Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake 'King's Dead' by Dave Free & Jack Begert
David Knight - 21st Feb 2018
Another week, another great Kendrick Lamar video... Okay, this one is for Jay Rock, featuring Kendrick and Future, but it is certainly the latest of that consistently brilliant portfolio of jawdropping visuals to accompany the Compton maestro's music - this from the Black Panther soundtrack project - that originates out of his TDE operation.
In this case, it's directed by Dave Free - one half of The Little Homies with Lamar - and Jack Begert, who capture their artists in a series of scenarios that zoom out - and keep zooming out, to reveal they have been shot on extraordinary long lenses.
The effect, when the rappers are revealed to be on separate rooftops in the LA skyline, is like a paranoid thriller from the 70s. But overall the effect is too smart and fastmoving to be taken too seriously. There's a great stockmarket trader scenario that is like The Wolf Of Wall Street meets Hammer & Tongs REM video Imitation of Life. Kendrick and Jay start out in a palm tree, and then it ends with Kendrick directing traffic on a very busy LA intersection. Please never try this...
In all of this, huge kudos must go to DoP Christopher Ripley, who used robot rigs in a wholly new way, and also shot on ridiculously high res 8K to achieve these impossibly long zoom shots. He has spoken to The Independent about what went into achieving the shots on the King's Dead video – a must-read.
David Knight - 21st Feb 2018
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Credits
Production/Creative
- Director
- Dave Free
- Director
- Jack Begert
- Producer
- Anthony 'Top Dawg' Tiffith
- Producer
- Angel J Rosa
- Producer
- Dave Free
- Production Company
- TDE Films
- Production Company
- AJR Films
- Production Manager
- Levon Davis
- 1st AD
- Jonas Morales
Camera
- Director of Photography
- Christopher Ripley
Art
- Art Director
- Cody Fusina
Editorial
- Editor
- Tyler Sobel-Mason
- Editor
- Jack Begert
Grading
- Colourist
- Bryan Smaller
- Grading company
- Company 3
David Knight - 21st Feb 2018