She’s prolific, versatile, and she’s related to a New York theatrical legend. Top director Diane Martel explains the story behind turning Jack Black into a “dickhead egotist” in her hilarious bullfighting video for the White Stripes’ Conquest. Also how she had to get mean with Alicia Keys, and her new departure into animation. Look out for little gay monsters…

PromoNews: Your White Stripes video for Conquest is great – pure entertainment. How did the project happen – and why did you think Jack would go for the idea of being a bullfighter who falls in love with his bull?

Diane Martel: I gave the song to my friend Jonathan Lethem [author of acclaimed novels Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress Of Solitude and others] he listened to it and pitched the idea to me. I loved it and I wrote it up. It’s a simple strong idea, and it works with the lyrics. Jack is a first rate actor, I suppose he was interested in the character and thought it would be fun to shoot.

The chemistry (or lack of) between Meg and Jack is interesting. Can’t recall seeing that edge of hostility from Meg before! Did they enjoy getting into character?

They has a good time with it, Meg is quite an ace actress as well – she’s subtle and mysterious. Her character’s disinterest in him helped sell the idea that he was a dickhead egotist.

Where did you shoot? And were there any hard parts – or even any dangerous bull-centric moments?

We shot in LA and were lucky to find a proper bullfighting ring that was painted red and white – serendipity. We had five fighting bulls and one docile cow. Each bull had a time constraint of 20 minutes of full blown action in him, then after that they became bored and uncooperative. Bizarre scheduling that. The bullfighter was amazing to watch too – he had an excellent time.

I guess one of the themes of the video is that killing mute creatures for sport is definitely bad. Or am I being ridiculously sensitive and missing the whole point?

Sure, we think bullfighting is evil…

You’re not particularly renowned for cartoonish comedy, so is this video departure for you?

Well, at the moment I’m creating and writing an animated show, with a writer named James Smith – it’s called Little Gay Monsters from Brooklyn. I love cartoons, camp, Grand Guignol, etc. I’m a huge comedy fan. Sure, you don’t get the chance with many music videos to explore this – you need smart, open-minded artists who are willing to take the piss – and who can pull off fun.

You went from Conquest to making the video for Alicia Keys’ Like You’ll Never See Me Again, which is quite a stretch. How did that project come together?

Alicia and I had done another video together. She is a lovely, smart, intense girl. That job came together organically – it was the most calm, lovely shoot I’ve ever had. Alicia said the same.
It’s funny, the two times we’ve worked together she had to bawl, and I had to make her. We have a joke about me making her cry!

I had to say some rather mean things to her about her “dead” boyfriend. She did a great job keeping it going – it’s not pleasant to stay in a stare of hysterics, but maybe it is more deep if you have written a song about something hugely emotional and personal. More so than if you are an actor in someone else’s world.
Now Common, having to play stone dead in a bloody operating scene and while Alicia was hysterical (they are great friends) did a great job. That could not have been easy at all.

Much of your US work has been R&B and hip-hop based but then you gravitate towards British indie bands (Editors, Kooks, Franz Ferdinand, etc) with apparent ease. Is there a secret to being versatile and moving between music genres?

I listen to good music old and new. If I like a song I can do a good job. I keep up with all genres. I prefer working with smart bands, with great taste… duh, who doesn’t ? The secret for me is one for money, one for fun. Sometimes the money jobs can be fun too, that’s always nice.

How is it working in music videos these days – you still finding it rewarding most of the time?

I still enjoy it. It’s a great job, cant be beat. The budgets have come way down but that makes it all the more challenging, which keeps it fresh. It’s a blessing to have my job.

What videos you’ve made are you most proud of, and bring back the fondest memories?

I love the Franz [Do You Want To?], N.E.R.D.’s Provider, and the Cribs’ Mens Needs. All were great fun to shoot and the artists lovely, interesting and inspiring people. I love Bring The Pain for Method Man.

Your least favourite things?

People who distract from doing the best work we can do. People wasting time on set. Time is inestimable.

Who’s the person (or people) you consider to be most inspirational and/or influential on your career?

Ah so many. I love Spike Jones, Gondry, Anton C. Certain bands inspire me, lots of film directors and films – Cassavetes, Pasolini, Paul Morrissey, Howard Hawks to name a few. Tony Kaye’s commercials, the choreographer George Balanchine, lots of books – most recently those of Thomas Berger and Magnus Mills.

What was your first music video you worked on?

Onyx’s Throw Your Guns In The Air, was my first proper video.

What are you working on right now?

Developing Little Gay Monsters and some snarky “mockumentaries” webisodes for secret musical artists. Developing web content…

Predictions (and ambitions) for 2008?

I am learning Final Cut and I want to learn After Effects so I can experiment at home. I want to be more self-sufficient. I want to shoot a short and write a feature this year. I am currently working on pitch for a documentary about my uncle, Joseph Papp [he founded New York's Public Theatre].
I signed to HSI [in the US] in November. It is my first proper step into spot directing, which I am now very much interested in. I have a fetish for good commercials.

• Diane Martel is representented by HSI Productions in the US and Colonel Blimp for music videos in the UK