Music Video Director Case Study: Diane Martel

Basic Facts & Information about Diane

In comparison with other high profile directors, there is a lack of information about Diane Martel's personal life/background. However, her portfolio is extremely full of well known and awarded videos which are listed below. She has directed numerous music videos and choreographed 'Bloodhounds of Broadway', 'Life with Mikey' and 'Shiny Happy People by R.E.M'

A sample list of her work (music videos):

• Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce (2011)
• No One Gonna Love You - Jennifer Hudson (2011)
• Right Thru Me - Nicki Minaj (2010)
• Boys and Girls - Pixie Lott (2009)
• Mad - Neyo (2009)
• Watcha Think About That - Pussycat Dolls (2008)
• Like a Boy - Ciara (2007)
• Listen - Beyonce (2006)
• I Don't Care - Ricky Martin (2005)
• If I Haven't Got You - Alicia Keys (2004)
• Dance with my Father - Luther Vandross (2003)
• Like I Love You - Justin Timberlake (2002)
• Heartbreaker - Mariah Carey (1999)
• What a Girl Wants & Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera (1999)
• The Riddler - Method Man (1995)
• All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey (1994)
• Dreamlover - Mariah Carey (1993)

The rest of the list can be viewed here: Music Video Database list of Diane Martel's work

Summary of Notes from Case Study

I found watching Diane Martel's videos very intriguing because I spotted that she has a few repeated elements across her portfolio that can be picked out and identified as her style. Most of the videos I watched created a sense of being in the artist's world and feeling the emotion connected to the song, this varied from anger and sadness to love and happiness. Below is a summary of what I found from watching a sample of her work:

• Basic Costumes - In almost all of the videos, the artist is dressed in very simple clothing that while it is trendy for the time of the video, very easy to achieve by the ordinary citizen. Make Up is very minimal and there is a slight focus on the idea of natural beauty
• Bare Rooms/Large Open Spaces - Repeated sense of artist in an empty room singing their music, making the emotion more believable. 
• Minimal/Few Props - There were little props used by the artists, most only had one or two. The main repetition in props I found were a single chair, a hat and a piano/instrument.
• Soft/Natural Lighting - Going along with the make up and costume, the lighting was used to enhance the idea of seeing the artists in a natural state, putting more focus on the music.
• Experimenting with silhouettes - A number of the videos contained at least one shot of a silhouette of the artist
• Emotion and Believability - This comes from the above features of the videos, sometimes the videos are in black and white to further enhance this.
• Use of different heights - Throughout the videos, the artist is made to make the most of the whole room. At points they are performing on the floor, then they'll be in heels walking around and other points they'll be performing on elevated platforms (for example in Britney Spears - 3 and Ciara - Promise)
• CU from the side of the artist - Every video I watched had a side shot that almost replaced the beauty shot for the artists, (mainly female) 
• Camera Movement - There is quite a bit of camera movement in the videos, often giving the sense of swaying and tracking the movement of the actors/artists.
• Cuts - The cutting style is varied throughout a single video, at points it will cut on the beat and other points there are long takes of the artist performing
• Use of a wind machine

My Favourite Three videos from Diane Martel

Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce (2011)


I thought that this video was extremely well made because instead of being interpreted from a negative/bitter angle it actually expresses joy. Compared to other videos from Beyonce, this is one of the best in my opinion because Martel has used her style and made the whole thing very elegant, soft and natural. Once again the video conforms to many of the bullet points listed above, making it very believable and captivating to watch. It explores the idea of natural beauty and emotion. I think that while it seems to be a very simple idea/concept, the way it has been shot and edited makes it very glamorous and elegant.

Dreamlover - Mariah Carey (1993)


This video represents the form and style of many Martel videos because it displays the idea of basic costumes and natural make up. The performance is based entirely in a field, adding to the summery tone of the song and further enhancing the natural theme. Both Mariah Carey and the camera are at different heights throughout the video, which could connote the mixed emotions that Mariah Carey is supposed to be feeling in connection with the lyrics of the song.

Ne-Yo - Mad (2009)


I chose to add this song to the homework analysis because it is very successful in moving the audience and captivating them into the short narrative. The emotion is tunnelled through to the viewer through the simple costumes, the heartfelt and believable acting and the long takes in between cutting. The fact that it is in black and white also forces the audience to pay attention to what is going on because they can't be distracted by anything else in the video.

How will this case study help with the coursework project?

I think that the main advantage I have gained from using Diane Martel is that simplicity can often mean great success. All of the videos I watched had very simple narratives, dance routines, costume, etc. and yet the final result was very effective because you can't get bored of the videos easily. I think that when it comes to brainstorming and producing our final coursework piece, it will help to keep in mind this idea of simplicity and not overcomplicating things. Instead take something very simple/easy to understand and then pay attention to the fine details.