Director study: RAUL GONZO

Raul Gonzo is a music director based in California and is known for working with alternative music artists such as Enter Shikari, VersaEmerge and All Time Low. Gonzo tends to focus on creating conceptual music videos that are vital in establishing the images of his clients. He specialises in video effects that give the impression of distorted and interrupted film, 35mm video footage and VHS tape footage. 

Gonzo works closely with electronic/alternative band PVRIS who have recently established themselves in the alternative rock world. He has produced music videos for their songs "St. Patrick", "My House" and their album titled song "White Noise" and has established a ground for the bands particular house style. PVRIS are known for always wearing black clothing and their album revolves around the idea of the paranormal, the dark and video interrupted footage and so the pairing works perfectly. It allows for Gonzo to work with his speciality of bizarre concepts as well as the paranormal and distortion of film.The video for PVRIS' "White Noise" in particular highlights both the band's and Gonzo's interest in paranormal activity and is expressed through television and film static as well as paranormal imagery that is based on the horror/thriller film "Poltergeist". Gonzo

incorporated the connection between the film and the music video by using famous imagery taken from the film - in particular the use of the silhouette of head and hands against the static of a television. Gonzo also included the lead singer of PVRIS (Lynn Gunn) wearing a bright red t-shirt dress to contrast the white walls, which is also seen in the film. The video for White Noise in particular loosely

1 Poltergeist Film 2 PVRIS - White Noise (Music Video)

3 Poltergeist Film 4 PVRIS - White Noise (Music Video)

follows the narrative of the original "Poltergeist" film with ghost hunters (band mates Brian MacDonald and Alex Babinski) searching for the ghost in the room and being concerned over paranormal activity (a floating mirror that is found on PVRIS' album cover, static television, doors opening to a parallel universe etc) instigated by lead woman Lynn Gunn. This continued imagery connotes imagery that is clearly linked to the film and keep the narrative strictly.Gonzo achieves this connection also by using similar or exact camera angles to those seen in the film Poltergeist – such as the close up shot of the behind of the female against the static interrupted television, and the view of the female in front of the door causing over-exposure of light, adding to the confusion of the video that has already been achieved through transmission disturbances.

Gonzo has worked with PVRIS to help establish their image which has been described as “dark electro pop” and helps to continue their dark image that is also helped with their black album cover, black clothing and mysterious/eerie musical edge. In their music video for “My House”, Gonzo quite literally keeps the imagery dark by filming in black and white. He also carries on the bands paranormal interest by using imagery of floating objects (as if hinting at ghosts once again), and video transmission disturbances. In this particular video he also uses lens flare to given an impression of distorted film, overall achieving the same feeling of disturbed transmission –

hinting once more at a paranormal entity. Throughout PVRIS’ music videos Gonzo has used short and sharp jump cuts to different situations to add more confusion and introduce a fast pace to the editing that fits well with the fast pace of the band’s music. Quite often Gonzo uses editing that is continuous with the beat of the music which is successful in connecting the music directly to the moving image. In “My House” in particular there is a section of the song that slows down significantly in a breakdown. Gonzo changes the pace of the moving image by shooting under water scenes and making them slow motion. This achieves a feeling of lucid fluidity that adds to the atmospheric breakdown in this song in particular.

5 Video interruption/distortion - My House (Music Video)

6 Lens flare - My House (Music Video)

Mise en scene is very important for this band in particular as it helps to continue the image that the band has already created through what their songs are about and the album cover itself showing a mirror with static transmission in the reflection. Gonzo includes televisions interrupted with static throughout PVRIS’ music videos to maintain the image, as well as vintage radios which connote the idea of disturbed and interrupted old radio transmissions, again adding to the image of desolation, paranormal activity and darkness. These objects also help to suggest the idea of the genre of music created by the band – dark electro pop.

As shown in figure 8 (left), Gonzo has included the key-image of the mirror (as seen on the band’s album cover) in the music video for their hit-single “St. Patrick”. This is to establish a connection between the image of the mirror to the band itself – ie. When you see the mirror, you think of the band and the overall aesthetic of the band which is seen through their personal style and the dark atmospheres created by Gonzo in his music videos.In this way Gonzo has been successful with working with PVRIS to establish a house style that can easily be associated with the band themselves.

7 PVRIS (Album Cover)

9 St. Patrick (Music Video) - featuring mirror prop as seen on album cover

8 continued use of particular props to add to the mise en scene (My House - music video)