Production designer

Eric Hersey

Dave Free and&nbsp;Kendrick Lamar direct a poignant performance promo for Count Me Out.&nbsp;We meet&nbsp;Kendrick by his piano, deep in thought until he is interrupted by his therapist - played by the inimitable Helen Mirren - who encourages him to continue his session.&nbsp;The video then splits off into a series of abstract vignettes, which each artistically interpret the lyrics into something photographic and emotionally stirring.&nbsp;The composition is also inspired, placing intimate shots of Mirren and Lamar on opposing sides of the frame, in the manner of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triptych" target="_blank">triptych in medieval art</a>,&nbsp;allowing viewers to take in the emotions from both sides, whilst experiencing the vignettes in the middle.Brilliant work, with a moving message.&nbsp;

United States

Dave Free

Kendrick Lamar

pgLang

project3

Jason Baum

Jamie Rabineau

Adam Newport-Berra

Christopher Ripley

Kenneth Taylor

Taylor McNeill

Shannon Stokes

Charm La'Donna

Jenn Hanching

Emily Cheng

Nikki Nelms

Khristien “Khristn” Ray

Mikey Rossiter

Tryptyc

Neal Farmer

Michelle An

Chris Gann

Hip Hop

Kendrick Lamar 'Count Me Out' by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar - Count Me Out

It's been a long time coming, but it's been worth the wait. The first proper music video by Kendrick Lamar in ages comes with the burden of following the greatness that has preceded it. But this one... it's that rare moment when you sense something very special has happened. A culturally significant, transcendent work of visual Art.Yes, music videos can be Art. Easy to forget. Yet with The Heart Part 5, Kendrick Lamar and&nbsp;Dave Free - the old Little Homies team, now openly credited - have shown that there is the potential to harness the medium to elevate the message onto a new level. That should be incredibly inspiring - to musicians, filmmakers, and simply everyone who watches it.&nbsp;They have done so by using cutting edge VFX - the use of deepfake&nbsp;technology,&nbsp;created by Deep Voodoo, is fantastic. Kendrick transforms into a series of famous Black men - starting with&nbsp;OJ Simpson, moving on to&nbsp;Kanye, Nipsey Hustle, Kobe Bryant, Colin Kaepernick, Will Smith - visual portrayals that, in the case of Nipsey Hustle,&nbsp;are reflected in his words.We have seen some very good deepfakery&nbsp;before, mitigating against the absolute originality of the concept (and accusations of plagiarism have already started). But ultimately, it's all about the simplicity, the aesthetics, the timing, and above all, the spellbinding performance. Kendrick is so great in this. The occasionally imperfect lipsync makes it even better. And for good measure, he's rapping over&nbsp;Marvin Gaye's I Want You. An&nbsp;instant classic.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]&nbsp;

Eric Hersey

Production designer

Videos featuring Eric Hersey

2022 (2)

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