PROFILE: Rich Newey, Uncle

Name: Rich Newey
Company: Uncle
Job/Title: Director

First Video: The first video I directed for a major label was "Po' Folks" by Nappy Roots featuring Anthony Hamilton. It was quite an adventure down there in Kentucky, even to the point of getting lost in the backwoods while scouting. I distinctly remember having to do a conference call with the label out there in the middle of nowhere. Good times. We finally settled on a small town with a population just over 200 and shot it like a documentary, including some interviews with sync sound. Everyone was very welcoming and Nappy really did their thing. We used 12 different film stocks and four cameras, including a handcranked Bolex. We baked film, crossprocessed, used old color-shifted stocks... I really wanted to create this naturally organic look and feel. That was something that wasn't really being done at the time and I remember after it came out I saw a lot more docu-style videos. So I guess we made our mark.

Strangest Video: Hands down: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony featuring Phil Collins "Home." Picture it. We're in Geneva, Switzerland. We've got Bone Thugs. We've got Phil Collins. Need I say more? The funny thing is, it wasn't even supposed to be my job. I was there for second unit, but things didn't go as planned and someone needed to step up, so I grabbed the opportunity. At first it was like, "Who the hell is this Rich Newey kid?", but everyone warmed up once we got the first shot off. Bone's manager Steve Lobel and the group definitely had my back.  It was an amazing experience shooting over there.

What's Next: I just wrapped up "I Tried" for Bone Thugs featuring Akon and a feature film of the same name. This is Bone's big comeback and the good relationship I have with the group definitely came into play, along with [Interscope video commissioner and one of the film's producers] Randy Sosin's strong support, We shot the video out in Cleveland and the film back here in Los Angeles. The story of the film is basically a "what if?" What if Bone Thugs never met Eazy-E? What would their lives have turned out like? It's a gritty tale with a lot of cool elements and the guys are total naturals. Great actors! It was shot by Joe Labisi, is currently being edited by Ken Mowe and should come out sometime in May.

SHOT: Jack's Mannequin - Meiert Avis, director

Director Meiert Avis was on hand to document a studio session between Jack's Mannequin and rock legend Mick Fleetwood performing the John Lennon cut "God." The video will support the forthcoming Warner Bros. album Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur, benefiting human rights group Amnesty International's efforts to bring an end to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

The CD is due June 12 and will consist entirely of John Lennon songs performed by the likes of Green Day, R.E.M., Christina Aguilera, Jack Johnson, Snow Patrol, Regina Spektor and The Postal Service. All proceeds — including the publishing royalties, which have been donated for this project by Yoko Ono — will go to Amnesty International. More information is available at InstantKarma.org.

Photo credits, from left: DP Craig Kief, Jack's Mannequin member Bobby Anderson, Mick Fleetwood, gaffer Ryan Lynch, editor Noah Caddis and Jack Mannequin's Andrew MacMahon. (click to enlarge)

artist: Jack's Mannequin
label: Warner Bros.
director(s): Meiert Avis
production co: Pusher Media/Factory Features
rep: Labuda Management

NEW RELEASE: Alanis Morissette "My Humps"

Once upon a time, Alanis Morissette became a huge star by being the one thing women were told not to be: Confrontational. Singing songs about fucking and getting fucked over, Morissette and a cadre of like-minded artists proved that women in the music biz could be more than vapid, controllable puppets. Well, to borrow the old Virgina Slims tag: You've come a long way, baby. Without naming names, it's hard to think of any current female singer (excluding those in heavy metal bands) with any commercial popularity that is anything but the epitome of all that is ditzy and materialistic. "My Humps" could be their theme song, so it's only right that Ms. Morissette hijacks it, turning this bit of pop nonsense into the kind of cathartic, plaintive dirge you'd expect from even more serious artists, like Tori Amos or Kate Bush. But, fear not. Despite the old perception, Morissette is not some humorless fucktard. This is pure parody and she knows that this maudlin take is just as absurd as the song itself. And this low budget video drives that home, wonderfully sending up the original clip. Now, if only they could've gotten Damien Rice to perform Will.I.Am's parts... --> watch "My Humps" (YouTube)

NEW RELEASE: Calla "Sanctify"

Slow and roving sepia-tinged cinematography lends an air of  timeless grace to this basic performance video for NYC band Calla. The fact it was shot at the Atlantic Sound Recording Studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn — with sweeping views of the East River and Manhattan — also helps reinforce that majestic scale. --> watch "Sanctify"

Calla "Sanctify" (Beggars Banquet)
John Carlucci, director/editor | Dan Lubell, producer | Fingerprint/Night Agency, production co | John Carlucci and Josh Wienstein, DPs

SHOT: Thirteen Senses - Michael Reich, director

Director Michael Reich staged a miniature version of a Japanese horror movie — and hosted a picnic — out in Malibu, CA for UK rock band Thirteen Senses.

artist: Thirteen Senses
song: "Follow Me"
label: Vertigo/Universal UK
director(s): Michael Reich
production co: Draw Pictures

BOOKED: Mims - Dale "Rage" Resteghini, director

artist: Mims
song: "Like This"   
label: Capitol Records Group
director(s): Dale "Rage" Resteghini
production co: Raging Nation Films
rep: Yell Productions

SHOT: Bobby Valentino - Bernard Gourley, director

artist: Bobby Valentino
song: "Anonymyous"
label: DTP/Island Def Jam
director(s): Bernard Gourley
production co: Immigrant Film
rep: Yell Productions

NEWS: Draw Pictures Signs Frank Borin For UK

Draw Pictures has signed director Frank Borin for UK representation. Borin's music video credits include:

• Ima Robot "Creeps Me Out"
• Rocco DeLuca "Colorful"
• plus videos for Good Charlotte, Bowling For Soup and Simple Plan as part of the directing team Smith N' Borin

Borin will be repped in the UK by Draw Pictures' Jen Herrera. Yvette Lange-Einczig of Yell Productions remains his US rep.

NEW RELEASE: MuteMath "Typical"

Although we've seen shot-in-reverse music videos before — director Spike Jonze's classic Pharcyde clip for "Drop" will probably always be the high water mark of the genre —  MuteMath and their director pal Israel Anthem deserve a whole lot of respect and attention for pulling off this technically impressive video. Shot entirely in one take — well, there's apparently one small edit in the middle — this discombobulating video has the guys of MuteMath not only ably miming the performance (remember, they had to learn their parts backwards) but also engaging in a fair amount of goofy movements and set-ups. --> watch "Typical" via YouTube

MuteMath "Typical" (Teleprompt/Warner Bros.)
Israel Anthem, director | Brandon Arolfo, producer | Black Sheep Productions, production co | Bret Weeks, DP

NEWS: Havoc Launches Video Program on DirecTV

VOD provider Havoc — primarily carried by Comcast and Cox systems — has launched three interactive music video programming blocks on DirecTV's channel 101. Designed to be like a virtual jukebox, Havoc On The 101 will let viewers to control the content of each show in real time by texting in votes through mobile phones. Texted messages will also appear alongside the videos, thereby allowing viewers to chat with one another or shamelessly promote their MySpace pages (or whatnot). All in all, Havoc will be broadcasting over 20 hours of music video content and reaching 16 million homes through DirecTV alone.

Further information, including playlists and airtimes can be found at havoctv.com/101.