Exuberance pulses through the work of Prettybird director Calmatic, who has a flair for bringing a fresh take to well-trod terrain. His claim to fame is the music video for Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus' "Old Town Road," a spectacular spaghetti western sci-fi mashup that sees the hip-hop and country stars play cowboy bank robbers.
Calmatic brings a fresh eye and exuberance to well-trod terrain in ads and music videos
Calmatic also took a Google Maps-style cinematic approach to the music video for Vince Staples’ “Fun!”—a voyeuristic trip through a neighborhood street, the camera pausing and zooming in on vignettes of residents dancing, hanging and mischief-making.
For the authentic feel, he and director of photography Ryan Marie Helfant crafted a multi-camera rig that captured video and panoramic stills. Calmatic then worked with Electric Theater Collective on the post process. The jury bestowed him the Director of the Year honor on the merits of the music videos; Calmatic went on to make his Super Bowl debut on the TurboTax “All People Are Tax People” spot from Wieden+Kennedy.