Playlist: Tyler Hurst

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

I recently came across this stylistically imaginative video by director Hugh Mulhern for Hak Baker - Doolally. It’s a blend of live-action footage, puppets, animation, and AI imagery.

The song’s about a night out, and the blending of these different media forms is done to evoke a drunken night. It transitions chaotically between the mixed media with moments of clarity and moments of surreality before diving back into a deluge of morphing party imagery. Overall, it’s a fun and trippy ride.

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by?

I can’t say this answer is editorially interesting, but the first music video that I remember impressing me is the one for OK Go - Here it Goes Again. The whole concept is so fun, and it is the first music video I can remember seeing that felt lo-fi and attainable.

It helped me form a foundation of prioritising story and feeling over production value, which was hugely important to internalise before heading into film school. It also introduced me to my true passion, treadmill skating.

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

This question is almost as bad as asking a film buff what is their favourite movie. There are so many answers for so many different reasons. I have a particular affinity for heavily choreographed dance music videos. 

I love Ryan Heffington’s choreography in Sia music videos and his work with Spike Jonze on the Fatboy Slim recreation for Kenzo, as well as his Apple Homepod collab with FKA Twigs (I get that these aren’t “music videos” strictly speaking, but they feel like music videos). I love music videos that give you a visceral feeling of rhythm, and Heffington’s choreography does that.

I also love music videos with striking imagery and production design, like Childish Gambino - This is America or Kendrick Lamar - Element. There’s a whole other category in the world of OK Go that is just impressive technical achievements. In that category, I love Walk off the Earth - Red Hands, in which they filmed the song in a single take, but broken up and scrambled around. They remap the footage to put the song back in the correct order, but you get teases of various set pieces throughout the whole song.

Long story short, I don’t think I have a single favourite music video, but the one I’ve rewatched the most and keep going back to is probably Kristoffer Borgli’s video for Vance Joy - Riptide. It’s an extremely literal visualization of the lyrics, with art direction undoubtedly inspired by Wes Anderson. Everything about it, from the retro style to the cinematography to the content, is charming, with moments that veer into disturbing.

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

I’m constantly finding new artists on Instagram. A big part of music videos that draws me to them is the graphic experimentation in style and technique. I love nerding out, trying to deduce how an effect was achieved technically, and I love when I can’t figure it out by myself. It often feels like popular media is being pushed more and more into the same boxes, so when I see something that feels totally novel or see an old tool being used in a completely new way, that’s what inspires me. I love what cache_bunny is doing over on her IG, and recently, I discovered another visual artist, Troy Browne, on IG who’s doing very cool work with motion collages.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m listening to a lot of different things right now. Mid-2000s Arctic Monkeys is my comfort zone that I’ll always come back to. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Gorillaz. I’ve recently discovered Obongjayar, and their discography has been a joy to explore. I first came across them on a really nice track by Little Simz, who has also been in the rotation recently.

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

My boring, obvious answer is my Macbook. The new generation of Macbooks is so powerful and portable that it gives you no excuse not to create wherever you are. It’s my primary machine for most things I do creatively. My less obvious answer has got to be my watch. I wear a Garmin Fenix, and it helps me in everyday life to determine how far I should run or how hard I should workout, as well as in extreme situations navigating trails buried under several feet of snow or making sure I’m getting enough oxygen at 14,000+ ft while hiking.

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

The Decemberists are one of my favourite bands, and they have a great rock ballad album called The Hazards of Love. The whole album is this dark and tragic fantasy story involving a shape-shifting love interest, a protective forest queen mother, and her demented and murderous henchman. It’s a crazy and twisted storybook plot that demands a feature-length visual counterpart. I recently came across a project they did with several animators, but the final film is shockingly difficult to find, and therefore, I’m keeping my answer. If anyone knows where I can view Here Comes the Waves in its entirety, please send any info to tyler@ps260.com.

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

Undoubtedly, the biggest change is working in person less. When I started, 99% of the jobs we did were live sessions all day every day for 1-2 weeks, and that’s such a rarity for me at this point. There are plenty of pros/cons to this new world we live in, but I think that in order to create the best work or solve a tough problem, you need that live collaboration. Zoom can offer a lot of that, but it is different from being in the room.