Melodie McDaniel (born 1967) is a Los Angeles, California–based American still life, celebrity, and advertising photographer and film director.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, [1] [2] McDaniel graduated in 1992 from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California with a major in Photography and a minor in Fine Art. She studied photography and was inspired to pursue documentary photography after traveling throughout Europe and Israel. [3] [4]
McDaniel's first professional job was album artwork for Suzanne Vega, [4] which received critical praise and led to further work with such musical artists as Smashing Pumpkins, Mazzy Star, Cat Power, Pharrell Williams, and Lily Allen. She went on to direct music videos, including clips for the Cranberries ("Linger", 1993), [5] Annie Lennox, Blonde Redhead, Patti Smith, Tori Amos ("God", 1994) and Madonna ("Secret", 1994). By 1995, she had shot for celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson, Madeline Stowe, Harvey Keitel, Sheryl Crow and David Bowie, for publications like US , Interview, Rolling Stone and The New York Times Magazine . [6] She also directed an adaptation of William S. Burroughs's short story The Junky's Christmas .
She signed with The Directors Bureau in 2002. Melodie has since worked on spots for Chevy, Toyota, Vodafone, Zune, and Nike.
Melodie McDaniel continues to maintain a dual career in commercials/music videos and still photography. [3]
Over the years, McDaniel has shot editorially for Nylon Magazine, Giant Magazine, Elle, Vogue, Spin Magazine, Dazed & Confused, Interview, 10 Magazine, Jane Magazine, Details and Lula Magazine. [7] Apart from brands like Nike, GAP, and Levi’s. [1]
She has photographed celebrities including as Lily Allen, [8] Ludacris, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Ryan Gosling, Carrie Underwood, Rob Machado, Robin Tunney.
She co-directed the music video, "Carnival" (1995) with Natalie Merchant.
"Linger" is a song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries from their debut studio album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). Composed by band members Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan, and produced by Stephen Street, "Linger" was first released as the second and final single from the album on 15 February 1993 by Island Records. It was later re-released on 31 January 1994.
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, often known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes, which he formed in 1992 with Chad Hugo. They produced 15 singles which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including four songs that peaked atop the chart. He also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams serves as lead vocalist. He has been considered one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century for his impact on popular music.
Terrence Richardson is an American fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, i-D, and Vice.
Harold "Hype" Williams is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter.
"U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams and Chad Hugo under their production moniker The Neptunes for Usher's third studio album, 8701 (2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth international single. In the US, it was first serviced to radio on January 18, 2002, and it was issued as a commercial single in Europe and Australia later that year.
"Can I Have It Like That" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer and rapper Pharrell Williams featuring vocals from American singer Gwen Stefani from the former's 2006 debut album In My Mind and it’s the opening track. The song's hook comes from a one-line contribution from Stefani, used as part of a call and response in the chorus. "Can I Have It Like That" was released as the album's lead single October 10, 2005.
Anthony Mandler is an American film, television, and music video director and photographer.
Mark Alan Seliger is an American photographer noted for his portraiture. From 1992 to 2002, he was Chief Photographer for Rolling Stone, during which time he shot over 188 covers for the magazine. From 2002 to 2012 he was under contract with Condé Nast Publications for GQ and Vanity Fair and has shot for numerous other magazines. Seliger has published a number of books, including When They Came to Take My Father: Voices of the Holocaust, Physiognomy, and On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories, and his photographs are included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the National Portrait Gallery in London. He has done advertising work for Adidas, Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Apple, Dom Pérignon, Fila, Gap, HBO, Hourglass Cosmetics, Hulu, KITH, Lee Jeans, Levi's, McDonald's, Netflix, Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, Rolex, Showtime, Sony, Universal and Viacom, among others. He is also the lead singer of the country band Rusty Truck.
Autumn de Wilde is an American photographer and film director best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians, as well as her music video works. In 2020 she directed her first feature film, Emma.
Estevan Oriol is a photographer and director from Los Angeles, of Mexican-Italian descent. Best known for his distinct, gritty 35mm black and white work, documenting chicano, cholo culture, as well as celebrities within film and hip-hop, and lingerie work, his images have been featured in magazines, on album covers and in exhibitions across the world. Oriol is also known for directing several music videos for the likes of Blink 182, D12, Cypress Hill and more, as well as for his partnerships with life-long friend and collaborator, Mister Cartoon for Joker Brand Clothing and Soul Assassins Studios, the latter of which the two opened together by way of Cypress Hill's producer, DJ Muggs.
"Kitty Kat" is a song by American singer Beyoncé for her second studio album, B'Day (2006). It was composed by Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, and Shawn Carter. "Kitty Kat" is a mid-tempo electro, hip hop soul and R&B song whose lyrics detail a situation where a woman feels that her man has underestimated her. The song was generally well received by music critics who noted it to be a seductive track thanks to its "I'm not feelin[g] it" vibe. However, some music critics felt that the production does not live up to those of other songs featured on B'Day.
Steven Klein is an American photographer and videographer based in New York City. He has worked with numerous pop culture figures, including American singer-songwriter Madonna.
Dana Lixenberg is a Dutch photographer and filmmaker. She lives and works in New York and Amsterdam. Lixenberg pursues long-term projects on individuals and communities on the margins of society. Her books include Jeffersonville, Indiana (2005), The Last Days of Shishmaref (2008), Set Amsterdam (2011), De Burgemeester/The Mayor (2011), and Imperial Courts (2015).
Patrick Ecclesine is an American commercial and fine art photographer and director who has contributed extensively to Vanity Fair.
The 2014 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 24, 2014 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. It was the 31st annual MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé and Iggy Azalea led the nominees with eight nominations each, while Eminem followed them with seven. Beyoncé received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, following a 16-minute medley of her self-titled fifth studio album. The show had an audience of 8.3 million viewers, while 10.1 million cumulative with the other three Viacom networks that simulcast the presentation.
"Get Like Me" is a song written and performed by American rapper Nelly featuring Nicki Minaj and Pharrell Williams. Produced by the latter, "Get Like Me" was released by Republic Records as the second single from the former's seventh studio album M.O. on July 2, 2013. Upon its release, the song was positively received by most music critics who praised the chemistry between the performers and praised its sound.
Cass Bird is an artist, photographer, and director who lives and works in New York City.
"Shine" is a song written and recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani featuring fellow American musician Pharrell Williams, who solely produced the song. Originally intended for Stefani's band No Doubt, it is a reggae pop and ska song that is featured in the 2014 animated film Paddington. The lyrics revolve around the lead character Paddington Bear's journey to London and his identity crisis. Stefani initially disagreed with Williams' choice to use direct references to Paddington in the lyrics, but praised this decision after watching the film with her children. She reported that her involvement with the recording was inspired by her then-husband Gavin Rossdale and her children's connection to England.
"California Roll" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg, featuring vocals from fellow American musicians Stevie Wonder and Pharrell Williams, the latter of whom goes uncredited, but produced the song alongside Chad Hugo as The Neptunes. It was released on May 5, 2015 as the third and final single from Snoop Dogg's thirteenth studio album Bush (2015), with the record labels i am OTHER and Columbia Records. Williams is credited as a co-writer of the song, along with Snoop Dogg and James Fauntleroy. The song cover art features model Afiya Bennett.
Cindy Bernard is a Los-Angeles based artist whose artistic practice comprises photography, video, performance, and activism. In 2002, Cindy Bernard founded the Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound, which presents site-relational experimental music. Her numerous Hitchcock references have been discussed in Dan Auiler's Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic (1998), essays by Douglas Cunningham and Christine Spengler in The San Francisco of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo: Place, Pilgrimage and Commemoration (2012) and Spengler's Hitchcock and Contemporary Art (2014).