Marc, David & Dori

I went into Westwood last Wednesday to meet up with Carly Steel and Babacar Diene to hear ex-Parisian, PENN grad, friend and music video director Marc-Edouard Leon (aka Marco) speak with his directing partners David Hache and Dori Oskowitz at the Armand Hammer museum for the Flux filmmaker’s screening series.

The building where the Hammer museum is housed happens to be the building where my father and grandfather had their offices my entire childhood when it was then known as The Kirkeby Center.

The presentation featured several videos done by Marco and his directing partners, David and Dori, who depending on the project will work separately or together under the directing banner “Skinny”. Marc, David and Dori talked about their unconventional (and RAD) styles of videos; one in particular I really love, that happens to be their first music video together, is shot entirely backwards though somehow the band is clearly singing forwards [Rock&Roll]. Shortly thereafter, the boys recived a call from Partizan – where both Marc and David had interned when they were 15 years old; they have been signed to the label ever since.

Skinny - Marc-Edouard Leon, David Hache and Dori Oskowitz - Pic from Shelby Duncan

Their second video was for Devendra Bandhart who Marc met while working on a profile for the singer for Flaunt magazine, where Marc has written several features. It was on this set that Devendra met his future girlfriend Natalie Portman (they have since split) who agreed to do the video after Devendra lent her a song for a charity compilation she was wroking on. The Bollywood inspired video caught the attention of the tabloids, magazines and news outlets [Devendra Bandhart]. A recent video they conceived had a choose-your-adventure ending (!!!) which can be explored through different YouTube clips (start here).

A longstanding relationship with the MTV VMA Breakout winner of the year (and LA native) Ke$ha - they have worked on her virals (Ke$hawood), her first video (which has still not been released), concert visuals, album cover, and press shots and Dori independently directed her “Take it Off “video.

But the biggest shock of the evening, and we knew there would be one, is an attempt caught on camera to streak a work colleague who’d lent her office for a meeting, unbeknown to Marc who was birthday suit ready for a group of 4 un-intendeds. Skinny still decided to use this as means to demonstrate how accustom to the antics of Skinny the world is growing. None of the 4 were upset or surprised. A simple “Hi Marc” is all he got.

If you know this circle you too know its not a surprise for  Marc to be caught with his pants down – or in a wolf’s head chapeau – or a face paint in a hot spring with 20 friends and a forest ranger. If you are in the inner sactum you’ve likely been invited to and still have your costume from their gigalo, cabaret, 20s haunted theatre or future gang theme  parties.

Marc, me and Joanna from Io Echo

Almost always held in illegal warehouses, one particuarly notorious event during which people came dressed as their spirit animals was shut down by Police helicopters. Ashley Haber, a photographer and founder of Spirit Hoods, dressed half the party in his faux fur and animal head hoods. Imagine 100 kids dressed like animals running from police helicopters at night in downtown L.A.

Marc shares a collaborative office space with his directing partners and several other artists and directors including Matt Amato from The Masses, which use to count Heath Ledger as one of their own. 2 or 3 times a year the office has a Spring party, a Christmas party and one in between to celebrate the completion or release of videos here.
Marc introduced me to the lovely Joanna Gikas of Io Echo while we were waiting for the presentations to start; she told me she is recently back from 2 tours and has just released a single. I ran into Brett Dallinger (formerly of Bolthouse) who has now formed a sound engineering company. Also in attendance were work friends, DPs, make-up artists, directors Tom Kuntz, Chris Milk, Andreas Nilsson, John Christopher Pina, the musician Soko and members of Jump Jump Dance Dance, Mischa Barton, L.A. Times writer August Brown (read his LA Times blog article), DJ/promoter Ana Calderon, and management people from agencies and labels like Sony.

Marc first met Dori Oskowitz, who was already directing and signed independently for commercials and music videos and who was once a teacher at the NY Film Academy through a Craig’s List miracle. Roommates became friends and friends became creative allies. Dori now directs big projects on his own for the prestigious production company Pretty Bird.

David Hache was another story, Marc and he have been friends since they were 13 yrs old in Paris. Both have American mothers and French fathers and wound up in Los Angeles by chance. David’s mother is a photgrapher and his dad is an actor, and his girlfriend, Kimberley Gordon, is one of the founders for the hit clothing line Wildfox! David has directed several fashion films for the line.

Marco’s mother is a former model, currently living in Geneva, where she is a co-founder of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO).

As a contributor to Flaunt magazine, Marc will employ using Gonzo journalism ideas tapped from the late great Hunter Thompson, where immersion is key. Marc has been a dandy, a hippie, and grew a particularly impressive mustache – all in the name of journalism. During an interview into the world of Devendra Bandhart, Marc was asked if Skinny would direct his next video – starring his then girlfriend Natalie Portman. This was Skinny’s 2nd video.

Between Marc, David and Dori, they know a lot of bands and are constantly working. While other music videos might limit themselves to 5 or 6 videos a year … they have 30 videos between the three of them since they started in 2008 and work based on artistic interest rather than money or commercial gain. Tons of videos are still in the pipeline to be released that the three of them have shot independently and together. Look out for present, past and future from the following artists:

• Devendra Bandhart
• Ke$ha
• Cee-Lo Green – “No’ones Gonna Love You (2 versions – censored / uncensored)
• Fun – “Walking The Dog”
• Jeffrey Star (mon amie Ross Levine was the producer on this
• Marina and the Diamonds

Of course new releases mean more parties so ready your glue gun and scissors for the next Skinny stunt or theme party …

1st Skinny Video: Rock&Roll “Losers, Boozers, Jacuzzi Users”

2nd Skinny Video: Devendra Banhart & Natalie Portman “Carmensita” by Skinny

Cee-Lo Green – “No’ones Gonna Love You:

Fun – “Walking The Dog”

Ke$shawood