Playlist: Ryan Patrick

MindsEye director Ryan Patrick steps up for this week's Playlist. Patrick is the man behind the recent brillaint Tesla Boy Nothing promo, and has previously helmed work for the likes of Cut Copy, Miike Snow, TY Dolla Sign, Wiz Khalifa & The Weeknd and Gang Signs.

What’s the best promo you’ve seen recently and why?

I would say that Spike Jonze Kenzo World video. Is that a promo? If not, probably [Romain] Gavras’ Jamie XX video for Gosh – absolutely incredible.

What’s the first promo you remember being impressed by?

I think like a lot of directors around my age, it was seeing the Director’s Label DVD series. I remember watching the Michel Gondry one and thinking, “Woah, I didn’t even know you could do that in a music video.”

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

I can’t even begin to answer. Should we just go year by year?

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

There’s this movie theatre in Los Angeles owned by Quentin Tarantino called The New Beverly. It’s just a single screen but everything is shown in 35mm and programmed by Tarantino himself.

You see things there that you will never see on a big screen anywhere else. Sometimes, I find myself taking a moment in one film and trying to make music video out of that. Such was the case with the Tesla Boy Nothing video. We took a number from Singin’ in the Rain and tried to re-do it with more modern narrative conventions.

In terms of directors, I like all the usual suspects. A slightly lesser known director I love would be Teemu Niukkanen though. His promos are always so simple but amazing.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Still listening to the new Frank Ocean and just discovering the joys of Vulfpeck.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

I just got these new smart light bulbs in my house called Phillips Hue bulbs. You can change any light in your house to any colour, all from your iPhone. I love it – but I think everyone who comes over thinks it’s kind of lame.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

Kanye West. His videos can be hit and miss but his music is incredible and always unexpected.

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

Everyone says “smaller budgets!” But I like to break it down by fads. DSLRs were cool, now they’re not. Low saturated looks were cool, now they’re not. Non-narrative interpretive dance videos were cool, now they’re not. 4:3 videos were cool at the start of the year, now they’re not. Just waiting for someone to bring back the hip-hop fish eye now.

Music videos have had a resurgence of late; where do you see the industry being in five years’ time?

While it’s not on a massive scale, it’s interesting to see streaming services, like Apple Music, funding some videos. Maybe one day they’ll be like the new MTV – but behind an online paywall.