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Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He has directed many pop videos, for singers who include Britney Spears, [1] Toto and Band Aid. [2]
Educated at Gresham's School in Holt and the University of Bath, Dick began to work for a degree in architecture before pursuing a career in the record business. He has studied mime and is also a graduate of Judith Weston's Acting for Directors class.
Before success in the music and film industries, Dick worked as an architectural draughtsman, a clerk, a busker, a cab driver, a construction worker, a farm labourer, a motorcycle messenger, a salesman, a waiter, and served a spell in the Sewage Division of the Anglian Water Authority.
He began his career in the record business working at Stiff Records, where he stayed for five years working as a Press Officer with Madness, Ian Dury, Lene Lovich, and the Plasmatics. In the early 1980s he moved to Phonogram Records, and while there directed the original Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?". In 1986, Dick moved to Los Angeles to direct his first feature film, P.I. Private Investigations (1987), starring Ray Sharkey and Martin Balsam. Since then, he has directed more than twenty documentaries and feature films and over three hundred music videos.
In 1986, he co-founded Propaganda Films, which became a major production company for commercials and music videos.
Dick directed the Britney Spears videos "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Sometimes", and "Oops!... I Did It Again", [3] [4] the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", and over 500 other music videos. [5] Other groups whose videos he has directed include Backstreet Boys and Guns N' Roses. [4]
In 1999, Dick directed MTV's first made-for-TV feature 2gether. The film spawned a TV series and two albums. Dick co-wrote a number of songs on the first album which reached the US Top-40 chart. In 2003, he directed Seeing Double for Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment, which starred British pop act S Club 7.
In 2008, E! Television announced that Dick would be co-exec producing an observational documentary TV series starring Pamela Anderson titled: Pam: Girl On The Loose.
The artists and bands Dick has directed to date include The Offspring, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Jessica Simpson, Cher, Breaking Benjamin, Anastacia, Carly Simon, Def Leppard, Steve Lukather, Nickelback, Oasis, Kula Shaker, Toni Braxton, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Il Divo, Elton John, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, Amy Lee, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, REM, Gloria Estefan, S Club, Pussycat Dolls, Tears for Fears and Ozzy Osbourne. [6]
Dick's film work has won three MTV awards, two Billboard Awards and three MVPA awards. His videos have won a BRIT Award and been nominated for more than twenty MTV Video Music Awards, sixteen MuchMusic Video Awards and a Grammy Award. His personal nominations include a Cable Ace Award.
In 2000, Dick was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in the MPVA Awards. [7]
Dick was a founding member of pub-rock act and Stiff Records house band The Stiff All Stars. The band was briefly signed to Stiff Records competitor Chiswick Records in 1980 and subsequently released four singles. Band line-up was Andy Murray (guitar, vocals), Nigel Dick (bass, vocals), Pete Glenister (guitar), Nicky Graham (keys), Nick Garnett (drums) Hugh Attwooll (drums). Despite the band's name, only Murray and Dick actually worked at Stiff Records; Glenister went on to write and produce for Alison Moyet, Kirsty MacColl, Darius; Graham went on to write and produce Bros. The band appeared on TV, toured frequently and supported Jools Holland, Any Trouble, Madness amongst others. Jamie West-Oram featured in an early line-up but left to join The Fixx. Thirty years after the release of their first single The Stiff All Stars released their first album '12.5 on a 10 Point Scale' which featured new tracks and previously unreleased songs featuring Jeff Porcaro (Toto) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp).
Dick also appeared four times as a backing musician on BBC's famous 'Top of the Pops': three times with Jona Lewie ('Kitchen at Parties', 'Stop The Cavalry') and once with The Snowmen ('Hokey Cokey').
As a guitarist, he has released three albums:
Dick travels by bicycle and has made cycle tours in fourteen countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and various European countries, including the United Kingdom.
2gether was a fictional American boy band whose composition, songs, and formation story are a satirical approach to boy bands such as New Kids on the Block, 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys. They were part of a self-titled MTV TV movie and spin-off television series.
"...Baby One More Time" is the debut single by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album of the same title (1999). It was written by Max Martin and produced by Martin and Rami. Released on September 29, 1998, by Jive Records, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts in over 20 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, where it earned quintuple and triple-platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively, and was the latter's best-selling single of 1999. The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold.
"(You Drive Me) Crazy" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Written and produced by Max Martin, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger with additional writing by Jörgen Elofsson and remix by Martin and Rami Yacoub, it was released as the album's third single on August 24, 1999, by Jive Records. It was featured on the soundtrack of the 1999 teen romantic comedy film Drive Me Crazy. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics, some of whom praised its simple formula and noted similarities to Spears's debut single, "...Baby One More Time".
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). It was released on December 14, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album. After Spears recorded an unused song from Toni Braxton and sent it through Larry Rudolph to several labels, executives from Jive Records commented that it was very rare to hear someone so young who could deliver emotional content and commercial appeal, appointing the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. The teen pop ballad was written and produced by White, and features Spears singing about the loss of a first love and how breaking up can be hard.
"Oops!... I Did It Again" is a pop song recorded by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album of the same name. It was released on April 11, 2000, by Jive Records as the lead single from the album, and her sixth single overall. It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub. The lyrics refer to a woman who views love as a game, and she decides to use that to her advantage by playing with the emotions of a boy who likes her. Its bridge features spoken dialogue which references the hit 1997 film Titanic.
"Lucky" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on July 25, 2000, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After meeting with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub in Sweden, the singer recorded numerous songs for the album, including "Lucky". The song's narrative follows the story of the eponymous famous actress, who, despite seemingly having it all – fame, wealth, beauty – is truly lonely and unhappy on the inside. It received critical acclaim, with critics praising its melody and rhythm, and Spears' vocals.
"Stronger" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on October 31, 2000, by Jive Records as the third single from the album. After meeting with producers Max Martin and Rami in Sweden, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Stronger". The dance-pop, synth-pop and teen pop song features self-empowerment lyrics about a girl who is tired of her cheating boyfriend and decides to move on without him. It received acclaim from music critics, who described the song as being both musically and lyrically innovative, with some deeming it the best track on Oops!... I Did It Again.
"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again (2000). It was released on March 12, 2001, by Jive Records as the fourth and final single from the album. After meeting with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange in Switzerland, Spears recorded several songs for the album, including "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know", which she considered one of her favorites on the album. Additional lyrics were written by guitar player Keith Scott and country pop singer Shania Twain. The pop ballad speaks of a woman wanting to hear her boyfriend say that he loves her, and is sonically similar to David Bowie and Iggy Pop's song "China Girl" (1983).
"Overprotected" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her third studio album, Britney (2001). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami. The song was released on December 10, 2001, by Jive Records as the second international single from Britney. "Overprotected" is a dance-pop song about a girl who is tired of being overprotected and just wants to be herself. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Its remixed R&B form, produced by Darkchild, was released as the third US single from Britney on April 2, 2002.
"Boys" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her self-titled third studio album (2001). It was written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. A version of the song titled "The Co-Ed Remix" and featuring guest vocals from Williams was released as the fifth single from Britney on June 24, 2002. The new version also served as the second single from the soundtrack of Austin Powers in Goldmember. "Boys" is a R&B and hip hop song, including funk influences. The remix carries a slower tempo than the album version, and both versions were noted by critics to be reminiscent of music by American artist Janet Jackson. Some critics praised Spears and Williams' chemistry, as well as the production on the track, while others did not think the song worked well.
"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of South Asian music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is played in the key of C minor with a tempo of 143 beats per minute. It is accompanied by breathy vocals and high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Laxmikant–Pyarelal's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981). Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous and addictive drug.
American entertainer Britney Spears has released 47 music videos and ten video albums. She has appeared in several films, television shows, and commercials. Spears made her acting debut at age 11 in the television show The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994), playing various roles. She then made her feature film debut in Longshot (2001) as a cameo, portraying a flight attendant. In 2002, she starred as Lucy Wagner in Crossroads. The film grossed $61 million worldwide and earned her a nomination for Best Female Breakthrough Performance at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards. The same year, she gave her voice to the character Donner in the American dubbing of Robbie the Reindeer's television specials Hooves of Fire (1999) and Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002). In television series, she portrayed the guest roles of Amber-Louise and Abby in Will & Grace (2006) and How I Met Your Mother (2008), respectively. Spears also has released a few television documentaries, including Britney: For the Record (2008).
Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thriller Constantine (2005) and has since directed the post-apocalyptic horror film I Am Legend (2007), the romantic drama Water for Elephants (2011), four of the five films in The Hunger Games film series, and the spy thriller Red Sparrow (2018).
The Andy Dick Show is an American sketch comedy series that aired on MTV from February 2001 to May 2002. The series was created by and starred comedian Andy Dick.
Laurieann Gibson is a Canadian choreographer, director, television personality, singer, actress, and dancer. She has choreographed dance numbers for musical artists such as Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. Her music video directing credits include "Judas", "You and I", and "Love to My Cobain".
"Womanizer" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus (2008). It was released on September 26, 2008, by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and written by The Outsyders, the song was re-recorded after a snippet was leaked onto the internet. "Womanizer" is an up-tempo electropop and dance-pop song. Described by Spears as a girl anthem, the song's lyrics recall a womanizing man, while the protagonist of the song makes clear she knows who he really is.
Britney: For the Record is a 2008 documentary television film about American singer Britney Spears, following her return to the recording industry after her much-publicized personal struggles. The film was shot in Beverly Hills and New York City during the third quarter of 2008; main shooting began on September 5, 2008, two days before Spears's appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. It was directed by Phil Griffin. MTV, one of the two official distributors of the documentary, posted on their website the first promotional trailer on October 9, 2008.
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was hosted by Russell Brand.
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced. Katy Perry received the most nominations this year at ten, followed by Adele, and Kanye West, who were both tied at seven. A Britney Spears tribute was held, consisting of adult and children dancers alike, they wore costumes based on the music videos of Spears. Hamish Hamilton directed the show.