Playlist: Marty McMullan

What’s the best music video you’ve seen recently and why?

The new video from Pharrell Williams featuring 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator - Cash In Cash Out looks amazing and must have been so much work. 

It took over two years to finish with starts and stops and I think that's a good barometer of the music video scene, we get involved for the art and the love of the medium, as opposed to economic gains.

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by?

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker was mental when it came out.

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

It's impossible to list one. 

But a few that spring to mind are Beastie Boys - Sabotage, Johnny Cash - Hurt, Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar, Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up, Aphex Twin - Windowlicker,  Bicep - Glue.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

It's really hard to list, but a few names that I seem to find myself often referencing in a grade are Gregory Crewdson, William Eggleston, Doug DuBois, David LaChapelle, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry, Jason Hawkes, Chris Cunningham and Martin Parr. 

I've been really lucky to work with some great colourists and directors throughout my career and I like to think I have been able to absorb some knowledge from every job. I won't hear a bad word about Scorsese.

What are you listening to at the moment?

A lot of Drum and Bass but I tend to play something less hectic if I have clients attending the grade! 

Podcasts are also a good companion for a long day's unattended grade.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

My phone is invaluable but I have been getting into alot of VR recently. I love my Resolve Advanced panels but the Mini panels were great for grading from home during the lockdown.  

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

Amon Tobin always does something unique with his visuals. Bicep would be really cool too as I feel their music really lends itself to visuals and colour.  

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

Back when I started it was the days of big budgets and maybe three or four videos that got made per album. That model has changed to multiple videos per track release if you include teasers and trailers. Plus, budgets and time constraints keep getting smaller. For example, I worked on the Stormzy track Still Disappointed, and that was filmed, edited, graded and released within 48 hours.