted Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan awarded "Best Album" for his debut CD Jay (2000) in 2001, and five awards (including "Best Album", "Best Composer", and "Best Producer") in the following year for the album Fantasy (2001). However, failure to win "Best Album" for three consecutive years has left him disheartened with award ceremonies. Although he continues to win more than 20 awards per year from various organizations in Asia, Chou has stated he will rely more on album sales as an indicator of his music's quality and popularity. In 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, he was awarded Best-Selling Artist in China by World Music Awards for the albums Common Jasmin Orange, Still Fantasy and ''On the Run.

Response to the news media and paparazzi

As with other stars, Chou has expressed a strong dislike of the paparazzi. In the early years of his career, unwanted attention by the media was usually dealt with by avoidance. In-line with his quiet nature, he frequently wore baseball caps and hoods while lowering his head and evading eye contact during interviews. He openly calls the paparazzi "dogs" and tabloids "dog magazines", as shown in his lyrics for "Besieged From All Sides" (). The media have also accused Chou of evading compulsory military service by feigning to suffer from ankylosing spondylitis. Later that year he was acquitted after providing the relevant medical records and letters from the army confirming a lawful exemption from draft dated before the start of his music career.

Despite constant harassment and stalking by the media, he does acknowledge that not all media attention is unwelcome. Coverage by international journals and news agencies such as Time, and Reuters At the end of 2009, he was included on JWT's annual list of 100 Things to Watch in 2010.

Fanbase

It is difficult to estimate the size and global spread of Chou's fanbase. Jay's fanbase originated and grew extensively in his native country, Taiwan. The Mandarin-speaking populations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China make up a significant percentage of Chou's fans. Despite rampant piracy issues in this region of Asia, particularly in China, every album Chou has released so far has surpassed 2 million sales. According to Baidu, the most popular internet search engine in China, Chou is the number one searched male artist in 2002, 05, 06 and 07.

In Hong Kong, he has been the best-selling Mandarin artist for the past 4 years. According to a 2004 survey in five Chinese urban centers for children ages 9 to 14, 1 in 6 named Chou as their favorite idol; he was also reported as the favorite singer of youths aged 8 to 25 in a study conducted in seven Asian countries (2006). He has a solid fanbase throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Currently, Chou remains largely unknown outside of Asia, except in cities with large Chinese immigrant populations such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. He has held concerts in major venues such as the Acer Arena (Sydney - July 3, 2009), MGM Grand (Las Vegas—December 25, 2002), Galen Center (Los Angeles—December 24, 2007) and the Air Canada Centre (Toronto - December 18, 2008. His intention to increase his prominence in the Western world beyond Chinese audiences is clear. In 2006, Chou composed and sang the theme song for Fearless, a movie released in major theatres in most English-speaking countries, though the impact to his fame has been minimal. His role in Curse of the Golden Flower (limited release) marks his acting debut in North America. Despite having a supporting but important role in the story's plot, the North American version of the official posters only featured a view of his back, greatly contrasting the Asian versions where his face and name were clear and placed between the leading actor and actress. Although Chou is still far from being well-known to English audiences, this movie has brought him international exposure.

Chou has won the Favorite Male Artist of the 20th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. He did not attend the event to collect the award because he was on tour in China at the time.

Discography

Artist	Jay Chou
Studio	10
Live	3
Compilation	3
Ep	4
{| class	"wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
November 7, 2000|| jay 周杰倫同名專輯|| ! colspan	"2" | 1.1
September 1, 2001|| fantasy 范特西|| ! colspan	"2" | 2.8
July 19, 2002|| eight dimensions 八度空間|| ! colspan	"2" | 3
November 2, 2007|| on the run 我很忙 || ! colspan	"2" | 2.2
October 14, 2008|| capricorn 魔杰座 || ! colspan	"2" |

Studio albums

Jay 周杰倫同名專輯 (November 7, 2000)

Fantasy 范特西 (September 1, 2001)

The Eight Dimensions 八度空間 (July 19, 2002)

Ye Hui Mei 葉惠美 (July 31, 2003)

Common Jasmin Orange 七里香 (February 3, 2004)

November's Chopin 十一月的蕭邦 (November 1, 2005)

Still Fantasy 依然范特西 (September 5, 2006)

On the Run 我很忙 (November 2, 2007)

Capricorn 魔杰座 (October 14, 2008)

The Era 跨時代 (May 18, 2010)

Live albums

The One Concert Live (Includes The Eight Dimensions MV VCD) (October 28, 2002)

2004 Incomparable Jay Concert Live 無與倫比演唱會 2004 (Includes Common Jasmin Orange MV VCD) (January 21, 2005)

Jay 2007 the World Tours Concert Live CD+DVD (January 30, 2008)

Compilations

Partners—Music by Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang (April 26, 2002)

Initial J: Jay Chou's Greatest Hits (August 31, 2005)

Secret 不能說的秘密(August 14, 2007)

Extended plays

Fantasy 范特西 Plus EP (December 21, 2001)

Hidden Track 尋找周杰倫 EP (November 11, 2003)

Fearless 霍元甲 Huo Yuan Jia (January 27, 2006)

Curse of the Golden Flower 黃金甲 (December 11, 2006)

Other works

Nun-chuks 雙截棍 Shuang Jie Kun—Single (April 9, 2002)

Neoprint 大頭貼—Single, no official release

JIII MP3 Player—MP3 player endorsed by Jay Chou featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay (June 26, 2005)

Qian Shan Wan Shui 千山萬水—Official song for the Beijing 2008's Olympic Games (May 2008)

Filmography

Films

Television series

Notes

a. Examples of Chou's "Zhong guo feng" R&B;: "East Wind Breaks" (東風破), "Hair Like Snow" (髮如雪), "Faraway" (千里之外). Examples of "Zhong guo feng" rock: "Nunchucks" (雙截棍), "Dragon Fist" (龍拳), "Golden Armor" (黃金甲). b. Examples of sound effects used in Chou's music: ping pong balls in "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), touch-tone phone dialing in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), helicopter blades in "My Territory" (我的地盤), dripping rain in "You Can Hear" (妳聽得到), and radio static noise in "Nocturne" (夜曲). c. Examples of Oriental-style lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Shanghai 1943" (上海一九四三), "Wife" (娘子), and "Chrysanthemum Flower Platform" (菊花台). d. Examples of romantic lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Love Before Anno Domini" (愛在西元前), "Nocturne" (夜曲), "Common Jasmin Orange" (七里香), and "Perfectionist" (完美主義) . e. Vincent Fang's lyrics discuss war in "The Last Campaign" (最後的戰役) and "Wounds That End War" (止戰之殤), the Bible in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), sports in "Bullfight" (鬥牛) and "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), and martial arts in "Nunchucks" (雙截棍) and "Ninja" (忍者). f. Examples of Vivian Hsu's work: "Adorable Woman" (可愛女人), "Tornado" (龍捲風), and "Simple Love" (簡單愛). g. Unusual themes of Huan Jun Lang's lyrics: detective story in "Twilight's Chapter Seven" (夜的第七章), a chess game in "Checkmate" (將軍). h. Examples of romantic lyrics by Jay Chou: "Black Humor" (黑色幽默), "Silence" (安靜), "Iron Box Of An Island" (半島鐵盒), "Fine Day" (晴天), "Excuse" (藉口), "Black Sweater" (黑色毛衣), and "White Windmills" (白色風車). i. "Snail" (蝸牛) and "Listen To Mother's Words" (聽媽媽的話) j. Golden Melody Awards: "…the Chinese pop music industry's equivalent of the Grammy Awards in the US are held annually to award professionals making music in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and any of Taiwan's Aboriginal languages." k. A similar book was published in Japanese, titled Grandeur de D major—Jay Chou Photo Essay (ISBN 4-901873-50-4).

References

External links

;Official Jay Chou at JVR Music Jay Chou Official Website 周杰倫官方網站 ;Other

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:People from New Taipei Category:Taiwanese actors Category:Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters Category:Taiwanese film actors Category:Taiwanese film directors Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Best New Performer HKFA

Name	Michel Gondry
Caption	Michel Gondry in Paris in March 2008
Birth date
Birth place	Versailles, France
Occupation	Director, screenwriter
Years active	1986-present

Michel Gondry (born May 8, 1963) is a French film, commercial and music video director and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène.

Life and career

Gondry was born in Versailles, France. He is the grandson of inventor Constant Martin. He has a teenage son named Paul who is also an artist.

His career as a filmmaker began with creating music videos for the French rock band Oui Oui, in which he also served as a drummer. The style of his videos for Oui Oui caught the attention of music artist Björk, who asked him to direct the video for her song "Human Behaviour". The collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of seven music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck. Gondry has also created numerous television commercials. He pioneered the "bullet time" technique later adapted in The Matrix, in a 1998 commercial for Smirnoff vodka, as well as directing a trio of inventive holiday-themed advertisements for clothing retailer Gap, Incorporated.

Gondry, along with directors Spike Jonze and David Fincher, is representative of the influx of music video directors into feature film. Gondry made his feature film debut in 2001 with Human Nature, garnering mixed reviews. His second film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (also his second collaboration with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman), was released in 2004 and received very favorable reviews, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. Eternal Sunshine utilizes many of the image manipulation techniques that Gondry had experimented with in his music videos. Gondry won an Academy Award alongside Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine. The style of Gondry's music videos often relies on videography and camera tricks which play with frames of reference.

Gondry also directed the musical documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2006) which followed comedian Dave Chappelle as he attempted to hold a large, free concert in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His following film, The Science of Sleep, hit theaters in September, 2006. This film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, and marked a return to the fantastical, surreal techniques he employed in Eternal Sunshine.

According to the Guinness World Records 2004, Michel Gondry's Levi's 501 Jeans "Drugstore" spot holds the record for "Most awards won by a TV commercial". The commercial was never aired in North America because of the suggestive content involving purchasing latex condoms.

He was asked by French comic duet Éric and Ramzy to direct Seuls Two, but declined ; by his suggestion, Éric and Ramzy subsequently asked Mr Oizo to direct another movie : Steak.

In September 2006, Gondry made his debut as an installation artist at Deitch Projects in New York City's SoHo gallery district. The show, called "The Science of Sleep: An Exhibition of Sculpture and Pathological Creepy Little Gifts" featured props from his film, The Science of Sleep, as well as film clips and a selection of gifts that the artist had given to women he was interested in, many of them former or current collaborators, Karen Baird, Kishu Chand, Dorothy Barrick and Lauri Faggioni. A leitmotif of the film is a 'Disastrology' calendar; Gondry commissioned the painter Baptiste Ibar to draw harrowing images of natural and human disasters.

His brother Olivier "Twist" Gondry is also a television commercial and music video director creating videos for bands such as The Stills, Hot Hot Heat, Daft Punk and The Vines.

Gondry was an Artist in Residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005 and 2006. Later directing the music video for the Paul McCartney song "Dance Tonight", in which Gondry makes a cameo appearance. Gondry directed of "Unnatural Love," the fifth episode in season two of HBO's Flight of the Conchords. Interior Design one third of the 2008 anthology film Tokyo! was next for Gondry. Interior Design was based on the comic book "Cecil and Jordan in New York" by Gabrielle Bell but was adapted from New York City to Tokyo for the film.

In 2009 The Thorn in the Heart another feature documentary was released it is about Michel's aunt Suzette and her son Jean-Yves. In 2011 The Green Hornet a superhero film Gondry was hired to direct by Sony will come out staring Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz; Rogen co-wrote the script.

Gondry lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Filmography

Feature films

art project.]]

Human Nature (2001)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The Science of Sleep (2006)

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

The Green Hornet (2011)

Short films

L'expedition fatale (1986)

Jazzmosphère (1987)

My Brother's 24th Birthday (1988)

La lettre (1998)

*The Letter

One Day... (2001)

Pecan Pie (2003)

Ossamuch! - Kishu & Co. (2004)

Tiny (2004)

Three Dead People (2004)

Drumb and Drumber (2004)

Michel Gondry Solves a Rubik's Cube with his Nose (2007)

Tôkyô!: Interior Design (2008)

Documentary films

Vingt p'tites tours (1989) Co-director

Twenty Small Towers

I've Been Twelve Forever (2003)

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)

L'Epine dans le Coeur (2009)

Music videos

"Open Your Heart" - Mia Doi Todd (2010)

"Too Many Dicks On The Dancefloor" & "Carol Brown" (unofficial videos) - Flight Of The Conchords (2009)

"Soleil du Soir" - Dick Annegarn (2008)

"Declare Independence" - Björk (2007)

"Dance Tonight" - Paul McCartney (2007)

"Limitless Undying Love" - Sergio Hiram (2007)

"Cellphone's Dead" - Beck (2006)

"Anysound" - The Vines (2006)

"King of the Game" - Cody ChesnuTT (2006)

"Heard 'Em Say" (U.S. Version) - Kanye West (2005)

"The Denial Twist" - The White Stripes (2005)

"Light & Day" (movie version) - The Polyphonic Spree (2004)

"Winning Days" - The Vines (2004)

"Mad World" (Donnie Darko soundtrack version) - Gary Jules (2004)

"Ride" - The Vines (2004)

"Walkie Talkie Man" - Steriogram (2004)

"I Wonder" - The Willowz (2004)

"The Hardest Button to Button" - The White Stripes (2003)

"Behind" - Lacquer (2003)

"Come Into My World" - Kylie Minogue (2002)

"A l'envers à l'endroit" - Noir Désir (2002)

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes (2002)

"Fell in Love with a Girl" - The White Stripes (2002)

"Star Guitar" - The Chemical Brothers (2001)

"Knives Out" - Radiohead (2001)

"Mad World" - Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (2001)

"Let Forever Be" - The Chemical Brothers (1999)

"Gimme Shelter" - The Rolling Stones (1998)

"Another One Bites the Dust" - Wyclef Jean (1998)

"Music Sounds Better With You" - Stardust (1998)

"Bachelorette" - Björk (1997)

"Deadweight" - Beck (1997)

"Jóga" - Björk (1997)

"Everlong" - Foo Fighters (1997)

"A Change Would Do You Good" - Sheryl Crow (1997)

"Around the World" - Daft Punk (1997)

"Feel It" - Neneh Cherry (1997)

"Sugar Water" - Cibo Matto (1996)

"Hyper-Ballad" - Björk (1996)

"Like a Rolling Stone" - The Rolling Stones (1995)

"Isobel" - Björk (1995)

"Protection" - Massive Attack (1995)

"High Head Blues" - Black Crowes (1995)

"Army of Me" - Björk (1995)

"Fire On Babylon" - Sinéad O'Connor (1994)

"Lucas With the Lid Off" - Lucas (1994)

"Little Star" - Stina Nordenstam (1994)

"This is it (Your Soul)" - Hothouse Flowers (1993)

"It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" - Belinda Carlisle (1993)

"Human Behaviour" - Björk (1993)

"Believe" - Lenny Kravitz (1993)

"She Kissed Me" - Terence Trent D'Arby (1993)

"Voila, Voila, Qu'ça r'Commence" - Rachid Taha (1993)

"La main parisienne" - Malcolm McLaren, featuring Amina (1993) (unreleased)

"Je Danse Le Mia" - IAM (1993)

"Snowbound" - Donald Fagen (1993)

"La Tour de Pise" - Jean François Coen (1993)

"Hou! Mamma Mia" - Les Négresses Vertes (1993)

"Les Jupes" - Robert (1992)

"Two Worlds Collide" - Inspiral Carpets (1992)

"Close But No Cigar" - Thomas Dolby (1992)

"Paradoxal Système" - Laurent Voulzy (1992)

"La Ville" - Oui Oui (1992)

"How the West Was Won" - Energy Orchard (1992)

"Les Voyages Immobiles" - Etienne Daho (1992)

"Blow Me Down" - Mark Curry (1992)

"Comme un ange (qui pleure)" - Les Wampas (1992)

"Dad, laisse-moi conduire la Cad" - Peter & the Electro Kitsch Band (1991)

"La normalité" - Les Objects (1991)

"Sarah" - Les Objects (1991)

"Ma Maison" - Oui Oui (1990)

"Queen for a Day" - The Life of Riley (1989) (unreleased)

"Tu rimes avec mon coeur" - Original MC (1989)

"Les Cailloux" - Oui Oui (1989)

"Il y a ceux" - l'Affaire Louis Trio (1989)

"Queen for a Day" - The Life of Riley (1989)

"Dô, l'enfant d'eau" - Jean-Luc Lahaye (1988)

"Bolide" - Oui Oui (1988)

"Un Joyeux Noël" - Oui Oui (1988)

"Junior Et Sa Voix D'Or" - Oui Oui (1988)

Advertisements

Adidas Aftershave - Released From Work

Air France - Le Nuage

Air France - Le Passage

AMD - Flatzone

BMW - Pure Drive

Coca-Cola - Snowboarder

Nespresso - The Boutique

Diet Coke - Tingle and Bounce 1, Tingle and Bounce 2

Électricité de France - Selects

Earthlink - Privacy

Fiat - Lancia Y10

Fox Sports Network campaign (four ads)

GAP - Holiday Campaign

Gatorade - Propel Fitness Water - Drip

Heineken - Debut

Levi's - Bellybutton

Levi's - Drugstore

Levi's - Mermaids

Levi's - Swap

Motorola - Razr2

NatWest - Zoom

Nike - Basketball campaign (five ads)

Nike - I Can Play

Nike - Leo

Nike - The Long, Long Run

Polaroid - Resignation / Living Moments

Smirnoff - Smarienberg

Volvo - I Said Volvo

Television

Flight of the Conchords, Episode 17: 'Unnatural Love' (2009)

Bibliography

Henry Keazor, Thorsten Wuebbena, Video Thrills The Radio Star. Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen. Bielefeld 2005, p. 90ss., p. 288ss. ISBN 978-3-89942-728-8

You'll Like This Film Because You're In It (2008). PictureBox

Markus Altmeyer, Die Filme und Musikvideos von Michel Gondry. Zwischen Surrealismus, Pop und Psychoanalyse, Marburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-8288-9764-9

Henry Keazor, "`Emotional Landscapes´: Die Musikvideos von Michel Gondry und Björk“, in: Klandschaften, ed. by Manuel Gervink and Jörn Pieter Hiekel, Hofheim 2009, p. 45 - 63. ISBN 978-3-936000-59-7

Henry Keazor/Thorsten Wuebbena, "Introduction" and Giulia Gabrielli, "An Analysis of the Relation between Music and Image. The Contribution of Michel Gondry", in: Keazor, Henry; Wuebbena, Thorsten: Rewind, Play, Fast Forward. The Past, Present and Future of the Music Video. Bielefeld 2010; ISBN 978-3-8376-1185-4, p. 16 - 18 and p. 89 - 109

References

External links

MichelGondry.com Official Website and Shop

Le Monde de Michel Gondry French website dedicated to Michel's work

AOL Interview about 'Be Kind Rewind' that looks at how Gondry has matured as a filmmaker.

Director File ·· Michel Gondry documents all of Michel's work

New York Times Magazine profile on Michel Gondry (09/2006)">Le Romantique New York Times Magazine profile on Michel Gondry (09/2006)

Washington Post: Michel Gondry (03/2006)

Associated Press article that links Gondry's dreams to his work.

Suicide Girls Interview

#2

DirectorsLabel.com co-founded with Spike Jonze and Chris Cunningham

Partizan represents Gondry alongside many other directors for commercials and music videos worldwide

BBC Imagine... A unique Exquisite Corpse which Michel Gondry has contributed to

"Dream Factory" by Ben Davis, Artnet Magazine

"How My Brain Works" Gondry interview with Scott Thill of Bright Lights Film Journal

Interviews SiouxWIRE interview compilation

">"Michel Gondry" a parody of MTV Cribs and Gondry's filmmaking style by sketch comedy group Olde English.

Michel Gondry's Crew Profile on The 1 Second Film website

Videography at Clipland

Website for the book by Henry Keazor & Thorsten Wübbena, Video Thrills The Radio Star. Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen. Bielefeld 2005, p. 90ss., p. 288ss. ISBN 978-3-89942-728-8 which features in-depth-analysis of Gondry's music videos and references to sources

Category:1963 births Category:Advertising directors Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Category:French film directors Category:Surrealist filmmakers Category:French music video directors Category:Living people Category:People from Versailles * Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners