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Hiro Murai, a Tokyo-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker, has woven a reign of influence that has redefined the potential of music videos and visual storytelling in the modern age. Having directed many iconic clips for artists like Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”, Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me” and Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids”, his work is known for its visual distinctiveness that incorporates elements of surrealism and landscapes of dreamlike abstraction. Hiro's narrative transformation of “This is America” captured the world’s attention with occurrences of surreal violence and dancing, igniting a viral explosion of interpretations and debates.
Murai's work has a recognizable cinematic thinking akin to puzzle-solving - each frame a piece fitting into the next. Under his lens, even commonplace interactions take on uncanny qualities, nudging viewers to participate in examination and interpretation. An interesting note to add is that despite being a quintessential music video director of our time, Murai actually attributes his understanding of rhythm and structure from his failed attempts at starting a rock band in his youth. We might owe Hiro Murai's all-encompassing eye for both storytelling and sound to those jam sessions that didn't quite hit the mark.
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