Director Case Study - Mathy & Fran

Mathy & Fran are a directing and writing duo based in London who direct commercials, films and music videos. They direct indie music videos and Steve Neale states that 'genres are instances of repetition and difference which provide pleasures for audiences'. I have decided to research their music videos to see how they apply to this theory as part of my individual research.

I have chosen to study 4 of their music videos which you can see below:

Dan Croll - From Nowhere

We Were Evergreen - Best Thing

Russ Chimes - Turn Me Out

Mausi - Move On

Mathy & Fran have a very distinctive style that is consistent throughout all of their music videos.

/ Mathy & Fran favour a very naturalistic aesthetic which grounds the videos in reality.

/ Use of limited camera movement throughout but especially in wide shots makes the action in the frame more striking and gives their videos a very distinctive jaunty feel. Examples include the piñata in the Mausi video and the banner in the Dan Croll video. They like to have the action happening in the frame and have moving subjects rather than a moving camera.

Dan Croll

Mausi

/ The use of costume is very distinctive throughout Mathy & Fran's videos. They like to use clean cut, preppy, pastel-coloured costumes with no designs or text on them. This adds to the distinctive aesthetic of their videos.

/ They like to use people as their subjects. Even their conceptual videos such as the We Were Evergreen video are based around people.

/ Mathy & Fran take influence from surrealism and this is reflected in their work. For example the 'National Staring Contest' in the Dan Croll video, the dancing in the Russ Chimes video and the actions in the We Were Evergreen video.

/ The title of the song and the name of the artist is nearly always included at the start of the video.

/ Mathy & Fran make use of slow motion lipsync which contributes to the distinctive style of their work. It is included in the Mausi and the Dan Croll videos.

/ When dance is included in their music videos it is very unique. The limited movement creates a reserved style which fits in seamlessly with Mathy & Fran's style. This kind of dancing can be seen in the We Were Evergreen and the Russ Chimes videos.

Russ Chimes

/ By being very limited with their use of camera movement Mathy & Fran are able to make the effect of it much more powerful. It is only used for specific reasons, such as in the Russ Chimes video when the camera moves with the dancers as they jump creating a powerful juxtaposition with the rest of the video.

Overall, Mathy & Fran's style is something that is key in their work. They have created an aesthetic that even without a credit would be recognisable as theirs.