Music video director

A music video director is the head, overseer or facilitator of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or may not be in collaboration with the musical act.

On November 8, 1992, MTV began listing directors with the artist, song, and record company credits, because music videos had increasingly become an auteur's medium. "The case for the director as music video author is strong. It is the music video director who has principal control of everything that is added to the pre-existing recorded sound text." Directors, including Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, and F. Gary Gray, have gone on to direct feature films, continuing a trend that had begun earlier with directors such as Lasse Hallström and David Fincher. The most expensive video of all time was directed by Mark Romanek: Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" (1995), which cost $7 million to produce. In 2003, Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry founded the Directors Label.

List
The following list does not include musical artists who have co-directed videos:

• Adam Jones

• Alex and Martin

• Anthony Mandler

• Anton Corbijn

• Baillie Walsh

• Benny Boom

• Beyoncé

• Bill Fishman

• Bille Woodruff

• Bob Giraldi

• Brett Ratner

• Brian De Palma

• Brian Grant

• Bruce Gowers

• Bryan Barber

• Chris Cunningham

• Chris Milk

• Chris Robinson

• Clarence Peters

• Cole Bennett

• Colin Tilley: videography

• D. A. Pennebaker

• Darren Grant

• Dave Meyers

• David Fincher

• David LaChapelle

• David Mallet

• Derek Pike

• Derrick Acosta

• Diane Martel

• Director X

• Dominic Sena

• Doug Nichol

• Dream Rockwell

• Erik White

• Ethan Hawke

• F. Gary Gray

• Floria Sigismondi

• Francis Lawrence

• François Girard

• George Ant

• Gil Green

• Gianmarco Donaggio

• Gregory Dark

• Godley & Creme

• Hannah Lux Davis

• Herb Ritts

• Hole

• Hopsin

• Hype Williams

• Ivan Shapovalov

• Janell Shirtcliff

• Jake Nava

• Jared Leto

• Jean-Baptiste Mondino

• Jean-Pierre Jeunet

• Jesse Peretz

• Jessy Terrero

• Jim Blashfield

• Joe Hahn

• Joe Pytka

• John Landis

• John Lloyd Miller

• Jon Schnepp

• Jonas Åkerlund:

• Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

• Jonathan Demme

• Jonathan Glazer

• Joseph Kahn

• Julien Temple

• Justin Burquist

• Kevin Kerslake

• Lasse Hallström

• Liz Friedlander

• Logic (rapper)

• McG

• MC Hammer

• Marc Klasfeld

• Marc Webb

• Marcos Siega

• Marcus Raboy

• Mark Pellington

• Mark Romanek

• Martin Scorsese

• Mathew Cullen

• Matthew Rolston

• Meiert Avis

• Melina Matsoukas

• Michael Bay

• Michael Lindsay-Hogg

• Michael Moore

• Michael Patterson

• Michel Gondry

• Michelle Zauner

• Paul Hunter

• Phil Harder

• RT!

• R. Kelly

• Rankin

• Ray Kay

• Roman Coppola

• Roman White

• Rupert Wainwright

• Russell Mulcahy

• Rahul Chahal

• Sajeed A.

• Sam Chegini

• Sam Peckinpah

• Samuel Bayer

• Scott Speer

• Shane Drake

• Shomi Patwary

• Skye Sweetnam

• Sophie Muller

• Spike Jonze

• Spike Lee

• Stanley Donen

• Stéphane Sednaoui

• Stephen R. Johnson

• Steve Purcell

• System D-128

• Takahiro Miki

• Tamra Davis

• Tarsem Singh

• Taylor Swift

• The Malloys

• Thomas Trail

• Tim Armstrong

• Todd McFarlane

• Tony Kaye

• Tony Petrossian

• Trey Fanjoy

• U2

• Vincent Moon

• Wayne Isham

• Weird Al Yankovic

• William Friedkin

• Wolf Haley