NEWS: Editor Michael Barnett 1976 - 2007

It is with sadness we announce that editor Michael Barnett of Aisle Five Studios passed away this morning at the age of 30. Barnett was involved in an automobile accident in the West Los Angeles area.

Michael Barnett's family will host a memorial service on Friday, January 12, 2007 at 5:00pm at the offices of Aisle Five Studios, located at 100 Market Street, Third Floor, Venice, CA 90291.

IN DEPTH: Mark Pellington on The Fray "How To Save A Life"

It's hard to imagine a director better suited to direct a video for The Fray's "How To Save A Life" than Mark Pellington. Having endured the tragedy of losing his wife to a sudden illness, Pellington lays out the steps from an imaginary recovery primer over portraiture shots of the band and various children emoting for the camera. In terms of impact and pure artfulness, it's probably the director's best work since his breakthrough clip for Pearl Jam's "Jeremy."

Mark Pellington: "I've been thinking about the videos I've made since my wife passed and how they have been watersheds in my healing process. The Keane video I did was only eight months later, but this one was about two years and four months since she passed. There was quite a difference in energy, but the main difference was that when I heard this song I thought more about my daughter than myself.

All of these videos I've made in the past couple years have been partly about me and my interests. With this one I wanted to make something more directly for the band's audience and something that would reflect the world my daughter was growing up into. I wanted to make a video that was earnest and open. I don't want the band to hide. I wanted them to connect and I wanted to give the kids in the video a safe place to emote. Whatever emotions they had: Grief, rage, joy, despair.

For the casting process and the video we had kids come in and listen to the song and they would just relate to it. When I saw the casting tapes I thought I could have even used those in the video. They were all actors, but I wanted kids that were natural and open. The emotion they brought was all real. We'd start listening to the song and we'd let them go where they wanted to go. I just gave them some basic spatial arcs. This Asian American boy brought in a picture of his brother who is involved in gangs. He's still alive, but he had this anger, love and frustration that he couldn't reach him. One girl had a picture of her stepfather who passed away. The song just does something to people. It did the bulk of the work. Each person who listened to it went to their own place."

--> watch "How To Save A Life"

The Fray "How To Save A Life" - version 2  - (Epic)
Mark Pellington, director | Norm Reiss, producer | Merge @ Crossroads, production co | Morgan Susser, DP | Nathan Cox, editor

NEW RELEASE: The Beatles "Tomorrow/Within"

Although The Beatles predated the birth of music videos by many many year, they're still responsible for some of the most memorable combinations of music and sound, be it the early madcap films Help and Hard Day's Night, the Yellow SubmarineLove cartoon or even the classic final, rooftop performance. The new Cirque De Soleil/Beatles Las Vegas extravaganza  doesn't betray that legacy. While the remixed mash-ups created  by "fifth" Beatle George Martin and his son Giles Martin don't quite hold up as anything more than a puzzle to be solved by discerning fans, or an album-length mix perfectly suited for more casual listeners. That said, the fidelity and sonics of it blow away any of the currently available proper versions of their albums, and the experience of hearing it in the theater at The Mirage is as close as you're gonna get to hearing the masters in the recording studio. This video for the "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" melange smartly avoids just providing clips from the Cirque De Soleil production, which is a pretty thrilling live experience that would certainly lose lots of its grandeur when scaled down to TV or the Internet. Unfortunately, all we get in exchange is what amounts to a kaleidoscope screen saver that incorporates imagery of the band. Its not necessarily  bad, but it's not too exciting, nor anywhere as adventurous and creative as the show itself. --> watch "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows"  at YouTube or Beatles.com

The Beatles
"Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" (Capitol)
Simon Hilton, director | Astrid Edwards, producer
Maguffin, production co

BOOKED: Hello Operator - Dale "Rage" Resteghini, director

Video is in production through the VideoFACT system for Canadian rock band Hello Operator.

artist: Hello Operator
song: "Chasing Satellites"   
director(s): Dale "Rage" Resteghini
production co: Blink Pictures

SHOT: Dustin Kensrue - Myriam Santos-Kayda, director

artist: Dustin Kensrue
song: "Pistol"
label: Equal Vision
director(s): Myriam Santos-Kayda
production co: Sugarshock Imageworks

NEW RELEASE: The Bronx "Shitty Future"

With so many live venues now gone and the NYC real estate market only affordable to those  with trust funds or six figure salaries, it may be a "Shitty Future" indeed for the local punk scene. The spirit lives on, however, with this live clip from The Bronx — an L.A. band that takes its moniker from the borough once associated with toughness. The rough and tumble video spotlights the band ripping it up on the stages of several clubs — including downtown indie rock mecca The Bowery Ballroom, and Maxwell's, the little Hoboken, NJ hold that will outlast us all. --> watch "Shitty Future"

The Bronx "Shitty Future" (White Drugs/Island Def Jam)
Adam, Greenwald/The Riot Agency, director/DP/editor

NEWS: Travis Kopach Signs With Refused TV

Director Travis Kopach has signed with production company Refused TV, where he will be repped by executive producer Cathy Pellow. Kopach's music video credits include:

• Panic! At The Disco "Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have..."
• Meg & Dia "Monsters"
• Matchbook Romance "Monsters"
• Koufax "Isabelle"

BOOKED: The Format - Travis Kopach, director

artist: The Format
song: "She Doesn't Get It"   
label: The Vanity Label/Nettwerk
director(s): Travis Kopach
production co: Dignity & Shame

PHOTO: On Set with Dropping Daylight

Director Justin Francis of The Saline Project (3rd from left) and producer Michelle Larkin on the set of "Tell Me" with Octone rockers Dropping Daylight. Francis is repped by Robin Frank Management.

NEWS: Yvette Lang-Einczig Forms Yell Productions

Longtime F.M. Rocks executive Yvette Lang-Einczig is no longer with the company and has announced the formation of Yell Productions, her own independent repping firm. Her director's roster includes:

• Bryan Barber
• Bille Woodruff
• Dale Resteghini
• Frank Borin
• Paul Fedor
• Sanji
• Tony Duran

Full contact details for Lang-Einczig will be in this Friday's edition of the free weekly Video Static newsletter.