Playlist: Mccoy | Meyer
Eric McCoy & Justus Meyer, the directing duo behind award-winning promos for Flights Over Phoenix, The Johnsons, FLOR & Devin Kirtz, tell us what’s on their playlist.
What’s the best promo you’ve seen recently and why?
Recently, we attended a screening of Dave Meyers’ Be Humble for Kendrick Lamar and were instantly blown away by the camera techniques that he debuted in the video. What’s even more impressive are the sheer number of shots and locations they were able to film in two days! It’s a constant reminder that the three keys to success are: preparation, preparation, preparation.
What’s the first promo you remember being impressed by?
The Backstreet Boys’ Larger than Life was one of the first instances we recall seeing how a video could embolden a piece of music. It was the 90s, so bigger was better, and they took production to the next level. Now we’re finding ways to deliver more with less, and so it’s always nice to be reminded to shoot for the stars.
And what’s your all-time favorite music video?
We have several: Colin Tilly’s video for Jason Derulo’s Want You Want Me is our standard for cool. DANIELS’ Turn Down For What?! serves as a constant reminder of how far we can push the comedic envelope. OK Go has guided us to embrace restrictions and force our preparation to the next level. And Maroon 5’s Love Somebody (by Rich Lee), which features paint revealing naked bodies, demonstrates the beauty in simplicity.
What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?
We draw inspiration from a handful of directors: David Fincher (Gone Girl, Se7en) has taught us the importance of intentional shot composition and framing. Robert Zemeckis’ ability for story structure (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) constantly has us in pursuit of the most provoking journey for our audience. Darren Aronofski (The Wrestler, Black Swan) pushes our boundaries of storytelling norms. We’re also incredibly encouraged by The Daniels, who use smart VFX to embolden their comedy.
What are you listening to at the moment?
We are constantly on the lookout for smart singer-songwriters. Ultimately, we’re drawn to lyrical honesty. Mike Posner’s album, At Night, Alone is one of the most vulnerable pieces of music we’ve heard in the last several years. We’re also enjoying seeing Julia Michaels’ career take off as an artist (she was a whip-smart writer.) We just discovered Clover The Girl, a young artist who with a palpable charisma in her song OK Fine. Basically, if an artist is using their mind to drive their music, we want to work with them.
What’s your favorite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?
We’re actually fairly low tech guys, as directors. Early on, we learned that no expensive camera or magic plugin can substitute for a solid story. Coming up, we found the most effective way to increase the production value of our work was on the page, in our writing. In our personal lives, tech has a larger role: we believe in the cryptocurrency revolution (i.e. BitCoin, Ethereum), Justus met his fiancée on Tinder, and Eric recently has an Instagram channel that chronicles lessons he’s learned along the way.
What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?
We’re drawn to artists who put lots of thought into the visual tone of their work. The Weeknd and Macklemore are prime examples of those type of artists. Each video they release feels like the next episode of a coherent story. We want to work with artists who want to sculpt a visual brand (over many videos) together.
How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?
The digital content space has become legitimized. Streaming has become the new norm, and stories can be told in whatever length is most appropriate to the arc. It also means filmmakers like ourselves have more of an opportunity to reach specific audiences who share our sensibilities. We came up just as the digital revolution was taking off, which is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, the barrier to entry is much lower. On the other hand, there is more noise to compete with. It’s not better or worse than pre-digital, it’s just non-negotiable. We know the new rules, and are adapting as the playing field evolves.
Music videos have had a resurgence of late; where do you see the industry being in five years’ time?
We’ll likely see more visualizers integrated into streaming services like Spotify and Tidal. Whether these are lyric based or actual performance videos will depend on the artist themselves, but the demand is clear: audiences want to watch music. As the digital space becomes more legitimized (eyeballs are eyeballs, after all) we’ll likely see beefier ad revenue to support production again.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…
A common theory about us is that we live together. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t have matching race car beds. Though we’re inseparable for 50+ hrs of the week, we recognize the importance of living separate lives (when we can.) Other little facts: Justus has rescued two turtles and built his own turtle pond next to our office. And Eric’s 14-year-old face can be seen in the Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park, “spitting” water on tourists.
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